Conference call reconnect system

• US 7,085,558 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2004
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Berstis, Viktors, Magnone, Paolo Franco
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERRERA, DIEGO D
• Application Number:
  US10/824,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20050233736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 455/416, 455/518, 455/519
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2088 Call or conference reconnect, e.g. resulting from isdn terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/305 Recording playback features, e.g. increased speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• 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 method and implementing teleconferencing system for use within voice and/or video teleconferencing arrangements, includes means by which conference content is recorded and subsequently made available to participants who may become disconnected from the teleconference while it is still in session. Upon reconnection to the teleconference, a participant has an option to play back the missed portion of the teleconference at various speeds until the recording has become synchronized with the real time teleconference. The participant may also choose to rejoin the real time teleconference immediately upon reconnection and access the missed but recorded portion of the teleconference at a later time. In different embodiments, the call-back to a disconnected participant and the recording of missed teleconference content are accomplished either at the telephone company or at a teleconference center.

Claims

1. A method for processing a teleconference, said method comprising:

connecting a plurality of participants together in a teleconference;

after a first participant of said plurality of participants has become disconnected from said teleconference, detecting when said first participant is reconnected to said teleconference; and

presenting a reconnect menu on a display device of said first participant after said first participant has been reconnected to said teleconference, said reconnect menu including a plurality of reconnect options available for selection by said first participant, said reconnect options including an immediate rejoin option for enabling said first participant to immediately audibly rejoin said teleconference, said reconnect options further including a replay option for enabling said first participant to replay missed content of said teleconference occurring while said first participant had been disconnected from said teleconference.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including enabling one of said plurality of participants other than said first participant to override said reconnect options available to said first participant and immediately re-establish audio communication with said first participant after said first participant has been reconnected to said teleconference.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said teleconference is an audio teleconference.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 wherein said first participant is using a cell phone.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said teleconference is a video teleconference.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said participants are connected through a telephone company to a teleconference center, said recording being made by said telephone company.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said participants are connected through a telephone company to a teleconference center, said recording being made by said teleconference center.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including sending a connection signal from said first participant while said first participant is connected to said teleconference, and detecting when said first participant becomes disconnected from said teleconference by detecting a loss of said connection signal.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said connection signal is a non-audible signal.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including playing pre-recorded messages into said teleconference upon an occurrence of predetermined events associated with said pre-recorded messages.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10 wherein one of said pre-recorded messages announces a disconnection of said first participant when said first participant becomes disconnected from said teleconference.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein said re-connection message announces a re-connection of said first participant to said teleconference in real time.

13. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein one of said pre-recorded messages announces a re-connection of said first participant to an incoming line to said teleconference and is currently playing back said recording of content missed while said first participant was disconnected from said teleconference.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13 and further including enabling more than one of said plurality of participants to selectively re-connect said first participant to said real-time teleconference.

15. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including a selective playing of said missed content in one or more playback speeds.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15 and further including displaying indicia representative of progress of playing back said recording relative to total time of said recording.

17. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said teleconference is an audio teleconference and said first participant is using a telephone to connect to said teleconference, said method further including:

saving caller identification and teleconference information in memory within said telephone used by said first participant upon connecting to said teleconference; and

accessing said caller identification and teleconference information from said first participant'"'"'s telephone in re-connecting said first participant to said teleconference after said first participant has become disconnected from said teleconference.

18. A teleconferencing system comprising:

a teleconference center for processing a plurality of interconnected participants;

after a first participant of said plurality of participants has become disconnected from said teleconference, means for detecting when said first participant is reconnected to said teleconference; and

means for presenting a reconnect menu on a display device of said first participant after said first participant has been reconnected to said teleconference, said reconnect menu including a plurality of reconnect options available for selection by said first participant, said reconnect options including an immediate rejoin option for enabling said first participant to immediately audibly rejoin said teleconference, said reconnect options further including a replay option for enabling said first participant to replay missed content of said teleconference occurring while said first participant had been disconnected from said teleconference.

19. The system as set forth in claim 18 wherein said teleconferencing system is located at said teleconference center.

20. The system as set forth in claim 18 wherein said teleconferencing system is located at a telephone company equipment center.