Teleconferencing, at least in theory, can be an effective tool that involves the live exchange of information, particularly audio signals, among call participants. In reality, however, teleconferencing often ties up the participants for extended periods of time. Some of the participants often have to sit through an entire conference call, even though their presence is ultimately needed for only a portion of the call, and sometimes their presence is ultimately not even necessary. These participants often have to listen in to the entire conference call to know when it is their turn to speak, their prolonged wait wasting valuable time and productivity. Or, these participants only partially listen while multitasking on other work items, such as looking through email in their office, and often miss their cue to focus on the call and speak when requested to respond to something being discussed on the call.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds