Method and system for automatic handling of invitations to join communications sessions in a virtual team environment

Abstract

A collaboration services suite is adapted to support a plurality of integrated telecommunications services accessed by geographically dispersed team members using a virtual team environment (VTE) client that generates a graphical user interface (GUI) for each of the respective team members. Communications sessions are automatically set up by the collaboration services suite in response to request messages generated by the VTE client when a team member initiates a communications session request using the GUI. Team members require no knowledge of another team member's communications device address in order to initiate a communications session. The collaboration services suite includes a VTE server that communicates with the VTE clients, a presence engine that collects and maintains a status of communications devices specified in a current profile of the team member; and, a call server for handling setup and control of a voice component of each communications session completed.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A method of inviting a person to join a communications session initiated using a collaboration services suite accessed from a team member interface of a virtual team environment, comprising steps of: 
 responding to an action performed by a team member to initiate the invitation from the team member interface, by sending an invitation request message to the collaboration services suite;    analyzing the invitation request message at the collaboration services suite, and sending the invitation from the collaboration services suite to the person, using a preferred, available communications medium selected by the collaboration services suite using dynamic presence and availability information maintained by the collaboration services suite.    
     
     
         2 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the action responded to comprises a selection of a communications icon associated with a personal identifier of the person displayed on the team member interface, the selection causing the team member interface to open a communications invitation window.  
     
     
         3 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the action responded to comprises a selection of an invitation option from an in-progress communications window.  
     
     
         4 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the action responded to comprises a selection of an entry associated with the person from a directory, and a subsequent selection of a communications option associated with the directory.  
     
     
         5 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the invitation request message includes an identification of the team member, an identification of the person, and an identification of a communications session type.  
     
     
         6 . A method as claimed in  claim 5  wherein the identification of the communications session type is one of an identifier of a type of communication, and a communications session identifier that is associated with a communications session that is in progress.  
     
     
         7 . A method as claimed in  claim 5  wherein the invitation request message further includes at least one of a list of participants and invitees, and any meeting notes input prior to a sending of the invitation.  
     
     
         8 . A method as claimed in  claim 5  wherein the invitation request message further includes at least one of a topic related to the communications session, and a text message that describes a purpose of the communications session.  
     
     
         9 . A method as claimed in  claim 5  wherein the communications type is any one of an instant text messaging session, a voice call session and a multimedia session.  
     
     
         10 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the step of analyzing comprises steps of determining the type of communications session being requested, and determining whether the person is a team member.  
     
     
         11 . A method as claimed in  claim 10  further comprising, if the person is a team member, a step of examining a current profile associated with the team member to determine a preferred communications medium and using the dynamic presence and availability information maintained by the collaboration services suite in order to determine if the preferred communications medium is available for receiving the invitation.  
     
     
         12 . A method as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the preferred communications medium for sending the invitation is an invitation message sent to the team member interface.  
     
     
         13 . A method as claimed in  claim 12  wherein the invitation message opens a communications session invitation window on the team member interface.  
     
     
         14 . A method as claimed in  claim 13  wherein the communications session invitation window displays a list of participants in the communications session.  
     
     
         15 . A method as claimed in  claim 14  wherein the communications session invitation window displays a list of invitees the communications session.  
     
     
         16 . A method as claimed in  claim 14  wherein the communications invitation window further displays a topic of discussion related to the communications session.  
     
     
         17 . A method as claimed in  claim 16  wherein the communications invitation further displays meeting notes entered by the participants in the communications session.  
     
     
         18 . A method as claimed in  claim 12  wherein the preferred medium for sending the invitation is a text device, if the team member interface is not available.  
     
     
         19 . A method as claimed in  claim 18  wherein the text device displays a communications session type in the invitation window and a personal identifier associated with a team member that sent the invitation.  
     
     
         20 . A method as claimed in  claim 18  wherein the preferred device for sending the invitation is a voice communications device, if a text device is not available.  
     
     
         21 . A method as claimed in  claim 20  wherein an interactive voice response unit (IVR) plays an announcement to the person, to invite the person to join the communications session when the person answers the voice communications device.  
     
     
         22 . A method as claimed in  claim 21  wherein the IVR comprises part of a functionality of a conference bridge.  
     
     
         23 . A method as claimed in  claim 21  wherein the IVR also plays a list of the persons attending the communications session and a topic of discussion.  
     
     
         24 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein sending the invitation comprises a step of formulating an invitation message and sending the invitation message to the team member interface, which displays a communications invitation window to the person.  
     
     
         25 . A method as claimed in  claim 24  wherein the invitation window displays a topic of discussion of the communications session.  
     
     
         26 . A method as claimed in  claim 25  wherein the invitation window further displays meeting notes generated during the communications session prior to the sending of the invitation request message.  
     
     
         27 . A method as claimed in  claim 24  wherein the invitation window displays options to join the communications session, decline the communications session invitation, or indicate a desire to join the communications session at a later time.  
     
     
         28 . A method as claimed in  claim 27  wherein the invitation window permits a reply message to be returned with any one of the options selected for a response.  
     
     
         29 . A method as claimed in  claim 27  wherein if the person elects to join the communications session, a message is sent by the team member interface to the collaboration services suite, and the collaboration services suite joins the person to the communications session.  
     
     
         30 . A method as claimed in  claim 29  wherein the collaboration services suite further advises each team member of the change in status of the person when the person is joined to the communications session.  
     
     
         31 . A method as claimed in  claim 28  wherein the reply message is display on the team member interface of all team members participating in the communications session.  
     
     
         32 . A method as claimed in  claim 29  wherein if the communications session is an instant messaging session, a connection manager is instructed to copy all text messages to the person, and to copy all text messages from the person to other members of the communications session.  
     
     
         33 . A method as claimed in  claim 29  wherein if the communications session is a voice conference session, a virtual switching point is instructed to join the person's preferred voice communications device to the voice conference.  
     
     
         34 . A method as claimed in  claim 33  wherein the preferred voice communications device is determined using the persons profile, if the person is a team member, and a number supplied in the invitation request message if the person is not a team member.  
     
     
         35 . A method as claimed in  claim 34  wherein joining the preferred voice communications device to the voice communications session comprises steps of: 
 sending a first Initial Address Message (IAM) to a first Service Switching Point (SSP) in a switched telephone network to inform the first SSP of an inbound call to the person's preferred voice communications device, a circuit identification code (CIC) of the IAM indicating that the inbound call is carried by an Enhanced Integrated Services Digital Network User Part (E-ISUP) trunk in which the virtual switching point is a logical SSP;  
 sending a second IAM to a second SSP in the switched telephone network, the first and second SSPs being interconnected by the EISUP trunk, the IAM informing the second SSP of an inbound call on the E-ISUP trunk, the inbound call having a called number designating a conference bridge supporting the voice communications session; and  
 sending a signaling message to the conference bridge to instruct the conference bridge to connect the call from the second SSP to the voice communications session.  
 
     
     
         36 . A method as claimed in  claim 35  wherein the signaling message sent to the conference bridge includes a session identifier to permit the conference bridge to associate the call to the voice communications session.  
     
     
         37 . A method as claimed in  claim 35  further comprising a step of playing an announcement to the person when the conference bridge answers the inbound call, to advise the person that they are being joined to the communications session.  
     
     
         38 . A method as claimed in  claim 37  further comprising a step of playing a audio signal to each member of the communications session when the conference bridge connects the person to the communications session.  
     
     
         39 . A method as claimed in  claim 37  further comprising a step of displaying a text message on a team member interface when the conference bridge connects the person to the communications session.  
     
     
         40 . A method as claimed in  claim 37  further comprising a step of updating a communications session display when the conference bridge connects the person to the communications session.  
     
     
         41 . A system for inviting a person to join a communications session initiated using a team member interface of a virtual team environment, comprising: 
 a collaboration services suite for receiving a communications session invitation request message sent from the team member interface by the team member, analyzing the invitation request message, and sending the invitation to the person using a preferred, available communications medium associated with the person.    
     
     
         42 . A system as claimed in  claim 41  wherein the collaboration services suite comprises at least one server connected to a data network to enable communications with the team member interface, and at least one virtual switching point in a switched telephone network for establishing and controlling voice communications sessions.  
     
     
         43 . A system as claimed in  claim 42  wherein the at least one server performs functions of managing connections with the team member interface; storing team member profiles; gathering dynamic presence and availability information and dynamically distributing the information to team member interfaces; and sending voice communications request messages to the virtual switching point.  
     
     
         44 . A system as claimed in  claim 41  wherein the virtual switching point is a physical node in a public switched telephone signaling network, and a virtual node in the public switched telephone network.  
     
     
         45 . A system as claimed in  claim 44  wherein the virtual switching point is a virtual node associated with selected Integrated Services Digital Network User Part (ISUP) trunks in the PSTN, so that the virtual switching point is in a signaling path for calls routed to the selected ISUP trunks.  
     
     
         46 . A system as claimed in  claim 41  wherein the communications session to which the person is invited is a multimedia communications session, and the collaboration services suite sends an Internet Protocol (IP) address of an active IP device used by the person to a client application used by the team member who sent the invitation, and client applications used by any other team members involved in the communications session, to permit the client applications to automatically exchange data with the active device when the multimedia session is established.  
     
     
         47 . A system as claimed in  claim 46  wherein the data is exchanged using an IP multicast protocol.  
     
     
         48 . A system as claimed in  claim 46  wherein the data exchanged permits the active device to build and update a multimedia window used for the communications session.  
     
     
         49 . A system as claimed in  claim 46  wherein the data exchanged permits the client applications to rebuild multimedia windows they maintain for the multimedia communications session to include content contributed by the active device.  
     
     
         50 . A system as claimed in  claim 46  wherein the method further comprises a step of setting up a voice path through a switched telephone network to carry voice content associated with the multimedia communications session.