Patent · US Expired

Choice of guaranteed vs. bumpable conference call reservations

US6219412A · kind A · utility

10Cited by
10References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 22, 2000
Grant dateApr 17, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 22, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04M3/563
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Participants in a pre-planned conference call are permitted to make reservations for ports on a conference bridge that are either guaranteed or bumpable. Guaranteed reservations are fulfilled regardless of subsequent requests for conference bridge space, while bumpable reservations are fulfilled only if subsequent requests for guaranteed conference bridge space do not require use of the same conference bridge ports. Specifically, in a telecommunications conferencing system taking the form of a conference bridge having n ports, where n is an integer greater than unity, and a system database, a non-guaranteed reservation request is received for a total of p ports for use during times which include a specified period of time, where p is an integer equal to or less than n, the requested ports are assigned, a guaranteed reservation request is received for a total of x ports for use during times which include at least part of the specified period of time, where x is an integer equal to or less than n and (x+p) is greater than n, and enough of the p ports from the non-guaranteed reservation are dropped during the part of the specified period of time to accommodate the guaranteed reservati…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.