Telephonic communications – Special services – Conferencing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-22
2001-04-17
Matar, Ahmad (Department: 2742)
Telephonic communications
Special services
Conferencing
C379S203010, C370S260000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06219412
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to telecommunications conferencing and, more particularly, to telecommunications conferencing in which reservations are made for conference call ports at particular times and dates.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A conference call reservation represents a promise by the conference call service provider to make a specific number of conference bridge ports available at a certain time and date for a specific amount of time. Conference call bridge capacity is not unlimited, however, and demand for it can be very uneven. For example, many more people are likely to want to call at 10:00 A.M. Monday than at 4:00 A.M. Sunday. To ensure that bridge capacity will be available, conference call service companies usually require that the conference call organizer or host make a reservation. This reservation is typically stored as a record in a database and includes date, time, number of conference bridge ports, and duration, along with such other information as account number and access codes.
Reservations are normally made on a first-come first-served basis. If a conference bridge has only 100 ports available and someone makes a reservation for 90 ports for one hour at 10:00 A.M. Monday, the next person seeking to make a reservation will not be able to reserve 50 ports for the same period of time. Some conference call service providers overbook their bridges, so they may allow, for example, a total of 110 ports to be reserved on a 100 port bridge because they expect the conferences to use fewer ports than have been reserved. If, in fact, more ports are needed than physically available, then the conference call company fails to live up to its promise. Customers can be unhappy in this instance and may seek to be compensated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
From one aspect, the invention is directed to a telecommunications conferencing system. The system comprises (1) a conference bridge having n ports, where n is an integer greater than unity, and a system database; (2) means for receiving at least one non-guaranteed reservation request for a total of p ports for use during times which include a specified period of time, where p is an integer equal to or less than n; (3) means for assigning the requested ports in response to the non-guaranteed reservation; (4) means for receiving at least one guaranteed reservation request for a total of x ports for use during times which include at least part of the specified period of time, where x is an integer equal to or less than n and (x+p) is greater than n; and (5) means for dropping a sufficient number of the p ports from the non-guaranteed reservation during the part of the specified period of time to accommodate the guaranteed reservation request, so that (x+p) is no longer greater than n.
From a related aspect of the invention, least some potential users of the telecommunications conferencing system are offered a choice between guaranteed and non-guaranteed reservations.
From another aspect of the invention, at least some non-guaranteed reservations are dropped prior to the specified period of time for which they were made.
From still another aspect of the invention, at least some non-guaranteed reservations are dropped during the specified period of time for which they were made.
From another aspect, the invention is directed to a method of operating a telecommunications conferencing system which includes a conference bridge having n ports, where n is an integer greater than unity, and a system database. The method comprises the steps of (1) receiving at least one non-guaranteed reservation request for a total of p ports for use during times which include a specified period of time, where p is an integer equal to or less than n; assigning the requested ports in response to the non-guaranteed reservation; (2) receiving at least one guaranteed reservation request for a total of x ports for use during times which include at least part of the specified period of time, where x is an integer equal to or less than n and (x+p) is greater than n; and (3) dropping enough of the p ports from the non-guaranteed reservation during the part of the specified period of time to accommodate the guaranteed reservation request, so that (x+p) is no longer greater than n.
From a related aspect of the invention, the method offers at least some potential users a choice between guaranteed and non-guaranteed reservations.
From another aspect of the invention, the method drops at least some non-guaranteed reservations prior to the specified period of time for which they were made.
From still another aspect of the invention, the method drops at least some non-guaranteed reservations during the specified period of time for which they were made.
The invention may be more fully understood from the following detailed description of a specific implementation, taken in the light of the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.
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Dacek Stephen T.
Goikhman Arthur A.
Torkelson Cary T.
Wellner Pierre D.
Ardis Robert B.
Matar Ahmad
Ostroff Irwin
Spiderphone.com, Inc.
Tieu Benny Q.
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