US Patent 8649494 Participant alerts during multi-person teleconferences

A method for alerting teleconference participants includes: activating a mute function in response to a participant command; tracking a teleconference's conversation audio; determining the level of alertness of a participant; determining whether the participant's name is detected in the teleconference audio; wherein in the event the participant's name is detected: determining whether the context in which the participant was addressed requires the participant to respond; wherein in the event the participant is required to respond: alerting the participant that the participant has been summoned and is required to make a response; providing a conversation summarization to the participant; and deactivating the participant's mute function.