Method and system for mutual consensus of meeting participants in established real-time sessions
View Patent ↗A method and a system for mutual consensus of meeting participants in established real-time sessions configured for allowing mutual consensus. In some embodiments, the a virtual meeting can be established between multiple parties (e.g. at least two participants) in which nobody can leave the meeting, or session, until an agreement is reached. In addition, a meeting exit function can be provided to give a moderator control to prohibit participants from leaving the meeting beforehand.
1. A method for mutual consensus of meeting participants in an established real time conference session comprising:
setting up a real time conference session on a first entity via a second entity of an organizer that is communicatively connected to the first entity, the first entity comprising a processor connected to a non-transitory computer readable medium and the second entity comprising a processor connected to a non-transitory computer readable medium;
inviting one or more participants to the real-time conference session via at least one third entity of the one or more participants which is communicatively connectable to the first entity;
requesting to set a consensual call flag (ccflag) to allow the real time conference session to be held in consensual mode (CM), wherein the organizer and/or the one or more participants can only end or exit the real time conference session upon predefined exit options;
checking, by the first entity, whether the organizer and/or the one or more participants is allowed to set the ccflag, in case there is no allowance, the ccflag is not set and the real time conference session is configured by the first entity without further predefined exit options, otherwise configuring, by the first entity, the real time conference session with additional predefined exit options upon setting the ccflag by the organizer and/or the one or more participants;
starting, by the first entity, the real time conference session immediately or at a time agreed by the organizer and/or the one or more participants.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining one or more moderators by the organizer and/or automatically by the first entity according to a predefined policy.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predefined exit options comprise at least one of: a dual mode consensus exit, a single mode consensus exit or a majority mode consensus exit.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the dual mode consensus exit comprises that in a 1:1 or that in an n:n real time conference session all participants of the real time conference session have to agree to end the real time conference session.
5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the single mode consensus exit comprises that in a 1:1 real time conference session or in a 1:n real time conference session or in an n:n real time conference session at least one named moderator must agree to end the real time conference session and/or wherein the majority consensus exit comprises that in a n:n real time conference session a majority of N participants must agree to end the real-time conference session.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organizer is one of a participant, a user, an artificial intelligence or a bot that is able to set up the conference session; and/or wherein the first entity is one of a computer, a server, a media server, a conference computer or a conference server configured for operating a real time conference session; and/or
wherein one or more second, third or further entity is one of a client, an application implemented on a computer or a server, a communication terminal having a client application, a communication terminal having a browser-based application, a communication terminal having a web based application, or a communication terminal having a cloud application or a Software as a Service (SaaS) which is able to connect to the first entity and enable the organizer and/or the one or more participants to participate in the conference session.
7. The method of claim 4 , comprising:
enabling, by the first entity, a hang up or disconnect option to end or exit the real time conference sessions for all participants in a 1:1 real time conference session, wherein all participants of the 1:1 real time conference sessions are enabled to use the hang up or disconnect option at a same time or within a predefined time window; and/or
providing, by the first entity, a notification to the participants of the real time conference sessions upon using the hang up or disconnect option by one participant which would then need to be confirmed by the other participant of the 1:1 real time conference sessions.
8. The method of claim 4 , comprising:
disabling or hiding, by the first entity, a hang up or disconnect option to end or exit the real time conference sessions for all participants in the n:n real time conference sessions, and
providing, by the first entity, an option to vote for ending the real time conference sessions for all participants in the n:n real time conference session, wherein the real time conference session ends if all participants in the n:n real time conference sessions have selected the option to vote for ending the real time conference sessions.
9. The method of claim 5 , comprising:
disabling or hiding, by the first entity, a hang up or disconnect option to end or exit the real time conference sessions for all participants except for the one or more named moderator in the 1:1 real time conference sessions or in the 1:n real time conference sessions; or
providing, by the first entity, an option to ask for permission to leave the real time conference sessions for all participants except for the one or more named moderator in the 1:1 real time conference sessions or in the 1:n real time conference sessions, wherein the one or more named moderator is authorized to grant this permission.
10. The method of claim 6 , comprising:
determining by the organizer and/or automatically by the first entity according to a predefined policy a subset of mandatory participants; and
providing, by the first entity an option to vote for ending the real time conference sessions for all participants in the n:n real time conference session, wherein the real-time conference session ends in response to the subset of mandatory participants in the n:n real time conference sessions having selected the option to vote for ending the real time conference sessions.
11. The method of claim 6 , comprising:
providing, by the first entity, an option to vote for ending the real time conference sessions for all participants in the n:n real time conference session, wherein the real time conference session ends in response to the majority of N participants in the n:n real-time conference sessions having selected the option to vote for ending the real-time conference sessions.
12. A system for mutual consensus of the meeting participants in established real time conference sessions, wherein the system is adapted to perform the method according claim 1 .
13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein the system at least comprising the first entity, the first entity configured to setup and manage the real time conference session in CM.
14. The system of claim 12 , comprising one or more second, third or further entity which is connected to the first entity and is configured to participate in the real time conference session, wherein the one or more second, third or further entity is configured to end or exit the real time conference sessions according to predefined exit options when the ccflag has been set for the real time conference session.
15. The system according to claim 12 , wherein the system does not offer or display a hang up or disconnect option for the one or more second, third or further entity in response to the ccflag being set such that only a moderator or mutual consensus permits all participants to end the real time conference session;
and the system is also configured to replace the hang up or disconnect option with a vote for end option for the one or more second, third or further entity.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the system is configured so that when the ccflag is set, the system does not terminate the connection of the one or more second, third or further entity upon a hang up or disconnect by the one or more second, third or further entity; or
the system is configured so that when the ccflag is set, the system terminates a connection a participant communication terminal has to the session upon a hang up or disconnect by the communication terminal, but the system immediately re-establishes the connection of the communication terminal and, if the connection cannot be re established, the connection to the real time conference session is established each time the disconnected communication terminal tries to further connect to another different real time conference session.
17. A communication apparatus, comprising:
a first entity configured to set up a real time conference session, the first entity comprising a processor connected to a non-transitory computer readable medium;
the first entity communicatively connectable to communication terminals of conference session participants for inviting one or more conference session participants to the real-time conference session;
the first entity configured to set a consensual call flag (ccflag) to allow the real time conference session to be held in consensual mode (CM), wherein an organizer and/or the one or more participants of the real time conference session can only end or exit the real time conference session upon predefined exit options; and
the first entity configured to check whether the organizer and/or the one or more participants is allowed to set the ccflag in case there is no allowance such that the ccflag is not set and the real time conference session is configured by the first entity without further predefined exit options and otherwise configuring the real time conference session with additional predefined exit options upon setting of the ccflag by the organizer and/or the one or more participants.
18. The communication apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the first entity is configured to start the real time conference session immediately or at a time agreed upon by the organizer and/or the one or more participants.