Patent ID: 8565401

Claim:
A method of controlling a teleconference conducted between two or more participants, comprising: assigning, by a server of a corresponding teleconference system, a selected one of at least two participation states to each participant in the teleconference, wherein the corresponding teleconference system communicates with a communication device of each participant, wherein: a first one of the participation states designates a muted state wherein communication from a corresponding participant in the muted state is prevented from reaching the remainder of the teleconference participants over the corresponding teleconference system; and a second one of the participation states designates an active state wherein communication from a corresponding participant in the active state is transmitted to the remainder of the teleconference participants over the corresponding teleconference system; monitoring, by the server of the corresponding teleconference system, at least one teleconference parameter associated with the teleconference, each teleconference parameter related to determining whether control of the teleconference should change; and automatically updating the teleconference without manual intervention when a triggering event is detected based upon monitoring the at least one teleconference parameter by: determining a hierarchical order of the participants of the teleconference; modifying a participation state of at least one participant based at least in part upon the determined hierarchical order of the participants; and conveying at least the modified participation state to the corresponding teleconference system so as to implement the modified participation state of the at least one participant of the corresponding teleconference system.