	US 7,522,719 B2
	System and method for server based conference call volume management
Michael Pierre Carlson, Austin, Tex. (US); and Jonathan Mark Wagner, Round Rock, Tex. (US)
Assigned to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y. (US)
Filed on Jan. 13, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/756,135.
Prior Publication US 2005/0152524 A1, Jul. 14, 2005
Int. Cl. H04M 3/42 (2006.01); H04L 12/16 (2006.01); H04Q 11/00 (2006.01); G06F 15/16 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 379—202.01 [370/260; 709/204]

1 Claim

1. A method for equalizing volume levels for a plurality of people who participate in a conference call, the method comprising:

establishing a conference call for a plurality of people, and setting a conference call volume level for all of the people who participate in the conference call;

determining whether a participant has joined the conference call;

responsive to the determination that the participant has joined the conference call, adding a participant name, a participant phone number, and a participant volume to a display screen;

determining whether a user has indicated that the participant volume is to be adjusted only at the beginning of the participant's connection to the conference call;

responsive to the determination that the user has indicated that the participant volume is to be adjusted only at the beginning of the participant's connection to the conference call, automatically adjusting the participant volume to substantially equal the conference call volume level, during a user set interval after the participant joins the conference call, and ceasing further adjustment of the participant volume after the expiration of the user set interval;

determining whether the user has indicated that the participant volume level is to be adjusted upon the occurrence of an adjust interval;

responsive to the determination that the user has indicated that the participant volume is to be adjusted upon the occurrence of the adjust interval, determining if the adjust interval has occurred; and responsive to the determination that the adjust interval has occurred, automatically adjusting the participant volume to substantially equal the conference call volume level;

determining whether the user has indicated that the participant volume is to be adjusted continuously;

responsive to the determination that the user has indicated that the participant volume is to be adjusted continuously, automatically and continuously adjusting the participant volume to substantially equal the conference call volume level; and

repeating the steps of the method when each of the people joins the conference call as a participant;

wherein the volume of all of the participants in a conference call are automatically adjusted to be substantially equal to a conference call volume level.