Apparatus and method for restoring a conference connection to a cellular telephone

• US 7,542,756 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2004
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unify Patente GmbH & Co. KG (Atos Se)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Communications Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Mason, Andrew, Staemmer, Zeno
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Application Number:
  US10/953,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20070232284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,708 Days
• Field of Search: 455415-416, 455/414.1, 455405-406, 455/445, 455/423, 455/567, 455418-420, 455/422.1, 4554261-4262, 455/67.11, 379/88.01, 37921101-21103, 379/207.12, 379/207.01, 379158-159, 370260-261
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2088 Call or conference reconnect, e.g. resulting from isdn terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• 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 telecommunication system has capabilities for managing conference telephone calls. Cellular telephones may be registered to the system and may be used as contact devices in setting up conference telephone calls. When a cellular telephone is participating in a conference telephone call and drops out because, e.g., of lost signal, the system may automatically initiate a call back to re-connect the cellular telephone to the conference telephone call.

Claims

1. A method of operating a conference telephone call with a conference call system, the method comprising:

prior to the establishing of the conference telephone call;

registering a cellular telephone with the conference call system;

presenting to a user of the cellular telephone via the cellular telephone an option by which the user of the cellular telephone is permitted to (i) indicate that the cellular telephone is to be automatically called back to re-connect to the conference telephone call if a signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken during the conference telephone call and (ii) indicate that the cellular telephone is to not be automatically called back to re-connect to the conference telephone call if the signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken during the conference telephone call, and

wherein the presenting comprises transmitting an automatically generated voice prompt to the user of the cellular telephone via the cellular phone;

establishing the conference telephone call, the conference telephone call having at least three participants, one of the participants participating in the conference telephone call being the user of the cellular telephone;

during the conference telephone call, detecting that the signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken; and

the conference call system automatically responding to the detecting that the signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken by initiating a re-connect telephone call to the cellular telephone to re-connect the cellular telephone to the conference telephone call if the user of the cellular telephone indicated that the cellular telephone is to be automatically called back and by not initiating a re-connect the cellular telephone to the conference telephone call if the user of the cellular telephone indicated that the cellular telephone is to not be automatically called back.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the automatically responding is performed after a pre-determined delay period following the detecting step, and only if at least two participants remain connected to the conference telephone call at an end of the pre-determined delay period.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

after initiating the re-connect telephone call, presenting to said one of the participants an option by which said participant is permitted to indicate that the cellular telephone is to be re-connected to the conference telephone call.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

said prior to the establishing of the telephone conference call;

indicating to the system that the cellular telephone is a cellular telephone; and

indicating to the system that said one of the participants is to be contacted via the cellular telephone.

5. A conference call system comprising:

conference means for establishing a conference telephone call, the conference telephone call having at least three participants, one of the participants participating in the conference telephone call via a cellular telephone, wherein prior to establishing a conference telephone call;

registering a cellular telephone with the conference call system, and presenting to the one of the participants participating in the conference telephone call via a cellular telephone via the cellular telephone an option by which the participant is permitted to (i) indicate that the cellular telephone is to be automatically called back to re-connect to the conference telephone call if a signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken during the conference telephone call and (ii) indicate that the cellular telephone is to not be automatically called back to re-connect to the conference telephone call if the signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken during the conference telephone call, and wherein the presenting comprises transmitting an automatically generated voice prompt to the participant of the cellular telephone via the cellular phone;

detecting means, responsive to the conference means, for detecting that a signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken during the conference telephone call; and

re-connect means, responsive to the detecting means, for automatically initiating a re-connect telephone call to the cellular telephone to re-connect the cellular telephone to the conference telephone calls if the participant participating in the conference telephone call via a cellular telephone indicated that the cellular telephone is to be automatically called back and by not automatically initiating a re-connect telephone call to the cellular telephone if the participant participating in the conference telephone call via a cellular telephone indicated that the cellular telephone is to not be automatically called back.

6. A conference call system according to claim 5, wherein the re-connect means initiates the re-connect telephone call after a pre-determined delay period following the detecting means detecting that the signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken, and only if at least two participants remain connected to the conference telephone call at an end of the pre-determined delay period.

7. A conference call system according to claim 5, wherein said re-connect means includes means for presenting to said one of the participants an option by which said participant is permitted to indicate in response to said re-connect telephone call that the cellular telephone is to be re-connected to the conference telephone call.

8. A conference call system according to claim 5, further comprising:

means for indicating to the system that the cellular telephone is a cellular telephone; and

means for indicating to the system that said one of the participants is to be contacted via the cellular telephone.

9. A conference call system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions to cause the processor to;

prior to the establishing of a conference telephone call;

register a cellular telephone with the conference call system;

present to a user of the cellular telephone via the cellular telephone an option by which the user of the cellular telephone is permitted to (i) indicate that the cellular telephone is to be automatically called back to re-connect to the conference telephone call if a signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken during the conference telephone call and (ii) indicate that the cellular telephone is to not be automatically called back to re-connect to the conference telephone call if the signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken during the conference telephone call, and

wherein to present to the user of the cellular telephone comprises transmitting an automatically generated voice prompt to the user of the cellular telephone via the cellular phone;

establish the conference telephone call, the conference telephone call having at least three participants, one of the participants participating in the conference telephone call being the user of the cellular telephone;

during the conference telephone call, detect that the signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken; and

the conference call system to automatically respond to the detecting that the signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken by initiating a re-connect telephone call to the cellular telephone to re-connect the cellular telephone to the conference telephone call if the user of the cellular telephone indicated that the cellular telephone is to be automatically called back and by not initiating a re-connect the cellular telephone to the conference telephone call if the user of the cellular telephone indicated that the cellular telephone is to not be automatically called back.

10. A conference call system according to claim 9, wherein the processor initiates the re-connect telephone call after a pre-determined delay period following the detecting step, and only if at least two participants remain connected to the conference telephone call at an end of the pre-determined delay period.

11. A conference call system according to claim 9, wherein, after initiating the re-connect telephone call, the processor presents to said one of the participants an option by which said participant is permitted to indicate that the cellular telephone is to be re-connected to the conference telephone call.

12. An apparatus for managing a conference telephone call with a conference call system comprising:

a computer storage device having a computer program embodied therein for managing a telephone conference call, the computer program in said apparatus comprising;

means for establishing a conference telephone call, the conference telephone call having at least three participants, one of the participants participating in the conference telephone call via a cellular telephone, wherein prior to establishing a conference telephone call;

registering a cellular telephone with the conference call system, and presenting to the one of the participants participating in the conference telephone call via a cellular telephone via the cellular telephone an option by which the participant is permitted to (i) indicate that the cellular telephone is to be automatically called back to re-connect to the conference telephone call if a signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken during the conference telephone call and (ii) indicate that the cellular telephone is to not be automatically called back to re-connect to the conference telephone call if the signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken during the conference telephone call, and wherein the presenting comprises transmitting an automatically generated voice prompt to the participant of the cellular telephone via the cellular phone;

means for detecting that a signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken during the conference telephone call; and

means for automatically responding to the detecting that the signal channel to the cellular telephone is broken initiating a re-connect telephone call to the cellular telephone to re-connect the cellular telephone to the conference telephone call if the participant participating in the conference telephone call via a cellular telephone indicated that the cellular telephone is to be automatically called back and by not automatically initiating a re-connect telephone call to the cellular telephone if the participant participating in the conference telephone call via a cellular telephone indicated that the cellular telephone is to not be automatically called back.