Patent ID: 7760865

Claim:
A system configured to facilitate escalating a peer-to-peer conversation to a conference between more than two parties, the system comprising: an interface component that receives information about at least one new participant to add to the peer-to-peer conversation, wherein the interface component displays a list of contacts that can be added to the peer-to-peer conversation as the at least one new participant; a communication component that communicates to a central focus a request that at least two existing parties of the peer-to-peer conversation be added to the central focus, the request being communicated in response to a decision by at least one of the at least two existing parties to escalate the peer-to-peer conversation to the conference, the central focus allowing the at least two existing parties to connect to a central conference manager that controls the conference; and a verification component that: verifies whether the at least two existing parties are joined to the central focus and verifies that the at least two existing parties are joined to at least one media through the central focus; and cancels the conference and reinstates the at least two existing parties to the peer-to-peer conversation, in response to the verification component determining that the at least two existing parties are not joined to the central focus, wherein the communication component also: outputs from the system to the at least one new participant an invitation to join the central focus in response to the verification component determining that the at least two existing parties are joined to the central focus; receives an acceptance from the at least one new participant in response to the at least one new participant joining the central focus; and sends a request to cancel adding the at least one new participant in response to the verification component determining that either of the at least two existing parties are not joined to the central focus.