Telephone-conferencing apparatus and method having line location
AssigneeSmall World Exchange, Inc.
InventorsAvery R. Johnson, John M. Harrison
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A telephone conferencing and inquiry handling apparatus and method provide a plurality of incoming calls with access to one or more ongoing or new communications groupings or pools. Apparatus for monitoring the level of voice energy on the incoming lines allows identification of a caller and allows registration of callers' opinions, i.e. votes. Confirmation signals provide a caller with audible feedback that his vote has been recorded. New subscribers, or limited or restricted subscribers, can access the system on a monitor-only basis, in which they can listen to ongoing conversation pools but are unable themselves to speak with other members of the pool.
Claims10
Telephone conferencing apparatus comprising
- input means for concurrently receiving a plurality of incoming calls over an associated plurality of incoming telephone lines and including means for responding to a caller-initiated signaling condition on any incoming line for conditioning that line for conference communication,
- control means responsive to said input means for connecting said lines associated with said incoming calls to at least one conference grouping wherein any associated incoming line in the grouping provides communication with other lines in said grouping and wherein said grouping has the capacity of at least three incoming calls, said control means providing said connecting of each line to such a conference grouping independently of the connecting of other of said lines to a conference grouping, and
- monitor means operatively responsive to the incoming signal energy on each incoming line for generating electrical report signals distinct from incoming communication and indicating at least which of said lines carries incoming communication.
A telephone conferencing method comprising the steps of
- concurrently receiving a plurality of incoming calls over an associated plurality of incoming telephone lines and responding to a caller-initiated signaling indication on any incoming line for conditioning that line for conference communication,
- connecting the lines associated with said incoming calls to at least one conference grouping in response to said receiving and responding step and wherein any associated incoming line in the grouping provides communication with other lines in said grouping and wherein said conference grouping has the capacity of at least three incoming calls, said connecting of each line, to such a conference grouping, being independent of the connecting of other of said lines to a conference grouping, and
- generating electrical report signals in response to incoming signal energy on said respective lines for indicating at least which of said lines carries incoming communication signals, said report signals being distinct from incoming communication.
Telephone conferencing apparatus comprising
- input means for concurrently receiving a plurality of incoming calls over an associated plurality of incoming telephone lines,
- said input means including a plurality of telephone circuits, each having a transmit line and a receive line and each further having means for providing on said transmit line a transmit signal corresponding to analog voice-band signal energy which one said incoming line presents to said apparatus, and for transferring analog voice-band signal energy on said receive line to said associated telephone line,
- control means for connecting said lines associated with said incoming calls to at least one conference grouping wherein any associated incoming line in the grouping provides communication with other lines in said grouping in such a manner that the analog signal energy on each receive line is responsive to transmit signal energy on other lines in said grouping, and wherein said grouping has the capacity of at least three incoming calls, and
- monitor means associated with each incoming line and operatively connected to the associated transmit and receive lines for providing an indicating signal in response to a selected level of analog signal energy associated with a transmit line relative to analog signal energy associated with a corresponding receive line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.