Conferencing with a calling party
US6269159A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 15, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jul 31, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 15, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04Q1/45
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus to provide three way conferencing which allows a third party caller to call into an existing telephone call at a single line of a called party's telephone. In one embodiment, the called party may accept the conferencing of the third party caller based on a review of received call related information, e.g., Caller ID information. The acceptance may be by flashes of the telephone line and/or by entry of a predetermined DTMF code. The telephone apparatus and/or the central office may maintain a directory of accepted third party callers which are allowed to automatically enter an existing telephone call at a called party, unless refused by the called party within a predetermined amount of time. Each entry in the directory of accepted third party callers contains a portion or all of call related information such as a telephone number and/or a household name.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.