	US 7,466,812 B1
	Connecting an endpoint to a conference call
Rohan W. Mahy, Santa Cruz, Calif. (US); and Cullen F. Jennings, Milpitas, Calif. (US)
Assigned to Cisco Technology, Inc., San Jose, Calif. (US)
Filed on Oct. 22, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/691,369.
Int. Cl. H04M 3/42 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 379—202.01 [370/260; 370/261; 709/204; 709/227]

26 Claims

26. A method for connecting an endpoint to a conference call, comprising:

receiving an initial call from an endpoint having a caller identifier;

connecting the endpoint to a conference call having a conference call identifier;

associating the caller identifier with the conference call identifier by mapping the caller identifier to the conference call identifier and by storing the conference call identifier associated with the caller identifier in a conference call table;

receiving a next call from the endpoint associated with the caller identifier;

determining from the mapping and independent of any conference identifier information sent by the endpoint that the caller identifier is associated with the conference call identifier of the conference call; and

initiating connection of the endpoint to the conference call in order to connect the endpoint to the conference call by:

determining whether the conference call is in session;

initiating connection of the endpoint to the conference call if the conference call is in session;

determining if there is a request for connection, the request associated with the endpoint;

initiating connection the endpoint with the conference call if there is the request for connection;

determining if the endpoint is authorized to connect with the conference call;

connecting the endpoint with the conference call if the endpoint is authorized to connect with the conference call;

announcing a caller associated with the caller identifier prior to connecting the endpoint with the conference call;

after a disconnection with the endpoint, receiving another call from the endpoint;

initiating connection of the endpoint to the conference call in order to reconnect the endpoint to the conference call.