Centralized management and allocation of bridges in a telecommunications network for a meet-me conferencing service
First Claim
1. In a telecommunications network including a plurality of switching systems, one or more of which having one or more conference bridges, a method of effecting a conferencing service comprising the steps of:
- maintaining routing and availability information with respect to the one or more conference bridges, wherein a bridge that is not allocated to a call is available;
determining by a service controller, in communication with one of the switching systems processing an initiating call, that the initiating call is to initiate a conference;
allocating a particular bridges which the availability information indicates is available, to the initiating call;
updating the availability information associated with the particular bridge to indicate that the particular bridge is allocated to the initiating call; and
providing by the service controller, to the switching system processing the initiating call, instructions for routing the initiating call based on the routing information associated with the particular bridge, whereby the initiating call is connected through the network to the particular bridge.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention manifests a secure, on-demand meet-me conferencing service embodied within a telephone network having an advanced intelligent network (AIN) infrastructure. Centralized control of conferencing bridges located in network switches is effected at a service control point (SCP) in the AIN telephone network. Routing and availability information with respect to the conferencing bridges is maintained by the SCP. When the SCP in communication with a network switch processing a call determines that the call is to initiate a conference, a bridge is allocated to the call. The availability information of the bridge is then updated and the SCP provides the network switch with routing instructions for connecting the call through the telephone network to the bridge.
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Citations
48 Claims
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1. In a telecommunications network including a plurality of switching systems, one or more of which having one or more conference bridges, a method of effecting a conferencing service comprising the steps of:
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maintaining routing and availability information with respect to the one or more conference bridges, wherein a bridge that is not allocated to a call is available; determining by a service controller, in communication with one of the switching systems processing an initiating call, that the initiating call is to initiate a conference; allocating a particular bridges which the availability information indicates is available, to the initiating call; updating the availability information associated with the particular bridge to indicate that the particular bridge is allocated to the initiating call; and providing by the service controller, to the switching system processing the initiating call, instructions for routing the initiating call based on the routing information associated with the particular bridge, whereby the initiating call is connected through the network to the particular bridge. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. In a telecommunications network including a plurality of switching systems, one or more of which having one or more conference bridges, a system for effecting a conferencing service comprising:
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means for maintaining routing and availability information with respect to the one or more conference bridges, wherein a bridge that is not allocated to a call is available; means for determining by a service controller, in communication with one of the switching systems processing an initiating call, that the initiating call is to initiate a conference; means for allocating a particular bridge, which the availability information indicates is available, to the initiating call; means for updating the availability information associated with the particular bridge to indicate that the particular bridge is allocated to the initiating call; and means for providing by the service controller, to the switching system processing the initiating call, instructions for routing the initiating call based on the routing information associated with the particular bridge, whereby the initiating call is connected through the network to the particular bridge. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. In a telecommunications network including a plurality of switching systems, one or more of which having one or more conference bridges, a method of effecting a conferencing service comprising the steps of:
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receiving from a switching system processing a first call an identification of the first call; providing a primary authorization code paired with a secondary authorization code to the first call responsive to validating the received identification; maintaining an association between the first call identification and the paired primary and secondary authorization codes; maintaining routing and availability information with respect to the one or more conference bridges, wherein a bridge that is not allocated to a call is available; determining by a service controller, in communication with one of the switching systems processing an initiating call, that the initiating call is a request for conference initiation, wherein an input primary code is received from the initiating call and correlated to the primary authorization code; allocating a particular bridge, which the availability information indicates is available, to the initiating call; updating the availability information associated with the particular bridge to indicate that the particular bridge is allocated to the initiating call, wherein the service controller maintains a correlation between the particular bridge and the primary authorization code; providing by the service controller, to the switching system processing the initiating call, instructions for routing the initiating call based on the routing information associated with the particular bridge, whereby the initiating call is connected through the network to the particular bridge; determining by the service controller, in communication with one of the switching systems processing another call, that the another call is to join the conference initiated by the initiating call, wherein an input secondary code is received from the another call and correlated to the secondary authorization code which is paired with the primary authorization code; identifying, from the availability information, the particular bridge allocated to the initiating call, wherein the primary authorization code, being paired with the secondary authorization code, is correlated to the particular bridge; and providing by the service controller, to the switching system processing the another call, instructions for routing the another call based on the routing information associated with the particular bridge, whereby the another call is connected through the network to the particular bridge. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39)
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40. In a telecommunications network including a plurality of switching systems, one or more of which having one or more conference bridges, a method of effecting a conferencing service comprising the steps of:
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maintaining routing and availability information with respect to the one or more conference bridges, wherein a bridge that is not allocated to a call is available; determining by a service controller, in communication with one of the switching systems processing an initiating call, that the initiating call is to initiate a conference; allocating a particular bridge, which the availability Information indicates is available, to the initiating call; updating the availability information associated with the particular bridge to indicate that the particular bridge is allocated to the initiating call; providing by the service controller, to the switching system processing the initiating call, instructions for routing the initiating call based on the routing information associated with the particular bridge, whereby the initiating call is connected through the network to the particular bridge; providing by the switching system that processes the initiating call, to the service controller, a signal indicating that the initiating call connection to the particular bridge has terminated; and updating the availability information associated with the particular bridge to indicate that the particular bridge is available.
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41. In a telecommunications network including a plurality of switching systems, one or more of which having one or more conference bridges, a method of effecting a conferencing service comprising the steps of:
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maintaining routing and availability information with respect to the one or more conference bridges, wherein a bridge that is not allocated to a call is available; determining by a service controller, in communication with one of the switching systems processing an initiating call, that the initiating call is to initiate a conference; allocating a particular bridge, which the availability information indicates is available, to the initiating call; updating the availability information associated with the particular bridge to indicate that the particular bridge is allocated to the initiating call; providing by the service controller, to the switching system processing the initiating call, instructions for routing the initiating call based on the routing information associated with the particular bridge, whereby the initiating call is connected through the network to the particular bridge; recording, by the service controller, a first start time corresponding to the initiating call connection to the particular bridge; providing by the switching system that processes the initiating call, to the service controller, an initiating call terminated signal indicating that the initiating call connection to the particular bridge has terminated; and responsive to receiving the initiating call terminated signal, updating the availability information associated with the particular bridge to indicate that the particular bridge is available and recording a first stop time with respect to the initiating call. - View Dependent Claims (42)
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43. In a telecommunications network including a plurality of switching systems, one or more of which having one or more conference bridges, a system for effecting a conferencing service comprising:
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means for receiving from a switching system processing a first call an identification of the first call; means for providing a primary authorization code paired with a secondary authorization code to the first call responsive to validating the received identification; means for maintaining an association between the first call identification and the paired primary and secondary authorization codes; means for maintaining routing and availability information with respect to the one or more conference bridges, wherein a bridge that is not allocated to a call is available; means for determining by a service controller, in communication with one of the switching systems processing an initiating call, that the initiating call is a request for conference initiation, wherein an input primary code is received from the initiating call and correlated to the primary authorization code; means for allocating a particular bridge, which the availability information indicates is available, to the initiating call; means for updating the availability information associated with the particular bridge to indicate that the particular bridge is allocated to the initiating call, wherein the service controller maintains a correlation between the particular bridge and the primary authorization code; means for providing by the service controller, to the switching system processing the initiating call, instructions for routing the initiating call based on the routing information associated with the particular bridge, whereby the initiating call is connected through the network to the particular bridge; means for determining by the service controller, in communication with one of the switching systems processing another call, that the another call is to join the conference initiated by the initiating call, wherein an input secondary code is received from the another call and correlated to the secondary authorization code which is paired with the primary authorization code; means for identifying, from the availability information, the particular bridge allocated to the initiating call, wherein the primary authorization code, being paired with the secondary authorization code, is correlated to the particular bridge; and means for providing by the service controller, to the switching system processing the another call, instructions for routing the another call based on the routing information associated with the particular bridge, whereby the another call is connected through the network to the particular bridge. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45)
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46. In a telecommunications network including a plurality of switching systems, one or more of which having one or more conference bridges, a system for effecting a conferencing service comprising:
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means for maintaining routing and availability information with respect to the one or more conference bridges, wherein a bridge that is not allocated to a call is available; means for determining by a service controller, in communication with one of the switching systems processing an initiating call, that the initiating call is to initiate a conference; means for allocating a particular bridge, which the availability information indicates is available, to the initiating call; means for updating the availability information associated with the particular bridge to indicate that the particular bridge is allocated to the initiating call; means for providing by the service controller, to the switching system processing the initiating call, instructions for routing the initiating call based on the routing information associated with the particular bridge, whereby the initiating call is connected through the network to the particular bridge; means for providing by the switching system that processes the initiating call, to the service controller, a signal indicating that the initiating call connection to the particular bridge has terminated; and means for updating the availability information associated with the particular bridge to indicate that the particular bridge is available.
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47. In a telecommunications network including a plurality of switching systems, one or more of which having one or more conference bridges, a system for effecting a conferencing service comprising:
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means for maintaining routing and availability information with respect to the one or more conference bridges, wherein a bridge that is not allocated to a call is available; means for determining by a service controller, in communication with one of the switching systems processing an initiating call, that the initiating call is to initiate a conference; means for allocating a particular bridge, which the availability information indicates is available, to the initiating call; means for updating the availability information associated with the particular bridge to indicate that the particular bridge is allocated to the initiating call; means for providing by the service controller, to the switching system processing the initiating call, instructions for routing the initiating call based on the routing information associated with the particular bridge, whereby the initiating call is connected through the network to the particular bridge; means for recording, by the service controller, a first start time corresponding to the initiating call connection to the particular bridge; means for providing by the switching system that processes the initiating call, to the service controller, an initiating call terminated signal indicating that the initiating call connection to the particular bridge has terminated; and means for responsive to receiving the initiating call terminated signal, updating the availability information associated with the particular bridge to indicate that the particular bridge is available and recording a first stop time with respect to the initiating call. - View Dependent Claims (48)
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Specification