Methods, apparatus and computer program products for allowing access to in-progress calls via calling groups in a voice over internet protocol communication system

1. A method of providing voice over internet protocol communications comprising:

allowing a third phone line included in a calling group of a plurality of voice over internet protocol phone lines to connect to an in-progress call between two of the phone lines included in the calling group, wherein the allowing comprises:

providing in-progress call status information to remaining phone lines included in the calling group;

receiving a request to join the in-progress call from the third phone line;

bridging the third phone line to the in-progress call; and

allowing the third phone line to connect to the in-progress call based on security information associated with the in-progress call; and

suppressing status information of bridging the third phone line to the in-progress call to avoid display thereof based on privilege information associated with the third phone line.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the receiving a request comprises receiving the request to join as a monitor so that no audio information is provided from the third phone line to the in-progress call.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

providing status information of bridging to the in-progress call for display.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

allowing the third phone line bridged to the call in-progress to disconnect therefrom while allowing the in-progress call to continue.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the allowing further comprises:

allowing the third phone line to connect to the in-progress call based on privilege information associated with the third phone line.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the allowing further comprises:

allowing the third phone line to connect to the in-progress call based on input by one of the two phone lines included in the in-progress call.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the input comprises an acceptance or a denial.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the third phone line requesting to join the in-progress call and the two phone lines conducting the in-progress call are at separate customer premises.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the allowing further comprises:

providing the in-progress call status information associated with the in-progress call between a first phone line of the two phone lines at a first customer premises and a second phone line of the two phone lines at a second customer premises to the third phone line at a third customer premises;

providing the request to join the in-progress call to one of the two phone lines;

allowing input from the one phone line for determining whether the third phone line will be bridged to the in-progress call;

bridging the third phone line to the in-progress call if the input from the one phone line allows the third phone line to connect to the in-progress call; and

denying the request to join the in-progress call if the input from the one phone line denies permission to the third phone line to connect to the in-progress call.

10. A computer readable program product for providing voice over internet protocol communications comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program product comprising:

computer readable program code configured to allow a third phone line included in a calling group of a plurality of voice over internet protocol phone lines to connect to an in-progress call between two of the phone lines included in the calling group, wherein the computer readable program code configured to allow comprises:

computer readable program code configured to provide in-progress call status information to remaining phone lines included in the calling group;

computer readable program code configured to receive a request to join the in-progress call from the third phone line;

computer readable program code configured to bridge the third phone line to the in-progress call; and

computer readable program code configured to allow the third phone line to connect to the in-progress call based on security information associated with the in-progress call; and

computer readable program code configured to suppress status information of bridging the third phone line to the in-progress call to avoid display thereof based on privilege information associated with the third phone line.

11. The computer readable program product according to claim 10 wherein the computer readable program code configured to receive a request comprises computer readable program code configured to receive the request to join as a monitor so that no audio information is provided from the third phone line to the in-progress call.

12. The computer readable program product according to claim 10 further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to provide status information of bridging to the in-progress call for display.

13. The computer readable program product according to claim 10 further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to allow the third phone line bridged to the call in-progress to disconnect therefrom while allowing the in-progress call to continue.

14. The computer readable program product according to claim 10 wherein the computer readable program code configured to allow further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to allow the third phone line to connect to the in-progress call based on privilege information associated with the third phone line.