Patent ID: RE44577

Claim:
In a communication system in which users communicate through a switched telephone network, a private communication network for facilitating communication among a plurality of member user telephone sets , said private communication network comprising: a network call manager including: a telephone network interface for establishing a telephone connection with each of said plurality of member users user telephone sets over a plurality of channels of said switched telephone network, respectively, a switch matrix, coupled to said telephone network interface, for providing an information signal received by said telephone network interface over one of said plurality of channels simultaneously to a plurality of others of said channels via said telephone network interface, and a controller for configuring said switch matrix in response to talk request signals received over a selected one of said plurality of channels; and a plurality of eligible member user telephone sets disposed for simultaneous communication over said plurality of channels, each of said eligible member user telephones sets including means for generating one of said talk request signals, at least some of said eligible member user telephone sets being connected to the private communication network through a wireless communications system.