Telecommunications conferencing method and apparatus

• US 6,584,076 B1
• Filed: 11/02/1998
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia of America Corporation (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Aravamudan, Murali, Iyer, Prakash
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US09/183,994
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• Field of Search: 370/259, 370/260, 370/261, 370/262, 370/401, 370/238, 370/238.1, 379/201.01, 379/202.01, 379/203.01, 455/414, 455/416, 709/241, 709/204, 709/205
• US Class Current: 370/260
• 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

Abstract

A conference bridge is selected for a conference call so as to reduce the overall cost of the conference call, and the conference bride selected may be changed dynamically, e.g., as parties are added or dropped from the conference call, so as to continuously maintain the low cost of the conference call. User telephones are connected via device servers, which may include a packet circuit gateway (PCG), to a packet network which provides both transport and service. Accordingly, in response to a request for a conference call, the packet network determines the parties to be on the conference call and selects a conference bridge that results in the lowest cost for the conference call, e.g., a bridge located more closely to two of the parties on the conference call. In the event the parties on the conference call change, e.g., by adding an additional party and possibly also by dropping a party already on the call, a new conference bridge is selected for the call that would keep the cost low for the call as configured with the revised parties and the information streams from all of the parties that remain on the call are directed the new conference bridge. Once the transition to the new conference bridge is completed, the old conference bridge is released for use by another conference.

Claims

1. Apparatus for establishing a conference call between at least three device servers, comprising:

three or more device servers, which are protocol translators that translate the protocol of a device being served by the device server to a common call control protocol, each of said devices being coupled to a respective one of said device servers;

a plurality of conference bridges, use of each of said conference bridges to establish said conference call results in an associated cost for said call; and

the apparatus being CHARACTERIZED in that the one of said bridges which serves said conference call at any time is changeable over the duration of said conference call

the apparatus being CHARACTERIZED BY a call coordinator which accomplishes communications among said device servers and selects a one of said conference bridges to currently serve said conference call so as to yield a minimum cost for said conference call.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said conference call is reconstituted by adding or dropping at least one device and wherein said call coordinator is adapted to (i) select a different one of said conference bridges as a function of a location of each device designated to be served on said reconstituted conference call by said selected conference bridge and (ii) redirect traffic for said devices on said reconstituted conference call to said different one of said conference bridges.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said conference call is reconstituted by adding a device whose information is qualitatively different from said other devices on said conference call prior to its being reconstituted, and wherein said call coordinator is adapted to select a different one of said conference bridges from a subset of said plurality of conference bridges that can process said information from said added device whose information is qualitatively different.

4. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said conference call is reconstituted by dropping a device whose information is qualitatively different from said devices remaining on said conference call after to its being reconstituted, and wherein said call coordinator is adapted to select said different one of said conference bridges from a subset of said plurality of conference bridges that can process said information from said dropped device whose information is qualitatively different and those conference bridges that can process information only from those devices remaining on said reconstituted conference.

5. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said conference call is reconstituted by dropping a device whose information is qualitatively different from said devices remaining on said conference call after to its being reconstituted, and wherein said call coordinator is adapted to select said different one of said conference bridges from a subset of said plurality of conference bridges that can process said information only from those conferees remaining on said reconstituted conference.

6. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said call coordinator, said device servers, and said conference bridges are coupled by a data network.

7. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein ones of said at least three device servers on said call are changed, and wherein said call coordinator selects a one of said conference bridges that yields a minimum cost for said conference call with said changed device servers.

8. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said call coordinator is adapted to identify said selected conference bridge to said device servers on said conference call.

9. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said call coordinator is adapted to identify said device servers on said conference call to said selected conference bridge.

10. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said call coordinator is adapted to direct device servers on said conference call to communicate media to said selected conference bridge.

11. The invention as defined in claim 10 wherein said media is transmitted by at least one of said device servers from a packet circuit gateway.

12. The invention as defined in claim 10 wherein at least one of said device servers is adapted to direct a device it serves to direct said device'"'"'s media directly to said device server.

13. A method for use in establishing a conference call between at least three device servers which are protocol translators that translate the protocol of a device coupled to and being served by the device server to a common call control protocol, said method being performed by a call coordinator which accomplishes communications among said device servers, said method comprising the steps of:

determining a cost for each of a plurality of configurations for said conference call given each device server to be on said call at any particular time, each of said configurations using one or more of each available one of a plurality of conference bridges known to said call coordinator, the use of said conference bridges to establish said conference call resulting in an associated cost for said call, the one or more of said bridges which serves said conference call at any time being changeable over the duration of said conference call; and

selecting initially and on an ongoing basis, by said call coordinator, a one of said configurations that has a lowest cost.

14. The invention as defined in claim 13 wherein said configuration having a lowest cost employs only a single one of said conference bridges.

15. The invention as defined in claim 13 wherein said configuration having a lowest cost employs at least two of said conference bridges.

16. The invention as defined in claim 13 wherein said available conference bridges are not in use when said call coordinator is performing said determining step.

17. The invention as defined in claim 13 wherein said available conference bridges include at least one conference bridge that is in use when said call coordinator is performing said determining step.

18. The invention as defined in claim 17 wherein said call coordinator repeats said determining step for at least one conference bridge that is in use when said call coordinator is performing said determining step.

19. The invention as defined in claim 17 wherein said call coordinator repeats said determining step for at least one conference bridge that is in use when said call coordinator is performing said determining step and selects said for at least one conference bridge that is in use when said call coordinator is performing said determining step only when said cost of said determining step and said repeated determining step combined are a lowest overall cost.

20. The invention as defined in claim 17 further including the step of relocating a conference using said conference bridge that is in use when said call coordinator is performing said determining step when said call coordinator selects said conference bridge that is in use when said call coordinator is performing said determining step.