Patent ID: 6996221

Claim:
A method for telecommunication conferencing in a multiple leg telecommunication session, the method comprising: receiving an incoming call leg at a switching center as the result of a person placing the incoming call leg to a primary directory number, the incoming call leg designating the primary directory number; determining a plurality of secondary directory numbers associated with the primary directory number; processing and routing an outgoing call leg associated with each secondary directory number of the plurality of secondary directory numbers to form a plurality of outgoing call legs; monitoring the plurality of outgoing call legs for a plurality of answering events; and connecting outgoing call legs associated with the plurality of answering events to the incoming call leg for a multiple leg telecommunication conferencing session; continuing to alert an unanswered outgoing call leg, of the plurality of outgoing call legs, until a predetermined period of time has elapsed; when the predetermined period of time has elapsed, releasing any outgoing call leg, of the plurality of outgoing call legs, which has remained unanswered; when a second predetermined period of time has elapsed during the multiple leg telecommunication conferencing session, the switching center processing and routing a second outgoing call leg to a corresponding secondary directory number associated with a previously unanswered outgoing call leg; monitoring answering of the second outgoing call leg; and when the second outgoing call leg has been answered, connecting the second outgoing call leg to the incoming call leg for the multiple leg telecommunication conferencing session.