System and method of phone bridging

• US 8,150,015 B1
• Filed: 06/10/2008
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Whitney, Jason K., Delker, Jason R., Everson, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US12/136,209
• Time in Patent Office: 1,393 Days
• Field of Search: 379/202.01, 379/201.01, 455/416
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5018 Initiating a conference during a two-party conversation, i.e. three-party-service or three-way-call computer conference organisation arrangements H04L12/1818
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A method for providing a dynamic bridge service is provided. The method comprises provisioning a dynamic bridge service associated with at least a first private number and a second private number. The method also comprises receiving an origination attempt from an electronic device associated with a third private number to establish a call to an electronic device associated with the first private number, requesting the bridge to be opened in response to receiving the origination attempt, and connecting the electronic device associated with the third private number to the bridge. The method also comprises connecting the electronic device associated with the first private number to the bridge, receiving a request to join the bridge from an electronic device associated with the second private number, and connecting the electronic device associated with the second private number to the bridge in response to receiving the request to join the bridge from the electronic device associated with the second private number.

Claims

1. A method for providing a dynamic bridge service, comprising:

provisioning a dynamic bridge service associated with at least a first private number and a second private number;

receiving an origination attempt from an electronic device associated with a third private number to establish a call to an electronic device associated with the first private number, wherein the dynamic bridge service is not provisioned with the third private number;

requesting a bridge configured in accordance with the provisioned dynamic bridge service to be opened in response to receiving the origination attempt;

connecting the electronic device associated with the third private number to the bridge;

connecting the electronic device associated with the first private number to the bridge;

receiving a request to join the bridge from an electronic device associated with the second private number; and

connecting the electronic device associated with the second private number to the bridge in response to receiving the request to join the bridge from the electronic device associated with the second private number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first private number, the second private number, and the third private number are further characterized to be associated with electronic devices not owned by telecommunications service providers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the electronic devices is one of a mobile phone, a desktop phone, a personal digital assistant, a desktop computer, and a portable computer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to join the bridge from the electronic device associated with the second private number includes a code that is provisioned for the dynamic bridge service associated with the at least the first private number and the second private number.

5. The method of claim 1, further including closing the bridge when all the electronic devices connected to the bridge have disconnected from the bridge.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein provisioning the dynamic bridge is contracted by a subscriber for time intervals of one of about one month at a time, about one year at a time, and about two years at a time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic bridge service is further associated with a fourth private number, and further including:

receiving a request to join the bridge from an electronic device associated with the fourth private number; and

connecting the electronic device associated with the fourth private number to the bridge in response to receiving the request to join the bridge from the electronic device associated with the fourth private number.

8. A telecommunications bridge system, comprising:

a gateway controller programmed to determine when a call origination attempt is associated with a first private number, wherein the first private number is provisioned with a dynamic bridge service, to open a bridge configured in accordance with the provisioned dynamic bridge service in response to the call origination attempt, to cause the electronic device associated with the first private number to be connected to the bridge, to cause an electronic device associated with a second private number to be connected to the bridge, wherein the second private number is also associated with the call origination attempt, but not provisioned with the dynamic bridge service, to determine when a request from an electronic device associated with a third private number is provisioned with the dynamic bridge service provisioned for the first private number, and to connect the electronic device associated with the third private number to the bridge in response to determining that the third private number is provisioned with the dynamic bridge service provisioned for the first private number.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first and second private numbers are associated with the call origination attempt by one of the electronic device associated with the first private number attempting to originate a call to the electronic device associated with the second private number and the electronic device associated with the second private number attempting to originate a call to the electronic device associated with the first private number.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the gateway controller is further programmed to determine that the first private number and the third private number are provisioned with the dynamic bridge service by accessing at least one of a home location register database and a home subscriber server database.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the gateway controller is further provisioned to promote the phone associated with the third private number connecting to the bridge unannounced to either the phone associated with the first private number or the phone associated with the second private number.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the request from the phone associated with the third private number and the connection of the phone associated with the third private number to the bridge requires no intervention of the users of the electronic devices associated with the first and second private numbers.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein first private number is any of a plurality of private numbers associated with a single service account and all of the plurality of private numbers associated with the single service account are provisioned with the dynamic bridge service.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the third private number is one of the plurality of private numbers associated with the single service account.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the third private number is not one of the plurality of private numbers associated with the single service account and is provisioned in the dynamic bridge service to have permission to connect to the bridge.

16. A method for providing a dynamic bridge service, comprising:

provisioning a dynamic bridge service associated with at least a first private number and a second private number;

receiving an origination attempt from an electronic device associated with the first private number to establish a call to an electronic device associated with a third private number, wherein the third private number is not associated with the provisioned dynamic bridge service;

requesting a bridge configured in accordance with the provisioned dynamic bridge service to be opened in response to receiving the origination attempt;

connecting the electronic device associated with the first private number to the bridge;

connecting the electronic device associated with the third private number to the bridge;

receiving a request to join the bridge from an electronic device associated with the second private number; and

connecting the electronic device associated with the second private number to the bridge in response to receiving the request to join the bridge from the electronic device associated with the second private number.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the request is created by the electronic device associated with the second private number in response to receiving an actuation of a bridge bookmark selection, wherein the bridge bookmark selection is associated with the bridge.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the electronic device associated with the second private number belongs to a parent monitoring a child, and wherein one of the electronic device associated with the first private number and the third private number belongs to the child.

19. The method of claim 16, further including closing the bridge when all the electronic devices connected to the bridge disconnect from the bridge.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the provisioning occurs once and the opening and closing of the bridge occurs at least three times.