Patent 11803817 was granted and assigned to Ciena (company) on October, 2023 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Systems and methods include monitoring users logging into a collaboration service for a corresponding online meeting; and assigning a plurality of the users to a virtual waiting room, separate from any corresponding online meeting, in advance of their corresponding online meeting to enable collaboration in the virtual waiting room. The systems and methods can further include notifying the plurality of users when their corresponding online meeting has started for the plurality of users to leave the virtual waiting room.