Patent ID: 8363808

Claim:
A method of facilitating a conference call between two or more participants, comprising: determining, by a processor, that a first new caller desires to join an active conference between the two or more participants; analyzing, by the processor, interaction between the two or more participants; based on the analysis step, determining whether it is polite to allow admittance of the first new caller to the active conference; when admittance of the first new caller is determined to be polite, automatically allowing the first new caller to join the active conference without asking the two or more participants for permission; and when admittance of the first new caller is determined not to be polite, automatically causing the first new caller to become a first waiting participant to the active conference; wherein the determining step further comprises at least one of the following (1) and (2): 1) timing periods in the conference call where the two or more participants are not active; comparing a length of time of at least one inactive period to a predetermined amount of time corresponding to a polite threshold; determining that the length of time of the at least one inactive period is at least one of greater than and equal to the predetermined amount of time corresponding to the polite threshold; and determining that admittance of the first new caller is polite; and 2) starting a timer at a point-in-time when it is determined that the first new caller desires to join the conference; comparing a value of the timer for the first new caller to a predetermined default entry time; determining that the value of the timer for the first new caller at least one of meets and exceeds the predetermined default entry time; and determining that admittance of the first new caller is polite.