Method and apparatus for controlling a conference call

• US 6,236,854 B1
• Filed: 08/17/1998
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Bradshaw, Jr., Charles W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Application Number:
  US09/135,204
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 455/416, 455/414, 455/420, 379/204, 379/202
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5027 Dropping a party from a conference conducting a computer conference, e.g. admission detection H04L12/1822
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/564 whereby the feature is a sub-conference

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling multi-party conference calls includes circuitry which is operable according to a new conference call protocol. The protocol and accompanying apparatus and method allow a conference call controlling party to selectively have private conversations with one of the subject parties in the conference call. Additionally, the controlling conference call party may selectively drop conference call participants. A mobile station includes a store for storing the conference call participant “subject party set-up number” in relation to the subject party number and/or name. The mobile station also allows the conference call controller to scroll up and down a list of conference call participants. This allows the controller to be certain of a conference call participant'"'"'s “call set-up number” when using a command for a private call or a command to drop a conference call participant.

Claims

1. Circuitry for supporting multiple party wireless conference calls between a controlling party and at least two subject parties, the circuitry defining logic circuitry comprising:

logic for tracking the order in which parties were added to a multiparty call in which a controlling party and at least two subject parties are in the call;

logic for relating a plurality of keypad entry combinations to the tracked order in which the at least two called parties were added to the conference call; and

logic for selectively creating a private conversation between the controlling party and a selected subject party whenever the controlling party enters said keypad combination relating to said tracked order the subject party was added to the conference call.

2. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the circuitry includes logic for re-including the controlling party and the selected subject party into the conference call whenever the controlling party enters a select keypad entry.

3. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the circuitry defines logic for dropping a subject party whenever the controlling party enters a select combination of keypad entries that identify which subject party from the tracked order of subject parties.

4. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the formed within a base station whereby the base station receives communication signals reflecting keypad entries from the controlling party mobile station wherein the base station creates the private conversations and adds and drops called parties from a conference call responsive to the controlling keypad entries.

5. A method in a wireless network base station for controlling a conference call, comprising:

establishing a conference call between a calling party and at least two called panics;

tracking the order in which called parties are added to the conference call; and

creating a private conversation during the conference call between the calling party and one of the at least two called parties whenever the base station receives from the calling party mobile station a select combination of keys that identifies the one of the at least two called parties by the order in which the one of the at least two called parties was added to the conference call.

6. The method of claim 5 further including the step of adding an additional called party to the conference call whenever a series of digits representing a called party phone number are entered on the calling party mobile station key pad along with the “

Send”

key.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the base station that tracks the order in which called parties were added to a call interprets a conference call command entered by the calling party as being one that relates to the first called party if a “

1”

digit key is depressed, to a second called party if a “

2”

digit is depressed and to a third called party if a “

3”

digit is depressed.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the base station creates a private call between the calling party and the first called party if the calling party depresses a “

1”

digit and a “

Send”

key.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the base station creates a private call between the calling party and the second called party if the calling party depresses a “

2”

digit and a “

Send”

key.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the base station creates a private call between the calling party and the third called party if the calling party depresses a “

3”

digit and a “

Send”

key.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the base station drops the first called party if the calling party depresses a “

1”

key and one of the “

*” and

the “

#”

keys.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the base station drops the second called party if the calling party depresses a “

2”

key and one of the “

*” and

the “

#”

keys.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the base station drops the third called party if the calling party depresses a “

3”

key and one of the “

*” and

the “

#”

keys.