Apparatus and method for notification of a party in a telephone conference

• US 20060165018A1
• Filed: 11/15/2004
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Voice & Speech Tech Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Voice & Speech Technologies Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Shmalko, Michael V., Gierach, Karl Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 8,072,909 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/261
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4288 Notifying a called subscriber of an incoming call during an ongoing call, e.g. Call Waiting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4872 Non-interactive information services
• 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 3/564 whereby the feature is a sub-conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30

Abstract

Systems, methods, and machine-readable articles of manufacture enable private notification of a participant in a telephone conference. In representative embodiments, a system receives a telephone call intended for a first conference participant, generates an informative announcement containing information regarding the call, mixes the informative announcement with the conference audio, and privately plays the mixed audio to the first participant. In other representative embodiments, the system concurrently generates a non-informative announcement, mixes the non-informative announcement with the conference audio, and plays the second mixed audio to the other conference participant or participants. In this way, the first participant is notified of the incoming call while simultaneously listening to the conference audio, and the information regarding the call is not shared with the other conference participant or participants.

Claims

1. A method of providing information to a first conferee participating in a telephone conference with at least one second conferee, the method comprising:

severing a first connection that provides audio data generated by the at least one second conferee to the first conferee;

receiving the audio data generated by the at least one second conferee;

mixing the audio data generated by the at least one second conferee with a first announcement to obtain first mixed audio data;

providing the first mixed audio data to the first conferee in real time after severing the first connection; and

providing audio data generated by the first conferee to the at least one second conferee in real time after severing the first connection.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

severing a second connection that provides audio data generated by the first conferee to the at least one second conferee;

mixing a second announcement with the audio data generated by the first conferee to obtain second mixed audio data; and

providing the second mixed audio data to the at least one second conferee in real time after severing the second connection.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a telephone call directed to the first conferee during the conference;

determining call information relating to the call; and

generating the first announcement, wherein the first announcement includes at least a portion of the information relating to the call.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the portion of the information relating to the call is excluded from the second announcement.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein:

the step of determining call information comprises determining the telephone number from which the call originated;

the step of generating the first announcement comprises using an audio generator to translate the telephone number into speech, thereby obtaining a translated telephone number; and

the portion of the information relating to the call comprises the translated telephone number.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein:

the step of determining call information comprises determining name of a person associated with the telephone number from which the call originated;

the step of generating the first announcement comprises translating the name into speech, thereby obtaining a translated name; and

the portion of the information relating to the call comprises the translated name.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein:

the step of determining call information comprises determining name of the caller making the call; and

the portion of the information relating to the call comprises the name of the caller.

8. A method according to claim 4, wherein:

the step of severing a first connection comprises severing the first connection within an SCBus-based patching framework; and

the step of severing a second connection comprises severing the second connection within the patching framework.

9. A method according to claim 4, wherein:

the step of severing a first connection comprises severing the first connection within an H.100 protocol-based patching framework; and

the step of severing a second connection comprises severing the second connection within the patching framework.

10. A method according to claim 4, wherein:

the step of severing a first connection comprises severing the first connection in a time division multiplexed bus; and

the step of severing a second connection comprises severing the second connection in a time division multiplexed bus.

11. A method according to claim 4, wherein:

the first connection comprises a packet switched connection; and

the second connection comprises a packet switched connection.

12. A method according to claim 2, further comprising the following steps performed after conclusion of the first announcement being provided to the first conferee and conclusion of the second announcement being provided to the at least one second conferee:

restoring the first connection; and

restoring the second connection.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein:

the step of severing a first connection comprises severing a first channel in a patching framework that includes a time division multiplexed bus;

the step of severing a second connection comprises severing a second channel in the patching framework;

the step of restoring the first connection comprises restoring the first channel in the patching framework; and

the step of restoring the second connection comprises restoring the second channel in the patching framework.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein:

the step of receiving the audio data generated by the at least one second conferee comprises receiving the audio data generated by the at least one second conferee via one or more audio buffers.

15. A method according to claim 13, further comprising recording audio data of the conference without recording the first announcement.

16. A method according to claim 2, further comprising generating the first announcement in response to receiving a message meeting a predetermined criterion.

17. A method according to claim 2, further comprising generating the first announcement in response to receiving an email message meeting a predetermined criterion.

18. A method according to claim 2, further comprising generating the first announcement in response to occurrence of a financial event meeting a predetermined criterion.

38. An article of manufacture comprising machine-readable storage medium with program code stored in the medium, the program code, when executed by at least one processor of a call management system, being capable of causing the at least one processor to configure the call management system to perform a method of providing information according to any one of claims 1-37.

39. A call management system, comprising:

a first computer telephony device coupled to a first telephone device, the first computer telephony device comprising a first memory storing first program code and a first processor coupled to the first memory to execute the first program code;

a second computer telephony device coupled to the second telephone device, the second computer telephony device comprising a second memory storing second program code and a second processor coupled to the second memory to execute the second program code; and

an audio bus device coupled to the first and second computer telephony devices to provide a patching framework;

wherein at least one of the first and second processors, under control of the program code stored in the memory coupled to the at least one of the first and second processors, is capable of causing the call management system to perform a method according to any one of claims 1-37.

19. A method of providing information to a first conferee participating in a telephone conference with a second conferee, the method comprising:

severing a first connection that provides to the first conferee audio data generated by the second conferee;

receiving the audio data generated by the second conferee via a first alternative connection;

mixing the audio data received via the first alternative connection with a first announcement to obtained first mixed audio data;

providing the first mixed audio data to the first conferee in real time after severing the first connection; and

providing audio data generated by the first conferee to the second conferee in real time after severing the first connection.

20. A method according to claim 19, further comprising:

severing a second connection that provides to the second conferee audio data generated by the first conferee;

receiving the audio data generated by the first conferee via a second alternative connection;

mixing a second announcement with the audio data received via the second alternative connection to obtain second mixed audio data; and

providing the second mixed audio data to the second conferee in real time after severing the second connection.

21. A method according to claim 20, further comprising generating the first announcement, the first announcement comprising information about a call directed to the first conferee.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein at least a portion of the information about the call is excluded from the second announcement.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein the portion of the information excluded from the second announcement comprises telephone number from which the call originated.

24. A method according to claim 22, wherein the portion of the information excluded from the second announcement comprises name of a person associated with the telephone number from which the call originated.

25. A method according to claim 22, wherein the portion of the information excluded from the second announcement comprises a message from the caller making the call.

26. A method according to claim 22, wherein:

the step of severing a first connection comprises severing the first connection in a time division multiplexed bus; and

the step of severing a second connection comprises severing the second connection in a time division multiplexed bus.

27. A method according to claim 22, wherein:

the step of severing a first connection comprises severing a first packet switched audio stream; and

the step of severing a second connection comprises severing a second packet switched audio stream.

28. A method according to claim 20, further comprising the following steps performed after conclusion of the first announcement being provided to the first conferee and conclusion of the second announcement being provided to the second conferee:

restoring the first connection; and

restoring the second connection.

29. A method according to claim 28, wherein:

the step of severing a first connection comprises severing a first channel in a patching framework that includes a time division multiplexed bus;

the step of severing a second connection comprises severing a second channel in the patching framework;

the step of restoring the first connection comprises patching the first channel in the patching framework; and

the step of restoring the second connection comprises patching the second channel in the patching framework.

30. A method according to claim 28, wherein:

the step of severing a first connection comprises severing a first channel in a packet switched patching framework;

the step of severing a second connection comprises severing a second channel in the packet switched patching framework;

the step of restoring the first connection comprises patching the first channel in the patching framework; and

the step of restoring the second connection comprises patching the second channel in the patching framework.

31. A method according to claim 29, wherein:

the step of receiving the audio data generated by the second conferee comprises receiving the audio data generated by the second conferee via one or more audio buffers.

32. A method according to claim 29, further comprising recording audio data of the conference without recording the first announcement.

33. A method according to claim 20, further comprising generating the first announcement in response to receiving a message meeting a predetermined criterion.

34. A method according to claim 20, further comprising generating the first announcement in response to receiving an email message meeting a predetermined criterion.

35. A method according to claim 20, further comprising generating the first announcement in response to occurrence of a financial event meeting a predetermined criterion.

36. A method of providing information to a first conferee participating in a telephone conference with at least one second conferee, the method comprising:

receiving audio data generated by the at least one second conferee;

mixing the audio data generated by the at least one second conferee with a first announcement to obtain first mixed audio data;

providing the first mixed audio data to the first conferee; and

preventing the at least one second conferee from hearing the first announcement.

37. A method according to claim 36, further comprising:

severing a first connection that provides audio data generated by the at least one second conferee to the first conferee;

continuing to provide the first mixed audio data to the first conferee in real time after severing the first connection; and

providing audio data generated by the first conferee to the at least one second conferee in real time after severing the first connection.

40. A call management system, comprising:

a first computer telephony device coupled to a first telephone device;

a second computer telephony device coupled to a second telephone device;

an audio bus device coupled to the first and second computer telephony devices to provide a patching framework;

a second audio buffer coupled to the second computer telephony device to receive audio data generated at the second telephone device;

a first announcement generator capable of generating a first announcement; and

a first mixer coupled to the first announcement generator, the second audio buffer, and the first computer telephony device, the first mixer being capable of mixing the first announcement and the audio data generated at the second telephone device to obtain a first mixed audio stream, and providing the first mixed audio stream to the first telephone device via the first computer telephony device;

wherein the first announcement is not provided to the second telephone device.

41. A call management system according to claim 40, wherein the first announcement generator generates the first announcement in response to receiving a call directed to the first telephone device.

42. A call management system according to claim 41, wherein the first announcement comprises call information obtained from the call.

43. A call management system according to claim 41, wherein the first announcement comprises name of a person associated with telephone number from which the call originated.

44. A call management system according to claim 41, wherein the first announcement comprises number of the telephone from which the call originated.

45. A call management system according to claim 41, wherein:

the second computer telephony device comprises a conference resource capable of providing conferencing services between the first telephone device, the second telephone device, and at least one third telephone device.

46. A call management system according to claim 41, further comprising:

a first audio buffer coupled to the first computer telephony device to receive audio data generated at the first telephone device;

a second announcement generator capable of generating a second announcement; and

a second mixer coupled to the second announcement generator, the first audio buffer, and the second computer telephony device, the second mixer being capable of mixing the second announcement and the audio data generated at the first telephone device to obtain a second mixed audio stream, and providing the second mixed audio stream to the second telephone device via the first computer telephony device.

47. A call management system according to claim 46, wherein:

the second computer telephony device comprises a conference resource capable of providing conferencing services between the first telephone device, the second telephone device, and at least one third telephone device, and the second mixer is further capable of providing the second mixed audio stream to the at least one third telephone device.

48. A call management system according to claim 40, wherein the first announcement generator generates the first announcement in response to a message meeting a predetermined criterion.

49. A call management system according to claim 40, wherein the first announcement generator generates the first announcement in response to an email message meeting a predetermined criterion.

50. A call management system according to claim 40, wherein the first announcement generator generates the first announcement in response to occurrence of a financial event meeting a predetermined criterion.

51. A call management system according to claim 40, wherein the first computer telephony device comprises a loop start interface.

52. A call management system according to claim 40, wherein the first computer telephony device comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) telephone interface.

53. A call management system according to claim 40, wherein the first computer telephony device comprises a packet switching telephone interface.

54. A call management system comprising:

a first computer telephony device coupled to a first telephone device;

a second computer telephony device configured to provide a conference resource;

an audio bus device coupled to the first and second computer telephony devices and one or more third computer telephony devices to provide a patching framework;

at least one audio buffer coupled to the first computer telephony device;

an announcement generator capable of generating an announcement; and

a mixer coupled to the buffer and to the announcement generator to combine announcements generated by the announcement generator and audio signals received from the buffer;

wherein;

the conference resource is configured to combine audio generated at the first telephone device and one or more third telephone devices coupled to the one or more third computer telephony devices, thereby resulting in a conference audio stream;

the first computer telephony device is configured to

receive the conference audio stream;

provide the conference audio stream to the first telephone device in the absence of an announcement generated by the announcement generator;

provide the conference audio stream to the mixer via the buffer when the announcement generator generates the announcement; and

receive from the mixer conference audio stream combined with the announcement and provide the audio stream received from the mixer to the first telephone device.