Conference call facility

• US 20060250987A1
• Filed: 02/11/2004
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Christopher White, Peter Courtney
• Original Assignee: Christopher White, Peter Courtney
• Inventors: White, Christopher, Courtney, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 7,308,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5054 Meet-me conference, i.e. participants dial-in
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5063 Centrally initiated conference, i.e. Conference server dials participants computer conference organisation arrangements H04L12/1818
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/652 Call initiation triggered by text message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast

Abstract

A conference call is established in response to receiving a request 4 from a first communication terminal 3a. The request 4 preferably is an SMS or MMS and comprises one or more identifiers 5, 6, 7, e.g. telephone numbers, relating to a plurality of other communication terminals 3b-3d. A conference call server I allocates a conference call channel and an associated identifier, such as a telephone number. Messages 10a-10c alerting the conference participants are then sent to the other communication terminals 3a-3c, each message including the identifier associated with the conference call channel. Access to the conference call may be restricted to authorised users by compating identifiers, such as CLIs, of incoming callers to the identifiers provided in the request 4 and allowing access only if there is a correspondence or match. In the event that an incoming caller has withheld their CLI, or it is otherwise nondeterminable, access is refused and a message may be sent reminding conference participants who have yet to join the conference call not to withhold this information. Alternatively, the server calls the participants at the appropriate time.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a conference call in a system comprising a conference call service provider, a first communication terminal and a plurality of other communication terminals, the method comprising:

receiving a request at a conference call service provider from said first communication terminal, in which said request comprises plural identifiers, in which each of said plural identifiers relates to a different one of said plurality of other communication terminals;

in response to receiving said request;

at the conference call service provider, allocating a conference call channel,

at the conference call service provider, associating an identifier with said conference call channel, and

sending a message from the conference call service provider to said plurality of other communication terminals; and

at said conference call service provider, subsequently connecting each of said other communication terminals to the conference call channel.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the connecting step comprises initiating from the conference call service provider a telephone call to each of said other communication terminals.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said request identifies a conference call start time at which the conference call is to be started, and the initiating step occurs at substantially said conference call start time.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a message containing the identifier associated with the conference call channel is sent to the first communication terminal in response to the request.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the request is a short text message or a multimedia message.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein each message sent by the conference call service provider to said other communication terminals is a short text message or a multimedia message.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein a body of the message includes the identifier associated with the conference call channel.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein the message further includes at least one of:

additional text, image and audio data forming part of the request.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identifiers relating to the communication terminals are telephone numbers.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein each message contains the conference call channel identifier as the message originator and preferably wherein the conference call channel identifier is a Calling Line Identification associated with the conference call channel.

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

comparing an identifier associated with a communication terminal determined to be attempting to access the conference call channel with a list of identifiers relating to communication terminals allowed to access the conference call channel; and

allowing access to the conference call only if the identifier associated with said communication terminal corresponds to an identifier on said list.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising, in response to a determination that an identifier associated with a communication terminal attempting to access the conference call channel is withheld or is otherwise non-determinable, sending a further message to all communication terminals identified in the request that are not connected to the conference call channel.

13. Apparatus for providing a conference call facility, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving a request from a first communication terminal, said request containing plural communication terminal identifiers, each of said plural communication terminal identifiers relating to a different one of a plurality of other communication terminals;

an allocator responsive to the request being received at the receiver for allocating a conference call channel, and for associating conference call channel identifier with the conference call channel;

a message generator for preparing and sending a message to each of said other communication terminals; and

means for subsequently connecting the other communication terminals to the conference call channel.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each of said messages contains an indication that the message originates from said conference call channel, and preferably wherein the indication is a Calling Line Identification associated with the conference call channel.

15. Apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising an access restrictor configured to:

compare an identifier, said identifier being associated with a communication terminal determined to be attempting to access the conference call channel, with a list of communication terminal identifiers relating to communication terminals allowed to access the channel; and

allow access to the conference call only if the identifier associated with said communication terminal corresponds to a communication terminal identifier on said list.

16. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said access restrictor is configured so that, in response to a determination that an identifier associated with a communication terminal attempting to access the conference call channel is withheld or is otherwise non-determinable, a further message is sent to all communication terminals identified in the request that are not connected to the conference call channel.

17. Apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

an initiator arranged to initiate a telephone call to each of said other communication terminals.

18. Apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein said request identifies a conference call start time at which the conference call is to be started, and said initiator is arranged to initiate said telephone calls at substantially the conference call start time.

19. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said message generator is configured to send a message containing said conference call channel identifier to the first communication terminal in response to the request.

20. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said receiver is a short text or multimedia message receiver.

21. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each message is a short text message or a multimedia message.

22. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each message is a short text message or a multimedia message and wherein said message generator is configured to include said conference call channel identifier in a body of each message.

23. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said message generator is configured to include at least one of additional text, image and audio data forming part of said request in a body of the message.

24. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the communication terminal identifiers are telephone numbers.