System and method of routing conference call participants

• US 8,942,683 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2012
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gregory Joseph Doerr, Timothy J. Reedy
• Original Assignee: Gregory Joseph Doerr, Timothy J. Reedy
• Inventors: Doerr, Gregory Joseph, Reedy, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAHEED, KHALID W
• Application Number:
  US13/585,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20140051383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 455/416, 455/405, 455/417, 379/93.21, 379/158, 379/202.01, 379/205.01
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• 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: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A system and method of routing a conference call participant to a conference call is disclosed. Participant location data is requested from an electronic device of the conference call participant. The participant location data is received on a system server from the electronic device of the conference call participant. A least cost connection conference call access phone number is determined from an access number group of one or more available conference call access phone numbers based on the location data from the electronic device of the conference call participant. The conference call participant is provided with the least cost connection conference call access phone number.

Claims

1. A method of routing a conference call participant to a conference call, comprising the steps of:

requesting electronically, participant location data from an electronic device of the conference call participant;

receiving electronically, on a system computer, the participant location data from the electronic device of the conference call participant;

determining, with the system computer, a least cost connection conference call access phone number from an access number group of one or more available conference call access phone numbers based on the location data from the electronic device of the conference call participant;

sending electronically to the conference call participant the least cost connection conference call access phone number providing dialable access for the conference call participant to initially join the conference call, the least cost connection conference call access phone number is a dialable phone number;

joining with a conference bridge the conference call participant to a conference call when the conference bridge receives a call at the least cost connection conference call access phone number from the conference call participant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of requesting comprises the step of requesting GPS data from the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of requesting comprises the step of providing a request that the user manually enter location data on the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of requesting comprises, the steps of determining whether the electronic device has a location providing capability;

requesting GPS data from the electronic device if the device has location providing capability; and

requesting that the user manually enter location data into the electronic device if the device does not have location providing capability or if the user has refused to permit the device to provide location data through the devices location providing capability.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of requesting participant location data comprises the steps of,

providing the participant with a URL on the electronic device;

serving, from a webserver, a webpage corresponding to the provided URL when the participant activates the URL on the electronic device; and

requesting global positioning system data from the electronic device as a result of the URL being activated.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining comprises the step of selecting the conference call access phone number that generates a least Connection cost to a conference service provider when connecting the participant to a Conference call.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining comprises the step of selecting the conference call access phone number that generates a least connection cost to the participant when connecting the participant to a conference call.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining comprises the step of selecting the conference call access phone number that generates a total least connection cost when connecting the participant to a conference call.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of selecting is further defined in that the total least connection cost comprises a connection cost to a conference service provider and a connection cost to the participant.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining comprises the steps of,

for each conference call access phone number of the access number group, selecting an applicable connection cost from a connection cost group of one or more connection costs corresponding to the conference call access phone number based on the location of the conference call access phone number and the participant location data;

selecting the conference call access phone number having the applicable connection cost which is the least among the conference call access phone numbers of the access number group.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining comprises the steps of,

for each conference call access phone number of the access number group, selecting an applicable connection cost from a connection cost group of one or more connection costs corresponding to the conference call access phone number based on whether the participant will use a mobile device or a landline device to connect to the conference call;

selecting the conference call access phone number having the applicable connection cost which is the least among the conference call access phone numbers of the access number group.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising the step of determining whether the participant will access the conference call with a mobile device or with a landline device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining comprises the steps of,

for each conference call access phone number of the access number group, selecting an applicable connection cost from a connection cost group of one or more connection costs corresponding to the conference call access phone number based on the location of the conference call access phone number relative to the participant location data and based on whether the participant will use a mobile device or a landline device to connect to the conference call;

selecting the conference call access phone number having the applicable connection cost which is the least among the conference call access phone numbers of the access number group.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending electronically the conference call participant the least cost connection conference call access phone number, comprises the step of providing the least cost connection conference call access phone number to the electronic device of the participant in a format that the electronic device is configured to recognize as a phone number.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending electronically the conference call participant the least cost connection conference call access phone number, comprises the step of providing the least cost connection conference call access phone number to the electronic device of the participant in a format that the electronic device is configured to recognize as a phone number and that enables the participant to dial the least cost connection conference call access phone number with one action by the participant on the electronic device.

16. A system of routing a conference call participant to a conference call, comprising:

a conference bridge signal connected to a communications network and signal connected to a computer system;

the computer system comprising,

a processor;

a memory signal connected to the processor, the memory having at least one access number record associated with a conference call access phone number, the access number record comprising, a conference call access phone number, access phone number location data, and at least one connection cost;

a location request function executable by the processor to request participant location data from an electronic device of the conference call participant;

a location receiving function executable by the processor to receive, on the computer system, the participant location data from the electronic device of the conference call participant;

a connection determining function executable by the processor to determine a least cost connection conference call access phone number from an access number group of one or more available conference call access phone numbers associated with corresponding one or more access number records based on the location data from the electronic device of the conference call participant;

a connection providing function executable by the processor to provide the conference call participant the least cost connection conference call access phone number providing dialable access for the conference call participant to initially join the conference call, the least cost connection conference call access phone number is a dialable phone number; and

,

the conference bridge configured to join the conference call participant to a conference call when the conference bridge receives a call at the least cost connection conference call access phone number from the conference call participant.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the location request function is configured to request GPS data from the electronic device.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the location request function is configured to request the user manually enter location data on the electronic device.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the location request function is configured to provide the participant with a URL on the electronic device;

and

wherein the system comprises a web page serving function configured to serve a webpage corresponding to the URL when the participant activates the URL on the electronic device; and

wherein the location request function is further configured to request global positioning system data from the electronic device as a result of the URL being activated.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the connection determining function is configured to select the conference call access phone number that generates a least connection cost to a conference service provider when connecting the participant to a conference call by comparing the connection cost of the access number record associated each of the one or more conference call access phone numbers of the access number group, wherein the connection cost of the access number record is the connection cost to the conference service provider when connecting the participant to a conference call.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the connection determining function is configured to select the conference call access phone number that generates a least connection cost to the participant when connecting the participant to a conference call by comparing the connection cost of the access number record associated each of the one or more conference call access phone numbers of the access number group, wherein the connection cost of the access number record is a connection cost to the participant when the participant is connected to a conference call.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the connection determining function is configured to select the conference call access phone number that generates a total least connection cost when connecting the participant to a conference call by comparing the total connection cost associated with the access number record associated each of the one or more conference call access phone numbers of the access number group, wherein the total connection cost comprises a sum of a connection cost to the conference service provider when connecting the participant to a conference call and a connection cost to the participant when the participant is connected to a conference call.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one connection cost of each access number record comprises a plurality of connection costs;

and wherein

the connection determining function comprises an applicable connection costs determining function configured to, for each conference call access phone number of the access number group, select an applicable connection cost from the plurality of connection costs corresponding to the conference call access phone number based on the location of the conference call access phone number relative to the participant location data; and

the connection determining function is configured to select the conference call access phone number having the applicable connection cost which is the least among conference call access phone numbers of the access number group.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one connection cost of each access number record comprises a plurality of connection costs;

and wherein

the connection determining function comprises an applicable connection costs determining function configured to, for each conference call access phone number of the access number group, select an applicable connection cost from the plurality of connection costs corresponding to the conference call access phone number based on whether the participant will use a mobile device or a landline device to connect to the conference call; and

the connection determining function is configured to select the conference call access phone number having the applicable connection cost which is the least among the conference call access phone numbers of the access number group.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the connection providing function is configured to provide the least cost connection conference call access phone number to the electronic device of the participant in a format that the electronic device is configured to recognize as a phone number.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein the connection providing function is further configured to provide a conference access code along with the least cost connection conference call access phone number to the electronic device of the participant.

27. The system of claim 16, wherein the location request function is configured to request participant location data from an electronic device of the conference call participant at a time that the conference call is scheduled to begin or at a predefined time before the conference call is scheduled to begin.

28. A conference call system, comprising:

a conference server comprising,

a processor, and,

a memory signal connected to the processor, the memory having at least one access number record associated with a conference call access phone number, the access number record comprising, a conference call access phone number, access phone number location data, and a plurality of connection costs;

a conference bridge connected to a telephone network and signal connected to the conference server;

a location request function executable by the processor to request participant location data from an electronic device of the conference call participant;

a location receiving function executable by the processor to receive the participant location data from the electronic device of the conference call participant;

an applicable connection costs determining function configured to, for each conference call access phone number of an access number group of one or more available conference call access phone numbers, select an applicable connection cost from the plurality of connection costs of the access number record corresponding to the conference call access phone number based on the location of the conference call access phone number relative to the participant location data;

a connection determining function executable by the processor to determine a least cost connection conference call access phone number from an access number group of one or more available conference call access phone numbers associated with corresponding one or more access number records, by select the conference call access phone number having the applicable connection cost which is the least among conference call access phone numbers of the access number group;

a connection providing function executable by the processor to provide the conference call participant the least cost connection conference call access phone number; and

a call joining function configured to direct a conference bridge to join the conference call participant to a conference call when the conference bridge receives a call at the least cost connection conference call access phone number from the participant.