A host electronic device is configured to share a telephone call with a participant electronic device. The host electronic device includes a transceiver, a wireless communication module and a controller. The controller is configured to: establish a direct wireless connection with the participant electronic device; process and present incoming call data received from an outside device through a speaker and/or a display device at the host electronic device; forward the incoming call data to the participant electronic device using the direct wireless connection for presentation of the incoming call data through a speaker and/or a display device at the participant device; receive participant call data from the participant electronic device using the direct wireless connection; process and present the received participant call data through a speaker and/or display device at the host electronic device; and forward the participant call data to the outside device.

A method for managing callers into a conference system having a specific conferee limit for servers has steps as follow: for a first caller over the limit for a first conference server, the first caller electing a first conference, establishing a first tie line to a second conference server, and placing the first caller in a continuation of the first conference in the second conference server, for a subsequent caller over the limit, electing to join the first conference, placing the subsequent caller in the continuation in the second conference server, and for a subsequent caller electing to join a conference other than the first conference, determining that there is a listener in the first conference, moving the listener to the continuation in the second conference server, and accommodating the subsequent caller in the first conference server in the conference elected, preserving the single tie line.

Aspects of the present disclosure involve systems and methods for a collaboration conferencing system to track a total number of concurrently utilized ports across any number of conferencing bridges of the network for a particular customer and one or more billing actions may occur based on this tracking. This may result in an alternate billing option for the customer's use of the system. Further, a telecommunications network administrator may provide access to the collaboration conferencing system based on a total number of concurrently utilized ports rather than on a per conference or per minute basis. With the information of the number of purchased ports by the customer, the administrator may more accurately predict an available capacity for the collaboration conferencing system needed to support all of the users of the system and the potential collaboration conferences.

A plurality of multipoint conference units (MCUs) may optimize bandwidth by selecting particular video streams to transmit to endpoints and/or other MCUs participating in a video conference. An endpoint may generate video streams and audio streams and transmit these streams to its managing MCU. During the video conference, an endpoint may also receive and display different video streams and different audio streams. In a particular embodiment, a controlled MCU receives video streams from its managed endpoints, selects potential video streams based upon the maximum number of video streams that any endpoint can display concurrently, and transmits those potential video streams to a master MCU. The master MCU may also receive video streams from its managed endpoints and may select active video streams for transmission to its managed endpoints and to the controlled MCU, which transmits selected streams to its managed endpoints.

Techniques are presented for storing media streams for a multi-region teleconference. One example involves a first server configured to serve a first geographic region, a second server configured to serve a second geographic region, and a coordination server. The coordination server is configured to provide, to the first server and the second server, an indication to store one or more media streams of a teleconference that is or will be joined by a first endpoint device in the first geographic region and a second endpoint device in the second geographic region. The first server is configured to store a first media stream of the teleconference generated by the first endpoint device in the first geographic region, and the second server is configured to store a second media stream of the teleconference generated by the second endpoint device in the second geographic region.

Responsive to detecting a call from a first user into a call system, a user identifier associated with the first user by the call and user information associated with the user identifier can be added to respective user information stored in an e-meeting data structure associated with the call. Responsive to determining the call system recognizes the voice of the first user, the first user can be identified based on the voice of the first user. Responsive to determining that the user information associated with the user identifier contains information not related to the identified first user, the information not related to the identified first user can be removed from the e-meeting data structure. An e-meeting for the call can be generated, the e-meeting including as participants the first user and at least a second user.

Aspects of the present disclosure involve systems and methods for a collaboration conferencing system to track a total number of concurrently utilized ports across any number of conferencing bridges of the network for a particular customer and one or more billing actions may occur based on this tracking. This may result in an alternate billing option for the customer's use of the system. Further, a telecommunications network administrator may provide access to the collaboration conferencing system based on a total number of concurrently utilized ports rather than on a per conference or per minute basis. With the information of the number of purchased ports by the customer, the administrator may more accurately predict an available capacity for the collaboration conferencing system needed to support all of the users of the system and the potential collaboration conferences.

The invention concerns a conference bridge server (30) for establishing a conference telephone call, and a corresponding method and a computer program product. The conference bridge server (30) comprises input and output means (31, 33) for a plurality of communication connections connecting conference terminals (11 to 16, 20) with the conference bridge server (30) and a conference core (32) for distributing input signals from conference terminals (11 to 16, 20) to at least some of the remaining conference terminals (11 to 16, 20). The conference bridge server (30) comprises means for issuing a special address to be utilized, by one or more participants (111 to 116) at a first location (1) using a common conference phone (10), to connect one or more laptop computers (11 to 16) as additional conference terminals (11 to 16). Said conference core (32) is programmed to distribute, in said conference call, input signals from conference terminals (11 to 16) connected via said special address to conference terminals (20) assigned to other participants (200) at one or more other locations (2). At the same time, said conference core (32) is programmed to redirect output signals destined for conference terminals (11 to 16) connected via said special address to said common conference phone (10).

Techniques are presented for storing media streams for a multi-region teleconference. One example involves a first server configured to serve a first geographic region, a second server configured to serve a second geographic region, and a coordination server. The coordination server is configured to provide, to the first server and the second server, an indication to store one or more media streams of a teleconference that is or will be joined by a first endpoint device in the first geographic region and a second endpoint device in the second geographic region. The first server is configured to store a first media stream of the teleconference generated by the first endpoint device in the first geographic region, and the second server is configured to store a second media stream of the teleconference generated by the second endpoint device in the second geographic region.

A method and a resource broker are provided to control a conference session. The resource broker receives, from a conference controller, a message requesting to set up a conference communication for a participant. The message indicates whether a terminal of the participant supports selective forwarding. The resource broker verifies the availability of local selective forwarding and multipoint control resources. Based on the capabilities of the terminal and based on local resource availability, a reply is sent to the conference controller, indicating that the conference communication should be set up in selective forwarding or multipoint control mode, using local resources or resources of a network cloud. When a new participant is added or when a monitoring agent reports a change of availability of the local resources, the conference communication may be moved between the network cloud and the local resources, or change between selective forwarding and multipoint control modes.