Method and system for moving phone call participation between carrier and data networks

• US 10,097,694 B1
• Filed: 12/26/2013
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Salisbury, Dylan, Reilly, Matthew, Jawad, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): KRUEGER, KENT K
• Application Number:
  US14/140,953
• Time in Patent Office: 1,748 Days
• Field of Search: 379 9309, 379 9314, 37910015, 37922001, 37922107, 379231, 37926509, 379272-273, 379290, 3703102, 370326, 370329, 370331, 370335, 370337, 370353, 370354, 370259-271
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

A system and method for providing a communication session is provided. The system and method include a client device in communication with a plurality of communication networks. The system and method further includes a server also in communication with the plurality of communication networks. The client device includes a network monitor module and a dialer module. The network monitor module determines which networks to utilize in the communication session, and the dialer module initiates and terminates the communication session. The server receives a data signal associated with the communication session from the selected communication network. The server places a separate call to the recipient client device and completes the connection from the client device to the recipient client device by sending the data signal over the phone call to the recipient client device.

Claims

1. A server configured to conduct a communication session and configured to coordinate the signaling of the communication session, the server comprising:

at least one processor;

a network interface configured to communicatively couple the server to a plurality of communication networks including at least one carrier network and at least one data network; and

a media mixing module running a media mixing service on the server configured as a central service that coordinates a signaling path between a plurality of client devices, the coordination of the signaling path includes;

receiving, by the server, a first individual phone call and a second individual phone call from an individual client device of the plurality of client devices, wherein the first individual phone call is received over either one of the at least one carrier network or the at least one data network, and the second individual phone call is received over the other of the at least one carrier network or the at least one data network;

placing, by the server, a third individual phone call to another individual client device of the plurality of client devices identified in the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call;

joining, by the server, each of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call with the third individual phone call to form a communication session sharing data between the individual client device and the another individual client device of the plurality of client devices;

after joining each of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call with the third individual phone call, monitoring, by the server, whether each of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call has an active connection, and monitoring, by the server, whether the third individual phone call has an active connection; and

maintaining, by the server, the communication session sharing data between the individual client device and the another individual client device based on the monitoring of the active connection of each of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call, and based on the monitoring of the active connection of the third individual phone call.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the coordination of the signaling path by the media mixing service implements an outbound phone call interception technique, the outbound interception technique comprises:

receiving a message from an initiating client device at the media mixing module of the server, the message containing a phone number of the initiating client device and a phone number of a remote client device;

returning a shadow phone number to the initiating client device, the shadow number is configured to call the media mixing module of the server;

receiving a first phone call from the initiating client device at the media mixing module of the server over the shadow number;

placing a second phone call to the remote client device from the media mixing module of the server over the phone number of the remote client device; and

joining the first phone call and the second phone call.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein the coordination of the signaling path by the media mixing service implements an inbound phone call interception technique, the inbound interception technique comprises:

receiving a first phone call from an initiating client device over a service phone number assigned to a recipient client device, the service phone number is configured to connect directly to the media mixing module of the server;

placing a second phone call to the remote client device from the media mixing module of the server; and

joining the first phone call and the second phone call.

4. The server of claim 3, wherein placing the second phone call to the remote client device from the media mixing module of the server comprises placing the second phone call to more than one client device associated with the recipient client device.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call to the media mixing service each comprises at least one of audio data and video data and the media mixing service shares the at least one of audio data and video data among each of the individual client device and the another individual client device of the plurality of client devices involved in the communication session.

6. The server of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises a media session data joining module running a data joining service and wherein when one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call is terminated over the at least one data network,

the data joining service moves the other one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call that is over the at least one carrier network to the at least one data network by sending a message containing an identifier of the communication session to the individual client device, the identifier enables the individual client device to join the communication session over the at least one data network.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises a media session data joining module running a data joining service and wherein when one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call is terminated over the at least one data network,

the data joining service provides an Application Protocol Interface (API) configured to provide an identifier to the other one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call that is over the at least one carrier network upon request from the individual client device, the identifier enables the individual client device to join the communication session over the at least one data network.

8. The server of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises a connection number module running a connection service and wherein when one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call is terminated over the at least one carrier network,

the connection service moves the other one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call that is over the at least one data network to the at least one carrier network by sending a message containing an identifier of the communication session to the individual client device, the identifier enables the individual client device to join the communication session over the at least one carrier network.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the identifier is a connection number, the connection number directs the individual client device to the communication session.

10. The server of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises connection number module running a connection service and wherein when one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call is terminated over the at least one carrier network,

the connection service moves the other one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call that is over the at least one data network to the at least one carrier network by providing a previously known phone number to the individual client device, the previously known phone number directs phone calls to the communication session coordinated by the media mixing service over the at least one carrier network.

11. The server of claim 1, wherein the media mixing module receives a phone call from the individual client device of the plurality of client devices over a phone number previously stored at the individual client device, the phone number is configured to directly call the media mixing module, and based on identification information associated with the phone call from the individual client device, the media mixing service will join the individual client device to the communication session over the at least one carrier network.

12. The server claim 1, wherein maintaining the communication session sharing data between the individual client device and the another individual client device comprises utilizing both the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call to maintain the communication session based on the monitoring of the active connection of each of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call.

13. The server claim 1, wherein maintaining the communication session sharing data between the individual client device and the another individual client device comprises utilizing one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call to maintain the communication session based on the monitoring of the active connection of each of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call.

14. A method of providing a communication session and coordination of signaling for the communication session is performed by a server, the method comprising:

running a central service on a media mixing module of the server that coordinates a signaling path between a first client device and a second client device;

receiving a first data signal and a second data signal from the first client device at the media mixing module of the server, the first data signal and the second data signal including media data from the first client device and an identifier of the second client device, wherein the first data signal is received over either one of a carrier network or a data network, and the second data signal is received over the other of the carrier network or the data network;

conducting a first phone call between the first client device and the media mixing module of the server based on the first data signal and the second data signal received from the first client device;

initiating a second phone call from the media mixing module of the server to the second client device based on the identifier included in the first data signal and the second data signal from the first client device;

connecting the second client device to the media mixing module of the server over the second phone call;

receiving a third data signal from the second client device at the media mixing module of the server, the third data signal including media data from the second client device;

joining each of the first data signal and the second data signal of the first client device with the third data signal of the second client device in a media mixing communication session;

after joining each of the first data signal and the second data signal of the first client device with the third data signal of the second client device, monitoring whether each of the first data signal and the second data signal has an active connection, and monitoring whether the third data signal has an active connection; and

maintaining the media mixing communication session between the first client device and the second client device based on the monitoring of the active connection of each of the first data signal and the second data signal, and based on the monitoring of the active connection of the third data signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein when one of the first data signal and the second data signal is terminated over either one of the carrier network or the data network, the method further comprises:

moving the other one of the first data signal and the second data signal to the other of the carrier network or the data network based on a received request to move.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein moving the other one of the first data signal and the second data signal to the other of the carrier network or the data network comprises:

receiving the request to move to the other of the carrier network or the data network from the first client device;

sending an identifier of the media mixing communication session to the first client device;

receiving a third phone call transmitting a fourth data signal over the other of the carrier network or the data network from the first client device, the fourth data signal being redundant to the other one of the first data signal and the second data signal; and

joining the fourth data signal to the media mixing communication session over the other of the carrier network or the data network.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising terminating the first phone call based on the fourth data signal transmitted over the third phone call.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the received request to move is a request to move to the data network and sending the identifier of the media mixing communication session is performed by an Application Protocol Interface (API) hosted by the server.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the received request to move is a request to move to the carrier network and sending the identifier of the media mixing communication session comprises sending a connection number configured to connect to the media mixing communication session.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the media mixing communication session is sharing audio data between the first client device and the second client device, and the method further comprises:

receiving a request to switch from the audio data to multimedia data;

receiving the multimedia data over at least one of the first data signal from the first client device, the second data signal from the first client device, and the third data signal from the second client device; and

sharing the multimedia data over the media mixing communication session.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the third data signal is received over either one of the carrier network or the data network, and the method further comprises:

receiving a request to move the third data signal to the other of the carrier network or the data network from the second client device;

sending an identifier of the media mixing communication session to the second client device;

receiving a third phone call transmitting a fourth data signal over the other of the carrier network or the data network from the second client device, the fourth data signal being redundant to the third data signal; and

joining the fourth data signal to the media mixing communication session over the other of the carrier network or the data network.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising terminating the second phone call based on the fourth data signal transmitted over the third phone call.

23. A non-transitory computer readable storage device for providing a media mixing communication session between a plurality of client devices, the computer readable storage device having computer executable instructions for performing the steps of:

running a central service on a media mixing module of a server that coordinates a signaling path between each of the plurality of client devices;

receiving a first data signal and a second data signal from a first client device at the media mixing module of the server, the first data signal and the second data signal including media data from the first client device and an identifier of a second client device, wherein the first data signal is received over either one of a carrier network or a data network, and the second data signal is received over the other of the carrier network or the data network;

conducting a first phone call between the first client device and the media mixing module of the server based on the first data signal and the second data signal received from the first client device;

initiating a second phone call from the media mixing module of the server to the second client device based on the identifier included in the first data signal and the second data signal from the first client device;

connecting the second client device to the media mixing module of the server over the second phone call;

receiving a third data signal from the second client device at the media mixing module of the server, the third data signal including media data from the second client device;

joining each of the first data signal and the second data signal of the first client device with the third data signal of the second client device in the media mixing communication session;

after joining each of the first data signal and the second data signal of the first client device with the third data signal of the second client device, monitoring whether each of the first data signal and the second data signal has an active connection, and monitoring whether the third data signal has an active connection; and

maintaining the media mixing communication session between the first client device and the second client device based on the monitoring of the active connection of each of the first data signal and the second data signal, and based on the monitoring of the active connection of the third data signal.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 23, wherein when one of the first data signal and the second data signal is terminated over either one of carrier network or the data network, the computer readable storage device further comprises instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving a request to move the other one of the first data signal and the second data signal to the other of the carrier network or the data network from the first client device;

sending an identifier of the media mixing communication session to the first client device;

receiving a third phone call transmitting a fourth data signal over the other of the carrier network or the data network from the first client device, the fourth data signal being redundant to the other one of the first data signal and the second data signal; and

joining the fourth data signal to the media mixing communication session over the other of the carrier network or the data network.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 23, wherein the media mixing communication session is sharing audio data between the first client device and the second client device, and the computer readable storage device further comprises instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving a request to switch from the audio data to multimedia data;

receiving the multimedia data over at least one of the first data signal from the first client device, the second data signal from the first client device, and the third data signal from the second client device; and

sharing the multimedia data over the media mixing communication session.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 23, wherein the third data signal is received over either one of the carrier network or the data network, and the computer readable storage device further comprises instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving a request to move the third data signal to the other of the carrier network or the data network from the second client device;

sending an identifier of the media mixing communication session to the second client device;

receiving a third phone call transmitting a fourth data signal over the other of the carrier network or the data network from the second client device, the fourth data signal being redundant to the third data signal; and

joining the fourth data signal to the media mixing communication session over the other of the carrier network or the data network.