Method and system for connecting two or more persons by telephone

• US 7,636,427 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Gonzalez, Jean, Bojman, Frederic
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/068,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20050190896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,758 Days
• Field of Search: 370/260, 370/261, 370/352, 370/263, 379/88.16, 379/202.01, 379/88.06, 379/201.01, 379/211.01, 709/223, 348/14.08
• US Class Current: 379/88.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/652 Call initiation triggered by text message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42008 Systems for anonymous communication between parties, e.g. by use of disposal contact identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• 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 7/0045 where the text-based messaging service is an instant messaging service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service

Abstract

Connecting two or more persons by telephone without any person having to give their telephone coordinates. A messaging server adapted to send to one or more invited persons a message sent by an inviting person and containing an invitation to communicate by telephone, to create automatically a number dedicated to a telephone call in which at least one invited person has agreed to participate, and to broadcast the dedicated number to the inviting person and to the invited person(s) who have agreed to participate. An exchange is adapted to connect at least two calls to the dedicated number.

Claims

1. A method of connecting two or more persons by telephone without any person having to give their telephone coordinates, comprising:

sending, by an inviting person, one or more invited persons a message containing an invitation to communicate directly by telephone, the invitation comprising one of a time and a time and date to communicate directly by telephone;

in response to the one or more invited persons agreeing, in response to the invitation, to participate in the communication by telephone, automatically creating, by a server, a single telephone number dedicated to connecting the inviting person and the one or more invited persons by telephone;

broadcasting, by the server, the dedicated single telephone number to the inviting person and to the invited person(s) who have agreed to participate in the communication by telephone; and

connecting two or more calls using the automatically created dedicated single telephone number thereby preventing the person(s) who have agreed to participate in the communication by telephone from having to give their telephone coordinates.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said connecting of two or more calls through to the dedicated single telephone number is effected during a predetermined time period in which the dedicated single telephone number is valid.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dedicated single telephone number is destroyed after use.

4. A system for connecting two or more persons by telephone without any person having to give their telephone coordinates, comprising:

a messaging server adapted to;

send to one or more invited persons a message sent by an inviting person and containing an invitation to communicate directly by telephone, the invitation comprising one of a time and a time and date to communicate directly by telephone,

automatically create a single telephone number dedicated to connecting the inviting person and the one or more invited persons by telephone in response to the one or more invited persons agreeing, in response to the invitation, to participate in the communication by telephone, and

broadcast the single telephone dedicated number to the inviting person and to the invited person(s) who have agreed to participate in the communication by telephone; and

an exchange adapted to connect two or more calls using the dedicated single telephone number thereby preventing the person(s) who have agreed to participate in the communication by telephone from having to give their telephone coordinates.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the exchange is adapted to control the connection of the two or more calls through to the dedicated single telephone number during a predetermined time period in which the dedicated single telephone number is valid.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the exchange is adapted to destroy the dedicated single telephone number after use.