Group communication system

摘要

A method and apparatus for establishing connections among members of telecommunications connections among members of a group of users. The group is identified in a setup request and a database is used to translate between the identity of the group and the identity of the members of the group. Connections are then established between a media duplicator and the individual members of the group. The media duplicator receives signals from all members of the group, combines them according to an appropriate algorithm, and transmits the combined signal to all members of the group. Advantageously, this arrangement allows frequently used group conferences to be established with a minimum of effort by the conferees.