Methods, systems, and products for monitoring conferences

• US 8,233,605 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2007
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Whitfield, Lloyd, Bedingfield, James Carlton
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, ANTIM G
• Application Number:
  US11/649,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20080159509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,036 Days
• Field of Search: 379/202.01, 379/158, 379/93.21, 379/204.01, 348/14.08, 348/14.09, 370/260
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• 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 3/563 User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/564 whereby the feature is a sub-conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for monitoring a conference. A first bridging function is established that bridges together signals received from all conference participants. A second bridging function is established that bridges together signals received from i) a subset of the conference participants, ii) an output of the first bridging function, and iii) a monitor of the conference. The second bridging function isolates the monitor'"'"'s signals from the conference such that only the subset of the conference participants may communicate with the monitor during the conference.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a conference, comprising:

receiving first party signals from a first participant'"'"'s communications device at a first splitter;

receiving second party signals from a second participant'"'"'s communications device at a separate second splitter;

sending the first party signals from the first splitter to a first bridge device;

sending the first party signals from the first splitter to a separate second bridge device;

sending the second party signals from the second splitter to the first bridge device;

sending the second party signals from the second splitter to the second bridge device;

receiving monitor signals from a monitor'"'"'s communications device at the second bridge device;

establishing a first bridge in the first bridge device that bridges together the first party signals and the second party signals to establish a conference output signal;

sending the conference output signal only to the second participant'"'"'s communications device to establish the conference between the first participant'"'"'s communications device and the second participant'"'"'s communications device;

establishing a second bridge in the separate second bridge device that bridges together the first party signals, the second party signals, and the monitor signals to produce a sub-conference signal;

isolating the monitor signals from the second participant'"'"'s communications device by sending the sub-conference signal to the first participant'"'"'s communications device and to the monitor'"'"'s communications device to establish a sub-conference between the first participant'"'"'s communications device and the monitor'"'"'s communications device,

wherein the monitor party may monitor the conference and conduct the sub-conference with a first party at the first participant'"'"'s communications device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first bridge device bridges together video signals.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first bridge device bridges together audio signals.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing feedback to the sub-conference that indicates the separate second bridge is properly established.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising monitoring the first bridge for a request to establish the separate second bridge.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising processing distinguishing the monitor signals to distinguish a monitor from a first party and a second party to the conference.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving inputs from a user interface that control the conference.

8. A computer readable non-transitory medium storing computer-readable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

receiving first party signals from a first participant'"'"'s communications device at a first splitter;

receiving second party signals from a second participant'"'"'s communications device at a separate second splitter;

sending the first party signals from the first splitter to a first bridge device;

sending the first party signals from the first splitter to a separate second bridge device;

sending the second party signals from the second splitter to the first bridge device;

sending the second party signals from the second splitter to the separate second bridge device;

receiving monitor signals from a monitor'"'"'s communications device at the separate second bridge device;

bridging the first party signals with the second party signals in the first bridge device to produce a conference output signal;

sending the conference output signal only to the second participant'"'"'s communications device to establish a conference between the first participant'"'"'s communications device and the second participant'"'"'s communications device;

bridging the first party signals, the second party signals, and the monitor signals in the separate second bridge device to produce a sub-conference output signal; and

isolating the monitor signals from the second participant'"'"'s communications device by sending the sub-conference signal to the first participant'"'"'s communications device and to the monitor'"'"'s communications device to establish a sub-conference between the first participant'"'"'s communications device and the monitor'"'"'s communications device,

wherein the monitor party may monitor the conference and conduct the sub-conference with a first party at the first participant'"'"'s communications device.

9. The computer readable non-transitory medium according to claim 8, further comprising instructions for bridging together video signals.

10. The computer readable non-transitory medium according to claim 8, further comprising instructions for bridging together audio signals.

11. The computer readable non-transitory medium according to claim 8, further comprising instructions for providing feedback to the sub-conference output signal to indicate the sub-conference is properly established.

12. The computer readable non-transitory medium according to claim 8, further comprising instructions for monitoring the conference for a request to establish the sub-conference.

13. The computer readable non-transitory medium according to claim 8, further comprising instructions for distinguishing the monitor signals.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a first splitter receiving first party signals from a first participant'"'"'s communications device;

a separate second splitter receiving second party signals from a second participant'"'"'s communications device;

a first bridge device receiving the first party signals from the first splitter and receiving the second party signals from the separate second splitter, the first bridge device bridging the first party signals with the second party signals to produce a conference output signal, the first bridge device communicating the conference output signal to the second participant'"'"'s communications device to produce the conference between the first participant'"'"'s communications device and the second participant'"'"'s communications device; and

a separate second bridge device receiving the first party signals from the first splitter, receiving the second party signals from the separate second splitter, and receiving monitor signals from a monitor'"'"'s communications device, the separate second bridge device bridging the first party signals, the second party signals, and the monitor signals to produce a sub-conference output signal, the separate second bridge device isolating the monitor signals from the second participant'"'"'s communications device by sending the sub-conference output signal to the first participant'"'"'s communications device and to the monitor'"'"'s communications device to establish a sub-conference between the first participant'"'"'s communications device and the monitor'"'"'s communications device,

wherein the monitor party may monitor the conference and conduct the sub-conference with a first party at the first participant'"'"'s communications device device.