Selectable muting on conference calls
View Patent ↗During a conference call, identifying a communication terminal, and inhibiting transmission of audio signals to the conference call by the identified communication terminal in response to operations performed by another communication terminal.
1. A method for controlling a conference call of a plurality of communication terminals, comprising the steps of:
displaying on a first one of the plurality of communication terminals an identity of a second one of the plurality of communication terminals in response to a first signal from the first one of the plurality of communication terminals;
disabling audio information received from the second one of the plurality of communication terminals on the conference call in response to a second signal from the first one of the plurality of communication terminals;
re-enabling the audio information received from the second one of the plurality of communication terminals on the conference call in response to one of a third signal from the second one of the plurality of communication terminals after the audio information from the second one of the plurality of communication terminals had previously been disabled by the second signal or a fourth signal from a third one of the plurality of communication terminals after the audio information from the second one of the plurality of communication terminals had previously been disabled by the second signal.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of disabling comprises the step of re-enabling the second one of the plurality of communication terminals on the conference call in response to another second signal from the first one of the plurality of communication terminals while the identity of the second one of the plurality of communication terminals is displayed on the first one of the plurality of communication terminals.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of displaying on the first one of the plurality of communication terminals comprises the step of displaying a third one of the plurality of communication terminals in response to another first signal from the one of the plurality of communication terminals.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of disabling comprises the step of disabling audio information received from the third one of the plurality of communication terminals on the conference call in response to another second signal from the first one of the plurality of communication terminals while the identity of third one of the plurality of communication terminals is displayed on the first one of the plurality of communication terminals.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of re-enabling comprises re-enable the audio information from the third one of the plurality of communication terminals received from the second one of the plurality of communication terminals on the conference call in response to another third signal from the third one of the plurality of communication terminals.
6. A system for controlling a conference call comprising:
a telecommunication switching system;
a conference circuit;
a plurality of communication terminals communicating a with each other via the conference circuit;
the telecommunication switching system responsive to a first actuation of a first button on a first one of the plurality of communication terminals for displaying an identity of a second one of the plurality of communication terminals on a display of the first one of the plurality of communication terminals;
the telecommunication switching system further responsive to first actuation of a second button on the first one of the plurality of communication terminals for transmifting a first signal to the conference circuit;
the conference circuit responsive to the first signal for inhibiting audio information from the second one of the plurality of communication terminals that is displayed on the display of the first one of the plurality of communication terminals from being communicated to the other ones of the plurality of communication terminals;
the telecommunication switching system further responsive to a first actuation of a first button on a third one of the plurality of communication terminals for displaying an identity of the second one of the plurality of communication terminals on a display of the third one of the plurality of communication terminals;
the telecommunication switching system further responsive to first actuation of a second button on the third one of the plurality of communication terminals for transmitting a third signal to the conference circuit; and
the conference circuit responsive to the third signal for allowing audio information from the second one of the plurality of communication terminals to be communicated again to the other ones of the plurality of communication terminals after the audio information had been previously inhibited from the second one of the plurality of communication terminals by the first signal.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein in telecommunication switching system further responsive to another actuation of the second button on the first one of the plurality of communication terminals while the identity of the second one of the plurality of communication terminals is displayed on the display of the first one of the plurality of communication terminals for transmitting another third signal to the conference circuit; and
the conference circuit responsive to the other third signal for allowing audio information from the second one of the plurality of communication terminals to be communicated to the other ones of the plurality of communication terminals.
8. The system of claim 6 wherein the telecommunication switching system further responsive to a second actuation of the first button on the first one of the plurality of communication terminals for displaying an identity of a third one of the plurality of communication terminals on a display of the first one of the plurality of communication terminals.
9. The system of claim 8 wherein the telecommunication switching system further responsive to a second actuation of the second button on the first one of the plurality of communication terminals for transmitting another first signal to the conference circuit; and
the conference circuit responsive to the other first signal for inhibiting audio information from the third one of the plurality of communication terminals that is displayed on the display of the first one of the plurality of communication terminals from being communicated to the other ones of the plurality of communication terminals.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein the telecommunication switching system further responsive to a third actuation of the second button on the first one of the plurality of communication terminals while the identity of the third one of the plurality of communication terminals is displayed on the display of the first one of the plurality of communication terminals for transmitting another third signal to the conference circuit; and
the conference circuit responsive to the other third signal for allowing audio information from the third one of the plurality of communication terminals to be communicated to the other ones of the plurality of communication terminals.