METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONFERENCING OF TEXT MESSAGES

• US 20140073301A1
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phone.com Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Phone.com Incorporated
• Inventors: Cohen, Alon, Scott, Brian Lee
• Granted Patent: US 9,282,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• 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: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

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.

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.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein, upon said first user or said each user initiating a second conference having a second group of users, said first user or said each user can be assigned a second Direct inward Dial (DID) phone number for said second conference that is distinct from said Direct inward Dial (DID) phone number that was assigned for that same user for said first conference.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein said one or more physical or logical communication channels to which said users in said first group send said substantially instantaneous out of band messages are different for different users associated with said first group.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said substantially instantaneous out of band messages are Short Message Service (SMS) messages.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said bridge, upon receipt of said substantially instantaneous out of band messages, examine said messages to determine if said messages are a bridge command, and if so, processes said messages in a first manner, and if not, processes said messages in a second manner.

33. The method of claim 28, further comprising monitoring frequency at which messages are received or sent on a specific channel associated with a user, and terminating said user from said group if said frequency exceeds a predetermined threshold.

34. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

classifying each of said Short Message Service (SMS) messages into one of three types, said three types being an initiation message, a content message, or a command message,

if a message of said Short Message Service (SMS) messages is an initiation message, parsing said message to ascertain said each user associated with said one or more user identities,

if a message of said Short Message Service (SMS) messages is a content message, forwarding said message to one or more of said each user associated with said one or more user identities and said first user, and

if a message of said Short Message Service (SMS) messages is a command message, altering parameters of said conference.

35. The method of claim 29, said one or more physical or logical communication channels to which said users in said first group send said substantially instantaneous out of band messages are different for different users associated with said first group.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said substantially instantaneous out of band messages are Short Message Service (SMS) messages.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said bridge, upon receipt of said substantially instantaneous out of band messages, examine said messages to determine if said messages are a bridge command, and if so, processes said messages in a first manner, and if not, processes said messages in a second manner.

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.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein upon said first user or said one or more additional users initiating a second conference having a second group of users, said first user or said one or more additional users can be assigned a second Direct inward Dial (DID) phone number for said second conference that is distinct from said Direct inward Dial (DID) phone number that is assigned for that same user in said first conference.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the message receiver is constructed to parse a received message to extract the identities of the users, who are then enabled by said means enabling to communicate over the conferencing communication channel.

41. The system of claim 38, wherein the text messages are communicated out of band.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the text messages are Short Message Service (SMS) messages.

43. The system of claim 39, wherein the message receiver is constructed to parse a received message to extract the identities of the users, who are then enabled by said means enabling to communicate over the conferencing communication channel.

44. The system of claim 39, wherein the text messages are communicated out of band.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the text messages are Short Message Service (SMS) messages.

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.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein said out of band and substantially instantaneous message is a Short Message Service (SMS) message.