Abstract:
The present invention, which meets the needs identified above, is an apparatus and method of controlling a conference call using an improvement on the conference calling center&#39;s computer software. The control program allows the host of a conference call to selectively control the dissemination of information between conference call participants. The control program allows the host to designate other hosts, create private meetings among conference call participants, mute any number of participants in relation to each other, or completely exclude participants. The participants may also send messages to other participants or the host using the present invention. A control screen is disclosed that allows the user to direct the flow of information among participants. A connection screen is also disclosed to further assist the host in determining the appropriate flow of information between participants.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    The present invention is related to the subject matter of U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to the field of telephone conference calls, and specifically to the field of controlling the participants of a conference call.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Today&#39;s business travelers have almost continuous access to a either a cellular or a conventional telephone in any given stage of travel. The telephone is often the most convenient and efficient method of communication between the business travelers and their clients. Frequently, traveling business people also need to collaborate with the home organization and with clients, vendors, and business partners. The conference call has developed into a useful tool in forming these collaborative sessions.  
           [0004]    As convenient as a conference call is, conference calls still contain a number of disadvantages over conventional conferences. One of these disadvantages is identifying who is participating in a conference call. Another disadvantage is controlling the attending parties of a conference call. Perhaps the largest disadvantage of a conference call is that the parties cannot break into smaller groups to have private meetings to discuss proposals made during the conference call. In mediation and arbitration settings these private sessions are frequently necessary. Therefore, given the existing state of the art, conference calls are not practical for many arbitration and mediation sessions.  
           [0005]    Many inventions have been directed towards improving conference calls. However, most center on a method or apparatus for identifying the parties involved in a conference call. Relatively few, if any, address the problem of controlling the flow of information between attending parties. Therefore, a need exist for an invention which is able to control the flow of information between parties during a conference call. A need also exists for a graphical method of identifying and controlling the attributes of the individual conference call participants.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention, which meets the needs identified above, is an apparatus and method of controlling a conference call using an improvement on the conference calling center&#39;s computer software. The control program allows the host of a conference call to selectively control the dissemination of information between conference call participants. The control program allows the host to designate other hosts, create private meetings among conference call participants, mute any number of participants in relation to each other, or completely exclude participants. The participants may also send messages to other participants or the host using the present invention. A control screen is disclosed that allows the user to direct the flow of information among participants. A connection screen is also disclosed to further assist the host in determining the appropriate flow of information between participants. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is an illustration of a distributed data network.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is an illustration of a data processing system.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 is an illustration of a data processing system.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 is an illustration of the logic behind the control program.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5A is an illustration of a personal computer.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5B is an illustration of a modified telephone.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5C is an illustration of a control device.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 is an illustration of the present invention embodied within the conference call center&#39;s computer.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 is an illustration of the control screen of the present invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 8 is an illustration of the connection screen of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0017]    As used herein, the term “conference call” means a gathering of people for communicative purposes. Most conference calls involve a third party conference calling center which issues a telephone number and a passcode to all the conference call participants (the host and the callers). The participants call the telephone number at the appropriate time, enter the passcode, and the conference calling center connects the participants. As used herein, the term “host” means the leader of a conference call. The host is usually the person who decides the date, time, and other details of the conference call, but is not limited as such. As used herein, the term “participant” means a person who is involved in a conference call. The host will always be one of the participants of a conference call. As used herein, the term “conference call center” means a third party who allows the participants of a conference call to be connected to one another. Conference call centers typically have an automated menu for setting up and connecting to a conference call. As used herein, the term “attribute” means any of the controllable functions in an automated menu pertaining to a participant. Examples of attributes are full or partial muting, full or partial exclusion, and full or partial host capabilities.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 depicts a pictorial representation of a distributed data processing system in which the present invention may be implemented and is intended as an example, and not as an architectural limitation for the processes of the present invention. Distributed data processing system  100  is a network of computers which contains a network  102 , which is the medium used to provide communication links between the various devices and computers connected together within distributed data processing system  100 . Network  102  may include permanent connections, such as wire or fiber optic cables, or temporary connections made through telephone connections. In the depicted example, a server  104  is connected to network  102  along with storage unit  106 . In addition, clients  108 ,  110 , and  112  also are connected to a network  102 . Clients  108 ,  110 , and  112  may be, for example, personal computers or network computers.  
         [0019]    For purposes of this application, a network computer is any computer, coupled to a network, which receives a program or other application from another computer coupled to the network. In the depicted example, server  104  provides Web based applications to clients  108 ,  110 , and  112 . Clients  108 ,  110 , and  112  are clients to server  104 . Distributed data processing system  100  may include additional servers, clients, and other devices not shown. In the depicted example, distributed data processing system  100  is the Internet with network  102  representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols to communicate with one another. Distributed data processing system  100  may also be implemented as a number of different types of networks, such as, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN).  
         [0020]    Referring to FIG. 2, a block diagram depicts a data processing system, which may be implemented as a server, such as server  104  in FIG. 1 in accordance with the present invention. Data processing system  200  may be a symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) system including a plurality of processors such as first processor  202  and second processor  204  connected to system bus  206 . Alternatively, a single processor system may be employed. Also connected to system bus  206  is memory controller/cache  208 , which provides an interface to local memory  209 . I/O bus bridge  210  is connected to system bus  206  and provides an interface to I/O bus  212 . Memory controller/cache  208  and I/O bus bridge  210  may be integrated as depicted. Peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus bridge  214  connected to I/O bus  212  provides an interface to first PCI local bus  216 . Modem  218  may be connected to first PCI local bus  216 . Typical PCI bus implementations will support four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors. Communications links to clients  108 ,  110  and  112  in FIG. 1 may be provided through modem  218  and network adapter  220  connected to first PCI local bus  216  through add-in boards. Additional PCI bus bridges such as second PCI bus bridge  222  and third PCI bus bridge  224  provide interfaces for additional PCI local buses such as second PCI local bus  226  and third PCI local bus  228 , from which additional modems or network adapters may be supported. In this manner, data processing system  200  allows connections to multiple network computers. A memory-mapped graphics adapter  230  and hard disk  232  may also be connected to I/O bus  212  as depicted, either directly or indirectly. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware depicted in FIG. 2 may vary. For example, other peripheral devices, such as an optical disk drive and the like also may be used in addition or in place of the hardware depicted. The depicted example is not meant to imply architectural limitations with respect to the present invention. The data processing system depicted in FIG. 2 may be, for example, an IBM RISC/System  6000  system, a product of International Business Machines Corporation in Armonk, N.Y., running the Advanced Interactive Executive (AIX) operating system.  
         [0021]    With reference now to FIG. 3, a block diagram illustrates a data processing system in which the invention may be implemented. Data processing system  300  is an example of either a stand-alone computer, if not connected to distributed data processing system  100 , or a client computer, if connected to distributed data processing system  100 . Data processing system  300  employs a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) local bus architecture. Although the depicted example employs a PCI bus, other bus architectures such as Micro Channel and ISA may be used. Processor  302  and main memory  304  are connected to PCI local bus  306  through PCI bridge  303 . PCI bridge  303  also may include an integrated memory controller and cache memory for Processor  302 . Additional connections to PCI local bus  306  may be made through direct component interconnection or through add-in boards. In the depicted example, local area network (LAN) adapter  310 , SCSI host bus adapter  312 , and expansion bus interface  314  are connected to PCI local bus  306  by direct component connection. In contrast, audio adapter  316 , graphics adapter  318 , and audio/video adapter (A/V)  319  are connected to PCI local bus  306  by add-in boards inserted into expansion slots. Expansion bus interface  314  provides a connection for a keyboard and mouse adapter  320 , modem  322 , and additional memory  324 . SCSI host bus adapter  312  provides a connection for hard disk drive  326 , tape drive  328 , and CD-ROM  330  in the depicted example. Typical PCI local bus implementations will support three or four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors. An operating system runs on processor  302  and is used to coordinate and provide control of various components within data processing system  300  in FIG. 3. The operating system may be a commercially available operating system such as OS/2, which is available from International Business Machines Corporation. “OS/2” is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. An object oriented programming system, such as Java, may run in conjunction with the operating system and provides calls to the operating system from Java programs or applications executing on data processing system  300 . “Java” is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Incorporated. Instructions for the operating system, the object-oriented operating system, and applications or programs may be located on storage devices, such as hard disk drive  326 , and they may be loaded into main memory  304  for execution by processor  302 .  
         [0022]    Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware in FIG. 3 may vary depending on the implementation. Other internal hardware or peripheral devices, such as flash ROM (or equivalent nonvolatile memory) or optical disk drives and the like, may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted in FIG. 3. Also, the processes of the present invention may be applied to a multiprocessor data processing system. For example, data processing system  300 , if configured as a network computer, may not include SCSI host bus adapter  312 , hard disk drive  326 , tape drive  328 , and CD-ROM  330 , as noted by the box with the dotted line in FIG. 3 denoting optional inclusion. In that case, the computer, to be properly called a client computer, must include some type of network communication interface, such as LAN adapter  310 , modem  322 , or the like. As another example, data processing system  300  may be a stand-alone system configured to be bootable without relying on some type of network communication interface, whether or not data processing system  300  comprises some type of network communication interface. As a further example, data processing system  300  may be a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device which is configured with ROM and/or flash ROM in order to provide non-volatile memory for storing operating system files and/or user-generated data. The depicted example in FIG. 3 and above-described examples are not meant to imply architectural limitations with respect to the present invention. It is important to note that while the present invention has been described in the context of a fully functioning data processing system, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processes of the present invention are capable of being distributed in a form of a computer readable medium of instructions and a variety of forms and that the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media actually used to carry out the distribution. Examples of computer readable media include recordable-type media, such a floppy disc, a hard disk drive, a RAM, and CD-ROMs, and transmission-type media, such as digital and analog communications links.  
         [0023]    Modern telecommunications systems are almost inseparable from their computer components and the Internet. Accordingly, those skilled in the art are aware of how to configure a conference calling center&#39;s automated system with additional components such as the programs contained within the present invention. The present invention encompasses the concept of disabling the transmission and reception of audio signals. Those skilled in the art are aware of how to selectively disable the transmission and reception of audio signals on a telephone or similar device. The present invention is also applicable to video conference calls as well as audio conference calls.  
         [0024]    In entering information into control program  400 , the information may be entered by speaking into the handset of a telephone, entered via the touchpad of a telephone, entered over the Internet, or by any other data entry method. Those skilled in the art are aware of how to configure a computer to receive information over the Internet. Those skilled in the art are also Page  8  aware of how to configure a telephone system to accept user input via telephone keypads and audible voice signals. Furthermore, the steps embodied in control program  400  are not necessarily limited to the order as presented herein.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 4 is an illustration of the logic behind control program  400 . Control program  400  connects the participants to the conference call and allows the host of the conference call to control the participants. Control program  400  starts ( 402 ) when the first participant connects to the conference call center ( 404 ). When the participants connect to the conference calling center, the participants are usually required to enter a call number and passcode. However, the participants can also connect to the conference call by operator assistance. The first participant to connect to the conference call center is usually the host, but connection of any of the participants will begin control program  400 . When each participant connects to the conference call center, control program  400  identifies the participant using the conference call center software ( 406 ). In identifying the participant, control program  400  can use caller ID, user entered ID, operator assistance, an identifying device, or the method disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______. Control program  400  then applies the default attributes to the participant ( 408 ). When the host sets up the conference call, he specifies the time, number of participants, and the default attributes of each participant. These default attributes can be one or more of the attributes discussed in conjunction with steps  416  through  428 , which are:  
         [0026]    1. Designate the participant as the conference call host.  
         [0027]    2. Send a message to the participant.  
         [0028]    3. Specify the participant start time.  
         [0029]    4. Allow the participant to connect to the conference call.  
         [0030]    5. Mute the participant to all of the participants.  
         [0031]    6. Mute the participant to selected participants.  
         [0032]    7. Exclude the participant until authorized by the host.  
         [0033]    The participant information and attributes are then transmitted to host and other participants ( 410 ). In certain circumstances, the host may desire to limit the participant information to the host and/or a selected group of participants. In this case, the host may choose to only have the participant status information transmitted to himself and/or a selected group of participants. The transmission of information is received by the other participants through the Internet, by multiplexing the data along the telephone line with the audio signal of the participants, or any other method as determined by those skilled in the art. The host and other participants receive the participant information and attributes on a graphical user interface such as a personal computer  502 , modified telephone  504 , or control device  510  connected to the telephone. Examples of these devices can be seen in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and  5 C. Control program  400  continuously updates the status information sent to the host and other participants until the conference call ends.  
         [0034]    The participant is then either immediately connected to the conference call or, if the participant is restricted from joining the conference call, he is placed on hold until the restriction requirement is met at which point the participant is then connected to the conference call ( 412 ). As the conference call progresses, the host may desire to change the attributes of one or more of the conference call participants ( 414 ). If the host desires to change the attributes of one of the participants, then the host selects the participant ( 415 ) and selects one of options  416  though  428 .  
         [0035]    The first option is to designate the participant as the conference call host ( 416 ). In certain circumstances, the party acting as host for the purposes of setting up the conference call may not necessarily be the same party who will be the host during the conference call. This is usually the case when a secretary or junior member of an organization is setting up the conference call, but a more senior member of the organization will be the host during the conference call. In this case, the host for the purposes of setting up the conference call can designate another party to be host when the conference call starts. Additionally, the participants may want more than one party to have the host&#39;s power (i.e. to mute or exclude other participants). In this case, a plurality of participants can be designated as hosts. Conflicting commands between hosts can be resolved by a variety of different means and is best determined by those skilled in the art.  
         [0036]    The second option is to send the participant a message ( 418 ). The host may send one or more of the participants a message as text on a graphical user interface or as an email. If this is the case, the host enters a message and sends it to the appropriate participant. The participants can also sent messages to each other using control program  400 . This is particularly useful when one or a group of participants are excluded from the conference call and desire to express the readiness to be connected to the conference call with out disrupting the flow of the conference call.  
         [0037]    The third option is to specify the participant&#39;s start time ( 420 ). In some circumstances, it may be desirable to exclude the participant from the conference call until a certain point in time. In these instances, the present option is appropriate. The host can set a specific time (i.e. 3:30 EST) for the participant to join into the conference call. The participant is the excluded from the conference call until the appropriate time. The host can allow the participant in early by selecting the option under step  422 .  
         [0038]    The fourth option is to allow participant access to the conference call ( 422 ). When the host is ready to allow the participant who was excluded (under step  428  or possibly step  420 ) access to the conference call, he selects this option. The participant will then be connected to the conference call.  
         [0039]    The fifth option is to mute the participant to all of the participants ( 424 ). In some circumstances, it may be desirable for the participant to eavesdrop on the conference call. In other words, the participant can hear the conference call but is not allowed to speak during the conference call. This a useful option when a secretary is taking notes during a conference call and the other participants do not want to hear the secretary typing. In this option, the host can either mute the participant for the entire conference call, or indicate when the participant is to be muted by use of a key on a touch tone telephone, the Internet, by voice, or any other means preferable to the host.  
         [0040]    The sixth option is to mute participant to selected participants ( 426 ). The host can mute the selected participant with respect to any number of participants. This is a useful option if the host wants to be able to hear the muted participant, but does not want any of the other participants to hear the muted participant. The host can either mute the participant to the other participants for the entire conference call, or indicate when the participant is to be muted by use of a key on a touch tone telephone, the Internet, by voice, or any other means preferable to the host.  
         [0041]    The seventh option is to exclude the participant ( 428 ). In certain circumstances, it is desirable to exclude a conference call participant from the conference call for a given amount of time. This is useful in negotiation settings where the host is a representative of one of a plurality of parties attending a conference call and would like to confer with his client alone. It is also useful in mediation and arbitration settings where the host is the arbitrator or mediator and needs to talk to each party alone at different points throughout the conference call. In this option, the host can indicate when the participant is to be excluded by use of a key on a touch tone telephone, the Internet, by voice, or any other means preferable to the host.  
         [0042]    The host can exclude a number of participants with respect to the conference call, but allow them to communicate with each other. In this manner, private sessions among participants are possible. After the participants have been excluded, they can express their readiness to reconnect to the conference call by using the message function discussed in conjunction with step  418 .  
         [0043]    After the host selects one of options  416  through  428 , control program  400  updates the screen of the host&#39;s graphical user interface as well as the graphical user interfaces of participants with access to the modified area ( 429 ) and returns to step  414 . If at step  414  the host decides that he does not desire to modify any of the attributes of any of the participants, then control program  400  makes a determination of whether there are any participants still connected to the conference call ( 430 ). If there are still some participants connected, the control program  400  returns to step  414 . If there are no longer any participants connected to the conference call, then control program  400  ends ( 432 ).  
         [0044]    [0044]FIGS. 5A, 5B, and  5 C are illustrations of apparatuses that can be used to display information related to control program  400  on a graphical user interface. FIG. 5A is an illustration of personal computer  502 . Personal computer  502  may be similar to the circuitry described in accordance with FIGS. 1 through 3. FIG. 5B is an illustration of modified telephone  504 . Modified telephone  504  contains user input keys  506  and display screen  508 . Modified telephone  504  may also contain some of the circuitry described in accordance with FIGS. 1 through 3. FIG. 5C is an illustration of control device  510 . Control device  510  contains user input keys  514  and display screen  512 . Control device is useful in embodying the present invention with a conventional telephone when a personal computer is unavailable. Control device  510  may also contain some of the circuitry described in accordance with FIGS. 1 through 3.  
         [0045]    The present invention is an improvement on existing conference call center software. The present invention is preferable over existing devices because it allows the host of a conference call to control the dynamics of the conference call. The present invention also allows the host of a conference call to selectively exclude certain participants of the conference call. As such, the present invention will be located in the memory of the system in which the conference call center&#39;s conference call computer program is located.  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 6 is an illustration of the memory  602  of the system on which the conference call center&#39;s conference call program  604  is implemented. Control program  400  is an addition to conference call program  604 . Memory  602  is a storage facility for data for processor  608 . Processor  608  can interface with cellular networks  610 , traditional non-cellular networks  612 , or the Internet  102 . Memory  602  and processor  608  can be a part of a system of a cellular service provider, a traditional non-cellular telecommunications system, or any other system which contains a conference call center&#39;s conference call program.  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 7 is an example of a screen produced on a graphical user interface in accordance with control program  400 . Control screen  700  is comprised of four sections: general information section  702 , status information section  720 , participant information section  740 , and message section  760 . Control screen  700  will be available to all of the conference call participants, but the host may limit the amount of information which is disseminated to the individual participants on their individual control screens  700 . At the minimum, each participant will have access to message section  760 .  
         [0048]    The first section, general information section  702 , contains information which is relevant to the conference call and will remain fixed for the duration of the conference call. This includes, but is not limited to, information such as call in number  704 , administrative passcode  706 , participant passcode  708 , call title  710 , start time  712 , and scheduled end time of the call  714 .  
         [0049]    The second section of information on control screen  700  is status information section  720 . Status information section  720  displays information which is relevant to the conference call and will change during the course of the conference call. This includes, but is not limited to, information such as the total number of conference call lines available  722 , the number of conference call lines in use  724 , and the elapsed time of the call  726 .  
         [0050]    The third section of information on control screen  700  is participant information section  740 . Participant information section  740  contains information regarding each of the participants and their attributes. The information in participant information section  740  is arranged into rows and columns, with each row relating to a specific participant and each column relating to different attributes of the participants. In the example in FIG. 8, there are four participants  742 . Control screen  700  shows what line each participant is connected to  744 , the participant&#39;s name  746 , and the elapsed time each participant is connected to the conference call  748 . The host can mute the participant to all of the participants  750  or only to a select number of participants  752 . The host may also exclude a participant from the conference call  754 , allow the participant&#39;s graphical user interface to display the same information that the host&#39;s control screen  700  displays  756 , and indicate who is to be the host of the conference call  758 .  
         [0051]    The fourth section of information on control screen  700  is message section  760 . Message section  760  allows the host and other allowed participants to send written messages to other participants. Message section  760  contains message screen  762 , send button  764 , recipient dropdown menu  766 , and message data entry field  768 . To send a message to a participant, the host chooses a participant from the recipient drop-down menu  766 , types the message into message data entry field  768 , and clicks the send button  764 . Messages sent by the host and messages to the host from other participants are displayed on message screen  762 . Alternatively, the message may be sent to the recipient via email. Email is a particularly attractive option when the recipient is not allowed to view control screen  700 .  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 8 is another screen displayable on the graphical user interface. Connection screen  800  is a graphical summary of the parties involved in the conference call and the flow of information between parties as allowed by host  802 . Host  802  is displayed in the center with other participants  804  displayed around him. Information arrows  806  display the flow of information between the participants. As can be seen in participant information section  740 , participant 1 is muted with respect to the party on line 3 (participant 2). Therefore, information arrows  806  indicate that participant 2 can send information to participant 1 (i.e. participant 1 can hear participant 2), but participant 1 cannot send information to participant 2 (i.e. participant 2 cannot hear participant 1). The host can fully communicate with participant 1, so information arrows  806  show that information can be sent both direction between participant 1 and the host. Information can also be sent both ways between participant 2 and the host. Participant 3 is excluded from the conference call, so there are no information arrows going between participant 3 and any of the other participants.  
         [0053]    With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. Additionally, the steps of the present invention need not be implemented in the order disclosed herein. The novel spirit of the present invention is still embodied by reordering or deleting some of the steps contained in this disclosure. The spirit of the invention is not meant to be limited in any way except by proper construction of the following claims.