Patent ID: 6754322
Filing Date: 2004-06-22
Classification: H04M

Abstract:
A multiple-party telephone conferencing system comprising:conference bridge connected with a telecommunications network; conference bridge reservation system that stores information defining a telephone conference call, said information including at least a host telephone number associated with a host of said conference call and a scheduled time for a telephone conference call, said host telephone number being the normal telephone directory number of the host; switch that serves a host subscriber line having the host telephone number; a services circuit point coupled to the switch; called party busy trigger facility associated with the switch that launches a first query to said services control point for instructions regarding treatment to be applied to an incoming call made to the host telephone number when the host telephone is busy; services circuit point generating a second query seeking said information stored in the conference bridge reservation system relating to the conference call associated with the host; services circuit point determining if the incoming call to the host telephone number is being made during said scheduled time; the services circuit point transmitting a message to the switch instructing the switch to redirect the incoming call for the host to said conference bridge upon the services circuit point determining that the incoming call to the host telephone number is being made during said scheduled time; and said conference bridge being responsive to said redirected call from said host telephone number to join said redirected call to said conference call.