METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONFERENCING OF TEXT MESSAGES
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method are provided which provide a text messaging conference among at least three users who communicate on different first communication channels. A message initiated by a first user is received on one of the first communication channels. The message seeks to initiate a text message conference and includes identities of a plurality of additional users to participate in the messaging conference. Conference participants are identified by a two part identifier, which allows a single participant to participate in multiple ongoing simultaneous conferences.
-
Citations
47 Claims
-
1-27. -27. (canceled)
-
28. A method of establishing a first conference comprising:
-
receiving, at a bridge, an out of band and substantially instantaneous message initiated by a first user, said message including one or more user identities, said bridge including one or more incoming physical or logical communications channels; assigning a unique logical identifier to each user associated with said one or more user identities, and to said first user, said unique logical identifier including an actual phone number associated with said each user or said first user and a Direct inward Dial (DID) phone number from a pool of DID numbers associated with the bridge; forming a first group of users from said unique logical identifiers; and transmitting subsequent substantially instantaneous out of band messages received from any user associated with said first group to all or a subset of other such users associated with said first group, said messages being transmitted out of band and substantially instantaneous, wherein said Direct inward Dial (DID) phone number that is assigned for said first user or said each user is capable of being different than one or more Direct inward Dial (DID) phone numbers assigned to other users within said first group of users. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
-
-
38. A system for providing a first text message conference among at least two users who communicate on different first communication channels, the system comprising a combination of:
-
a message receiver receiving a message initiated by a first user on one of the first communication channels seeking to initiate said first text message conference, the message including identities of one or more additional users to participate in said first text message conference, wherein the message receiver includes means grouping unique logical identifiers for said first user and said one or more additional users, the unique logical identifiers including an actual phone number associated with said first user or said one or more additional users and a Direct inward Dial (DID) phone number from a pool of DID numbers associated with a bridge, wherein said Direct inward Dial (DID) phone number that is assigned for said first user or said one or more users is capable of being different than one or more Direct inward Dial (DID) phone numbers assigned to other users within said group of users; means reserving a conferencing communication channel to the text message conference which is not one of the first communication channels; means enabling said first user and said one or more additional users to communicate text messages over the conferencing communication channel; and means forwarding a text message received over the conferencing communication channel from one of the users to all or a subset of the users participating in the messaging conference via their respective first communication channels. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
-
-
46. A multiconferencing system comprising:
-
(a) a bridge including one or more incoming physical or logical communications channels for receiving an out of band and substantially instantaneous message initiated by a first user, said message including one or more user identities, and outputting a unique logical identifier for said first user and each user associated with said one or more user identities; (b) a Multiple Conferencing Unit (MCU) in communication with the bridge to receive and group the logical identifiers, said unique logical identifiers including a first indicia of an actual phone number associated with said first user or said each user associated with said one or more user identities and a second indicia of a Direct inward Dial (DID) phone number from a pool of DID numbers associated with the bridge, wherein the second indicia of the Direct inward Dial (DID) phone number that is assigned for said first user and said each user associated with said one or more user identifies within a first group is capable of being different than one or more of the second indicia of the Direct inward Dial (DID) phone numbers assigned to other users within said first group; and (c) a transmitter to transmit said substantially instantaneous message initiated by the first user to all or a subset of said each user associated with said one or more user identities, said transmission being out of band and substantially instantaneous. - View Dependent Claims (47)
-
Specification