Method and application for arranging a conference call in a cellular network and a mobile terminal operating in a cellular network

• US 8,351,586 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2005
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 3, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ali-Vehmas, Timo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Joseph J
• Application Number:
  US10/590,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20070173238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,882 Days
• Field of Search: 379/202.01, 379/204.01, 455/416, 455/414, 455/566, 455/518
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• 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 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5009 Adding a party to an existing conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/652 Call initiation triggered by text message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/62 user interface aspects of conference 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: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for arranging a conference call with mobile terminals operating in a cellular network. At first, a group of the participants of the conference call is formed either by selecting the participants from a list saved in the memory of the mobile terminal in by inputting the contract information of the participants manually. In the next step, a summons to the conference call is drawn up in standard form. An application loaded into the memory of the convener'"'"'s mobile terminal forms the summons, and sends the summons to the particulars via the cellular network. When a participant wants to join a conference call, he/she makes a call with the mobile terminal to the telephone number mentioned in the summons. An application in the mobile terminal of the convener receives the incoming calls and joins them to the conference call automatically.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

drawing up a summons to a meeting in a mobile terminal of a convener of a conference call between three or more participants that form a group of participants using respective mobile terminals operating in a wireless network, to arrange a conference call, wherein the summons to the meeting includes the telephone number of said convener;

sending, by the mobile terminal of the convener, the summons to the meeting from the mobile terminal of the convener to all members of the group of participants;

receiving calls, at the mobile terminal of the convener from two or more of the participants, the respective participants having made the call to the telephone number mentioned in the summons; and

automatically joining the participants to the conference call in the mobile terminal of the convener.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the summons to the meeting is drawn up before the group of participants is formed.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein a duration of the conference call and a name of the group of participants are saved in a memory of the mobile terminal.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the group of participants is formed by selecting the participants from a list saved in a memory of the mobile terminal and/or by manually inputting the contact information of the participants and wherein the contact information comprises at least one of the following:

telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and Session Initiation Protocol addresses.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the group of participants is given a name and the group is saved in a memory of the mobile terminal of the convener for later use.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein a time of the conference call and other information concerning the conference call is given in the summons to the meeting.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein an agenda of the conference call is given in the summons to the meeting.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the summons to the meeting is formed as a character string composed of American Standard Code for Information Interchange characters.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the summons to the meeting is sent to all members of the group of participants as a text message.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the summons to the meeting is sent to all members of the group of participants as an e-mail message.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein, in connection with drawing up the summons to the meeting, a connection is opened to a calendar application in the mobile terminal of the convener and a reservation of time is made in the calendar application.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the summons to the meeting is saved in a memory of the mobile terminal for later use.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the convener of the conference call is given a notification by the mobile terminal of the convener when a new participant has been joined to the conference call.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the notification comprises an acoustic signal or a recorded voice message.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the summons to the meeting is drawn up in such a way that the information regarding the conference call is found at the same points in the summons.

16. A non-transitory memory comprising

computer program code tangibly embodied thereon, wherein the memory is configured to store an application for a mobile terminal of a wireless network to establish a conference call between three or more participants that form a group of participants of the conference call by actions comprising:

drawing up a summons to a meeting, wherein the summons to the meeting includes the telephone number of said convener;

sending the summons to the meeting to members of the group of participants;

receiving calls coming from two or more of the participants, the respective participants having made the call to the telephone number mentioned in the summons; and

automatically joining the participants to the conference call, wherein the memory is included in the mobile terminal.

17. The memory according to claim 16, wherein the actions comprise:

forming the group of participants of the conference call by selecting participants from a list saved in the memory of the mobile terminal.

18. The memory according to claim 16, wherein the actions further comprise starting the application using a starting icon produced on a display of the mobile terminal.

19. The memory according to claim 16, wherein the actions further comprise starting the application from a menu of the mobile terminal.

20. The memory according to claim 16, wherein the summons to the meeting is formed as a character string composed of American Standard Code for Information Interchange characters.

21. The memory according to claim 20, wherein the summons to the meeting is formed as a text message.

22. The memory according to claim 20, wherein the summons to the meeting is formed as an e-mail message.

23. The memory according to claim 16, the actions further comprising creating a connection to a calendar application in the mobile terminal for making a reservation of time in the calendar application.

24. The memory according to claim 16, the actions further comprising separating the received summons to the meeting from other messages that have arrived.

25. The memory according to claim 16, the actions further comprising picking up a telephone number from the received summons to the meeting and automatically making a call to the number picked up.

26. The memory according to claim 16, the actions further comprising saving a duration of the conference call and a name of the conference call in the memory of the mobile terminal.

27. The memory according to claim 16, the actions further comprising giving a notification to a convener of the conference call when a new participant has been joined to the conference call.

28. The memory according to claim 16, wherein the actions comprise forming the group of participants of the conference call by inputting contact information of the participants to the application program manually, the contact information comprising at least one of telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and Session Initiation Protocol addresses.

29. A mobile terminal comprising a display and memory and an arrangement configured to arrange a wireless conference call between three or more participants that form a group of participants of the conference call, further comprising an application loaded into the memory of the mobile terminal, which causes the mobile terminal to:

draw up a summons to a meeting by including the telephone number of the convener;

send the summons to the meeting to members of the group of participants;

receive calls coming from two or more of the participants, the respective participants having made the call to the telephone number mentioned in the summons; and

automatically join the participants to the conference call.

30. A mobile terminal according to claim 29, further comprising a starter configured to start the application using a starting icon brought to the display of the mobile terminal.

31. A mobile terminal according to claim 29, further comprising a starter configured to start the application from a menu of the mobile terminal.

32. A non-transitory storage medium configured to tangibly store thereon a computer program configured to load an application into a memory of a mobile terminal of a convener of a conference call, the application configured to establish the conference call between three or more participants comprising a group of participants of the conference call, where execution of the computer program results in operations that comprise, in the mobile terminal:

drawing up the summons to the meeting wherein the summons to the meeting includes the telephone number of the convener;

sending the summons to the meeting from the mobile terminal to all members of the group of participants; and

receiving calls from two or more of the participants, the respective participants having made the call to the telephone number mentioned in the summons; and

automatically joining the participants to the conference call.

33. A method comprising:

arranging a conference call between three or more participants that form a group of participants using respective mobile terminals operating in a wireless network, in which method a mobile terminal of a convener of the conference call performs;

drawing up a summons to a meeting wherein the summons to the meeting includes the telephone number of the convener;

sending the summons to the meeting from the mobile terminal of the convener to all members of the group of participants; and

receiving calls from two or more of the participants in the mobile terminal, the respective participants having made the call to the telephone number mentioned in the summons; and

automatically joining the participants to the conference call.

34. An apparatus comprising:

a processor, and

memory including computer program code,

the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to;

draw up, at a mobile terminal, a summons to a meeting to arrange a conference call between three or more participants that form a group of participants, wherein the summons to the meeting includes the telephone number of the convener;

send the summons to the meeting from the apparatus, via the mobile terminal, to all members of the group of participants; and

receive calls, at the mobile terminal, from two or more of the participants, the respective participants having made the call to the telephone number mentioned in the summons; and

automatically join the participants to the conference call in the mobile terminal.