VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL (VOIP) MULTI-USER CONFERENCING

摘要

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) devices are invited to a conference bridge (100) based on a pre-defined criteria for the conference bridge (e.g., passengers on a plane). The conference invite messages are transmitted using Internet Protocol, which they may or may not accept. The invited VoIP users may be determined based on their physical proximity to the initial caller and other pre-determined characteristics. A VoIP soft switch (102) includes conference bridges that eliminate the conventional requirement that they dial the phone number of another specific VoIP communications device. Instead, location informationrelating to the initial VoIP user is passed to the VoIP conference bridge, either from the user's VoIP communication device or from their respective location server. Location and other information is then compared by the VoIP soft switch against other VoIP devices, to find potential VoIP conference participants.