Methods, apparatus and/or system for using email to schedule and/or launch group communications sessions

A method of operating a communication service provider system, comprising:

• receiving, at an email server within the communication service provider system, a first email from a first communications device, the first email containing a sender email address, one or more recipient email addresses, and a communication service provider email address, the communication service provider email address not being assigned to an individual user;
• scanning the first email to determine that the first email contains an invitation to participate in an online meeting;
• determining that the sender email address is not associated with an account registered with the communication service provider;
• in response to the determination that the sender email address is not associated with a conference host account registered with the communication service provider:
• automatically creating a conference host account, with the communication service provider, associated with the sender email address without further input from the sender email address;
• automatically storing an email reference chain associated with the first email along with the sender email address and the one or more recipient emails addresses in an email thread store, the email reference chain including one or more emails pertaining to the online meeting;
• generating, using information from the first email, a sender email invitation containing conference call launch details specific to a host of an online conference call;
• generating, using information from the first email, one or more invitee email invitations containing conference call join details for participants of the online conference call;
• sending the sender email invitation to the sender email address;
• and
• sending the one or more invitee email invitations to the one or more recipient email addresses.

A system for operating a service provider communication system comprising:

• a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the system to:
• receive, at an email server within the communication service provider system, a first email from a first communications device, the first email containing a sender email address, one or more recipient email addresses, and a communication service provider email address, the communication service provider email address not being assigned to an individual user;
• scan the first email to determine that the first email contains an invitation to participate in an online meeting;
• determine that the sender email address is not associated with an account registered with the communication service provider;
• in response to the determination that the sender email address is not associated with a conference host account registered with the communication service provider:
• automatically create a conference host account, with the communication service provider, associated with the sender email address without further input from the sender email address;
• automatically store an email reference chain associated with the first email along with the sender email address and the one or more recipient emails addresses in an email thread store, the email reference chain including one or more emails pertaining to the online meeting;
• generate, using information from the first email, a sender email invitation containing conference call launch details specific to a host of an online conference call;
• generate, using information from the first email, one or more invitee email invitations containing conference call join details for participants of the online conference call;
• send the sender email invitation to the sender email address;
• and
• send the one or more invitee email invitations to the one or more recipient email addresses.

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when implemented by one or more machines, cause the one or more machines to perform operations for operating a communication service provider system, the operations comprising:

• receiving, at an email server within the communication service provider system, a first email from a first communications device, the first email containing a sender email address, one or more recipient email addresses, and a communication service provider email address, the communication service provider email address not being assigned to an individual user;
• scanning the first email to determine that the first email contains an invitation to participate in an online meeting;
• determining that the sender email address is not associated with an account registered with the communication service provider;
• in response to the determination that the sender email address is not associated with a conference host account registered with the communication service provider:
• automatically creating a conference host account, with the communication service provider, associated with the sender email address without further input from the sender email address;
• automatically storing an email reference chain associated with the first email along with the sender email address and the one or more recipient emails addresses in an email thread store, the email reference chain including one or more emails pertaining to the online meeting;
• generating, using information from the first email, a sender email invitation containing conference call launch details specific to a host of an online conference call;
• generating, using information from the first email, one or more invitee email invitations containing conference call join details for participants of the online conference call;
• sending the sender email invitation to the sender email address;
• and
• sending the one or more invitee email invitations to the one or more recipient email addresses.