Advanced conference drop

• US 7,085,364 B1
• Filed: 08/20/2001
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company), Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Abou-Assali, Tarek, Singh, Jasjit, Ahmed, Mushtaq, Narula, Arun, Salva, Kalpesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US09/933,558
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 370/267, 370/419, 379/202.01, 709/204, 709/205, 715/739
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5009 Adding a party to an existing conference conducting a computer conference, e.g. admission detection H04L12/1822
• 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 3/16 with lock-out or secrecy provision in party-line systems
• 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

Abstract

A network telephone system is provided with a distributed network, a network call processor, with the call processor connected to the network. A telephone line network interface is connected to a telephone line and is connected to the network for receiving packets from the network and sending packets to the network including packets with telephone voice data. A plurality of network telephones are part of the network telephone system with each network telephone connected to the network. Each network telephone has a display for displaying information and each network telephone is capable of engaging in a concurrent telephonic communication. Each network telephone has an I/O device in electrical communication with the network for receiving and sending packets to other devices connected to the network, an input device for producing audio signals from an input local to the device and a packet controller in electrical communication with the I/O device and the input device. The packet controller generates packets from the audio signals received by the input device, forwards the generated packets to the I/O device for transmission to the network and combines packets received by the I/O device to produce an audio signal with the combined packets and the audio signals from the local input device. Each network telephone displays information on the display corresponding to an identity of a source of packets combined whereby the identity may be selected for dropping a source form a concurrent telephonic communication.

Claims

1. A conference call telephone system, comprising:

one or more network;

three or more telephone units interconnected by said one or more network to provide three or more participants of a conference call, at least one of said telephone units receiving and sending data packets including voice data packets;

a display connected to at least one of said telephone units or forming a part of at least one of said telephone units;

a device for monitoring calls of at least one of said telephone units to provide data to said display for showing conference call participant information as to the telephone units participating in the conference call;

an input device associated with said display for selecting any of the telephone units from the conference call participant information and dropping the selected telephone unit from the conference call.

2. A conference call telephone system according to claim 1, wherein at least two of said three or more telephone units receive and send data packets including voice data packets.

3. A conference call telephone system according to claim 1, further comprising a telephone line network interface, said one or more network including a first network connected to said at least one of said telephone units receiving and sending data packets and connected to said telephone line network interface for receiving data packets including packets with telephone voice data, said one or more network including a public telephone network, said telephone line network interface being connected to said public telephone network to establish one or more line connections to one or more telephone units to form a branch exchange.

4. A conference call telephone system according to claim 1, wherein said display is provided as part of at least one of said telephone units receiving and sending data packets and said input device is provided as part of at least one of said telephone units receiving and sending data packets.

5. A conference call telephone system according to claim 4, wherein said input device includes a button positioned adjacent to said display and a portion of said display indicating the function of said button.

6. A conference call telephone system according to claim 1, wherein said display is a display associated with a computer network device, and said input device is provided as part of said computer network device.

7. A conference call telephone system according to claim 6, wherein said input device includes web browser software operating on said computer network device.

8. A network telephone system comprising:

a distributed network;

a plurality of network telephones, each network telephone being connected to said distributed network, each network telephone having a display for displaying information, each network telephone being capable of engaging in a concurrent telephonic communication with two or more of said plurality of network telephones to establish a conference call, each of said plurality of network telephones including an I/O device in electrical communication with the network for receiving and sending packets to other devices connected to the network and a packet controller in electrical communication with the I/O device and the input device, the packet controller combining packets received by the I/O device;

a display connected to or associated with at least one of said plurality of network telephones;

an input device connected to or associated with said display, said display displaying all or part of a list on said display corresponding to an identity of each source of packets combined whereby an identity may be selected for dropping a source, thereby dropping a participant from the conference call.

9. A conference call telephone system according to claim 8, further comprising a telephone line network interface for receiving data packets including packets with telephone voice data and being connected to a public telephone network to establish one or more line connections to one or more telephone units to form a branch exchange.

10. A conference call telephone system according to claim 9, further comprising a network call processor connected to said distributed network for monitoring data traffic to and from said plurality of network telephones, said call processor establishing a conference call including generating a list of all participants and forwarding the list to one or more of said plurality of network telephones in said list of all participants for sending multicast or unicast transmissions to the network address based on said list of all participants.

11. A conference call telephone system according to claim 10, wherein the conference call participants in said list of participants include telephone units outside of said distributed network, connected to said distributed network via said line interface, said multicast or unicast transmissions including transmissions addressed to said line network interface.

12. A conference call telephone system according to claim 10, further comprising a network call processor connected to said distribution network for monitoring data traffic to and from said plurality of network telephones, said call processor establishing a conference call including generating an identifier associated with the conference call and forwarding the identifier to one or more of said plurality of network telephones in said list of all participants for sending multicast transmissions to the network address based on said identifier associated with the conference call.

13. A conference call telephone system according to claim 12, wherein the conference call participants of said identifier associated with the conference call includes telephone units outside of said distributed network, connected to said distributed network via said line interface, unicast transmissions including transmissions addressing said line network interface.

14. A conference call telephone system according to claim 8, wherein said display is provided as part of at least one of said network telephones receiving and sending data packets and said input device is provided as part of at least one of said network telephones receiving and sending data packets, wherein said input device includes a button positioned adjacent to said display and a portion of said display indicating the function of said button.

15. A conference call telephone system according to claim 8, wherein said display is a display associated with a computer network device, and said input device is provided as part of said computer network device and includes web browser software operating on said computer network device.

19. A conference call telephone system according to claim 8, wherein:

said identity is different than an identity of a respective said network phone.

20. A telephone conference call system according to claim 8, wherein:

said removing includes selectively removing any one of said devices.

16. A telephone conference call process, comprising the steps of:

providing a network;

providing at least three telecommunication devices connected to the network;

receiving and sending packets from each device to other devices connected to the network by one of a network connection associated with the telecommunication device and an interface to the network via a public network or the internet;

combining packets received by the telecommunication devices for a concurrent telephonic communications and producing an audio signal with the combined packets;

forming a list of telecommunication devices participating in the concurrent telephonic communications and displaying all or a part of the list at one of said at least three telecommunication devices; and

removing one or more of the devices participating in the concurrent telephonic communications by selecting the one or more of the devices participating in the concurrent telephonic communications from said list.

17. A network telephone system comprising:

a distributed network;

a network call processor with data storage forming a central database, said call processor being connected to said distributed network;

a telephone line network interface connected to a telephone line and connected to said distributed network for receiving packets from said distributed network and sending packets to said distributed network including packets with telephone voice data;

a plurality of network telephones, each network telephone being connected to said distributed network, each network telephone having a display for displaying information, each network telephone being capable of engaging in a concurrent telephonic communication and including;

an I/O device in electrical communication with the distributed network for receiving and sending packets to other devices connected to the network;

an input device for producing audio signals from an input local to the device;

a packet controller in electrical communication with the I/O device and the input device, the packet controller generating packets from the audio signals received by the input device, forwarding the generated packets to the I/O device for transmission to the network combining packets received by the I/O device and producing an audio signal with the combined packets and the audio signals from the local input device and display information on a display corresponding to an identity of a source of packets combined whereby said identity may be selected for dropping a source form a concurrent telephonic communication.

18. A telephone system according to claim 17, wherein:

said identity is different than an identity of a respective said network phone.