Method and apparatus for providing spontaneous multi-way telephone conversation with inserted messaging

• US 8,111,636 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2009
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Discovery Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hanson, Karrie, Karam, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Sam, Phirin
• Application Number:
  US12/647,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20100097961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 773 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for simultaneously broadcasting a message to a plurality of end-point devices. More specifically, the present invention receives a request to initiate a teleconference from a subscriber. The plurality of end-point devices is then invited to join the teleconference.

Claims

1. A method for simultaneously broadcasting a message to a plurality of endpoint devices, comprising:

receiving a request to initiate a teleconference from a subscriber; and

inviting the plurality of endpoint devices to join the teleconference by simultaneously placing a telephone call containing a message recorded by the subscriber to each of the plurality of endpoint devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inviting further comprises providing a plurality of options to a user of one of the endpoint devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the options allows the user to immediately join the conference.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a conference bridge is established when more than one of the endpoint devices elects to join the teleconference.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the inviting further comprises leaving a message on a voice mail system of one of the endpoint devices when a user of the endpoint device fails to answer the telephone call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein when only one of the endpoint devices elects to join the teleconference a point-to-point call is established between the subscriber and the endpoint device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is a recorded audio message.

8. An apparatus for simultaneously broadcasting a message to a plurality of endpoint devices, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a request to initiate a teleconference from a subscriber; and

invite the plurality of endpoint devices to join the teleconference by simultaneously placing a telephone call containing a message recorded by the subscriber to each of the plurality of endpoint devices.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to invite the plurality of endpoint devices to join the teleconference by providing a plurality of options to a user of one of the endpoint devices.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein one of the options allows the user to immediately join the conference.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to establish a conference bridge when more than one of the endpoint devices elects to join the teleconference.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to invite the plurality of endpoint devices to join the teleconference by leaving a message on a voice mail system of one of the endpoint devices when a user of the endpoint device fails to answer the telephone call.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein when only one of the endpoint devices elects to join the teleconference a point-to-point call is established between the subscriber and the endpoint device.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for simultaneously broadcasting a message to a plurality of endpoint devices, comprising:

receiving a request to initiate a teleconference from a subscriber; and

inviting the plurality of endpoint devices to join the teleconference by simultaneously placing a telephone call containing a message recorded by the subscriber to each of the plurality of endpoint devices.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the inviting further comprises providing a plurality of options to a user of one of the endpoint devices.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein one of the options allows the user to immediately join the conference.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein a conference bridge is established when more than one of the endpoint devices elects to join the teleconference.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the inviting further comprises leaving a message on a voice mail system of one of the endpoint devices when a user of the endpoint device fails to answer the telephone call.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein when only one of the endpoint devices elects to join the teleconference a point-to-point call is established between the subscriber and the endpoint device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the request is a recorded audio message.