System and method for initiating a conference call

• US 9,172,815 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2013
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Uniloc Luxembourg S.à r.l. (f/k/a Uniloc Luxembourg S.A.) (Uniloc Corporation Pty. Limited)
• Inventors: Turner, Tod C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S
• Application Number:
  US14/052,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20140119525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 370/260, 370/261, 370/262, 370/264, 37920201-20601, 455/416, 455/466, 709204-207
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5063 Centrally initiated conference, i.e. Conference server dials participants computer conference organisation arrangements H04L12/1818
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/652 Call initiation triggered by text message
• 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 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0009 where voice calls remain entirely in the telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

The present invention is a system and method for initiating conference calls via an instant messaging system to reduce the effort required to initiate and manage the call. The system uses an IM connection between a requesting party and a conference call server to inform the conference call server of the desire to initiate the conference call. The conference call server may initiate the conference call by having involved parties called by a conference bridge, thus reducing the effort required by the parties to join the call.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer instructions configured to operate with electronic computer hardware to perform the following steps, comprising:

display, in a window of a shared application of a first party, information shared between the first party and at least one other party, the first party and the at least one other party being current participants to the shared application;

display for the first party an indication of whether the at least one other party is communicably connected to the shared application;

display for the first party an option to automatically initiate voice communication between the current participants of the shared application without requiring individual selection of potential members of the voice communication; and

request, in response to selection of the option, voice communication between the first party and the at least one other party;

wherein, as a result of selection of the option, the first party enters voice communications with the at least one other party.

2. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the at least one party comprises at least two parties.

3. The instructions of claim 1, the instructions to display an option comprise instructions to display a click-on icon that allows for a single step selection of the option.

4. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the shared application is an IM (instant message) chat.

5. The instructions of claim 1, wherein the voice communication includes audio and video.

6. The instructions of claim 1, wherein in response to the request, the voice communication is established between the first party and those of the at least one other party who agreed to enter into the voice communication.

7. The instructions of claim 1, wherein neither the request nor the establishment of voice communication terminates the shared application while in-progress.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer instructions configured to operate with electronic computer hardware to establish voice communication between a first party and at least one other party who are current participants of a shared application session, comprising the following steps:

display for the first party an indication of whether the at least one other party is communicably connected to the shared application;

display for the first party an option to automatically initiate voice communication between the current participants of the shared application session without requiring individual selection of potential members of the voice communication; and

request, in response to selection of the option, voice communication between the first party and the at least one other party;

wherein, as a result of selection of the option, the first party enters voice communications with at least some of the at least one other party.

9. The instructions of claim 8, wherein the at least one other party comprises at least two parties.

10. The instructions of claim 8, wherein the instructions to display an option comprising instructions to display a click-on icon that allows for a single step selection of the option.

11. The instructions of claim 8, wherein the shared application session is an IM chat session.

12. The instructions of claim 8, wherein the voice communication includes audio and video.

13. The instructions of claim 8, wherein in response to the request, the voice communication is established between the first party and those of the at least one other party who agreed to enter into the voice communication.

14. The instructions of claim 8, wherein neither the request nor the establishment of voice communication terminates the shared application.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer instructions configured to operate with an electronic hardware computer server to perform the following steps:

display, in a window of a shared application, information shared between current participants to a shared application session, the current participants including a first party and at least one other party;

display for the first party an indication of whether the at least one other party is communicably connected to the shared application;

display for a participant of the participants an option to initiate voice communication between the current participants of the shared application;

receive, at the participant, a message to establish voice communication amongst the current participants of the shared application session;

respond from the participant, to the message, wherein voice communication is established between at least some of the current participants; and

disable, at the participant during the voice communication, the option to initiate voice communication.

16. A method for establishing electronic voice communications, comprising:

displaying, in a window of a shared application of a first party, information shared between the first party and at least one other party, the first party and the at least one other party being current participants to the shared application;

displaying for the first party an indication of whether the at least one other party is communicably connected to the shared application;

displaying for the first party an option to automatically initiate voice communication between the current participants of the shared application without requiring individual selection of potential members of the voice communication; and

requesting, in response to selection of the option, voice communication between the first party and the at least one other party;

wherein as a result of selection of the option, the first party enters voice communications with at least of the at least one other party.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one other party comprises at least two parties.

18. The method of claim 16, said displaying an option comprising displaying of a click-on icon that allows for a single step selection of the option.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the shared application is an IM (instant message) chat.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the voice communication includes audio and video.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein in response to the request, voice communication is established between the first party and those of the at least one other party who agreed to enter into the voice communication.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein neither the request nor the establishment of voice communication terminates the shared application.

23. A method to establish voice communication between a first party and at least one other party who are current participants of a shared application session, comprising:

displaying for the first party an indication of whether the at least one other party is communicably connected to the shared application;

displaying for the first party an option to automatically initiate voice communication between the current participants of the shared application session without requiring individual selection of potential members of the voice communication; and

requesting, in response to selection of the option, voice communication between the first party and the at least one other party;

wherein, as a result of selection of the option, the first party enters voice communications with at least some of the at least one other party.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one other party comprises at least two parties.

25. The method of claim 23, said displaying an option comprising displaying of a click-on icon that allows for a single step selection of the option.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the shared application session is an IM chat session.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the voice communication includes audio and video.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein in response to the request, voice communication is established between the first party and those of the at least one other party who agreed to enter into the voice communication.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein neither the request nor the establishment of voice communication terminates the shared application.

30. A method for managing voice communications, comprising:

displaying, in a window of a shared application, information shared between current participants to a shared application session, the current participants including a first party and at least one other party;

displaying for the first party an indication of whether the at least one other party is communicably connected to the shared application;

displaying for a participant of the participants an option to initiate voice communication between the current participants of the shared application;

receiving, at the participant, a request to establish voice communication amongst the current participants of the shared application session;

responding, from the participant, to the received request,

wherein voice communication is established between at least some of the current participants.

31. The method of claim 30, comprising, disabling, at the participant during the voice communication, the option to initiate voice communication.