Method and device for establishing a conference call between a plurality of user terminals of a communication network

• US 7,526,281 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2004
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Khartabil, Hisham, Niemi, Aki, Veikkolainen, Simo, Isomaki, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERRERA, DIEGO D
• Application Number:
  US10/936,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20050260976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,692 Days
• Field of Search: 455/416, 4554141- 4, 455/518, 455/519, 455/413, 455/426.1, 455/415
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/205 Broadcasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5054 Meet-me conference, i.e. participants dial-in
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5063 Centrally initiated conference, i.e. conference server dials participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/62 user interface aspects of conference calls
• 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: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A method of establishing a conference call in a communication network between a plurality of user terminals each having an identifier. The method comprising receiving a first list of identifiers corresponding to the user terminals with whom the conference call is to be established. At least one of the identifiers represents a second list comprising a plurality of other user terminals each having their own other identifiers. The conference call is established with the user terminals in the first list and the other user terminals represented by the at least one identifier in the first list.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first list of identifiers corresponding to a plurality of user terminals with which a conference call is to be established;

determining, by a control device, that at least one identifier represents a second list comprising a plurality of other user terminals each having their own other identifiers;

retrieving the other identifiers from the second list;

establishing the conference call, in a communication network, with the plurality of user terminals in the first list and the plurality of other user terminals represented by the at least one identifier in the first list; and

allowing the user terminals corresponding to identifiers from the first and second lists to participate in the conference call if the identifiers are on an access control list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first list is stored as a dial-out list and wherein the establishing the conference call comprises automatically sending to the plurality of user terminals identified in the dial-out list, invitation messages to participate in the conference call.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining comprises determining that an Extensible Markup Language Configuration Access Protocol (XCAP) identifier represents the second list, and wherein the XCAP identifier is in the dial-out list.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining comprises determining that a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) identifier represents the second list, and wherein the SIP identifier is in the dial-out list.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first list is stored as a dial-in list, and wherein the method further comprises requesting participation in the conference call by means of user terminals;

and wherein the establishing the conference call comprises sending to those user terminals identified in the dial-in list that requested participation, invitation messages to participate in the conference call.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining comprises determining that an Extensible Markup Language Configuration Access Protocol (XCAP) identifier represents the second list, and wherein the XCAP identifier is in the dial-in list.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining comprises determining that a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) identifier represents the second list, and wherein the SIP identifier is in the dial-in list.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one identifier representing the second list points to an address of a storage location of the second list of the plurality of other user terminals.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the storage location of the second list is an external list server which is external to a control device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving a first list of identifiers corresponding to a plurality of user terminals with which a conference call is to be established in a wireless communication network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving a first list of identifiers corresponding to a plurality of mobile phones.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving a first list of Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI).

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing comprises establishing the conference call in the communication network using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages.

14. A control device, comprising:

a first storage location configured to store a first list of identifiers corresponding to a plurality of user terminals with which a conference call is to be established;

circuitry configured to determine that at least one identifier in the first storage location represents a second list comprising a plurality of other user terminals each having their own identifiers; and

circuitry configured to resolve the at least one identifier which represents the plurality of other user terminals, allowing the user terminals corresponding to identifiers from the first and second lists to participate in the conference call if the identifiers are on an access control list and including the plurality of other user terminals in the conference call to be established,

wherein the control device is configured to establish the conference call between the plurality of terminals of a communication network.

15. The control device of claim 14, wherein the control device is configured to receive the first list from a user terminal responsible for setting up the conference call, and wherein the control device is configured to send the first list along with an indication of a time at which the conference call is to be established.

16. The control device of claim 14, wherein the control device is configured to cooperate with an external list server which stores the second list by retrieving the second list therefrom.

17. A control device comprising:

receiving means for receiving a first list of identifiers corresponding to a plurality of user terminals with which a conference call is to be established;

determining means for determining that at least one identifier represents a second list comprising a plurality of other user terminals each having their own other identifiers;

retrieving means for retrieving the other identifiers from the second list; and

establishing means for establishing the conference call, in a communication network, with the plurality of user terminals in the first list and the plurality of other user terminals represented by the at least one identifier in the first list and allowing the user terminals corresponding to identifiers from the first and second lists to participate in the conference call if the identifiers are on an access control list.

18. A communications network comprising:

a plurality of user terminals; and

a control device configured to establish a conference call between the plurality of user terminals, each of the user terminals having an identifier and wherein the control device comprises

a first storage location configured to store a first line of the identifiers corresponding to the user terminals with whom the conference call is to be established;

circuitry configured to determine that at least one of the identifiers in the first storage location represents a second list comprising a plurality of other user terminals each having their own identifiers; and

circuitry configured to resolve the at least one identifier which represents the plurality of other user terminals, allowing user terminals corresponding to the identifiers from the first and second lists to participate in the conference call if the identifiers are on an access control list and including those other user terminals in the conference call to be established.