Abstract: A conferencing system is disclosed in which a participant to a conference call can program the embodiment to listen for one or more “keywords” in the conference call. The keywords might be a participant's name or words associated with him or her or words associated with his or her area of knowledge. The embodiments uses speech recognition technology to listen for those words. When the embodiments detects that those words have been spoken, the embodiment alerts the participant—using audible, visual, and/or tactile signals—that the participant's attention to the call is warranted. When the keywords are chosen wisely, the benefit can be great.

Abstract: A conferencing system is disclosed in which a participant to a conference call can program the embodiment to listen for one or more “keywords” in the conference call. The keywords might be a participant's name or words associated with him or her or words associated with his or her area of knowledge. The embodiments uses speech recognition technology to listen for those words. When the embodiments detects that those words have been spoken, the embodiment alerts the participant—using audible, visual, and/or tactile signals—that the participant's attention to the call is warranted. When the keywords are chosen wisely, the benefit can be great.

Abstract: A conferencing system is disclosed in which a participant to a conference call can program the embodiment to listen for one or more “keywords” in the conference call. The keywords might be a participant's name or words associated with him or her or words associated with his or her area of knowledge. The embodiments uses speech recognition technology to listen for those words. When the embodiments detects that those words have been spoken, the embodiment alerts the participant—using audible, visual, and/or tactile signals—that the participant's attention to the call is warranted. When the keywords are chosen wisely, the benefit can be great.

Abstract: A conferencing system is disclosed in which a participant to a conference call can program the embodiment to listen for one or more “keywords” in the conference call. The keywords might be a participant's name or words associated with him or her or words associated with his or her area of knowledge. The embodiments uses speech recognition technology to listen for those words. When the embodiments detects that those words have been spoken, the embodiment alerts the participant—using audible, visual, and/or tactile signals—that the participant's attention to the call is warranted. When the keywords are chosen wisely, the benefit can be great.

Abstract: A conferencing system is disclosed in which a participant to a conference call can program the embodiment to listen for one or more “keywords” in the conference call. The keywords might be a participant's name or words associated with him or her or words associated with his or her area of knowledge. The embodiments uses speech recognition technology to listen for those words. When the embodiments detects that those words have been spoken, the embodiment alerts the participant—using audible, visual, and/or tactile signals—that the participant's attention to the call is warranted. When the keywords are chosen wisely, the benefit can be great.

Abstract: An improvement in the design and operation of telecommunications networks is described in which when a caller's telecommunication terminal does not know the address of the called party's telecommunications terminal, the caller's telecommunication terminal contacts one Session Initiation Protocol Proxy server after another until the address of the called party's telecommunications terminal is found. Thereafter, one or more of the Session Initiation Protocol Proxy servers that did not have the address of the called party's telecommunications terminal are populated with that information for future use.

Abstract: An improvement in the design and operation of telecommunications networks is described in which when a caller's telecommunication terminal does not know the address of the called party's telecommunications terminal, the caller's telecommunication terminal contacts one Session Initiation Protocol Proxy server after another until the address of the called party's telecommunications terminal is found. Thereafter, one or more of the Session Initiation Protocol Proxy servers that did not have the address of the called party's telecommunications terminal are populated with that information for future use.

Abstract: A telecommunications feature is disclosed that enables a person to disconnect from a telecommunications session (e.g., a telephone call, a chat session, a video conference, etc.) and to be automatically reconnected at a later time. For example, Fred might be required to participate in his project group's weekly conference call, but as a practical matter Fred really only need to participate at the beginning and end of the meeting. After the conference call begins and Fred learns that the meeting will end at 4:00 PM, Fred uses the present invention to program his telephone to disconnect from the conference call now and to automatically reconnect to the conference call at 3:45 PM. This gives Fred the opportunity to get some work done and yet not miss the end of the conference call.

Abstract: A conferencing system is disclosed in which a participant to a conference call can program the embodiment to listen for one or more “keywords” in the conference call. The keywords might be a participant's name or words associated with him or her or words associated with his or her area of knowledge. The embodiments uses speech recognition technology to listen for those words. When the embodiments detects that those words have been spoken, the embodiment alerts the participant—using audible, visual, and/or tactile signals—that the participant's attention to the call is warranted. When the keywords are chosen wisely, the benefit can be great.

Abstract: A conference call is disclosed that is partitioned into two or more topics by a host. Participants to the conference call can then inform the illustrative embodiment which topic or topics they are interested in and where they can be reached over the course of the conference call. At that point, those people who are not interested in the immediate topic can hang up or put their terminal on mute or other go about their business. As the conference call progresses from topic to topic, the host, or another person, informs the illustrative embodiment which topic is next to be discussed. The illustrative embodiment then alerts the participants who indicated their interest in the topic if their terminal is on mute or standby and adds the participants that are not connected to the conference call at all.