Methods and Systems for Configuring and Providing Conference Calls with Customized Caller ID Information

• US 20080159503A1
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Services Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Dromlewicz, Paula Ann, Reformato, John, Reding, Craig L., Helbling, Christopher L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,311,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/142.17
• 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 3/42382 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 3/565 relating to time schedule aspects

Abstract

Methods and systems for automatically providing conference calls are disclosed. In one aspect, methods and systems detect a conference call event that was previously configured by a subscriber user and identify participant users associated with the conference call event. In another aspect, when configuring a conference call event, a subscriber user may enter, select or otherwise designate conference information that the user wishes to be displayed in the caller identification fields that are sent out when a bridge dials the participant users associated with the conference call. Once identified, each participant user is contacted and a response is received from each of the users. Based on the received responses, a conference call is established between the participant users and the subscriber user.

Claims

1. A method comprising.

detecting a conference call event previously configured by a subscriber user that indicates when a conference call should be established between the subscriber user and participant users;

collecting contact information for the participant users;

collecting conference information to be displayed in caller identification (ID) fields that are sent out when the participant users are contacted for the conference call; and

providing a message including the contact information and the conference information to a conference server that is configured to instruct a bridge to establish the conference call between the users by calling the participant users using the contact information and the conference information included in the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the conference information to be displayed in the caller ID fields comprises information that is entered or selected by the subscriber user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information is entered or selected by the subscriber user when the subscriber user configures the conference call event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the conference information to be displayed in the caller ID fields comprises at least one of:

information identifying the fact that the incoming call is a conference call;

information identifying a subject of the conference call; and

information identifying the subscriber user who configured the conference call.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a message comprises:

generating the message using the collected contact information and the collected conference information and instructions associated with a date for commencing the conference call; and

using the message by the conference server to generate a second message for instructing the bridge to establish the conference call.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving a response message from the conference server including information associated with the conference call and at least one participant user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the response message comprises at least one of:

information stating that at least one participant user is declining the call;

information stating that at least one participant user is not answering the call;

information stating that at least one participant user is accepting the call; and

information stating that none of the participant users is answering the call.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a conference call event comprises scanning a calendar application to determine whether the subscriber user has scheduled a conference call.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein collecting contact information for the participant users comprises:

determining the participant users from the calendar application; and

accessing an address book that contains the contact information for the participant users.

10. A system comprising:

a conference bridge; and

a service system coupled to the conference bridge, the service system comprising a first subsystem and a second subsystem, wherein the first subsystem is configured to detect a conference call event previously configured by a subscriber user that indicates when a conference call should be established between the subscriber user and participant users, collect contact information for the participant users, collect conference information to be displayed in caller identification (ID) fields that are sent out when the participant users are contacted for the conference call, and provide a message including the contact information and the conference information to the second subsystem, and wherein the second subsystem is configured to instruct the conference bridge to establish the conference call between the participant users by calling the participant users using the contact information and the conference information included in the message.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the conference information to be displayed in the caller ID fields comprises information that is entered or selected by the subscriber user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the information is entered or selected by the subscriber user when the subscriber user configures the conference call event.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the conference information to be displayed in the caller ID fields comprises at least one of:

information identifying the fact that the incoming call is a conference call;

information identifying a subject of the conference call; and

information identifying the subscriber user who configured the conference call.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first subsystem is further configured to provide the message by using at least one of the collected contact information, the collected conference information and instructions associated with a date for commencing the conference call to generate the message;

wherein the message is used by the second subsystem to generate a second message for instructing the conference bridge to establish the conference call.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the first subsystem is further configured to receive a response message from the second subsystem including information associated with the conference call and at least one participant user.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the response message comprises at least one of:

information stating that at least one participant user is declining the call;

information stating that at least one participant user is not answering the call;

information stating that at least one participant user is accepting the call; and

information stating that none of the participant users is answering the call.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the first subsystem includes a calendar facility, and the first subsystem is configured to scan the calendar application in order to detect the conference call event.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first subsystem includes an address book facility, and wherein the first subsystem is configured to collect contact information for the participant users by determining the participant users from the calendar application, and accessing the address book facility that contains the contact information for the participant users.

19. A system comprising:

a first server system configured to detect a conference call event previously configured by a subscriber user and generate a first message based on the event, wherein the first message comprises telephone numbers for a plurality of participant users identified by the subscriber user and conference information to be displayed in caller identification (ID) fields that are sent out when the participant users are contacted for the conference call;

a second server system coupled to the first server system and configured to receive the first message from the first server system and generate a second message based on the first message, wherein the second message comprises instructions for configuring a conference call using the telephone numbers and the conference information; and

a conference bridge coupled to the second server system and configured to receive the second message, extract the telephone numbers and the conference information from the second message, insert the conference information into the caller ID fields that are sent out when the bridge dials the participant users, call the participant users using the telephone numbers, and establish a conference call between the participant users and the subscriber user;

wherein the subscriber user accesses the first server system to schedule conference calls for future dates and the first server system, second server system, and conference bridge automatically attempt to establish the conference calls when the future dates arrive.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the conference information to be displayed in the caller ID fields comprises information that is entered or selected by the subscriber user.