Conferencing additional callers into an established voice browsing session

• US 20030091027A1
• Filed: 11/15/2001
• Published: 05/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Moore, Victor S., Celi, Joseph Jr., Jaiswal, Peeyush
• Granted Patent: US 7,187,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5009 Adding a party to an existing conference conducting a computer conference, e.g. admission detection H04L12/1822
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication

Abstract

A call conferencing method using a voice browser can include establishing a voice browsing session between a calling party and the voice browser. An inbound call from an additional party can be received and the additional party can be conferenced into the voice browsing session. The conference can provide a voice communications link between the calling party and the additional party.

Claims

1. A method of call conferencing using a voice browser comprising:

establishing a voice browsing session between a calling party and the voice browser;

receiving an inbound call from an additional party; and

conferencing said additional party into said voice browsing session, said conference providing a voice communications link between said calling party and said additional party.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said conferencing step conferences selected ones of a plurality of additional parties into said voice browsing session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said conferencing step comprises:

determining whether said inbound call is associated with an active voice browsing session; and

if said identifier is associated with an active voice browsing session, routing said inbound call to the voice browser associated with said active voice browsing session.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said conferencing step further comprises:

determining whether the voice browser associated with said inbound call is configured for multiple callers.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said conferencing step further comprises:

aggregating a voice data stream of said additional party with a voice data stream of said calling party into a single voice data stream; and

sending said single voice data stream for processing to the voice browser.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said conferencing step further comprises:

sending audio from the voice browser to said calling party and said additional party.

7. A machine-readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

establishing a voice browsing session between a calling party and the voice browser;

receiving an inbound call from an additional party; and

conferencing said additional party into said voice browsing session, said conference providing a voice communications link between said calling party and said additional party.

8. The machine-readable storage of claim 7, wherein said conferencing step conferences selected ones of a plurality of additional parties into said voice browsing session.

9. The machine-readable storage of claim 7, wherein said conferencing step comprises:

determining whether said identifier is associated with an active voice browsing session; and

if said identifier is associated with an active voice browsing session, routing said inbound call to the voice browser associated with said active voice browsing session.

10. The machine-readable storage of claim 9, wherein said conferencing step further comprises:

determining whether the voice browser associated with said inbound call is configured for multiple callers.

11. The machine-readable storage of claim 9, wherein said conferencing step further comprises:

aggregating a voice data stream of said additional party with a voice data stream of said calling party into a single voice data stream; and

sending said single voice data stream for processing to the voice browser.

12. The machine-readable storage of claim 9, wherein said conferencing step further comprises:

sending audio from the voice browser to said calling party and said additional party.