Title of Invention

A METHOD WITH REGARD TO CONFERENCING AND ANONYMOUS TELEPHONY

Abstract

This invention relates to a tele conferecing communication system which comprises of a communications telephone network over which a plurality of participants are connectable to the said communications newtwork at a predetermined time when the participants dial the access code followed by the conference code and the pass code(s) and are connected to the conferene call.The said pre-determined time, telephone network, conference code and pass code(s) are determined by the organizer and communicated to the participants by the organizer of the conference thereby eliminating the neccessity of pre-allotment of conference number by the communications telephone network.Furthermore, the level of privacy of the conference is directly proportional to the number of digits that are used in the conference code and the pass code(s) and the level of pass (s) that are selected by the organizer

Full Text

FIELD OF INVENTION: This invention relates to the field of tale conferencing wherein a person desirous of talking to a group of persons as in a conference call can arrange for one such conference without any prior affiliation to a telecom company. BACKGROUND OF INVENTION". Tele conferencing is the way of life as people living in different parts of the world need to communicate with each other regularly for certain reasons. The current systems work on the principle that the person who wants a conference arranged has to obtain a conference number from the service provider, fix the time and convey this number, so that the persons involved in this call can get connected. This requires prior allotment of the number by the teleconference company. This invention is to overcome this drawback namely the inability to do a conference "on the fly". It is yet another object of this invention to provide enhanced security to the conference as the conference numbers and the pass code(s) are not revealed to the telephone communication and thus this secures the vital codes, thereby preventing any third party from listening into the conference or accidentally bumping into the conference. The object of this invention is to arrange a conference call at the whim and fancy of the organizer of such a call without prior affiliation to the service provider. Under this invention the organizer decides the time of the conference call, the conference code and the pass code (first level) for the call and informs the others who are to be included in the conference call. At the agreed time all the users dial into the network, dial the conference code and the pass code and are connected in conference. It is pointed out that neither the telecom company nor the conferencing equipment have any prior knowledge or reservation for the numbers that the user has chosen. In the case of the organizer (conference arranger) wishing to retain his anonymity, the communication would be through advertising media or emails etc., (as in dating services, auctions, telephone interviews etc.). At the appointed time as mentioned, the participants will dial into a common number and dial the conference code and pass code to join the meeting. Special applications of this method include Hyde Park feature where many people can dial into a speech or chat room. The identity of both the organizer and the participant can be kept anonymous or identified as decided by the organizer. This feature of anonymous calling is useful in applications such as dating, interviewing and classifieds selling where the two parties can talk to each other without revealing their identity or revealing only their "handle" or pseudo identity. Billing can be through any traditional method such as credit card charging, carrier access metering, revenue sharing with the telephone company etc. PRIOR ART: Present Conferencing Methods: Present methods for conferencing requires a reservation with the conference company to obtain the conference number and if desired a password or Personal Identification Number (PASS CODE(S)). The present method of "free conferencing" offered by some companies is only in relation to the charging for the conference call. The call charge comes from revenue sharing with the telephone companies. The object of the present invention is to do away with the conference numbers that have to be given out earlier by the conference company. Free conferencing methods also exist where a caller can choose his own code and dial in. This suffers from two limitations: The first limit is fixed number of digits as required by the limitation of the DSP processor bank. The second limitation is that there is only one code. So it is relatively easier for anyone to someone to randomly break into a conference. Furthermore, the number of digits is very crucial to the privacy of the conference. Furthermore, if it is a single string, the number of conferences is restricted. Together these limit the applications and extensibility of the service. (WO/2006/104435) ANONYMITY IN TELEPHONY COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS : Deals with a method for providing anonymous telephony communication in a telephony communications system wherein the telephone operator receives at an anonymous port a communication request from a user about an intended destination address, associating an address of said user with an alias address selected from a set of addresses available to a telephony operator of said telephony operator network and forwarding the said communication request to said destination address using said alias address as originating address. This is different from the present invention which is a conferencing. Furthermore, there can be total anonymity if the participants wish and most importantly there is no prior management with the service provider to fix the conference call. (WO/2007/047580) SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A PUBLIC NUMBER-PRIVATE NUMBER TELEPHONY SYSTEM. This invention provides a system and method for operating communications network, comprising dynamically associating at least one private number with at least one public number of a circuit switched communication network, according to a predetermined algorithm; receiving an incoming call to one of said public numbers, and routing the incoming call to at least one of said private numbers; generating an outgoing call from a private number, and passing the outgoing call through at least one of said public numbers, while optionally generating calling party information to a target which preserves a privacy of the caller; and at least once altering said dynamic association or algorithm of said at least one private number and said at least one public number. The current invention differs from the cited invention in the respect that the privacy of the caller is determined by the caller and not by the system and there is no such concept as a public number or a private number. The communication numbers are all private numbers as envisaged under the communication system as in the numbers are communicated only to a few people and such numbers cease to exist once the call is concluded. US 6,873,696 relates to a method and system for preserving caller privacy in an advanced intelligent network comprising a service switching point and a second ser\'ice switching point. The service switching point is adapted to suspend calls directed to a predefined number and to forward signaling information associated with the call to the service control point. The service control point is adapted to alter the signaling information if a privacy restriction indicator in the signaling information is activated and to forward the altered signaling information to the ser\ice switching point. The method comprises: forwarding intonation identifying a calling party and any privacy restrictions on the calling party intonation from the service switching point to the service control point; and if the privacy restrictions indicate that the calling party information should not be delivered to the called party, altering the calling party information and forwarding the altered information to the service switching point. The present invention does not have such a complicated system. The secrecy is inbuilt into the dissemination of the codes itself and thus pre-determines as to who is eligible to get into the call at the outset itself Virtual private communications network (VPCN) and method of managing calls on the network are the state of art technologies that are employed today. Stations on a private communications network are identified by a unique private network identification (ID) code or a dial-in-direct (DID) number. Remote communications devices (e.g.. cell phones, analog phones, etc.) are virtual client devices connected from a public communications network to the private communications network. One or more DID numbers are shared DID numbers, dedicated for the virtual client devices. Calls from the virtual client devices may be placed to network stations by dialing shorthand (e.g., 5 or fewer digits) numbers. Each call has a dedicated DID number temporarily assigned to it for placing the call as an in-network call. Once the call reaches its final destination, the shared DID number is released for temporary assignment to other virtual client devices. In the present invention, the need for such a public and private net work is completely done away with. Any public network can virtually act like a private network due to the existence of the codes which when punched in offer the privacy of the private network coupled with the ease of the access and use of the public network. PRINCIPLE BEHIND THE INVENTION: This invention is named after the manner people normally undertake to meet with friends, acquaintances or lovers. The first person decides on the location (or a restaurant, club, street comer or any common place). If they want to have a private conversation they take the effort to choose a table or chair that will shield them from others. If they want to be easily located, the best is the table nearest to the entry. For very high secrecy, the will move away to a place that is not frequented or that is difficult to guess. The group can choose a meeting location every time or choose the same place every time and the diner needs no reservation, credit card, membership or affiliation for such a meeting. Diner Conferencing allows a user to do that on the telephone. The participant does not need an affiliation with the telephone company to arrange the conference call and can simply choose either a large digit number with many digits or a simple single digit number as the conference code. Likewise the organizer decides on a second number as a pass code. The number of levels may be increased at will by the organizer for higher levels of confidentiality. The only feature to be considered while choosing the two numbers , is that the more complex the number of digits is, the more privacy it offers as the probability of another person with the same combination gets remote with more digits in play. This invention also proposes a "knock-Knock" feature. In this invention, when a new participant dials the same codes, the organizer (chair person or for that matter the whole group if it is small, or a facilitator or usher if it is a formal meeting with someone else as chairperson) will hear a "knock-knock" sound in his earpiece. Thus this invention also provides a certain screening power which vests with the organizer to determine whether such new entrants ought to be allowed or not. Furthermore, the admitting person can dial an appropriate number to let the person join the conference, or in case of a confidential meeting can interview the person in a separate ante-room and then let him join the meeting. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: The present invention relates to a conferencing communication system comprising: one communications telephone network over which a plurality of participants are connectable to the said communications network at a pre¬determined time by dialing in the access code followed by the conference code determined by the organizer and the pass code(s) and are connected to the conference call; the said pre-determined time, network, conference code and pass code(s) being already communicated to the participants by the organizer of the conference; wherein the necessity of pre-allotment of conference number by the communications telephone network is completely done away with. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION: The first step in the usage of this invention is that the organizer decides his own time, service provider, conference number and pass code(s) and the group to which he wants to connect to the conference. This creates a lot of flexibility in arranging the conference and the unique features of this invention namely the conference code and the pass code(s) feature allows this invention a number of major advantages over existing methods as later described. A typical participant will decide on a 'conference number' and 'pass code(s)'. The pass code can be a single pass code or can be multiple pass codes depending upon the privacy required by the user. The more private the connection the more levels of pass codes to be used. He will pass this information to those invited to the 'meeting'. All participants will dial the access number to avail the services of the service provider (to access the conference facility, say 170 or 936) followed by the conference code. Although the invention can work in any conferencing bridge, the advantages of large numbers of conferences are achieved by an Integrated Digital Voice Platform (IDVP) described elsewhere. The IDVP receives the call and where the system is designed so, the pass code(s) are also dialed in along with the conference code and the participant is connected to the conference. In other systems, after dialing the conference code, the system prompts the participant for a pass code. The first participant who dials in the unique combination of a conference code and a pass code(s) is put into a new conference room. All those who dial that conference code and pass code(s) are then put in conference with the first participant. The novelty also lies in the method that it groups together different callers of a conference. The IDVP uses the conference number (decided by the organizer) to direct the calls to a specific bank of processors in the IDVP. Thus all callers with the same conference numbers are directed to one bank of processors. In a further embodiment, when one bank of processors overflows, the calls will be directed to an overflow bank. The overflow bank will then be connected to the first bank through a special connection that is established by the IDVP as it knows that calls have been connected to the overflow bank. Thus the limitation of a set number of people being accommodated in a conference call is done away with and the object of this invention is to connect any number of people who wish to be part of conference as the organizer wishes. Say the access code is A (this is from the service provider). The conference code is B comprising of any number of digits chosen by the conference organizer. Depending on the architecture of the call switching of the service provider, the participants may have to dial A and wait for a response from the conference equipment and then dial B or dial A+B in one string. The telephone exchange by a process known as Direct Inward Dialing (DID) will forward the numbers B to the IDVP. The telephone exchange can be made to group the calls based on the digit C or CD or as required by a process called hunting. So the calls will be grouped into one bank of processors for groups of numbers in 'C. Say there could be ten different processors for the different digits 0 to 9. Or numbers 1 and 2 could be grouped into one processor while 3 could be an independent processor. Likewise for the numbers starting with 4, there could be two processors for 40 to 43 and a second processor from 44 to 49 depending on the traffic patterns. When a caller with the same conference number lands on a different bank of processors, the second processor establishes a H.l00 link with the first processor bank and includes the caller in the same conference. Thus the IDVP is able to handle tens of thousands of callers in any number of conferences and callers, limited by only the technology of the Digital Signal Processor. In another embodiment of the invention, enhancements such as allocating the last four digits of the phone number itself as the conference number is possible, if the organizer dials # in place of the conference number. Other users will however have to dial the full access code and conference code. In yet another embodiment, the organizer may also be permitted to avoid the pass code and use only a conference number if he prefers so. in this case he will dial just a '#' in the place of the pass code, say 170Conf-code. The conference will start with only a conference number. This is particularly useful in the Hyde Park feature described elsewhere: In a large lecture, the participants may be given just a single digit as conference number and no pass code for easy usage. In yet another embodiment, the organizer may also be permitted to dial his conference number and password in one string along with the access code, say 170#Conf-code#pass-code#. The phone exchange will forward this number to the conference system and the conference will start as described above. The method of pass code{s) bestows great advantages to business situations. The user can choose his own conference code and publish it in his stationery. He can give different passwords to different groups—Sales team XXX, Production team—YYY, etc. Thus groups are isolated and the second number alone need be communicated to a new group or changed to protect privacy. This is particularly useful when people gradually use one number for all their conferences. Changing to new number every time is often difficult to keep track of The system takes the last four digits or whatever specified of the Calling Line Identification (CLl) as the conference code if the hosting user chooses the automatic option. In yet another embodiment, the service could be rendered on a priority basis wherein, conferences by a special number, say 171 as access code instead of 170 are given preferences over other conferences so as to accommodate the higher paying customer or organizer In yet another embodiment this invention permits chat groups on the phone. A broad group may choose a single digit and no password. A close chat group may use a one digit code but a four digit password! The probability of someone overhearing a conference is just as much as the probability of someone overhearing others in the diner, or for that matter some one bumping into the conversation. Another feature of this invention is that the use of such facilities can be regulated by the revenue generated as anyone may host a lecture or speak on a topic or hold a chat show. They can fix a number for regular lectures. They can have an arrangement by which the revenue generated by the calls to the phone company is shared with them. Thus if 1000 callers listened for an hour, the company would have received 60,000 minutes of call revenue. The phone company will share a fixed percentage with the lecturer/organizer. Ahematively, if the lectures are good, the company may charge a special rate per minute and this could be shared with the lecturer/organizer. For all these services, telephone service providers can offer priority services by special numbers that they can charge at higher rates with the same equipment. While in accordance with the Patent Statutes, the best mode and preferred embodiment has been set forth, the scope of the invention is not limited thereto but is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto and by their equivalents. CLAIMS. 1 Claim: 1. A conferencing communication system comprising; one communications telephone network over which a plurality of participants are connectable to the said communications network at a pre-determined time by dialing in the access code followed by the conference code and the pass code{s) and are connected to the conference call; the said pre-determined time, network, conference code and pass code(s) being already communicated to the participants by the organizer of the conference; wherein the necessity of pre-allotment of conference number by the communications telephone network is completely done away with. 2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the conference code and the pass code(s) are numeric in nature and comprise of any number of digits. 3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the said participant upon disconnecting from said conference can re-join to the said conference by re-dialing the same access code, conference code and pass code{s). 4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the conference code and the pass code(s) can be dialed at simultaneously or one after another as per system requirements. 5. A system according to claim \, wherein the conference code can remain the same and the pass code can be more than one to suit the requirements of the organizer and the number of groups involved in the conference. 6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the conference can be organized by allotting only a conference number and no pass code is allotted. 7. A conferencing system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

0641-che-2007 abstract.pdf

0641-che-2007 claims.pdf

0641-che-2007 description (complete).pdf

0641-che-2007-correspondnece-others.pdf

0641-che-2007-description(provisional).pdf

0641-che-2007-form 1.pdf

641-CHE-2007 FORM-1 24-10-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 FORM-3 24-10-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 AMENDED CLAIMS 06-11-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 AMENDED CLAIMS 24-10-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 AMENDED PAGES OF SPECIFICATION 24-10-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 29-10-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 08-05-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 24-10-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 06-11-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 FORM-13 06-11-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 FORM-13 08-05-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 FORM-13. 08-05-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 OTHER PATENT DOCUMENT 06-11-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 OTHERS 24-10-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 AMENDED CLAIMS 08-05-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 AMENDED PAGES OF SPECIFICATION 08-05-2013.pdf

641-CHE-2007 EXAMINATION REPORT REPLY RECEIVED 08-05-2013.pdf