Telephonic communications – Special services – Conferencing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-15
2001-07-31
Matar, Ahmad (Department: 2742)
Telephonic communications
Special services
Conferencing
C379S202010, C379S215010, C379S201060, C379S205010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06269159
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to three party calling services. More particularly, it relates to apparatus and methods to add a calling party into an existing telephone call.
2. Background of Related Art
Telephone services and advances therewith continue to be in demand in today's society. For instance, cellular telephones have provided users with the ability to place or receive telephone calls while in a car or walking down a street. Along with these advances and demands came the ability for three way conferenced calling.
Conventional three way conferenced calling enabled one party already established in a telephone call with a second party to place a second telephone call to a third party, and then to conference the two separate telephone calls together into a single three way telephone call. To enable parties having only one telephone line to initiate a three way conference call, the two separate telephone calls were conferenced at a telephone switch, e.g., private branch exchange, either at the customer's premises or at the central office of the telephone company, and then transmitted to the initiating party on the single telephone line.
FIG. 8
shows a conventional method
600
of accomplishing three way conferenced calling at a central office telephone switch, and
FIGS. 9A
to
9
C show corresponding states of the conference call.
In particular, in step
602
, a telephone call is established between party A and party B, each party having a single telephone line or only using a single telephone line of a multi-line telephone. The telephone call between party A and party B is depicted in FIG.
9
A.
In step
604
, at least one of the parties in the telephone call established in step
602
has three way calling service, e.g., party A. That party flashes the telephone line to indicate to the switch that the current party (e.g., party B) is to be put on hold, and a dial tone is to be presented to the flashing party, e.g., party A.
In step
606
, the three way initiating party, e.g., party A, dials out to or calls a third party C, and establishes a telephone call between party A and party C. This is depicted in
FIG. 9B
, wherein party B is on hold and party A calls out to party C.
In step
608
, party A flashes the telephone line again to indicate to the switch to conference together the telephone call to party B with the telephone call to party C, and to present the same to party A as a single telephone call. Thus, a three way call is established between parties A, B and C, as depicted in FIG.
9
C.
The conventional technique of three way calling is convenient and addresses expanding needs for services to a one line telephone. However, the conventional technique requires the initiating party, e.g., party A, to call or dial the telephone number of the third party C while the other party is placed on hold.
There is thus a need for three way conferencing which allows a third party to call into an established telephone call between two other parties.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a telephone conferencing control apparatus comprises a call related information receiver. A memory is adapted to receive at least one entry relating to call related information regarding a third party caller allowed to enter an existing telephone call. A processor compares call related information received by the call related information receiver to the at least one entry in the memory, and allows a third party caller regarding the call related information to enter the existing telephone call if a match is determined by the comparison.
A method of conferencing a third party caller into an existing telephone call in accordance with another aspect of the present invention comprises providing an indication of a telephone call from a third party caller to a called party already engaged in an existing telephone call. The third party caller is added to the existing telephone call at the called party.
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Cannon Joseph M.
Johanson James A.
Agere Systems Guardian Corp.
Bollman William H.
Deane, Jr. William J.
Matar Ahmad
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