Systems, Methods, and Computer Programs for Transitioning from a Phone-Only Mode to a Web Conference Mode

1 . A method for participating in an audio conference, the method comprising:

a conferencing system establishing an audio conference between a plurality of participants via a communication network, at least one of the participants participating in the audio conference in a phone-only mode as a phone-only participant; and

a server in communication with the conferencing system presenting a phone-only user interface to a computing device associated with the phone-only participant, the phone-only user interface comprising a phone-only control menu for transitioning from the phone-only mode to a web conferencing mode by replacing the phone-only user interface presented to the computing device with a web conference user interface presented to the computing device.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the phone-only control menu comprises a list identifying the participants, a mute/unmute control, a disconnect control, and a switch mode control for requesting the transition from the phone-only mode to the web conferencing mode.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a transition request via the phone-only control menu;

in response to transition request, the server presenting the web conference user interface to the computing device.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the web conference user interface displays a plurality of interactive participant objects uniquely identifying each of the participants in the audio conference.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the interactive participant objects comprise a plurality of selectable display faces for displaying information about the corresponding participant.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the phone-only participant joins the audio conference via one of a dial-in number or a dial-out feature.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

monitoring a quality or cost of an audio connection associated with the phone-only participant;

based on the quality or cost, determining an alternative audio connection; and

prompting the phone-only participant via the phone-only control menu to reconnect to the audio conference via the alternative audio connection.

8 . A computer program embodied in a computer readable medium and executable by a processor for providing an audio conference, the computer program comprising logic configured to:

establish an audio conference between a plurality of participants via a communication network, at least one of the participants participating in the audio conference as a phone-only participant in a phone-only mode, via a phone-only user interface;

present the phone-only user interface to a computing device associated with the phone-only participant, the phone-only user interface comprising a phone-only control menu for enabling the phone-only participant to transition from the phone-only mode to a web conferencing mode;

receive the transition request initiated via the phone-only control menu; and

in response to the transition request, change the phone-only participant from the phone-only mode to the web conference mod.

9 . The computer program of claim 8 , further comprising logic configured to replace the phone-only user interface presented to the computing device with a web conference user interface, and wherein the phone-only control menu comprises a list identifying the participants and a switch mode control for requesting the transition from the phone-only mode to the web conferencing mode.

10 . The computer program of claim 8 , wherein the phone-only participant joins the audio conference via one of a dial-in number or a dial-out feature based on a current location of the computing device.

11 . The computer program of claim 8 , further comprising logic configured to:

monitor a quality or cost of an audio connection associated with the phone-only participant;

based on the quality or cost, determine an alternative audio connection;

receiving a request via the phone-only control menu to reconnect via the alternative audio connection; and

connect the phone-only participant to the audio conference via the alternative audio connection.

12 . The computer program of claim 11 , wherein the alternative audio connection comprises one of an alternative dial-in number or a dial-out feature.

13 . A computer system comprising:

a conferencing system for establishing an audio conference between a plurality of participants via a communication network, wherein the participants participate as a phone-only participant in a phone-only mode or in a web conference mode; and

a server configured to communicate with the conferencing system and present a phone-only user interface to a computing device associated with the phone-only participant, the phone-only user interface comprising a phone-only control menu for enabling the phone-only participant to transition from the phone-only mode to the web conferencing mode by changing the phone-only participant from the phone-only mode to the web conference mode and presenting the web conference user interface to the computing device.

14 . The computer system of claim 13 , wherein the server is further configured to:

receive the transition request initiated via the phone-only control menu; and

in response to the transition request, present the web conference user interface to the computing device.

15 . The computer system of claim 13 , wherein the phone-only control menu comprises a list identifying the participants, a mute/unmute control, a disconnect control, and a switch mode control for requesting the transition from the phone-only mode to the web conferencing mode.

16 . The computer system of claim 13 , wherein the phone-only participant joins the audio conference via one of a dial-in number or a dial-out feature based on a current location of the computing device.

17 . The computer system of claim 13 , wherein one or more of the conferencing system and the server is further configured to:

monitor a quality or cost of an audio connection associated with the phone-only participant;

based on the quality or cost, determine an alternative audio connection;

receive a request via the phone-only control menu to reconnect via the alternative audio connection; and

connect the phone-only participant to the audio conference via the alternative audio connection.

18 . The computer system of claim 17 , wherein the alternative audio connection comprises one of an alternative dial-in number or a dial-out feature.

19 . The computer system of claim 13 , wherein the phone-only participant joins the audio conference via one of a dial-in number or a dial-out feature.

20 . The computer system of claim 19 , wherein the dial-in number is based on a current location of the computing device associated with the phone-only participant.