System and process for mass telephony conference call

• US 7,852,998 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tele-Town Hall LLC
• Original Assignee: Tele-Town Hall LLC
• Inventors: Smelyansky, Vladimir, Smith, Rodney A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang; Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): TESHALE, AKELAW
• Application Number:
  US10/954,837
• Time in Patent Office: 2,266 Days
• Field of Search: 370260-269, 379/93.21, 379/158, 379/202.01, 379/205, 379/205.01, 379/434, 379/202, 379/100.14, 379/100.4
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2088 Call or conference reconnect, e.g. resulting from isdn terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5072 Multiple active speakers conducting a computer conference, e.g. Admission detection H04L12/1822
• 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 3/566 relating to a participants right to speak arrangements for multi-party communication with floor control, e.g. for conferences, H04L65/4038, H04L65/4046, H04L65/4053

Abstract

An automated teleconferencing control system and method reduces conference call setup time by simultaneously out dialing to multiple conferees through a plurality of parallel telecommunications resources. The teleconferencing control system includes the feature of automatically gathering statistics of each connection attempt, as well as many other call aspects, using these statistics to automatically improve the efficiency of subsequent conference call initiations. Gathered statistics are also used to automatically configure the system to cause all of the conferees to be connected to a conference call at substantially the same time. The selection of which telecommunications resources are used for contacting each target conferee is made based on criteria that include the telephone number or Internet address of the target conferee'"'"'s telephone.

Claims

1. A teleconferencing control system that simultaneously out dials to multiple selected conferees through a plurality of parallel telecommunications resources, comprising:

a teleconferencing controller in communication with a plurality of available parallel telephony communications connection resources;

wherein upon receiving a predetermined trigger to initiate said conference call between said multiple selected conferees, or upon being triggered by a predefined set of conditions, said teleconferencing control system initiates said conference call, wherein said teleconferencing controller establishes a telecommunications connection simultaneously, between as many of said multiple selected conferees as can be contacted, said teleconferencing controller including;

means for accessing a list of said multiple selected conferees, said list at a minimum including an entry for each one of said multiple selected conferees, each said entry containing at least sufficient information to enable said teleconferencing control system to attempt a simultaneous telecommunications connection with the associated one of said multiple selected conferees to deliver an invitation to said conference call and each said entry being updated according to the statistics data;

means for simultaneously initiating connection attempts to a plurality of said multiple selected conferees, wherein at least two of said connection attempts are routed through separate parallel connection resources of said plurality of available parallel telephony communications connection resources; and

means for minimizing a total time elapsed to connect each of said multiple selected conferees to said conference call by using said updated entry;

wherein upon connection to each one of said multiple selected conferees, said teleconferencing controller enables said one of said multiple selected conferees to participate in said conference call based upon an acceptance of said invitation to said conference call.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each said entry in said list of said multiple selected conferees comprises information sufficient for enabling said teleconferencing control system to select between a plurality of alternate connection paths, each with an associated different communications protocol, when determining an attempt to connect to said one of said multiple selected conferees.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said teleconferencing control system applies automatic detection of any connection attempt failure that is due to a busy signal, non-connect recording, or any detectable non-connect condition, recording details of said connection attempt failure along with an identifier that indicates which said one of said multiple selected conferees is associated with said connection attempt failure;

and

wherein upon detection of said connection attempt failure, said teleconferencing control system makes at least one subsequent connection attempt to said one of said multiple selected conferees via at least one of said plurality of alternate connection paths using said associated different communications protocol.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said teleconferencing control system applies automatic detection of any connection attempt failure that is due to a busy signal, non-connect recording, or any detectable non-connect condition, thereby recording details of said connection attempt failure along with an identifier that indicates which said one of said multiple selected conferees is associated with said connection attempt failure.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said teleconferencing control system prevents further attempts to connect to said one of said multiple selected conferees associated with said connection attempt failure, notifying users of said teleconferencing control system that contact information of said one of said multiple selected conferees should be updated.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said teleconferencing control system enables each of said multiple selected conferees to inform said teleconferencing control system that said teleconferencing control system has reached an appropriate party.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein when said teleconferencing control system is informed that a wrong party has been reached, said system prevents said wrong party from joining said conference call.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said teleconferencing control system enables each of said multiple selected conferees to accept or reject said invitation to said conference call.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said teleconferencing control system, upon connection to each one of said multiple selected conferees and detection of the presence of one of a call answering automation system, prevents said call answering automation system from connecting to said conference call.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said teleconferencing control system stores conference call activity statistics for each said conference call, including call initiation start time, operational conference call start and end times, individual conferee connection and disconnect times, which of said plurality of available parallel telephony communications connection resources were associated with each said connection, and any failures associated with attempting to contact any one of said multiple selected conferees.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said teleconferencing control system makes said conference call activity statistics available to external processes for analysis and billing purposes.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said teleconferencing control system utilizes said conference call activity statistics gathered during each said conference call to achieve improved connection time synchronization in a subsequent conference call involving any of said multiple selected conferees.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said improved connection time synchronization being achieved for said subsequent conference call involves any of said multiple selected conferees by determining a connection offset time value for each said one of said multiple selected conferees that is targeted for participation in said subsequent conference call by calculating a statistical average of recorded connection times that have been recorded for said one of said multiple selected conferees.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein for each of said multiple selected conferees that is targeted for participation in said subsequent conference call, a connection start time is determined by subtracting said connection offset time value from a target start time for said subsequent conference call.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein for each of said multiple selected conferees that is targeted for participation in said subsequent conference call, a connection process is begun to said one of multiple selected conferees at said connection start time associated with one of said multiple selected conferees.

16. A method for teleconferencing that simultaneously out dials to multiple selected conferees through a plurality of parallel telecommunications resources, comprising:

automatically accessing a list of the multiple selected conferees from a database, using a teleconferencing controller, the list including an entry for each of the multiple selected conferees, each entry having sufficient information to attempt a simultaneous telecommunications connection with the associated conferee to deliver an invitation to a conference call and each said entry being updated according to the statistics data;

simultaneously initiating connection attempts to a plurality of the multiple selected conferees using said teleconferencing controller, wherein at least two of the connection attempts are routed through separate available parallel telephony communications connection resources to deliver said invitation to said conference call; and

minimizing a total time elapsed to connect said multiple selected conferees to said conference call by using said updated entry.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the method is at least partially implemented with a teleconferencing controller.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising acquiring conference call activity statistics from at least one conferee call.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the conference call activity statistics include one or more conference call activity statistics from the set including a minimum call initiation start time, operational conference call start and end times, individual conferee connection and disconnect times, which of the available parallel telephony communications connection resources were associated with each telecommunications connection, and any failures associated with attempting to contact any one of the multiple selected conferees.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising using the conference call activity statistics to improve connection time synchronization.