System and method for managing conferencing in a distributed communication network

A conferencing system comprising:

• one or more computer processors;
• and
• one or more computer-readable mediums storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the conferencing system to perform operations comprising:
• receiving a request to initiate a first conference including at least a first participant and a second participant, wherein the conferencing system manages mixer state information that specifies, for each respective mixer of a plurality of mixers, a geographic region serviced by the respective mixer and a set of available mixer input channels of the respective mixer, each respective mixer of the plurality of mixers bridging media to endpoints located within the geographic region serviced by the respective mixer;
• determining a first area code of a phone number assigned to a first endpoint of the first participant of the first conference, the first area code corresponding to a first geographic region in which endpoints are assigned the first area code;
• determining whether the plurality of mixers includes at least one mixer that is located within the first geographic region corresponding to the first area code and that has at least one free input channel;
• responsive to a determination that the plurality of mixers does not include at least a one mixer that is located within the first geographic region corresponding to the first area code and that has at least one free input channel:
• allocating a new mixer in the first geographic region corresponding to the first area code, and
• assigning the first endpoint to a first available mixer input channel of the new mixer;
• providing a first invite message to the new mixer, wherein the first invite message specifies the first endpoint, a mixer identifier of the new mixer, and a channel identifier of the first available mixer input channel of the new mixer;
• establishing the first conference including at least the first participant and the second participant, the first conference utilizing the new mixer allocated in the first geographic region to receive media from the first endpoint via the first available mixer input channel and transmit the media received from the first endpoint to at least a second endpoint of the second participant of the first conference, and receive media from at least the second endpoint and transmit the media received from at least the second endpoint to the first endpoint via the first available mixer input channel.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors of a conferencing system, cause the conferencing system to perform operations comprising:

• receiving a request to initiate a first conference including at least a first participant and a second participant, wherein the conferencing system manages mixer state information that specifies, for each respective mixer of a plurality of mixers, a geographic region serviced by the respective mixer and a set of available mixer input channels of the respective mixer, each respective mixer of the plurality of mixers bridging media to endpoints located within the geographic region serviced by the respective mixer;
• determining a first area code of a phone number assigned to a first endpoint of the first participant of the first conference, the first area code corresponding to a first geographic region in which endpoints are assigned the first area code;
• determining whether the plurality of mixers includes at least one mixer that is located within the first geographic region corresponding to the first area code and that has at least one free input channel;
• responsive to a determination that the plurality of mixers does not include at least a one mixer that is located within the first geographic region corresponding to the first area code and that has at least one free input channel:
• allocating a new mixer in the first geographic region corresponding to the first area code, and
• assigning the first endpoint to a first available mixer input channel of the new mixer;
• providing a first invite message to the new mixer, wherein the first invite message specifies the first endpoint, a mixer identifier of the new mixer, and a channel identifier of the first available mixer input channel of the new mixer;
• establishing the first conference including at least the first participant and the second participant, the first conference utilizing the new mixer allocated in the first geographic region to receive media from the first endpoint via the first available mixer input channel and transmit the media received from the first endpoint to at least a second endpoint of the second participant of the first conference, and receive media from at least the second endpoint and transmit the media received from at least the second endpoint to the first endpoint via the first available mixer input channel.