WO2014172678A1

WO2014172678A1 - Self-contained conference room system and service

Info

Publication number: WO2014172678A1
Application number: PCT/US2014/034715
Authority: WO
Inventors: Timothy COUTER
Original assignee: Meeting In Motion, Inc.
Priority date: 2013-04-18
Filing date: 2014-04-18
Publication date: 2014-10-23

Abstract

A self-contained conference room system comprising a conference room kit and network service in communication with it. The conference room kit comprises at least a hub and a user controller, and optionally conference room furniture. The hub is connected to conference room hardware and software components by wire or wirelessly. The kit is in communication with a network server supporting a network architecture that recognizes, networks, and controls the connected components and provides a framework for data collection and provisioning. In one embodiment the hub further comprises a codec and is instantiated on the framework. In operation, the user schedules a conference, the kit is delivered to a desired location, and the hub is connected to mains power and internet access. The system configures itself, connects to the network service, conducts a self check, deploys the software services that are needed by the user, monitors operation, and reports as desired.

Description

TITLE

Self-Contained Conference Room System and Service

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001 ] This application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/813,359 filed April 18, 2013.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001 ] This invention relates generally to networking conference room devices and more specifically to a self-contained conference room system and service.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Conference rooms play an important role in enabling people to

collaborate. Historically, conference rooms have been meeting rooms for people on- site. Conference room equipment was wheeled in on a cart, the most sophisticated of which had a power strip and maybe jacks for phones and a fax machine. Now conference rooms use audio, video and data equipment to bring people together virtually at a given time, from different geographical locations all over the world.

[0003] Today, a well-designed conference room requires the integration of multiple technologies, with coordination between multiple business units within an enterprise. Typically, such design involves the physical facilities team; information technology (IT) team; a lengthy process of financial modeling, justification, budget appropriation; and eventual implementation, operation, and maintenance. The full cost of the conference room includes the cost of physical construction of or remodeling the space; physical property including tables, chairs, presentation boards and monitors; electrical and computer network cabling work; computer and telecommunications equipment; IT work including establishing audio/visual, data, telecommunications, and networking connections; and administration of scheduling. Much of the computer and telecommunications equipment is expensive and requires custom skills to configure and verify the functionality. Once all of the components are pieced together, it becomes challenging to ensure that the different parts all work together seamlessly. [0004] Attempts have been made to make conferencing easier. For example, services are available that offer a pool of existing conference rooms for rent, allowing any customer to schedule a conference room from those in the pool, where and when the customer wants. The attendees are limited, however, to the services available in the chosen conference room and are reliant on their own expertise in making the audio- video hardware cooperate or on IT services, if any, provided by the building where the conference room resides. The services provided by each rental location and event are different from the others and the quality of services from one rental to another varies wildly. Another approach has been to offer, in essence, beefed-up power strips that allow multiple types of data input/outputs. These tabletop interconnect boxes provide multiple connectivity options for conference room connection needs but, again the attendees are reliant on their own expertise or on IT services of the building in making the audio-video hardware cooperate.

[0005] It would be desirable to provide a fast, robust and reliable integrated collaboration and presentation solution which minimizes cost, maximizes utilization and minimizes time to configure and upgrade.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention is a self-contained conference room system to make conferencing easy. The system comprises a conference room kit and network service in communication with it. The conference room kit comprises at least a hub and a user controller. The hub is connected to conference room hardware and software components by wire or wirelessly. The kit is in communication with a network server supporting a network architecture that recognizes, networks, and controls the hardware and software components and provides a framework for data collection and

provisioning. The system 10 provides conference services from multiple sources to the conference room where the system 10 is deployed. In a preferred embodiment the hub comprises a server, a network switch, software for implementing conference services and applications, and a codec, and is instantiated on the framework.

[0007] The kit can optionally include conventional conference room furniture and other hardware and software connected to and controlled by the network. In one embodiment, the hub and user controller are integrated with a table. In operation, the user schedules a conference, the kit is delivered to a desired location, and the hub is connected to mains power and internet access. The system configures itself, connects to the network service, conducts a self check, deploys the software services that are licensed and needed by the user, monitors operation, and reports as desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Fig. 1 is an overview of the conference room system.

[0009] Fig. 2 shows the modules in the core framework.

[0010] Fig. 3 illustrates the present invention implemented in a conference room.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[001 1 ] The present invention is a conference room system 10 comprising one more self-contained sets of physical hardware and software components, each referred to herein as a kit 9, and a web-based network service 8 in communication with one or more kits 9. Conceptually it can be thought of as a conference-room-in-a-box that is plugged into power and the internet and managed remotely through a centralized web- based service, along with other conference-rooms-in-a-box. The conference room system 10 comprises a network server 1 1 , a framework 14 for provisioning, monitoring and collecting operational data, a hub 1 7, and a user controller 1 5, all in communication with the network server 1 1 . The system provides services from multiple sources to the conference room 16 where it is deployed.

[0012] The network-based setup is instantiated through the hub 1 7 at each physical room location, detecting components as they are registered on the network. Attached devices, proprietary and custom cabling, and power connectivity are converted into a networked IP interface. The system 10 enables communications between components of the system using standard IP protocol, including the ability to procure a network address dynamically for each network addressable device and the ability to securely transmit or receive communications between the components. The state of each device is encoded during initial set-up, monitored on a regular basis, and the status of each component is displayed. The system has the ability to maintain identities of conferences, meetings, sessions, users, component health, security keys and additional services. It also analyzes this information, provides quality of service metrics and utilization/health views, and assists remote operators to configure, fix or restart any component or service without costly physical travel or presence.

[0013] See Fig. 1 . The network server 1 1 is accessed through a network connection 1 2, preferably via a private cloud or via the public cloud on a hosted, secure platform. Preferably the network connection 12 uses DHCP protocol or other facility to automatically obtain network configuration parameters such as an external IP address for the layer three switch that provides network address translation for the conference room devices 18 and resources provided by the service. Alternatively the network connection 1 2 obtains IPv6 network addresses that ensure uniqueness of the networked equipment being used for the conference room 16. Preferably the network server 1 1 services multiple conference rooms 16. Using a single network server 1 1 to service multiple conference rooms16 provides the ability to upgrade or add functionality to all conference rooms at once. The network server 1 1 centralizes resources that are common to all conference rooms 16 such as codecs, protocols, gateway resources, data collection, analyzing resources and applications so that expensive resources are spread across multiple conference rooms based on usage, instead of having independent copies of the same resource for each conference room 16. In some cases a copy of the resource or a specific implementation of it may reside in the kit 9. The network server 1 1 can be physical with one or more virtual servers resident, in which case the shared resources may reside on each virtual server. New services can be added on demand or when they become available. Using a single network server 1 1 to service multiple conference rooms 1 6 also enables support staff to work remotely and diagnose issues without having to be physically present within the implemented location, as discussed in more detail below.

[0014] Each hub 1 7 is an instance on the framework 14 used to provision, monitor and collect operational data. Fig. 1 shows the framework 14 physically separate from the network server 1 1 , but the framework 14 may also reside on the network server 1 1 or be distributed across multiple servers. The framework 14 comprises several types of system components including manager modules, an audio/video codec, a health monitor, and a data collector. See Fig. 2. The framework 14 dictates the flow of installation and use. The framework is not customized to each user, but it is extensible to add each user's new components. The framework components can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. [0015] A collaboration manager 21 module provides the user interface and guidance to enable users of the conference room system to request, coordinate and schedule conferences and sessions, as well as provide a gateway for support personnel to identify and troubleshoot problems with the installation. The collaboration manager is in communication with a calendaring, invitation, or reservation service for coordinating and scheduling conferences, such as Outlook™, Google™ calendar, or Evite™. The collaboration manager provides a custom interface that enables the control of the different components of a given kit 9 situated within each conference room 16, such as monitors, cameras, and input devices, whether supplied with the kit 9 or user-supplied. Through an API, the collaboration manager may also be in

communication with into the light systems, drapes and other electronically-controllable features of the conference room 16 not supplied with the kit 9 which remain in the conference room once the kit 9 is removed. The user accesses the collaboration manager via the user controller 15 or via a separate device in communication with the server. By using a separate device the user can schedule conferences and receive reports from the network server without using the user controller that comes with the system.

[0016] A presence and identity manager 22 module provides access to named users, conference rooms 16 and network-addressable components of the system. The identity manager 22 module is in communication with the directory services using LDAP or Active Directory™. It is in communication with the monitoring and support function of the framework to operationally join all or select other conference rooms 16 in the framework, so that all the kits 9 can be managed at a single source. This enables collaboration among the conference rooms 16 and the ability to manage and provide functionality across conference rooms 16. For example, a single company's meetings occurring at multiple locations around the country can be simulcast to all conference rooms 16 included in the grouping and managed by the framework 14. The presence and identity manager 22 may also be integrated with a calendaring or reservation system.

[0017] A state and database manager 23 module keeps track of the current status of the services, and those using them. It encodes the state, history and health of all components of the conference room system 10, as well as the sessions or conferences conducted through the system. This can be used to automatically generate alarms, reports, and notifications and can also be used to troubleshoot issues in real time. This state and reporting function utilizes monitoring components resident on each conference hardware device 18 that provides health, usage and other information to send the data to the hub 17, which is then transmitted to the network server 1 1 . The data stream transmitted to the network server 1 1 can be pushed, pulled or have on-site facilitation based on security and other business requirements. Preferably the data is loaded into a structured data format such as NoSQL technology, standard OLTP technology or other structured data service.

[0018] A security manager 24 module enables authentication between conference room system components, as well as interface to a given conference room's 16 authentication/authorization/network-access systems to enable the configuration and running of the framework 14 instance in that conference room 1 6. The security manager is in communication with the network server 1 1 directory services using LDAP or Active Directory. It can enable access with or without internal enablement based on the security policies. This would allow all of the conference rooms 16 in a customer's site to have a unified view from the standpoint of usage, function, sharing of resources etc.

[0019] An audio/visual encoder/decoder 25 enables multiple nodes, devices and technologies to communicate with each other through transcoding and transformation of the collaboration information, including audio, video, touch/user interface

interactions. All of the traditional audio/video data is packaged into IP using existing technologies such as SVSI converters sent to the internal codec where the data is converted into native IP traffic. The data can then be transferred to another conference room's codecs and transmitted to the specific devices in that other conference room 16.

[0020] A data collector module 26 is collects state and performance information of all components in the system 10. The data collector provides logging for updates to the state and health. This could be NoSQL technology or traditional OLTP technology.

[0021 ] A health monitor 27 module tracks the health of the entire infrastructure and conferences that are serviced through the conference room system 10 and feeds the data into the state and database manager. The health monitor provides triggers and thresholds to determine the need to mitigate issues affecting the service. The health monitors are based on SNMP or other network device monitoring technology [0022] The hub 17 comprises at least a server, referred to herein as a hub server to differentiate it from the network server 1 1 . In a preferred embodiment the hub comprises a hub server, a network switch, software for implementing conference services and applications, and a codec, and is instantiated on the framework. The hub may include other hardware and software components to run a networked system, including, for example, a router. The hub is in communication with the user controller 15, which the user uses as the user interface to the kit 9, user-provided devices, and conference services. Software for each hardware device 18 in the kit 9 and for each user-provided device is configured and loaded onto the hub prior to delivery of the kits 9 to the conference location. Preferably the user identifies the user-provided devices when the conference is scheduled so that the appropriate drivers and other necessary software can be loaded, activated or configured before the conference. The hub may also be pre-loaded with drivers and other necessary software for popular or standard devices the user might provide but fail to identify before the conference. When the kit is powered up, the network server 1 1 executes a health checklist or logs the standard onlining process for each of the devices.

[0023] The system 10 provides conference services from multiple sources to the conference room 16 where the system 1 0 is deployed. For example, the system provides services from online third-party sources such as Webex™; from internal sources such as a company's human resources database accessible only via an intranet accessible from the company's conference room 16 where the system 10 is deployed; and with conference services resident in the hub 17. Conference services provided by the hub include, for example, conference calling software, codecs, video display software, video conference call gateway services, audio control software, software to control the hardware in the conference room, integration with authentication authorization services, recording services, and other conference room-specific services. The system may also include Bluetooth, wi-fi, and Skype™, and other technologies that tie the users' technology and the conference room's technology together into a seamless whole.

[0024] Software services resident in the hub include, for example, operational support services, such as calendar integration and monitoring software; data base or NoSQL storage facilities for storing data; secure transfer facilities; secure remote control software; concierge client software; document control software; and network management software such as wi-fi management.

[0025] Each hub may have one or more virtual machines running on it.

Preferably the new software runs in a closed system running on a hypervisor within the hub 17. Many different services can be run from one pedestal servicing one or more conference rooms 16. Preferably there is one service per virtual machines to retain separation and allow for upgrades. Have a single copy of an application or service on each virtual machine that can service multiple conference rooms 16 helps reduce the cost of licensing the application or service. The monitoring and management service has the information about what is running from each of the virtual machines and each hub. Load balancing is automatic. The virtual machine could also be deployed to another local conference room 16 if there was hardware device 18 failed in that conference room, which allows for redundancy with hardware components where possible. New software services are deployed by pushing a new virtual machine from the network server 1 1 to the hub 17, with all of the necessary configuration.

[0026] The conference room system 10 may be physically located within a building or even a single conference room 16, or a single hub 1 7, but typically it will be distributed across multiple physical sites and manage multiple conference rooms 16.

[0027] A conference room kit 9 of the present invention may include furniture, communications devices, computer hardware and software, and connection means useful for enabling a conference. For example, the furniture may include tables, stands, chairs, and podiums. Communications devices may include telephones, microphones, speakers, smartboards, projectors, projection screens, monitors, keyboards, scanners, printers, cameras, televisions, and other equipment that enables the communication of individuals within the conference room 16 and external to the conference room 16. Computer hardware and software may include desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet and other mobile computers, servers, network software, databases and database software, user interfaces, and wired or wireless protocols to enable the components to communicate with each other within the conference room 16 and external to the conference room.

[0028] Conference room hardware devices 1 8 are any components that are network-addressable, including cameras, monitors, presentation boards, telephones, computers, microphones, audio systems, etc. Conference room devices 18 may be purchased (or licensed) with and ship with the kit 9, or may be provided separately by the user. The hub 17 is the collection point of all the conference room devices 18 and their data, connected by wire or wirelessly. As used herein, connected means "in communication with" by wire or wirelessly. The hub 17 and conference room devices 18 are preferably powered by the mains 19, but may also be battery powered. The user controls the devices 18 using a controller 15, which may be a remote control, a smartphone or other mobile device, a computer, or, preferably, a touch tablet computer.

[0029] Conventional conference room devices 18 are in communication with a network switch that forwards the network traffic to the hub 17. Preferably the network switch is physically in the hub. All conference room devices 18 can be networked together, and preferably all devices are connected to the hub 1 7, which in turn is connected to the network server 1 1 via the network connection 12. The conference room devices 18 are connected using appropriate cables or wireless protocols, as known in the art. Using NAT and DHCP, the networked equipment can be pre- configured and insulated from the rest of the network, while still being able to

communicate to a service on the internet.

[0030] The system 10 may also be integrated with desktop computer-to-desktop computer communication by enabling the conference room 16 to appear as yet another network device, thereby unifying the infrastructure. Using open network protocols, the system 10 uses presence information to enable users to search and find the conference of interest using their own desktop or mobile device.

[0031 ] In one embodiment, the hub 17 and user controller 15 are integrated with a work surface, such as a desk, a table, or a counter. Alternatively they hub and user controller are integrated into the pedestal of the conference room table or a podium, or a cart. In a preferred embodiment the hub 17 is installed in the base of a table located within the physical location of the conference room 16. Fig. 3 illustrates the present invention implemented in a conference room 16. A conference room table 30 is surrounded by several chairs 31 for local participants to sit. In a preferred embodiment, the table is D-shaped, with video monitors at the flat end, arrangeable so that it appears that remote participants are sitting at the table 30 with local participants. Two monitors 31 , each which projects live video of participants in different remote locations, are connected to the hub 17. A speaker phone 33 and a presentation smartboard 34 are connected to the hub 17. A user controller 15, here a tablet computer, is connected wirelessly to the hub 17. The hub 17 is connected to the power mains 19 and the network connection 1 2.

[0032] The conference room system 10 may be sold as a service to the user. A service provider delivers to the user the physical hub 17 and user controller 15, and any conference room devices 18 that are desired, if any, in the kit 9. Installation is simple: the user plugs the hub 17 into the mains 19 and into the network connection 12. The hub 17 is turned on, automatically acquires a network address, and is securely connected to a network server 1 1 operated by the service provider. The system 10 is instantiated on the framework 14, along with other systems owned by other unrelated parties. The installation process starts automatically once connected to power and the internet, and uses a networked self-service architecture, with user inputs to guide the installation and rule-based methods to detect and avoid problems in the installation. The hardware devices 18 are detected automatically as they are connected to the hub 17 (whether by wire or wirelessly). The system 10 forms a map of the components, provides on-demand instructions to users, and also helps in remote administration of the components. Because the hardware and software provided with each kit is known to the network in advance, and the system 10 can be unpacked and live in hours instead of months that currently is the case.

[0033] Once a conference room system is set up, the integrated components and simple interfaces allow a user to enable, monitor, control and disable individual components that need to participate in a conference. Meanwhile, the service provider works remotely from the physical conference room 16 and ensures that the various hardware devices and software work together seamlessly. The service provider is staffed with live people who work as the support staff to remotely diagnoses issues without having to be physically present within the implemented location, thereby providing a consistent set of services and support at each conference event, time after time. Typically after the conference all conference room kits are disconnected and returned to the kit provider.

[0034] In operation, the user schedules a conference for a given date and location. As part of scheduling, the user identifies desired hardware devices 18 to be delivered with the kit; user-provided devices that will be implemented with the kit 9; and conference and software services desired. The kit is delivered to the location for the conference, and the hub is connected to mains power and internet access at the desired location. The system configures itself, connects to the network service, conducts a self check to make sure all necessary hardware and software components are operational, deploys the conference and software services that are licensed, including those needed by the system to deploy the desired conference and software services, monitors operation, and institutes monitoring and reporting. Each kit or instance of a conference can be managed, configured, and upgraded remotely, based on the ability to pull new services from the network server 1 1 . After the conference, the kit 9 is disconnected from power and internet, and returned to the supplier. The kit 9 is re-provisioned for the next conference in the configuration designated by the next user. In some situations, a user may keep the kit 9 for subsequent conferences.

Configuration can be pushed to the kit 9 from the network server 1 1 for devices and services that are different from the kit's previous deployment.

[0035] In one example, a first user schedules a conference for 10:00 am, Tuesday, April 8, in Room 100 of the Marriott Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. The first user specifies that there will be four people attending the conference and that a

PowerPoint™ presentation will be made with live footage of the progress of a nearby solar installation. A second user schedules a conference for 10:00 am, Tuesday, April 8, in the lunchroom of Kari Design Studios in Albuquerque, NM, to discuss the design and implementation of a residential outdoor sound system for a home in Malibu, CA. The second user specifies that there will be ten attendees there that will be web conferencing via WebEx™ with three attendees located at Buzz Music in Los Angeles, CA.

[0036] On April 8, a first kit 9 is delivered to Room 100 of the Marriott Hotel. The first kit 9 comprises a hub 17, a user controller 1 5 and a projection screen. The user supplies the projector, as identified when he scheduled the conference. The hub 17 is configured to operate the projector prior to the kit's arrival at the Marriott Hotel. The first user plugs the hub's power cord into the mains power in Room 100 and the hub's CAT- 5 cable into the network outlet in Room 100. The first user plugs an input/output cable of the projector into the hub 17 and sets up the projection screen. The first user turns the power button of the system 10. The system configures itself, connects via the internet to the network service on the network server 1 1 , conducts a self check, and launches a PowerPoint™ application, and prompts the first user to load a PowerPoint™ file. The user's PowerPoint file could be loaded or pre-loaded using a staging storage website such as Dropbox or Box.net. It could also be stored on an internal sharepoint server; accessed via an upload link to temporary space in communication with the network server 1 1 or hub 17 that would use anonymous FTP or other file transfer protocol. About 30 minutes into the conference, the first user is prompted that the system has received a Skype call from a staff person with a web-enabled camera at the solar installation. The audio-video feed from the staff person's camera is projected on the projection screen. This call is made to the user's conference room phone system using Skype, and once the call is answered via the room interface, or even on the monitor or display, the call would be linked to the user.

[0037] Meanwhile, a second kit 9 is delivered to the lunchroom of Kari Design Studios in Albuquerque, NM. The second kit 9 comprises a hub 17, a user controller 1 5, a projector, speakers, and a smartboard. The second user plugs the hub's power cord into the mains in the lunchroom and the hub's CAT-5 cable into the network outlet in the lunchroom. The second user plugs an input/output cable of the speakers and

smartboard into the hub 1 7. The second user turns the power button of the system 1 0. The system configures itself, connects via the internet to the network service on the network server 1 1 , and conducts a self check.

[0038] Meanwhile, a third kit 9 is delivered to Buzz Music in Los Angeles, CA. The third kit 9 comprises a hub 17, a user controller 15, a projector, speakers, and a smartboard. The third user plugs the hub's power cord into the mains at Buzz Music and the hub's CAT-5 cable into the network outlet at Buzz Music. The third user plugs an input/output cable of the speakers and smartboard into the hub 17. The third user turns the power button of the system 1 0. The system configures itself, connects via the internet to the network service on the network server 1 1 , and conducts a self check. The system initiates a conference between the second user's kit and the third user's kit using WebEx™, using the standard gateway service to Webex. Shortly thereafter, the third user launches a website that shows the audio-video feed from a web security camera at the Malibu residence so that the attendees in Albuquerque and Los Angeles can view the patio where the sound system will be implemented and hear the ambient noise of the street, ocean, and neighbors by streaming the IP traffic from the camera and audio directly to the hub 17 17 and then projecting onto the screen or monitor. The third user draws a schematic illustration of the patio on the smartboard and sketches the location of various sound system components.

[0039] The network server 1 1 is now simultaneously managing three conference room instances, one each in Phoenix, AZ, Albuquerque, NM, and Los Angeles, CA. Each conference room 16 has different software and hardware components running simultaneously, all implemented by simply plugging the system in and turning it on.

[0040] Midway through the first user's meeting the PowerPoint™ presentation stops. The first user presses the "help" button on the user controller 15 and a live support person remotely diagnoses the problem without being physically present at the Marriott. After the conference, all three conference room kits are disconnected and returned.

[0041 ] While there has been illustrated and described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that this invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

[competitor] A method for conferencing comprising:

a. receiving a first request to schedule a first conference at a first conference room, wherein the request identifies one or more first hardware devices that will be used in the first conference;

b. configuring a first hub with the software necessary to network the first hardware devices with the first hub;

c. providing a first conference room kit to the first conference room, wherein: i. the first kit comprises the first hub and a first user controller;

d. receiving input that the first hub is connected to a power source;

e. receiving input that the first hub is connected to a network server via the internet;

f. receiving input that one or more of the first hardware devices is connected to the first hub;

g. receiving input that the network server recognizes the connected first hardware devices; and

h. providing conferencing services to the first conference room using the first hardware devices.

The method of claim 1 further comprising:

a. receiving a second request to schedule a second conference at a second conference room at the same time as the first conference, wherein the second conference room is not in the same geographic location as the first conference room and wherein the request identifies one or more second hardware devices that will be used in the second conference; b. configuring a second hub with the software necessary to network the

second hardware devices with the second hub;

c. providing a second conference room kit to the second conference room, wherein:

i. the second kit comprises the second hub and a second user controller;

d. receiving input that the second hub is connected to a power source; e. receiving input that the second hub is connected to the network server via the internet;

f. receiving input that one or more of the second hardware devices is

connected to the second hub;

g. receiving input that the network server recognizes the connected second hardware devices; and

h. providing conferencing services to the second conference room using the second hardware devices

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

a. monitoring the status of the first and second hardware devices.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

a. controlling the first and second hardware devices with the network server.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

a. receiving the first hub from the first conference room after the first conference; and

b. receiving the second hub from the second conference room after the second conference.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

a. re-configuring the first hub with the software necessary to network one or more third hardware devices requested by a third user with the first hub; b. providing the re-configured first hub to a third conference room which is located at a geographic location different from the first and second conference rooms;

c. receiving input that the first hub is connected to a power source; d. receiving input that the first hub is connected to a network server via the internet;

e. receiving input that one or more of the third hardware devices is connected to the first hub;

f. receiving input that the network server recognizes the connected third hardware devices; and

g. providing conferencing services to the third conference room using the third hardware devices.

7. The method of claim 1 further wherein the first conference room kit further comprises a first table with a pedestal base containing the first hub, the method further comprising:

a. setting up the first table in the first conference room.

8. [user] A method for conferencing comprising:

a. scheduling a first conference room at a first location by using a calendaring service in communication with a network server, wherein the scheduling comprises identifying one or more first hardware devices that will be used in the conference;

b. receiving a first conference room kit at the first location, wherein:

i. the first kit comprises a first hub and a first user controller;

c. connecting the first hardware devices to the first hub;

d. connecting the first hub to power;

e. connecting the first hub to a network server via the internet, wherein the network server recognizes the connected first hardware devices;

f. sending input from the first user controller to the network server with instructions to operate the first hardware devices;

g. operating the first hardware devices; and

h. returning the first conference room kit.

9. The method of claim 7 further wherein the first conference room kit further comprises a first table with a pedestal base containing the first hub, the method comprising:

a. setting up the first table in the first conference room.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

a. scheduling a second conference room at a second location, wherein the second conference room is not in the same geographic location as the first conference room and by using a calendaring service in communication with a network server via the internet, wherein the scheduling comprises identifying one or more second hardware devices that will be used in the conference;

b. receiving a second conference room kit at the second location, wherein: i. the second kit comprises a second hub and a second user controller; c. connecting the second hardware devices to the second hub;

d. connecting the second hub to power;

e. connecting the second hub to a network server via the internet, wherein the network server recognizes the connected second hardware devices; f. sending input from the second user controller to the network server via the internet with instructions to operate the second hardware devices; g. operating the second hardware devices; and

h. returning the second conference room kit.

1 1 . [network] A method for conferencing comprising:

a. receiving input that a first conference is to occur in a first conference room using a first hub;

b. receiving input that the first hub in the first conference room is connected to a network server via the internet,, wherein the first hub is connected to one or more first hardware devices;

c. instantiating the first conference on a framework;

d. recognizing the first hardware devices;

e. controlling the first hardware devices;

f. collecting data from the first hardware devices; and

g. reporting data from the first hardware devices.

12. The method of claim 1 1 further comprising:

a. receiving input that a second conference is to occur in a second conference room that is in a different geographic location from the first conference room using a second hub;

b. receiving input that the second hub in the second conference room is connected to the network server via the internet, wherein the second hub is connected to one or more second hardware devices;

c. instantiating the second conference on the framework;

d. recognizing the second hardware devices;

e. controlling the second hardware devices;

f. collecting data from the second hardware devices; and

g. reporting data from the second hardware devices.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the framework comprises: a. a collaboration manager enabling the scheduling of the first and second conferences;

b. a presence and identity manager providing access to the first and second hardware devices;

c. a state and database manager receiving input on the status of the first and second hardware devices;

d. security manager enabling authentication of the first and second hardware devices, and

e. a codec for encoding and decoding audio and video data transmitted by the first and second hardware devices.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

a. receiving input that the first hub has been disconnected from the first conference room after the first conference; and

b. receiving input that the second hub has been disconnected from the

second conference room after the second conference.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

a. re-configuring the first hub with the software necessary to network one or more third hardware devices requested by a third user with the first hub; b. providing the re-configured first hub to a third conference room which is located at a geographic location different from the first and second conference rooms.

c. receiving input that the third hub in the second conference room is connected to the network server via the internet, wherein the third hub is connected to one or more third hardware devices;

d. instantiating the third conference on the framework;

e. recognizing the third hardware devices;

f. controlling the third hardware devices;

g. collecting data from the third hardware devices; and

h. reporting data from the third hardware devices. PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK