SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING SIMULTANEOUS COMMUNICATIONS - Patent application

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for facilitating simultaneous communication between a user device and multiple participating entities. The system may include a network device that may be associated with a service provider that provides network services to the user device. The network device may be operable to communicate with an external server, which may be capable of performing authentication of the user device. The network device may receive input information from the user device, based on which the network device may be capable of establishing simultaneous communication with multiple participating entities. The simultaneous communication thus established may not require sequential addition of participating entities, as required in conventional applications. This may significantly reduce the conference establishment time and may also enable efficient use of communication time to be optimized.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to network devices, and more particularly, to next generation network devices that enable efficient and simultaneous communication with multiple participating entities. [Background technology]

[0002] The following description of related art is intended to provide background information regarding the field of the disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, this section should be understood as being used only to enhance the reader's understanding of the present disclosure and not as an admission of prior art.

[0003] Device-based communication has become very important for personal and professional use due to the ever-increasing need for improved and faster communication services. This can cover various types of communication carried out on mobile / landline devices, for example, telecommunication calls including video calls, audio calls, or a combination thereof. Device-based communication allows users to easily communicate with anyone in far-flung locations around the world.

[0004] Although one-to-one communication is commonly used and many existing systems can support corresponding services, existing systems may not be very effective in the case of simultaneous communication. For example, to establish a conference call, a user may need to contact each participating entity individually and add them to the conference call. This not only leads to user inconvenience but also may consume a lot of time and effort to establish simultaneous communication. Furthermore, most of the known solutions for one-to-many conference communication mandatorily require the installation of specific conferencing application / utility software on each of the participants' devices in order to allow other participants to join the conference call. This typical dependency in making a conference call significantly limits the possibility and usefulness of mass usage of a particular conferencing application. Furthermore, in some cases, simultaneous communication may not allow the user to control aspects or features of the simultaneous communication. Furthermore, next generation implementations such as fifth generation (5G) networks may not be fully considered to support such services, resulting in limited possibilities.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need in the art for an effective and economical system and method that can overcome the aforementioned problems in the art and can effectively enable faster and more efficient next generation based services for facilitating simultaneous communication with multiple participating entities. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Some of the objectives of the present disclosure that are met by at least one embodiment herein are listed herein below.

[0007] It is an object of the present disclosure to facilitate effective, simultaneous, and improved communication with multiple participating entities.

[0008] An objective of the present disclosure is to facilitate an economical, next generation based system and method that can eliminate the need to sequentially add each participating entity to a simultaneous communication, thus making the process less tedious and more user friendly.

[0009] It is an object of the present disclosure to facilitate systems and methods that can enable instant communication with multiple contacts regardless of the location of the users and / or participating entities.

[0010] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a multi-user, multi-network based communication system.

[0011] An object of the present invention is to track the status of participants in a call.

[0012] It is an object of the present invention to provide a feature that allows adding or removing participants to an ongoing conference call.

[0013] It is an object of the present invention to facilitate the conversion of a conference call to various other modes, such as a lecture mode. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] This section is provided to introduce certain objects and aspects of the invention in a simplified form, which are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0015] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a system for facilitating a user device to establish communication with multiple participating entities. The system can include a network device associated with a service provider providing network services to the user device. The network device can be communicatively coupled to the multiple participating entities and can include one or more processors coupled with a memory storing instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to receive a routed request, which can be derived based on an original request received from the user device via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server communicatively operating with a server associated with the network device. The original request can indicate a requirement for establishing conference communication with the multiple participating entities. The system can be configured to extract, based on the received routed request, a first set of attributes associated with a list of pre-stored contact numbers associated with the multiple participating entities. The system can be configured to extract, based on the received routed request, a second set of attributes associated with a combination of input information and one or more desired actions to be implemented associated with the input information, thereby invoking call legs to initiate simultaneous communication with the multiple participating entities based on the extracted first and second sets of attributes. Based on the invoked call legs, the IMS server can establish simultaneous communication between the user device and multiple participating entities.

[0016] In one embodiment, the user may have access to a set of executable instructions installed on the user device that enables the user device to transmit either or a combination of the input information and the original request over a predefined medium.

[0017] In one embodiment, the system may be configured to authenticate the user device via the server prior to receiving any or a combination of the input information and the original request.

[0018] In one embodiment, the system may be configured to simultaneously establish simultaneous communications between a user device and multiple participating entities to avoid sequential establishment of simultaneous communications.

[0019] In one embodiment, the system may be configured to allow a user to customize one or more features of the simultaneous communication, the one or more features including any one or combination of adding or removing one or more participating entities, muting or unmuting one or more participating entities, creating or scheduling an ad-hoc communication, and obtaining the respective status of one or more participating entities in the simultaneous communication.

[0020] In one embodiment, the system may be configured to obtain a status of the multiple entity devices corresponding to the joined multiple participating entities before the start of the simultaneous communication. The status of the multiple entity devices corresponding to the joined multiple participating entities may indicate the availability of the joined multiple participating entities before the start of the simultaneous communication.

[0021] In one embodiment, one or more of the participating entities of the plurality of participating entities may be associated with different service providers, hi one embodiment, the system may be configured to establish simultaneous communications with one or more participating entities associated with different service providers.

[0022] In one embodiment, the system may be configured to establish communication between a user device and a single entity.

[0023] In one embodiment, the system may be configured to establish simultaneous communications for either scheduled communications or dynamic calls, or a combination thereof, where scheduled communications may relate to communications scheduled in advance and dynamic calls may relate to communications established randomly without prior planning.

[0024] In one embodiment, the system may be configured to connect a user device with each entity device of a plurality of participating entities via a conference communication call including at least one of an audio call, a video call, or a combination thereof.

[0025] In one embodiment, the system may be configured to facilitate simultaneous communication through the exchange of communication data including at least one of text data, video data, and audio data.

[0026] In one embodiment, the network device may be configured to send a status notification to a set of executable instructions on the user device via a server.

[0027] In one embodiment, the network device may be configured to handle functions related to service billing.

[0028] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a user equipment (UE) for establishing communication with a plurality of participating entities. The UE may include a processor associated with a service provider providing network services to the UE. The UE may be communicatively coupled to the plurality of participating entities. The processor may be coupled to a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the UE to initiate simultaneous communication with the plurality of participating entities by transmitting an original request indicating a requirement for establishing conference communication with the plurality of participating entities. The processor may further cause the UE to receive, in response to the initiation of the simultaneous communication, a routed request, which may be derived based on the original request from the UE, via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server operatively communicatively with a server associated with the UE. The UE may be configured to extract, based on the received routed request, a first set of attributes associated with a list of pre-stored contact numbers associated with the plurality of participating entities, and then, based on the received routed request, a second set of attributes associated with a combination of input information and one or more desired actions to be implemented associated with the input information. The UE is configured to invoke call legs for initiating simultaneous communication with the multiple participating entities based on the extracted first and second sets of attributes, and based on the invoked call legs, the IMS server can establish simultaneous communication with the multiple participating entities of the UE.

[0029] In one embodiment, the simultaneous communications may be initiated by using a set of executable instructions on the UE.

[0030] In one embodiment, a set of executable instructions on the UE may be used to send a conference communication request to a server along with input information that may be forwarded to the UE to establish a simultaneous communication.

[0031] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method for facilitating a user device to establish communication with multiple participating entities. The method may further include receiving, by the network device, via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server communicatively operating with a server associated with the network device, a routed request that may be derived based on an original request from the user device. The original request may indicate a requirement for establishing conference communication with the multiple participating entities. The network device may be associated with a service provider that provides network services to the user device and communicatively coupled to the multiple participating entities. The network device may include one or more processors coupled with a memory, the memory storing instructions executed by the one or more processors. The method may include extracting, by the network device, a first set of attributes associated with a list of pre-stored contact numbers associated with the multiple participating entities based on the received routed request, and extracting, by the network device, a second set of attributes associated with a combination of input information and one or more desired actions to be implemented associated with the input information based on the received routed request. The method is configured to invoke, by the network device, call legs for initiating simultaneous communication with each of the multiple participating entities based on the extracted first and second sets of attributes, and based on the invoked call legs, the IMS server can establish simultaneous communication with the multiple participating entities of the user device.

[0032] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium including machine-executable instructions executable by a processor to receive a routed request derived based on an original request from a user device via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server communicatively operating with a server associated with a network device that may be operatively coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium. The original request may indicate a requirement to establish conference communication with multiple participating entities. The network device may be associated with a service provider that provides network services to the user device and communicatively coupled to the multiple participating entities. The processor may be configured to extract, based on the received routed request, a first set of attributes associated with a list of pre-stored contact numbers associated with the multiple participating entities. The processor may be configured to extract, based on the received routed request, a second set of attributes associated with a combination of input information and one or more desired actions to be implemented associated with the input information, thereby invoking call legs to initiate simultaneous communication with each of the multiple participating entities based on the extracted first and second sets of attributes. Based on the invoked call legs, the IMS server may establish simultaneous communication with the user device and the multiple participating entities.

[0033] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute a part of the present invention, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosed method and system, with like reference numerals referring to the same parts throughout the different drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed on clearly illustrating the principles of the invention. Some drawings may use block diagrams to illustrate components and may not show the internal circuitry of each component. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the inventions in such drawings include inventions of electrical components, electronic components, or circuits commonly used to implement such components. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1A] 1 illustrates an exemplary network architecture in which or with which the system of the present disclosure may be implemented, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 1B] 1 illustrates an exemplary network architecture in which or with which the system of the present disclosure may be implemented, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A] Referring to FIG. 1A, an exemplary representation of a network device is shown, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] Referring to FIG. 1A, an exemplary representation of a user equipment (UE) is shown, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation showing a server architecture of a network device or BTAS according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4A] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation showing various steps involved in a process for establishing simultaneous communications, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation showing various steps involved in a process for establishing simultaneous communications, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4C] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation showing various steps involved in a process for establishing simultaneous communications, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4D] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation showing various steps involved in a process for establishing simultaneous communications, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4E] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation showing various steps involved in a process for establishing simultaneous communications, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5A] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation showing various steps involved in adding and removing participating entities in a simultaneous communication, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5B]1 illustrates an exemplary representation showing various steps involved in adding and removing participating entities in a simultaneous communication, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation showing steps involved in converting a simultaneous communication to a lecture mode, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation showing steps involved in a communication flow in a simultaneous communication initiated by a user of a home circle, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8A] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation illustrating various scenarios regarding participating entities in a simultaneous communication, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8B] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation illustrating various scenarios regarding participating entities in a simultaneous communication, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8C] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation illustrating various scenarios regarding participating entities in a simultaneous communication, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8D] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation illustrating various scenarios regarding participating entities in a simultaneous communication, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8E] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation illustrating various scenarios regarding participating entities in a simultaneous communication, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8F] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation illustrating various scenarios regarding participating entities in a simultaneous communication, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8G] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation illustrating various scenarios regarding participating entities in a simultaneous communication, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9A] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation illustrating various scenarios regarding users initiating simultaneous communications, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9B] 1 illustrates an exemplary representation illustrating various scenarios regarding users initiating simultaneous communications, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10]1 illustrates an example representation of a flow diagram for facilitating a user device establishing simultaneous communications with multiple participating entities, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 1 illustrates an exemplary computer system in accordance with, or with which, embodiments of the present disclosure can be utilized; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0035] The above will become more apparent from the following more detailed description of the invention.

[0036] In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments disclosed herein. However, it will be apparent that embodiments of the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. Each of the several features described below can be used alone or in any combination with other features. Individual features may not address all of the above problems, or may address only some of the above problems. Some of the above problems may not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein.

[0037] The following description provides exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, the following description of exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an effective description for implementing the exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described.

[0038] In the following description, specific details are provided to provide a thorough understanding of the present embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, components such as circuits, systems, networks, processes, etc. may be shown as components in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

[0039] It should also be noted that the particular embodiments may be described as a process that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe operations as sequential, many operations may be performed in parallel or concurrently. Additionally, the order of operations may be rearranged. A process terminates when its operations are completed, but there may be additional steps not included in the diagram. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, or the like. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function.

[0040] The words "exemplary" and / or "illustrative" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. Moreover, any aspect or design described herein as "exemplary" and / or "illustrative" should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to exclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "includes," "has," "contains," and similar terms are used in the detailed description or claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in the same manner as the open-ended term "comprising," without excluding any additional or other elements.

[0041] Throughout this specification, references to "one embodiment" or "embodiment" or "aspect" or "one aspect" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Thus, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing in various places throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0042] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprise" and / or "comprising" as used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0043] The present system and method facilitates overcoming the above problems by enabling the establishment of effective and simultaneous communication of a user device with multiple entities. For example, communication may be established simultaneously between a user device and multiple entities in a conference communication, without the need to establish communication sequentially (i.e., one after the other) as done by conventional systems. This aspect may expedite the communication process, thus saving time and facilitating an improved user experience. In one embodiment, the system may be configured to allow a user to customize one or more features of the simultaneous communication, the one or more features including any one or combination of adding or removing one or more participating entities, muting or unmuting one or more participating entities, creating or scheduling ad-hoc communication, and obtaining the respective status of one or more participating entities in the simultaneous communication. Various other embodiments / advantages are possible and may become apparent from the following description.

[0044] The present disclosure may include systems and methods for facilitating a user device to establish simultaneous communications (also interchangeably referred to as group communications) with multiple participating entities (also interchangeably referred to as multiple entities, multiple entities, or multiple participating entities). In one aspect, the present disclosure may disclose a system for establishing simultaneous communications. The system may include a network device that may be associated with a service provider that provides network services to the user device. In one embodiment, an external server may be operable to communicate with a server associated with the network device (hereinafter the network device interchangeably referred to as a Business Telephony Application Server or BTAS). In an exemplary embodiment, the external server may be associated with a gateway, such as a Software as a Service (SAAS) gateway. The multiple participating entities may include, but are not limited to, individuals, groups of individuals, organizations, or any other entities that participate in simultaneous communications via corresponding entity devices. In one embodiment, the multiple participating entities may or may not necessarily be subscribed to a service provider that facilitates simultaneous communications and may be associated with different services / service providers. In an exemplary embodiment, if one or more of the multiple participating entities can also subscribe to the same service provider (as a user), the system can also enable the status of the entity devices corresponding to the multiple subscribed participating entities to be obtained before the start of communication. This function allows the user to know the availability of the subscribed participating entities before the start of a call, thereby saving the user time and effort. Various other aspects may also be possible within the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood that even though the present disclosure mainly covers simultaneous or conference communication that may be defined with respect to multiple participating entities, the present system and method may also be useful in establishing communication between a user and a single participating entity without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Additionally, the system may establish simultaneous communications in the case of scheduled communications or dynamic calls, where scheduled communications may relate to communications scheduled in advance and dynamic communications may relate to communications established randomly without prior planning. Various other aspects may be possible within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0045] In one embodiment, a user can use a user device to send a conference communication request and / or input information to an external server. A conference communication request (also interchangeably referred to as a communication request) can relate to a request by a user indicating a need to establish a simultaneous communication. In an exemplary embodiment, the input information can include, but is not limited to, a list of multiple participating entities, a list of pre-stored contact numbers associated with the participating entities, one or a desired action to be implemented, e.g., mute / unmute a participant, and other related information. In an exemplary embodiment, a user can have access to a set of executable instructions (e.g., an application) that can be installed on the user device to enable the user device to send the input information and / or communication request via a medium, e.g., a Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) message to an external server or SAAS gateway. There can be various other types of information in the input information.

[0046] In an exemplary embodiment, the network device may include one or more processors coupled to a memory. The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, may cause the system to perform one or more functions related to simultaneous communication. For example, based on a conference communication request and input information, the network device may facilitate establishment of simultaneous communication of the user device with multiple participating entities. In one embodiment, the network device may establish the simultaneous communication by communicatively interacting with an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server. In one embodiment, prior to receiving the communication request and / or input information, the user device may be authenticated, for example, via an external server. Various other aspects may be possible within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0047] 1A-1B show exemplary network architectures 100 and 150 in which the system of the present disclosure may be implemented or with which the system of the present disclosure may be implemented, according to one embodiment of the disclosure. As shown in the representation 100 of FIG. 1A, a network device 102 (hereinafter the network device is interchangeably referred to as a Business Telephony Application Server or BTAS 102) may be configured to facilitate a user device 110 to establish simultaneous communications with multiple participating entities (108). The network device 102 may be configured as an application server and may be communicatively operable with or integrated into an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server 106 (also interchangeably referred to as an IMS or IMS core) and an external server 104 (also referred to as a SAAS gateway 104 in FIG. 1B). The IMS server 106 may be associated with a vendor or service provider that enables a user device 110 (also referred to herein as a user equipment (UE)) to establish simultaneous communications with multiple participating entities. In one embodiment, the BTAS or network device 102 may be implemented with an existing IMS implementation to facilitate network services corresponding to the communication network 112. In one example, the communication network 112 may relate to, for example, a fifth generation (5G) network service or a sixth generation (6G) network service. In one embodiment, the network device 102 may be communicatively operable with a centralized data layer (CDL) server or framework 104 (not shown), which may enable access to information stored across different physical hosts in multiple or different circles / clusters to enable other aspects or functions related to simultaneous communication with participating entities.

[0048] The user device 110 (also referred to interchangeably as user equipment or UE or terminal 110) may include mobile devices, which may include, for example, mobile phones, such as feature phones, Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) devices, smartphones, and other devices. The user device may not be limited to the above-mentioned devices and may include any type of device capable of communication, such as mobile phones, tablet computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), personal computers (PCs), laptop computers, media centers, workstations, and other devices. In one embodiment, the user device may subscribe or register to a network service provided by a service provider. In an exemplary embodiment, the network service may relate to a fifth generation (5G) network, and the service provider may provide a network service corresponding to at least one of one of a cellular network service, a private network service, a satellite network service, or a convergence network service.

[0049] In one embodiment, the communication network 112 associated with the BTAS-based IMS implementation may be a 5G network, which may include at least one of a wireless network, a wired network, or a combination thereof. The communication network 112 may be implemented as one of different types of networks, such as an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, etc. Furthermore, the network may be either a dedicated network or a shared network. A shared network may represent an association of different types of networks that may use different protocols, such as, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ), etc. In one embodiment, the communication network 112 may relate to a 5G network, which may be facilitated over a terrestrial wide area access network, such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, a universal terrestrial radio network (UTRAN), an Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE) radio access network (GERAN), an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), a WIFI or other LAN access network, or a satellite or wireless microwave access (WIMAX) network. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication network may enable the 5G network based on a subscription for a user / user device and / or via a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card. Various other types of communication networks or services may be possible.

[0050] In one example, the communications network 112 may utilize different types of air interfaces, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), or frequency division multiple access (FDMA) air interfaces, and other implementations. In an exemplary embodiment, wired user devices may use wired access networks alone or in combination with wireless access networks, including, for example, plain old telephone service (POTS), public switched telephone network (PSTN), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), and other network technologies configured to transport Internet Protocol (IP) packets.

[0051] In one exemplary embodiment, the simultaneous communication may facilitate connecting the user device with each of the participating entities' devices via a conference communication call including at least one of an audio call, a video call, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the simultaneous communication may be facilitated via an exchange of communication data including at least one of text data, video data, and audio data. Various other communication types or communication data types may be possible within the scope of this disclosure.

[0052] In one embodiment, the simultaneous communication (also referred to as group communication) may be established, for example, in the form of a conference communication call. In one embodiment, the simultaneous communication may be initiated by using a set of instructions (application) executable on the user device 110 via a network service provided via the communication network 112. The network service may be supported by the network device 102 in association with the external server 104 (SAAS gateway) and the IMS server 106. In one embodiment, the application on the user device 110 may be used to send a conference communication request to the external server 104 along with input information that may be further forwarded to the network device or BTAS 102 to establish the simultaneous communication. For example, the BTAS 102 may process a list of participating entities, initiate communication with each of the participating entities (108), and merge the communication with the user device 110. In another example, the network device or BTAS 102 may also enable sending status notifications to the application on the user device via the external server (or SAAS gateway) 104. In another example, the network device or BTAS 102 may process conference participant lists and / or status notifications via Representational State Transfer or RESTful interfaces received via a SAAS gateway. In yet another example, the network device or BTAS 102 may also process functionality related to service billing. Various other embodiments may be possible within the scope of this disclosure.

[0053] With reference to FIG. 1B, network services (corresponding to 112 in FIG. 1A) may be provided to multiple entities or enterprises, such as, for example, enterprise 1 (154-1), enterprise 2 (154-2), enterprise 3 (154-3), and enterprise 4 (154-4) (collectively referred to as enterprises 154). In one embodiment, at least one of the enterprises 154 may include an IP private branch exchange (IP-PBX) (not shown) to enable switching of calls between user devices 110 on local lines, and each enterprise 154 may communicate with a communication network / server via an enterprise session border controller (E-SBC). As shown in FIG. 1B, each enterprise, for example, enterprise 1 (154-1), enterprise 2 (154-2), enterprise 3 (154-3), and enterprise 4 (154-4), may be facilitated by network services (such as 5G network services) via E-SBCs 156-1, 156-2, 156-3, and 156-4, respectively. The E-SBC 156 may be a set of executable instructions for enabling connectivity and security associated with enterprise and service provider networks. The IP-PBX may be a private branch exchange or telephone switching system within an enterprise, which may enable, for example, the switching of calls between users within the enterprise. In one embodiment, the BTAS 102 may be communicatively coupled to other components, such as, for example, IP telephones and provisioning servers. In an exemplary embodiment, the IP-PBX may communicate with the E-SBC 154 via Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) technology. An enterprise may refer to entities (108) including, but not limited to, organizations, companies, businesses, educational campuses, office campuses, shopping centers, residential areas / communities, and various other entities that a service provider may wish to make available a communications network to enable simultaneous communications. Various other types of entities / provisions are possible.

[0054] The IMS server (106 in FIG. 1A) may include one or more modules or components that may enable one or more functions to be performed. For example, the IMS server may be an existing IMS core that includes components / modules that handle various functions, such as a Serving Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) module 158, an Interrogating Call Session Control Function (I-CSCF) module 162, and a Proxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) module 152. In one embodiment, the BTAS 102 may be integrated with the IMS core and a network of other application servers, for example, to provide network services related to a fifth generation (5G) network. For example, the other application servers may include a Telephony Application Server (TAS) 160, which may be considered a common component used in communication networks to provide telephony applications and additional multimedia functions. In another example, the other application servers may include a Mobile Number Portability (MNP) server 124 that may provide number portability to users, such as, for example, allowing them to keep the same number when changing service providers. Various other servers may be integrated into a BTAS-enabled IMS implementation to enable one or more services related to a communications network or a 5G network without departing from the scope of the ongoing description.

[0055] With respect to the IMS-related components, the S-CSCF module 158 may be the primary node in the IMS server responsible for session control. In one embodiment, a list of subscribers may be assigned to each S-CSCF module 158 at IMS registration to facilitate routing of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages as part of the service establishment procedure. In operation, the S-CSCF module 158 may enable downloading of a subscriber profile from the Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 120 at IMS registration. The I-CSCF module 162 is a key element of the IMS server and may enable any request to be routed to the appropriate S-CSCF module 158 from multiple S-CSCFs in the network. The I-CSCF module 162 may also query the HSS 120 to obtain the address of the associated S-CSCF module 158 to process the SIP initiation request. As shown in FIG. 1B, the P-CSCF module 152 may serve as an entry and exit point to and from the IMS domain of the service provider for the IMS client. The P-CSCF module 152 may perform general functions such as, for example, registering and onward routing of session requests to the correct node in the communications network, updating the S-CSCF module 158, maintaining a secure connection with the user device, and other such functions. In one embodiment, the network device or BTAS 102 may be communicatively coupled or integrated with one or more functional components, such as, for example, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-based application server. The SIP server may be constructed with functions related to the type of enterprise 154.

[0056] Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, to provide various aspects of network services (e.g., related to 5G networks), the IMS server components (S-CSCF, I-CSCF modules, etc.) may also include function-related components / modules, such as a breakout gateway control function (BGCF) module 118, a media gateway control function (MGCF) module 122, an interconnect border control function (IBCF) 116, and other components / modules. In a typical implementation, the BGCF module 118 may enable routing of call signaling to / from the most appropriate S-CSCF module 158. In a current implementation, the BGCF module 118 may enable routing of calls to respective BTASs 102 to establish simultaneous communication. In general, the MGCF module 122 may be a SIP endpoint that may interface with a security gateway (SGW) and may also control resources in the media gateway (MGW) 130. The IBCF module 116 may enable border control between various service provider networks, thus providing BTAS-enabled IMS network security with respect to signaling information. The IMS server may also include other existing components, such as components associated with a Multimedia Resource Function (MRF) module 126. The MRF module 126, in conjunction with other components of the IMS, may be responsible for performing various processing tasks on the media streams associated with a particular service. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 1B, a BTAS-IMS based implementation is associated with a Point of Interconnect (POI) 134, which may be a physical interface between media gateways of various service providers or enterprises.

[0057] The system can facilitate simultaneous communication through a combination of hardware and software implementation. FIG. 2A illustrates an example representation of a network device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, with reference to FIG. 1A. The system includes a network device or BTAS 102, which may include one or more processors. The network device or BTAS 102 may be integrated with an IMS server 106 to provide network services to the user device 110 (as shown in FIG. 1A). In one aspect, the network device 102 may include one or more processors 202 coupled to a memory 204. The memory 204 may store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform steps described herein. The one or more processors 202 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuits, and / or any device that processes data based on operational instructions. The one or more processors 202 may be configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 204 of the system 100, among other functions. The memory 204 may be configured to store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that may be fetched and executed to create or share data packets via the network service. The memory 204 may comprise any non-transitory storage device including, for example, a volatile memory such as a RAM, or a non-volatile memory such as an EPROM, a flash memory, or the like.

[0058] In an embodiment, system 100 may include an interface 206. Interface 206 may include various interfaces, such as interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as I / O devices, storage devices, etc. Interface 206 may facilitate communications in system 100. Interface 206 may also provide a communications path to one or more components of system 100. Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, a processing engine 208 and a database 210.

[0059] Processing engine 208 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (e.g., programmable instructions) to implement one or more functions of processing engine 208. In the examples described herein, such a combination of hardware and programming may be implemented in a number of different ways. For example, the programming for processing engine 208 may be processor-executable instructions stored in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, and the hardware of processing engine 208 may include processing resources (e.g., one or more processors) to execute such instructions. In this example, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resources, implement processing engine 208. In such an example, system 100 may include a machine-readable storage medium that stores instructions and the processing resources for executing the instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to system 100 and the processing resources. In other examples, processing engine 208 may be implemented by electronic circuitry.

[0060] The processing engine 208 of the network device may include one or more components (shown in FIG. 2A ), including a session manager (SM) 212, an operation and maintenance (OAM) manager 214, a provisioning agent 216, a database manager (DM) 218, and a troubleshooting manager (TM) 220. The SM 212 may function as a core function delivery module that may be responsible for call processing and service chaining logic execution in the case of a BTAS. The SM 212 may further include one or more sub-modules, such as a call initiation module (not shown) for initiating communication with multiple participating entities. The OAM manager 214 may be configured to manage fault, configuration, and performance aspects of the BTAS / network device. The OAM manager 214 may provide an operation and maintenance touchpoint for the system or BTAS 102. The DM 218 may manage a database cluster in which the BTAS 102 may store subscriber-specific service information. In one embodiment, service data change requests that may be received by the provisioning agent 216 may be persistently stored using the DM manager 218. The provisioning agent 218 may be responsible for processing provisioning requests received from the centralized provisioning server to persist changes in the database 210. The provisioning agent may also ensure that the various session managers 212 are updated for any dynamic changes in the service data. The TM 220 may aggregate log and debug information from all the function managers for troubleshooting. The TM 220 also provides flexibility to generate debug information in a per-module, per-process, per-system manner, for example. The other engines 222 may be associated with other modules / components that may perform one or more functions. The network device or BTAS 102 may include a CDL agent 230 that may enable interaction with the CDL server 104. Various other functions of the components are possible.In one aspect, database 210 may include data that may be stored or generated as a result of functionality implemented by any of the components of processing engine 208 of system 100 .

[0061] FIG. 2B, with reference to FIG. 1A, illustrates an exemplary representation of a user equipment (UE) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The UE includes a processor 224, which may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuits, and / or any device that processes data based on operational instructions. The processor 224 may be configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory 226 of the UE (110), among other functions. The memory 226 may be configured to store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that may be fetched and executed to create or share data packets via a network service. The memory 226 may comprise any non-transitory storage device, including, for example, a volatile memory, such as a RAM, or a non-volatile memory, such as an EPROM, a flash memory, and the like.

[0062] In one embodiment, the UE (110) may include an interface 228. The interface 228 may include various interfaces, such as interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as I / O devices, storage devices, etc. The interface 228 may facilitate communications for the UE (110). The interface 228 may also provide a communications path to one or more components of the UE 110. Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, a processing engine 230 and a database 244.

[0063] The processing engine 230 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (e.g., programmable instructions) to implement one or more functions of the processing engine 230. In the examples described herein, such a combination of hardware and programming may be implemented in a number of different ways. For example, the programming for the processing engine 230 may be processor-executable instructions stored in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, and the hardware of the processing engine 230 may include processing resources (e.g., one or more processors) to execute such instructions. In this example, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resources, implement the processing engine 230. In such an example, the UE 110 may include a machine-readable storage medium that stores the instructions and the processing resources for executing the instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to the UE 110 and the processing resources. In other examples, the processing engine 228 may be implemented by electronic circuitry.

[0064] The processing engine 230 may include one or more components (shown in FIG. 2B ), including a session manager (SM) 232, an operation and maintenance (OAM) manager 234, a provisioning agent 236, a database manager (DM) 238, a troubleshooting manager (TM) 240, and other similar engines 242. The SM 232 may function as a core functionality delivery module that may be responsible for call processing and service chaining logic execution in the case of a BTAS. The SM 232 may further include sub-modules, such as a call initiation module (not shown) for initiating communication with multiple emergency services. The OAM manager 234 may be responsible for managing faults, configurations, and performance aspects of the UE 110. The OAM manager 234 may provide an operation and maintenance touch point for the UE 110. The DM 238 may manage database clusters in which the BTAS 102 may store subscriber-specific service information. In one embodiment, service data change requests that may be received by the provisioning agent 236 may be persistently stored using the DM 238. The provisioning agent 236 may be responsible for processing provisioning requests received from a centralized provisioning server to persist changes in the database 244. The provisioning agent 236 may also ensure that the various session managers 232 can be updated for any dynamic changes in service data. The TM 240 may aggregate log and debug information from all feature managers for troubleshooting. The TM 240 also provides flexibility to generate debug information in a per-module, per-process, or per-system manner, for example. Various other functions of the components are possible. In an aspect, the database 244 may include data that may be stored or generated as a result of a feature being implemented by any of the components of the processing engine 230 of the UE 110.

[0065] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary representation illustrating a network device or server architecture of a BTAS according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the BTAS 102 may be integrated or coupled with various hardware / software components or servers to enable one or more functions related to user device communications with multiple participating entities. The BTAS 102 may be integrated with an IMS server to enable communications processing related to user devices within an enterprise (154 - illustrated in FIG. 1B). In an exemplary embodiment, the BTAS 102 may be integrated with an IMS server to establish and control communications connections via network protocols including, but not limited to, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). As illustrated in FIG. 3, the BTAS 102 may operate with components of an IMS server (106 in FIG. 1A), such as an I-CSCF 312, which may enable communications with an appropriate P-CSCF or S-CSCF 314, which may communicate with a user device application 316. In one example, the user device application 316, the components of the IMS server, and the BTAS 102 may communicate via a SIP protocol.

[0066] Since the communication may also involve the use of media in one or more forms, the BTAS 102 may integrate with a multimedia resource function (MRF) 306. The BTAS 102 may be independently integrated or coupled with an element management system (EMS) 304 via a representational state transfer (REST) ​​protocol to enable provisioning of service data. The EMS may include hardware and software implementations for managing five key aspects: fault, configuration, billing, performance, and security (FCAPS) functions via the representational state transfer (REST) ​​protocol for exchanging messages related to key aspects where messages can be transferred using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The EMS may provide a foundation for implementing an operational support system (OSS) or business support system (BSS) based architecture, which allows service providers to meet customer needs, for example, enabling rapid deployment of services and delivery of satisfactory quality of service requirements and other such services. In an exemplary embodiment, BTAS 102 can integrate with MRF 306 to enable functionality such as media mixing, control of announcements, and other such purposes over network protocols including, but not limited to, Session Initiation Protocol-Media Server Markup Language (SIP-MSML).

[0067] Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the BTAS 102 may be integrated or coupled with a diameter routing agent (DRA) 308 via the diameter protocol, which may be a standard protocol for authentication, authorization, and charging information in an IMS server-based network. The DRA 308 may be a functional element that may provide real-time routing functionality to ensure that messages are routed between the correct elements in the network. The integration of the BTAS 102 with the DRA 308 may enable integration with an online charging system (OCS) 310 to facilitate Ro charging. The OCS 310 is a system that allows service providers to charge users or customers in real-time based on service usage, and Ro charging pertains to a protocol that allows triggers that generate charging events. In one embodiment, the BTAS 102 may also be integrated with components related to customized caller ringback tones to enable personalized ringback tones (RBT) at the communication establishment stage. For example, this may primarily relate to ringback tones that may be played while connecting a user device's call communication with multiple participating entities.

[0068] In one embodiment, the external server (SAAS gateway) 104 may perform authentication of the user device 110 and / or applications on the user device before receiving input information and / or a communication request. In an exemplary embodiment, the authentication may be performed via password-based authentication, such as, for example, a one-time password (OTP)-based authentication technique. In one embodiment, the OTP authentication may be performed via an interface with a Short Message Service Center (SMSC) 302, which may operate at the SAAS gateway 104 via a known protocol, such as Short Message Peer-to-Peer (SMPP). For example, the SMSC 302 may be responsible for tasks such as receiving, storing, routing, and forwarding SMS messages to and from the user device. In one example, the SMSC 302 may assist in generating and / or verifying OTP messages, which may be used to validate the user device running the application 316. It should be understood that the authentication is not limited to the mentioned techniques, and various other mechanisms are possible within the scope of this disclosure.

[0069] In an exemplary embodiment, the BTAS 102 can receive input information such as, for example, a list of participating entities, conference request actions (e.g., add / remove / mute / unmute related actions), etc. For example, the BTAS 102 can process conference participant list and / or status notifications by the user device application 316 on a RESTful interface received via the SaaS gateway. The input information can be received from the user device application 316 via a web socket at the external server (SAAS gateway) 104. The received information can be forwarded (e.g., RESTfully) towards the subscriber's home circle BTAS 102. Upon establishing a simultaneous communication, the SAAS gateway can also receive conference status notification messages (e.g., related to join / unjoin / end actions, etc.) and forward them (e.g., on a web socket) towards the user device application 316. Various other protocols can be used within the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the simultaneous communication allows a conference call to be established without the need to sequentially add participating entities. This can significantly reduce the conference establishment time and can also enable efficient use of communication time to be optimized.

[0070] In an exemplary embodiment, the simultaneous communication may be established by a user device (e.g., a VOLTE device) by initiating a communication request using a set of executable instructions or an application configured on the user device. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication request may be sent from the user device to an external server or SAAS gateway, for example, in the form of an HTTPS post message, in which the participant list may also be sent. The SAAS gateway may send the message to the BTAS or network device and send a confirmation to the user device. Once the confirmation is received, the user device may initiate communication via the configured application. For example, to initiate communication, the user may dial a number or a predefined numeric code (e.g., 54368) using a native dialer. As with a normal VOLTE call, a TAS associated with the user's (e.g., User A or A-Party) device receives and processes the call. Upon validation of the party profile, the corresponding TAS may send the communication for the terminating leg, and the ICSCF may direct the call towards the BTAS based on the predefined number. When the call is received at the BTAS, communication with a participating entity (108) (e.g., participating entity 1) can be marked as an outgoing leg and initiated towards the IBCF, where the communication can be sent to the CFX and then to the TAS corresponding to the A-party for further routing towards participating entity 1. Similarly, communication can be initiated in parallel towards all participants and bridged with the parties accordingly.

[0071] In one embodiment, simultaneous communication may include a conferencing service that may enable multi-party audio and / or video conversations using a conferencing application on the user device. This service may have several features described herein. In an exemplary embodiment, a user may instantly and dynamically select participants from their address book and may use an application on the user device to make a call (SIP INVITE request) to the conferencing service, thereby creating a conference and inviting all participants to the conference. In an exemplary embodiment, simultaneous communication may enable a user to use and / or control at least one of the following features: - Creating ad-hoc conferences, · Schedule meetings, -Reschedule a scheduled meeting, Cancel a scheduled meeting, - Schedule meeting reminders, Adding new users to a meeting, Removing a user from a meeting, -Full meeting mute and unmute, Mute and unmute individual participants, ·Getting the status of participants in a meeting.

[0072] In one embodiment, the system and method may enable validation of the organizer of a user's conference. For example, the user number received in the REST (Create Conference) request may be matched with the INVITE request received from the user. In this example, the conference may only be created if the requests match, otherwise the INVITE request may be rejected. This may ensure that conferencing services are not available if there is a mismatch in the numbers configured in the client application and on the SIM, for example. In an exemplary embodiment, the system and method may support SMS notifications to participants of a scheduled conference or simulcast. For example, the user device application may enable sending an SMS to all participants for details or information such as schedule, reschedule, reminder and cancellation of the scheduled conference, and other information. In this example, the SMS may include information regarding the name and number of the conference creator, the date and time, the subject and duration of the scheduled conference, and other details.

[0073] In an exemplary embodiment, dynamic status updates of participants support may be sent to the conference organizer or user. In another example, status regarding adding, removing / disconnecting participants, or holding the conference may be displayed in real time to the conference organizer or user. In another exemplary embodiment, the user may be able to control the media of the conference. For example, the user may perform one-way or two-way communication as needed during the conference call, for example, by pressing mute and unmute buttons for the complete session or individual participants, which triggers an HTTPS request to the corresponding server. This may be used in applications such as, for example, a lecture or audio distribution (one-way audio) where background noise is required, followed by a question and answer session where the organizer may turn on two-way communication. In an exemplary embodiment, the system may be able to support 2N redundancy to maintain the conference status of all participants during any server failover scenario. In another exemplary embodiment, the support SIP options may maintain the availability status of the MRF servers and load balancing among multiple MRF blades.

[0074] In one aspect, the disclosed system and method may also enable bridge conferences where a group of people can join an ongoing audio / video conference by dialing a specific number (bridge number) from a handset / device. In an exemplary embodiment, a bridge conference may be created by sending a REST request and upon successful creation of the bridge conference, details such as bridge ID, bridge passkey, master ID, etc. may be sent to the session creator / host. The master ID may be associated with the host of the bridge conference, i.e., the session creator of the bridge conference. The bridge ID and passkey may be associated with the participants who may join the conference. For example, when a participant dials the bridge number, they may be prompted to enter the bridge ID and passkey to join the bridge conference. In one example, there may be only one host in a conference. In one example, if there are participants before the host joins the conference, the participants may hear default theme music and simultaneous communication may be established only after the host joins. In another exemplary embodiment, the bridge conference may be torn down if the host leaves the conference and is unable to join within a configured time. In an exemplary embodiment, a bridge conference can be scheduled or created dynamically or instantly for a specific duration, which can be changed by the host prior to scheduling or beginning an ongoing conference. In another example, the system can also support bridge video conferences that can be implemented as Voice Activated Switching (VAS) conferences. It should be appreciated that the embodiments can also be extended to video calls, audio calls, or a combination thereof used in bridge conference communications.

[0075] 4A-4E show an exemplary representation 400 illustrating various steps involved in a process for establishing simultaneous communication, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, an initialization step of a user device or user equipment (UE-A) 110 corresponding to a user (or user A in this example) is shown. The initialization step may include authentication of the UE-A 110 via an external server or the SAAS gateway 104. As shown in FIG. 4A, a communication request may be initiated from the UE-A 110 to the SAAS gateway 104. For example, a request (PUT request) may be sent to the SAAS gateway 104, where the PUT request may include user input information, such as, for example, a Mobile Country Code (MCC), a Mobile Network Code (MNC), a Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN) information, and other information that may be stored in a database. In an exemplary embodiment, the SAAS gateway 104 checks whether the user is a subscriber of the service provided by the service provider, for example based on MCC and MNC information, and if the user is not found to be a subscriber, then a message or response, such as a 403 forbidden response, may be sent from the SAAS gateway 104 to the UE-A 110. However, if the user is found to be a subscriber, a PUT response containing the OTP information may be sent to the UE-A. In a next step, the SMSC 404 may be able to generate a Short Message Service (SMS) with other information such as the device ID to the UE-A. Based on a comparison of the OTP received in the SMS (from the SMSC 404) with the OTP received in the PUT response (second step) from the SAAS gateway 104, the user device may be authenticated. Various other steps or types of authentication are also possible.

[0076] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, a communication setup for a user (user A or A-party) using a user device UE-A 110 is shown, where user A may be a subscriber of a network service provided by a service provider that facilitates services related to simultaneous communication. As shown in FIG. 4B, the communication setup may be initiated upon receiving a communication request from the user device UE-A 110. For example, the communication request may be received according to the HTTPS protocol via web sockets. Detailed steps are shown in FIG. 4B, where steps 1-3 mainly involve communication between the user device UE-A 110 and the SAAS gateway 104, followed by steps 3.1-5 include creating a conference request ID based on communication between the SAAS gateway 110 and the network device or BTAS 102. Further steps 6-10.2 relate to obtaining status messages, adding and / or removing participants, and other steps related to the communication setup.

[0077] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4C, the steps involve initiating a simultaneous communication between a user (user A or A-party) using a user device UE-A 110 and another participating entity (user B or B-party), where user A may be a subscriber to a network service provided by a service provider that facilitates services related to the simultaneous communication. User A may be the user that initiates and / or controls aspects of the simultaneous communication, while user B or entity B may only participate in the simultaneous communication using an entity device (UE-B 424). The detailed steps are shown in FIG. 4C, where after authentication of device UE-110 (step 1A) and creation of a conference ID (step 2A), an HTTP POST message may be sent from SAAS 104 to BTAS 102. In one embodiment, the HTTP POPST message may include a request to initiate a conference communication associated with the conference ID. Upon receiving the confirmation in step 3B, a SIP invite may be sent to BTAS 102 (step 4A), which may further be sent to MRF 458 (step 5A), and a control dialogue of a Media Server Markup Language (MSML) session is activated. Other steps may include SOP negotiation for user A based on the A party or user A being able to join the simultaneous communication first (at step 10A). In an exemplary embodiment, the theme may be played until the B party joins the simultaneous communication (or conference communication).

[0078] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4D with reference to FIG. 4C, the steps involved in the participant addition procedure are described for simultaneous communication between a user (user A or A-party) using user device UE-A 110 and another participating entity (user B or entity B or B-party) (similar to FIG. 4C). The detailed steps are shown in FIG. 4D, and after user A joins the simultaneous communication, the network device can send a SIP invite to entity device UE-B 424. In one embodiment, BTAS 102 can attempt to connect with the entity device of the participating entity a predetermined number of times until communication with entity device UE-B 424 is established (as shown in step 12H), based on which party B or participating entity B can join, as shown in steps 14A-17B.

[0079] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 4E with reference to Figure 4D, the steps involved in a participant status update procedure are shown through communication between the user device UE-A 110, the SAAS 104, and the BTAS 102. For simplicity, only one participant entity B is shown, but it should be understood that the same steps are applicable in the case of other participant entities (108) in simultaneous communication.

[0080] 5A-5B illustrate example representations 500 and 550, respectively, illustrating various steps involved in adding and removing participating entities in a simultaneous communication, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 5A-5B, a simultaneous communication can be established between a user equipment (UE-A) 110 corresponding to a user device or user (or user A in this example), where user A may be a subscriber of a network service provided by a service provider that facilitates services related to the simultaneous communication. User A may be the user that initiates and / or controls aspects of the simultaneous communication, while user B or entity B may only participate in the simultaneous communication using an entity device (UE-B 424). The illustrations of FIG. 5A-5B illustrate steps involved in adding and removing a participating entity (entity B) from a simultaneous communication based on instructions from the user A device (UE-A 110). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, these steps primarily illustrate communications between the user device UE-A 110, the SAAS gateway 104, and the BTAS 102 that enable adding the participating entity via a SIP invite to the entity device UE-B 424 to enable participation in the simultaneous communication. Similarly, in another example, as shown in FIG. 5B, these steps mainly show communication between the user device UE-A 110, the SAAS gateway 104, and the BTAS 102 to enable removal of the participating entity B via a SIP-based message (such as SIP BYE) forwarded to the entity device UE-B 424 to enable removal of the entity B from the conference communication. Various other aspects may be possible within the scope of the present disclosure. Although only one participating entity B is shown for simplicity, it should be understood that the same steps can be applied in the case of other participating entities in simultaneous communication.

[0081] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary representation 600 illustrating steps involved in converting a simultaneous communication to a lecture mode, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the simultaneous communication may be established between a user device (UE-A) 110 corresponding to user A that initiates and / or controls aspects of the simultaneous communication, while user B or entity B may only participate in the simultaneous communication using an entity device (UE-B 424). The illustrations of FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate the steps involved in converting a simultaneous communication to a lecture mode based on an instruction from the user A device (UE-A 110). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a request to convert to lecture mode may be received at the BTAS 102 via the SAAS gateway 104, and the request may be sent from the user device (UE-A 110). Based on the request, the BTAS 102 may mute all of the selected participating entities (e.g., entity B in this case) via communication with the MRF 458. Muting can allow only user A and / or other selected participating entities (approved by user A) to communicate or speak during the simultaneous communication (conference communication), thus enabling the conversion of the conference communication to a lecture mode. Various other aspects may be possible within the scope of the present disclosure. Although only one participating entity B is shown for simplicity, it should be understood that the same steps can be applied in the case of other participating entities in simultaneous communication.

[0082] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary representation 700 showing steps involved in a communication flow in a simultaneous communication initiated by a user in a home circle, according to one embodiment of the disclosure. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the simultaneous communication may be established between a user device (UE-A) 110 and an entity device (UE-B 424). The user device (UE-A) 110 may correspond to a user A who may initiate and / or control aspects of the simultaneous communication in a home circle (Circle A) 706 in area A (702). A user B or entity B may participate in the simultaneous communication using an entity device (UE-B 424) and may be associated with a different circle (Circle B) 708 in area B (704). The illustration in FIG. 7 illustrates the steps involved in initiating the simultaneous communication based on a message received from a user A device (UE-A 110) that may be in the home circle. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the communication may be a communication call originating from the user A device 110 to the BTAS 102, and the communication call may be answered after establishing a session with the MRF 458. In one example, user A may hear a default theme music on the user device A 110 at the beginning of a communication call, and the default theme music may continue until a message such as "200 OK" can be received from any of the participating entities (entity B in this case). In one example, a ringback tone (RBT), a caller ringback tone (CRBT), or a personalized ringback tone or PRBT may be connected to the user device A 110. In an exemplary embodiment, if participant B may not respond to the call, a timeout may occur and resources may be released. In one example, a predefined duration may be set for the timeout. In an alternative exemplary embodiment, if a communication call request is not responded to by all participating entities, the A party or user A may be able to customize a corresponding fee based on a predefined policy. Various other aspects may be possible within the scope of the present disclosure.For simplicity, only one participant entity B is shown, but it should be understood that the same steps are applicable for other participants in simultaneous communication.

[0083] 8A-8G show exemplary representations illustrating various scenarios 800, 822, 830, 840, 860, 870, and 880, respectively, for participating entities in a simultaneous communication, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, a simultaneous communication may be established between a user device (UE-A) 110 and an entity device (UE-B 424), as shown at 800 in FIG. 8A. In FIG. 8A, the user device (UE-A) 110 may correspond to a user A, who may initiate and / or control aspects of the simultaneous communication in a home circle (Circle A) 802 in a cluster or supercore A. User B or entity B may participate in the simultaneous communication using an entity device (UE-B 424) and may be associated with the same circle, i.e., Circle A (702), as the user A device 110. The illustration of FIG. 8A shows the steps involved in establishing a simultaneous communication. For example, the communication may be a communication call by prefixing, for example, 1334, originating from the BTAS 102 to an IMS server (106 in FIG. 1) component, i.e., IBCF 806. The IBCF 806 may perform normalization and forward to another IMS component, i.e., I-CSCF 808. The I-CSCF 808 may evaluate the Location Information Request (LIR) or Location Information Answer (LIA) and may further route the communication call to the A-party S-CSCF (810) for processing. Other steps are detailed as shown in FIG. 8A, and a participating entity (B-party) may be searched and based on this, an invite may be sent from the IMS server. Furthermore, once the B-party responds as shown in FIG. 8A, the media may be connected to the MRF 458. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication may be an on-net local call and may be charged according to the A-party / conference charging policy. Various other aspects may be possible within the scope of the present disclosure. For simplicity, only one participant entity B is shown, but it should be understood that the same steps can be applied in the case of other participating entities (similar to participant B, i.e., in the same circle) in simultaneous communication.

[0084] In one embodiment, as shown in 822 of FIG. 8B, a simultaneous communication may be established between a user device (UE-A) 110 and an entity device (UE-B 824). The user device (UE-A) 110 may correspond to a user A that may initiate and / or control aspects of the simultaneous communication in a home circle (Circle A) in a cluster or super core A. A user B or entity B may participate in the simultaneous communication using an entity device (UE-B 424) and may be associated with a different circle A in a super core B. The illustration of FIG. 8B shows the simultaneous communication steps, which may be similar to those shown in FIG. 8A, except that the participating entity (B party) may be searched from the corresponding circle B, based on which an invite may be sent from the IMS server, and the communication is established when the entity B responds.

[0085] In one embodiment, as shown at 830 in FIG. 8C, a simultaneous communication may be established between a user device (UE-A) 110 and an entity device (UE-B 424). As in FIG. 8A, the user device (UE-A) 110 may correspond to a user A that may initiate and / or control aspects of the simultaneous communication in a home circle (circle A) in a cluster or super core A. However, a user B or entity B in this example may participate in the simultaneous communication using an entity device (UE-B 424) and may be an inter-circle subscriber roaming in another circle. This means that a user B who may belong to circle B may be roaming in circle X at the time of the simultaneous communication. The illustration in FIG. 8C shows the steps involved in establishing a simultaneous communication, which may be similar to those shown in FIG. 8C, except that the participating entity (B-party) may be searched from the corresponding circle X and may send an invite from the IMS server based thereon. In an exemplary embodiment, since the B-party may be roaming, the incoming call may be charged according to a roaming policy.

[0086] In one embodiment, a simultaneous communication may be established between a user device (UE-A) and an entity device (UE-B), as shown at 840 in FIG. 8D. As in FIG. 8A, the user device (UE-A) 110 may correspond to a user A that may initiate and / or control aspects of the simultaneous communication in a home circle (Circle A) in a cluster or super core A. However, a user B or entity B in this example may participate in the simultaneous communication using an entity device (UE-B 424) and may be associated with an off-net number or service. The illustration in FIG. 8D illustrates the steps involved in establishing a simultaneous communication, which may be similar to those illustrated in FIG. 8A, except that the participating entity (B-party) may look up from the corresponding Circle X and send an invite from the IMS server based thereon, and the invite may be routed from the IMS network based on the MSISDN and RN number of the entity B or B-party device received from the MNP server. In this example, the communication may be routed through a local POI. Furthermore, since the communication may be an off-net local call, charging may be according to the A-party according to the conference charging policy.

[0087] In one embodiment, as shown at 860 in FIG. 8E, a simultaneous communication may be established between a user device (UE-A) and an entity device (UE-B). As in FIG. 8A, the user device (UE-A) 110 may correspond to a user A that may initiate and / or control aspects of the simultaneous communication in a home circle (circle A) in a cluster or super core A. However, a user B or entity B in this example may participate in the simultaneous communication using an entity device (UE-B) and may be involved in a national long distance (NLD) service. The illustration in FIG. 8E illustrates the steps involved in establishing a simultaneous communication, which may be similar to those shown in FIG. 8A, except that the invite may be routed from the IMS network based on the MSISDN of the entity B or B-party device received from the MNP server. In this example, the communication may be routed through a B-party home circle (NLD POI) established with the B-party operator. Additionally, since the communication may be NLD, charging may be according to the A-party according to the conference charging policy.

[0088] In one embodiment, a simultaneous communication may be established between a user device (UE-A) and an entity device (UE-B), as shown at 870 in FIG. 8F. As in FIG. 8A, the user device (UE-A) 110 may correspond to a user A that may initiate and / or control aspects of the simultaneous communication in a home circle (circle A) in a cluster or super core A. However, a user B or entity B in this example may participate in the simultaneous communication using an entity device (UE-B) and may relate to a National Long Distance (NLD) based off-net service. The illustration in FIG. 8F illustrates the steps involved in establishing a simultaneous communication, which may be similar to those shown in FIG. 8A, except that the invite may be routed from the IMS network based on the MSISDN and RN number of the entity B or B-party device received from the MNP server. In this example, the communication may be routed through a B-party home circle (NLD POI) established with the B-party operator. Additionally, since the communication may be an NLD based off-net local call, charging may be according to the A-party according to the conference charging policy.

[0089] In one embodiment, as shown at 880 in FIG. 8G, a simultaneous communication may be established between a user device (UE-A) and an entity device (UE-B). As in FIG. 8A, the user device (UE-A) 110 may correspond to a user A that may initiate and / or control aspects of the simultaneous communication in a home circle (circle A) in a cluster or super core A. However, a user B or entity B in this example may participate in the simultaneous communication using an entity device (UE-B) and may be related to an international subscriber or service, i.e., an international long distance (ILD) service. The illustration in FIG. 8G illustrates the steps involved in establishing a simultaneous communication, which may be similar to those shown in FIG. 8A, except that the invite may be routed from the IMS network based on the MSISDN of the entity B or B-party device. In this example, the communication may be routed from the IMS to an ILD network and may be further routed based on a corresponding ILD routing policy. Additionally, since the communication may be an international communication, charging may be according to the A-party according to the conference charging policy. Various other aspects may be possible within the scope of this disclosure. Although only one participant entity B is shown for simplicity, it should be understood that the same steps are applicable for other participating entities (similar to participant B) in simultaneous communication.

[0090] 9A-9B show example representations 900 and 940, respectively, illustrating various scenarios regarding a user initiating a simultaneous communication, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, as shown in 900 of FIG. 9A, a simultaneous communication may be established between a user device (UE-A) and an entity device (UE-B). In FIG. 9A, the user device (UE-A) may correspond to a user A that may initiate and / or control aspects of the simultaneous communication. In FIG. 9A, the user device (UE-A) may be roaming in a circle X and may be latched to an IMS network at the time of initiating the simultaneous communication. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9B, the user device (UE-A) may be roaming in a circle X, except that the user device (UE-A) may be latched to a wireless network protocol such as WIFI at the time of initiating the simultaneous communication. In both cases shown in FIG. 9A-9B, a user B or entity B may participate in the simultaneous communication using an entity device (UE-B) and may be associated with a different circle than the user A device (UE-A), i.e., circle B. The illustration of FIG. 9A shows the steps involved in establishing a simultaneous communication. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, the communication may be a communication call originating from a user A device (UE-A) to a SAAS gateway via a corresponding DNS. Furthermore, in both examples shown in FIG. 9A and 9B, an invite is sent to the BTAS, which can respond to the communication call after establishing a session with the MRF and the user device (UE-A). In one example, user A may hear a default theme music on the user device (UE-A) at the beginning of the communication call, and the default theme music may continue until a message such as "200 OK" can be received from any of the participating entities (entity B in this case). In an exemplary embodiment, if participating entity B may not respond to the call, a timeout may occur and resources may be released. In one example, a predefined duration may be set to the timeout.In an alternative exemplary embodiment, if a communication call request is not answered by all participating entities, the A-party or user A may be able to customize the corresponding fee based on a predefined policy. Various other aspects may be possible within the scope of the present disclosure. Although only one participating entity B is shown for simplicity, it should be understood that the same steps can be applied in the case of other participating entities in simultaneous communication.

[0091] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary representation of a flow diagram 1000 for facilitating a user device to establish simultaneous communications with multiple participating entities, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The flow diagram 1000 may represent a general sequence of steps for an outgoing or incoming communication. At 1002, the method may include authenticating a user device. At 1004, input information may be received from the authenticated user device. At 1006, the method may include transmitting the input information to a network device via an external server. At 1008, the method may include establishing simultaneous communications between the user device and multiple entities. In an exemplary embodiment, the external server (SAAS gateway) may perform authentication of the user device and / or applications on the user device before receiving the input information and / or communication request. In an exemplary embodiment, the authentication may be performed via a password-based authentication, such as, for example, a one-time password (OTP)-based authentication technique. In an embodiment, the OTP authentication may be performed via an interface with a Short Message Service Center (SMSC), which may operate with the SAAS gateway via a known protocol, such as Short Message Peer-to-Peer (SMPP). In one example, the SMSC may assist in generating and / or verifying an OTP message that may be used to validate the user device running the application. It should be understood that authentication is not limited to the mentioned techniques and various other mechanisms are possible within the scope of this disclosure. In an exemplary embodiment, the network device or the BTAS may receive input information such as, for example, a list of participating entities, conference request actions (e.g., add / remove / mute / unmute related actions), etc. For example, the BTAS may process conference participant list and / or status notifications by the user device application on a RESTful interface received via the SAAS gateway. The SAAS gateway may manage a web socket connection with the user device and convert the received request to HTTP / Rest and further send it to the BTAS.In one example, the network device or BTAS may include an application for simultaneous communication that may be executed together with the general BTAS application in the payload blade. For example, the application may evaluate and understand the request received from the user device and initiate a call on behalf of the user towards the participant, for example, via VOLTE TAS. The input information may be received from the user device application via a web socket via F5 at an external server (SAAS gateway). The received information may be forwarded (e.g., RESTful) towards the subscriber's home circle BTAS. F5 is a load balancer that may be used to receive the request from the user device application on the web socket and forward it to an available SAAS gateway, and once the SAAS gateway is able to process the request and forward it to the user device application, it may be sent to F5. In one example, F5 may check the request, identify available BTAS applications, and forward it based on an even distribution. Various other protocols may be used within the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, simultaneous communication allows a conference call to be established without the need to sequentially add participating entities. This may significantly reduce the conference establishment time and may also allow for optimizing the effective use of airtime.

[0092] FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary computer system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure that can utilize or with which an embodiment of the present disclosure can be utilized. As shown in FIG. 11, computer system 1100 can include an external storage device 1110, a bus 1120, a main memory 1130, a read-only memory 1140, a mass storage device 1150, a communication port 1160, and a processor 1170. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a computer system can include more than one processor and communication port. Processor 1170 can include various modules associated with embodiments of the present invention. Communication port 1160 can be an RS-232 port for use with a modem-based dial-up connection, a 10 / 100 Ethernet port, a gigabit or 10 gigabit port using copper or fiber, a serial port, a parallel port, or any other existing or future port. Communication port 1160 can be selected depending on the network or any network to which the computer system connects. Memory 1130 can be a random access memory (RAM) or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art. Read-only memory 1140 may be any static storage device. Mass storage 1150 may be any present or future mass storage solution that can be used to store information and / or instructions.

[0093] The bus 1120 communicatively couples the processor 1170 to other memory, storage, and communication blocks.

[0094] Optionally, operator and management interfaces such as a display, keyboard, and cursor control devices may also be coupled to bus 1120 to support direct operator interaction with the computer system. Other operator and management interfaces may be provided through a network connection connected through communications port 1160. The above components are intended only to illustrate various possibilities. The foregoing exemplary computer system is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0095] Although the embodiments herein are described with respect to a network device or BTAS, it should be understood that the proposed system and method may be implemented in any computing device or external device without departing from the scope of the present invention. This disclosure may relate to 3GPP specifications, such as, for example, 3GPP TS 29.198-04-5, Version 9.0.0, Release 9.

[0096] Although considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the preferred embodiment, it should be understood that many embodiments may be made and many changes may be made in the preferred embodiment without departing from the principles of the invention. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, and it should be clearly understood that the foregoing description is to be taken merely as illustrative and not limiting of the invention.

[0097] Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to intellectual property rights, including but not limited to copyright, designs, trademarks, IC layout designs, and / or trade dress protection, belonging to Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) or its affiliates (hereinafter referred to as the Owner). The Owner has no objection to anyone copying this patent document or the patent disclosure to the extent that it appears in a Patent and Trademark Office patent application or records, but otherwise reserves all rights. All rights to such intellectual property are fully reserved by the Owner.

[0098] Advantages of the present disclosure The present disclosure provides systems and methods for facilitating efficient, simultaneous, and improved communication with multiple participating entities.

[0099] The present disclosure provides an economical, next generation based system and method that can eliminate the need to sequentially add each participating entity to a simultaneous communication, thus making the process less tedious and more user friendly.

[0100] The present disclosure provides a system and method for enabling participating entities to participate in a conference communication or call while avoiding the need to install application / utility software on the participating entities' corresponding devices, thereby significantly reducing the dependency on establishing a conference communication and facilitating consideration of the feasibility and usefulness of large-scale use of conferencing applications.

[0101] The present disclosure provides systems and methods that can enable instant communication with multiple contacts regardless of the location of the users and / or participating entities.

Claims

1. 1. A system (100) for facilitating a user device (110) establishing communications of the user device (110) with a plurality of participating entities (108), the system (100) comprising: A network device (102) associated with a service provider providing network services to the user device (110), the network device (102) communicatively coupled to the plurality of participating entities (108), the network device (102) comprising one or more processors (202) coupled to a memory (204), the memory (204) being configured, when executed by the one or more processors (202), to provide the system (100) with: receiving, via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server (106) communicatively operable with a server (104) associated with the network device (102), a routed request derived based on an original request from the user device (110), the original request indicating a requirement for establishing conference communications with the plurality of participating entities (108); extracting a first set of attributes associated with a list of pre-stored contact numbers associated with the plurality of participating entities (108) based on the received routed request; extracting a second set of attributes associated with a combination of input information and one or more desired actions to be implemented associated with the input information based on the received routed request; instructions for invoking call legs that initiate simultaneous communication with the plurality of participating entities (108) based on the extracted first and second sets of attributes; and based on the invoked call leg, the IMS server (106) establishes the simultaneous communication between the user device (110) and the multiple participating entities (108). System (100).

2. 2. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein a user can access a set of executable instructions installed on the user device (110) to enable the user device (110) to transmit either or a combination of the input information and the original request over a predefined medium.

3. 2. The system (100) of claim 1, further configured to authenticate the user device (110) via the server (104) prior to receiving any or a combination of the input information and the original request.

4. 2. The system (100) of claim 1, configured to simultaneously establish the simultaneous communications between the user device (110) and the multiple participating entities (108) to avoid sequential establishment of the simultaneous communications.

5. 2. The system (100) of claim 1, configured to allow a user to customize one or more features of the simultaneous communication, the one or more features including any one or combination of adding or removing one or more participating entities, muting or unmuting the one or more participating entities, creating or scheduling an ad-hoc communication, and obtaining a respective status of the one or more participating entities in the simultaneous communication.

6. 2. The system (100) of claim 1, configured to obtain a status of a plurality of entity devices corresponding to the joined plurality of participating entities prior to the commencement of the simultaneous communication, the status of the plurality of entity devices corresponding to the joined plurality of participating entities indicating availability of the joined plurality of participating entities prior to the commencement of the simultaneous communication.

7. 2. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of participating entities (108) are associated with different service providers, and the system (100) is configured to establish the simultaneous communications with the one or more participating entities associated with the different service providers.

8. The system (100) of claim 1, configured to establish communication between the user device (110) and a single entity.

9. 2. The system (100) of claim 1, configured to establish the simultaneous communications in the case of either or a combination of scheduled communications or dynamic calls, where the scheduled communications relate to communications scheduled in advance and the dynamic calls relate to communications established randomly without prior planning.

10. 2. The system (100) of claim 1, configured to connect the user device (110) with each entity device of the plurality of participating entities (108) via a conference communication call including at least one of an audio call, a video call, or a combination thereof.

11. The system (100) of claim 1, configured to facilitate said simultaneous communication via an exchange of communication data comprising at least one of text data, video data, and audio data.

12. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the network device is configured to send a status notification to the set of executable instructions on the user device via the server.

13. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the network device (102) is configured to process functionality related to service billing.

14. A User Equipment (UE) (110) for establishing communication with a plurality of participating entities (108), the UE (110) comprising: a processor (222) associated with a service provider providing network services to the UE (110), the UE (110) being communicatively coupled to the plurality of participating entities (108), the processor (222) coupled to a memory (224), the memory (224), when executed by the processor (222), for providing to the UE (110) initiating simultaneous communication with the plurality of participating entities (108) by sending an original request indicating a requirement for establishing conference communication with the plurality of participating entities (108); receiving, in response to the initiation of the simultaneous communication, via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server (106) communicatively operable with a server (104) associated with the UE (110), a routed request derived based on the original request from the UE (110); extracting a first set of attributes associated with a list of pre-stored contact numbers associated with the plurality of participating entities (108) based on the received routed request; extracting a second set of attributes associated with a combination of input information and one or more desired actions to be implemented associated with the input information based on the received routed request; invoking call legs that initiate said simultaneous communications with said plurality of participating entities (108) based on said extracted first and second sets of attributes; Based on the invoked call legs, the simultaneous communications of the UE (110) are established with the multiple participating entities (108). The processor (222) stores instructions. The UE (110).

15. The UE (110) of claim 14, wherein the simultaneous communication is initiated by using a set of executable instructions on the UE (110).

16. 16. The UE (110) of claim 15, further comprising: a set of executable instructions on the UE (110) for transmitting a conference communication request to the server (104) together with the input information, the request being forwarded to a network device to establish the simultaneous communication.

17. 1. A method for facilitating a user device to establish communications with a plurality of participating entities, comprising: receiving, by a network device, via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server communicatively operative with a server associated with the network device, a routed request derived based on an original request from the user device, the original request indicating a requirement to establish conference communications with the plurality of participating entities, the network device being associated with a service provider that provides network services to the user device, the network device being communicatively coupled to the plurality of participating entities, the network device comprising one or more processors coupled to a memory, the memory storing instructions executed by the one or more processors; extracting, by the network device, a first set of attributes associated with a list of pre-stored contact numbers associated with the plurality of participating entities based on the received routed request; extracting, by the network device, a second set of attributes associated with a combination of input information and one or more desired actions to be implemented associated with the input information based on the received routed request; invoking, by the network device, call legs that initiate simultaneous communication with the plurality of participating entities based on the extracted first and second sets of attributes; Including, based on the invoked call leg, the IMS server establishes the simultaneous communication between the user device and the multiple participating entities. method.

18. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein a user can access a set of executable instructions installed on the user device to enable the user device to transmit either or a combination of the input information and the original request over a predefined medium.

19. 20. The method of claim 17, comprising authenticating the user device via the server prior to receiving either or a combination of the input information and the original request.

20. 20. The method of claim 17, comprising simultaneously establishing the simultaneous communications between the user device and the multiple participating entities to avoid sequential establishment of the simultaneous communications.

21. 20. The method of claim 17, comprising allowing a user to customize one or more features of the simultaneous communication, the one or more features including any one or combination of adding or removing one or more participating entities, muting or unmuting the one or more participating entities, creating or scheduling an ad-hoc communication, and obtaining a respective status of the one or more participating entities in the simultaneous communication.

22. 20. The method of claim 17, comprising obtaining a status of a plurality of entity devices corresponding to the joined plurality of participating entities prior to the commencement of the simultaneous communication, the status of the plurality of entity devices corresponding to the joined plurality of participating entities indicating availability of the joined plurality of participating entities prior to the commencement of the simultaneous communication.

23. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein one or more of the participating entities of the plurality of participating entities are associated with different service providers, and comprising establishing the simultaneous communications with the one or more participating entities associated with the different service providers.

24. The method of claim 17, comprising establishing communication between the user device and a single entity.

25. 20. The method of claim 17, comprising establishing the simultaneous communications in the case of either or a combination of scheduled communications or dynamic calls, where the scheduled communications relate to communications scheduled in advance and the dynamic calls relate to communications established randomly without prior planning.

26. 20. The method of claim 17, comprising connecting the user device with each entity device of the plurality of participating entities via a conference communication call including at least one of an audio call, a video call, or a combination thereof.

27. 20. The method of claim 17, comprising facilitating said simultaneous communication through an exchange of communication data including at least one of text data, video data, and audio data.

28. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the network device is configured to send a status notification to the set of executable instructions on the user device via the server.

29. The method of claim 17 , wherein the network device is configured to process functions related to service charging.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing machine-executable instructions executable by a processor, the machine-executable instructions comprising: receiving a routed request derived based on an original request from a user device via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server (106) communicatively operable with a server (104) associated with a network device (102) operatively coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium, the original request indicating a requirement for establishing conference communications with a plurality of participating entities (108), the network device (102) being associated with a service provider that provides network services to the user device, the network device (102) being communicatively coupled to the plurality of participating entities (108); extracting a first set of attributes associated with a list of pre-stored contact numbers associated with the plurality of participating entities (108) based on the received routed request; extracting a second set of attributes associated with a combination of input information and one or more desired actions to be implemented associated with the input information based on the received routed request; invoking call legs that initiate simultaneous communications with the respective plurality of participating entities (108) based on the extracted first and second sets of attributes; Based on the invoked call leg, the IMS server (106) establishes the simultaneous communication between the user device and the multiple participating entities (108). The non-transitory computer-readable medium.

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