Control of conference bridges

#This invention relates to methods and apparatus for controlling telecommunications conference bridges.

#A conference bridge is used whenever more than two parties are on a voice connection. In order to allow all conferees to hear what is going on, a conference bridge is normally arranged to detect the highest volume talker and connect that person's speech to the other conferees. This simple arrangement leads to a number of problems addressed by Applicants' invention.

#Applicants have analyzed the major problems arising from the use of conference bridges. The first problem is that if one of the conferees goes on hold, (perhaps to make another call, or to obtain information off-line), the system which responds to the hold request, may play music, which music, if it is basically the highest volume signal, will be what is transmitted to all other conferees. Another problem is that if one of the conferees has a high noise disturbance around that conferee, the high noise disturbance not only disturbs that conferee, but seizes the conference bridge with a result that all conferees will hear the high noise disturbance. Finally, conditions frequently occur wherein one of the conferees tends to “hog” the conference, and because that conferee is an especially loud talker, keeps the other conferees from talking until he/she catches his/her breath.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating Applicants' invention; and

#FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of Applicants' invention.

#FIG. 1 shows one or more conferees; one, two, . . . , three connected by a private network such as a Private Branch Exchange (PBX), the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and the Public Switched Wireless Network (5) via a plurality of communication or data links 18, . . . ,19, to a single bridge (10) accommodating a plurality of ports (16, . . . , 17), one port for each conferee.

#The bridge is also equipped with a Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) detector, so that if the bridge detects a DTMF signal from any of the conferees, the bridge will automatically mute the present speaker. (Speaker as used herein, is that member of the conference who currently has “captured” the bridge, and whose speech is being transmitted to all other conferees.) When the DTMF detector detects a DTMF tone or tone sequence, the bridge will automatically mute the connection to the current speaker. When a connection is muted, the bridge will not accept incoming signals from the port to which that speaker had been connected, but will transmit the outgoing signals from the bridge to that speaker. However, the bridge will listen for A DTMF signal to allow the muted conferee to request removal of the muting condition. The conference bridge is controlled by a controller (11), which receives signals from DTMF Detector (12). In addition, the controller (11) can receive signals representing data signals for the case in which one of the telephone stations is a station which can send data signals, such as an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) station. Such a station can then send a data signal to the conference port, which data signal is interpreted to represent a request for, for example, muting a speaker. A data signal can be generated in response to the operation of a “soft button”, which automatically causes the station to generate an appropriate data signal. However, the bridge will listen for a DTMF signal to allow the muted conferee to request removal of the muting condition.

#FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of Applicants' invention. A conferee wishes to temporarily silence a speaker, Action Block (201). The conferee sends a DTMF signal, data signal, or flash, Action Block (203). The bridge mutes the speaker's port, Action Block (205). Sometime later, a muted conferee sends another DTMF signal, data signal, or flash, Action Block (207). In addition, muting can be turned off as a result of a time-out after a pre-determined interval, for example, thirty seconds; after that pre-determined interval, a muted port is automatically unmuted. In response to receipt of that signal, the bridge unmutes the muted conferee, Action Block (209).