Abstract: The invention manifests a secure, on-demand meet-me conferencing service embodied within a telephone network having an advanced intelligent network (AIN) infrastructure. Centralized control of conferencing bridges located in network switches is effected at a service control point (SCP) in the AIN telephone network. Routing and availability information with respect to the conferencing bridges is maintained by the SCP. When the SCP in communication with a network switch processing a call determines that the call is to initiate a conference, a bridge is allocated to the call. The availability information of the bridge is then updated and the SCP provides the network switch with routing instructions for connecting the call through the telephone network to the bridge.

Abstract: The invention manifests a secure, on-demand meet-me conferencing service embodied within a telephone network having an advanced intelligent network (AIN) infrastructure. Centralized control of conferencing bridges located in network switches is effected at a service control point (SCP) in the AIN telephone network. Users of the service first subscribe to it, and are assigned a primary authorization code, a code assignment directory number (DN) and a conference DN at that time. Before a conference, a subscriber calls the code assignment DN, provides the primary authorization code, and receives a secondary authorization code for distribution to persons who will be participants of the conference call. At the time of the conference, the subscriber dials the conference DN and provides the primary authorization code to the conferencing service to initiate the conference call. The participants then dial the conference DN and use the secondary authorization code to access the conference.