SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INITIATING A CONFERENCE CALL

• US 20120188330A1
• Filed: 01/24/2012
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Original Assignee: Linqware Inc.
• Inventors: Turner, Tod C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,594,294 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• 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 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5063 Centrally initiated conference, i.e. conference server dials participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/652 Call initiation triggered by text message
• 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 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0009 where voice calls remain entirely in the telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

The present invention is a system and method for initiating conference calls via an instant messaging system to reduce the effort required to initiate and manage the call. The system uses an IM connection between a requesting party and a conference call server to inform the conference call server of the desire to initiate the conference call. The conference call server may initiate the conference call by having involved parties called by a conference bridge, thus reducing the effort required by the parties to join the call.

Claims

1-79. -79. (canceled)

80. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer instructions configured to operate with electronic computer hardware to perform the following steps, comprising:

display, in a window of a shared application of a first party, information shared between the first party and at least one other party, the first party and the at least one other party being current participants to the shared application;

display for the first party an option to automatically initiate voice communication between the current participants of the shared application without requiring individual selection of potential members of the voice communication; and

request, in response to selection of the option, voice communication between the first party and the at least one other party;

wherein, as a result of selection of the option, the first party enters voice communications with at least some of the at least one other party.

81. The instructions of claim 80, wherein the at least one other party comprises at least two parties.

82. The instructions of claim 80, the instructions to display an option comprises instructions to display a click-on icon that allows for a single step selection of the option.

83. The instructions of claim 80, wherein the shared application is an IM (instant message) chat.

84. The instructions of claim 80, wherein the voice communication includes audio and video.

85. The instructions of claim 80, wherein in response to the request, the voice communication is established between the first party and those of the at least one other party who agreed to enter into the voice communication.

86. The instructions of claim 80, wherein neither the request nor the establishment of voice communication terminates the shared application while in-progress.

87. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer instructions configured to operate with electronic computer hardware to establish voice communication between a first party and at least one other party who are current participants of a shared application session, comprising the following steps:

display for the first party an option to automatically initiate voice communication between the current participants of the shared application session without requiring individual selection of potential members of the voice communication; and

request, in response to selection of the option, voice communication between the first party and the at least one other party;

wherein, as a result of selection of the option, the first party enters voice communications with at least some of the at least one other party.

88. The instructions of claim 87, wherein the at least one other party comprises at least two parties.

89. The instructions of claim 87, wherein the instructions to display an option comprising instructions to display a click-on icon that allows for a single step selection of the option.

90. The instructions of claim 87, wherein the shared application session is an IM chat session.

91. The instructions of claim 87, wherein the voice communication includes audio and video.

92. The instructions of claim 87, wherein in response to the request, the voice communication is established between the first party and those of the at least one other party who agreed to enter into the voice communication

93. The instructions of claim 87, wherein neither the request nor the establishment of voice communication terminates the shared application.

94. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer instructions configured to operate with an electronic hardware computer server to perform the following steps:

exchange information between a first party and at least one other party, the first party and the at least one other party being current participants to a shared application session;

receive a request from the first party to establish voice communication amongst current participants of the shared application session, the request lacking a specific identification of the at least one other party; and

determine, after reception of the request, the at least one other party from information associated with the shared application.

95. The instructions of claim 94, wherein the instructions are further configured to perform the step of:

send, to the at least one other party, a notice to disable the ability of the at least one other party'"'"'s ability to initiate conference calls through the shared session.

96. The instructions of claim 94, wherein the at least one party comprises at least two parties, and wherein the instructions are further configured to perform the step of:

substantially simultaneously send messages to the at least two parties regarding entering into voice communications.

97. The instructions of claim 94, wherein after determining the at least one party, the voice communication is established between the first party and those of the at least one other party who agreed to enter into the voice communication.

98. The instructions of claim 94, wherein neither the request nor the establishment of voice communication terminates the shared application.

99. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer instructions configured to operate with an electronic hardware computer server to perform the following steps:

display, in a window of the shared application, information shared between current participants to a shared application session;

display for a participant of the participants an option to initiate voice communication between the current participants of the shared application;

receive, at the participant, a message to establish voice communication amongst the current participants of the shared application session;

respond, from the participant, to the message, wherein voice communication is established between at least some of the current participants; and

disable, at the participant during the voice communication, the option to initiate voice communication.

100. A method for establishing electronic voice communications, comprising:

displaying, in a window of a shared application of a first party, information shared between the first party and at least one other party, the first party and the at least one other party being current participants to the shared application;

displaying for the first party an option to automatically initiate voice communication between the current participants of the shared application without requiring individual selection of potential members of the voice communication; and

requesting, in response to selection of the option, voice communication between the first party and the at least one other party;

wherein, as a result of selection of the option, the first party enters voice communications with at least some of the at least one other party.

101. The method of claim 100, wherein the at least one other party comprises at least two parties.

102. The method of claim 100, said displaying an option comprising displaying of a click-on icon that allows for a single step selection of the option.

103. The method of claim 100, wherein the shared application is an IM (instant message) chat.

104. The method of claim 100, wherein the voice communication includes audio and video.

105. The method of claim 100, wherein in response to the request, voice communication is established between the first party and those of the at least one other party who agreed to enter into the voice communication.

106. The method of claim 100, wherein neither the request nor the establishment of voice communication terminates the shared application.

107. A method to establish voice communication between a first party and at least one other party who are current participants of a shared application session, comprising:

displaying for the first party an option to automatically initiate voice communication between the current participants of the shared application session without requiring individual selection of potential members of the voice communication; and

requesting, in response to selection of the option, voice communication between the first party and the at least one other party;

wherein, as a result of selection of the option, the first party enters voice communications with at least some of the at least one other party.

108. The method of claim 107, wherein the at least one other party comprises at least two parties.

109. The method of claim 107, said displaying an option comprising displaying of a click-on icon that allows for a single step selection of the option.

110. The method of claim 107, wherein the shared application session is an IM chat session.

111. The method of claim 107, wherein the voice communication includes audio and video.

112. The method of claim 107, wherein in response to the request, voice communication is established between the first party and those of the at least one other party who agreed to enter into the voice communication.

113. The method of claim 107, wherein neither the request nor the establishment of voice communication terminates the shared application.

114. A method to establish voice communication between a first party and at least one other party, comprising:

exchanging information between a first party and at least one other party, the first party and the at least one other party being current participants to a shared application session;

receiving a request from the first party to establish voice communication amongst current participants of the shared application session, the request lacking a specific identification of the at least one other party;

determining, after reception of the request, the at least one other party from information associated with the shared application;

wherein, as a result of selection of the option, the first party enters voice communications with at least some of the at least one other party.

115. The method of claim 114, further comprising:

sending, to the at least one other party, a notice to disable the ability of the at least one other party'"'"'s ability to initiate conference calls through the shared session.

116. The method of claim 114, further comprising, wherein said at least one party comprises at least two parties.

117. The method of claim 116, further comprising substantially simultaneously sending messages to the at least two parties regarding entering into voice communications.

118. The method of claim 116, wherein said at least two parties are substantially simultaneously joined in voice communication with said first party.

119. The method of claim 114, wherein after determining the at least one party, the voice communication is established between the first party and those of the at least one other party.

120. The method of claim 119, wherein the at least one other party agrees to enter into the voice communication.

121. The method of claim 114, wherein neither the request nor the establishment of voice communication terminates the shared application.

122. A method for managing voice communications, comprising:

displaying, in a window of the shared application, information shared between current participants to a shared application session;

displaying for a participant of the participants an option to initiate voice communication between the current participants of the shared application;

receiving, at the participant, a request to establish voice communication amongst the current participants of the shared application session;

responding, from the participant, to the received request, wherein voice communication is established between at least some of the current participants.

123. The method of claim 122, comprising, disabling, at the participant during the voice communication, the option to initiate voice communication.