Telecommunication and multimedia management method and apparatus

• US 10,129,191 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2018
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Katis, Thomas E., Panttaja, James T., Panttaja, Mary G., Ranney, Matthew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US15/923,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20180205683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 242 Days
• Field of Search: 379 9301, 348 1401, 348 1402, 348 1412, 709204, 709205, 709217, 709218, 709227
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/126 Foldable, retractable or tiltable tribunes E04H3/123 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• 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 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A telecommunication and multimedia management apparatus and method that supports voice and other media communications and that enables users to: (i) participate in multiple conversation modes, including live phone calls, conference calls, instant voice messaging or tactical communications; (ii) review the messages of conversations in either a live mode or a time-shifted mode and to seamlessly transition back and forth between the two modes; (iii) participate in multiple conversations either concurrently or simultaneously; (iv) archive the messages of conversations for later review or processing; and (v) persistently store media either created or received on the communication devices of users. The latter feature enables users to generate or review media when either disconnected from the network or network conditions are poor and to optimize the delivery of media over the network based on network conditions and the intention of the users participating in conversations.

Claims

1. A video communication system the video communication system configured to:

receive identifier information associated with a video communication received from a first communication device, the identifier information identifying a recipient of the video communication;

ascertain, in response to receipt of the identifier information, a location on a network for a second communication device associated with the recipient respectively;

receive a transmission of the video communication from the first communication device;

store the video communication in storage accessible by the video communication system; and

deliver portions of the video communication to the second communication device at the ascertained location, the delivery enabling the video communication to be at least partially rendered at the second communication device while the video communication is transmitted by the first communication device,

wherein the first communication device is arranged to transmit the video communication without having to first establish an end-to-end connection over the network between the first communication device and the second communication device.

2. The video communication system of claim 1, wherein the first communication device is arranged to transmit the video communication to the video communication system independently of the video communication system ascertaining the location for the second communication device.

3. The video communication system of claim 1, wherein the first communication device is arranged to transmit the video communication to the video communication system regardless of whether the second communication device is available or not available on the network.

4. The video communication system of claim 1, further configured to provide a notice to the second communication device of the video communication.

5. The video communication system of claim 1, wherein the video communication system comprises a plurality of servers that are collectively configured to receive the identifier information, ascertain the location, receive the transmission of the video communication, store the video communication and deliver the video communication to the second communication device.

6. The video communication system of claim 1, wherein the identifier information identifies a group of recipients.

7. The video communication system of claim 1, wherein the portions of the video communication delivered to the second communication device are packets containing media payloads.

8. The video communication system of claim 1, wherein the video communication system is further configured to deliver the stored video communication to the second communication device for review in a time-shifted mode.

9. The video communication system of claim 1, wherein the location is an IP address for the second communication device, wherein the IP address is used to locate the second communication device on the network when connected to the network.

10. The video communication system of claim 1, wherein the video communication system enables the video communication to be at least partially rendered, without having to first establish the end-to-end connection(s), by ascertaining the location while the transmission of the video communication from the first communication device is in progress.

11. The video communication system of claim 1, wherein the video communication system is further configured to encrypt the video communication.

12. The video communication system of claim 1, wherein the video communication system is further configured to trans-code the video communication.

13. The video communication system of claim 1, further comprising an application on the first communication device, the application configured to enable the first communication device to:

identify the recipient;

transmit the identifier information to the video communication system; and

stream the video communication to the video communication system while the video communication is created,

wherein the application is arranged to transmit the identifier information and stream the video communication to the video communication system;

without having to first establish the end-to-end connection over the network between the first communication device and the second communication device;

independently of the video communication system ascertaining the location for the second communication device on the network; and

regardless of whether the second communication device is available or not available on the network.

14. The video communication system of claim 1, further comprising an application on the second communication device, the application providing rendering options to:

at least partially render the video communication while the video communication is transmitted by the first communication device; and

render the video communication in a time-shifted mode.

15. The video communication system of claim 1, further configured to generate a notification of the video communication at the second communication device.

16. A communication method performed on a video communication system connected to a network, the video communication system:

receiving a video communication from a sender addressed to a recipient, the video communication having recipient identification information associated therewith;

ascertaining, using the recipient identification information, a location for delivering the video communication to a communication device associated with the recipient, the location ascertained before the video communication system receives all of the video communication in its entirety; and

delivering, over the network, portions of the video communication to the communication device using the ascertained location, the delivery occurring while the video communication is received by the video communication system from the sender,

whereby the ascertaining of the location, before all of the video communication is received in its entirety, enabling the video communication to be at least partially rendered at the communication device by the recipient while the sender is sending the video communication without first establishing over the network an end-to-end connection between a sending communication device associated with the sender and the communication device associated with the recipient.

17. The communication method of claim 16, further comprising receiving at the video communication system the video communication from the sending communication device independently of the video communication system ascertaining the location.

18. The communication method of claim 16, further comprising receiving the video communication at the video communication system from the sending communication device regardless whether the communication device associated with the recipient is available or not available on the network while the video communication is sent by the sender.

19. The communication method of claim 16, further comprising providing a notice at the communication device for the video communication.

20. The communication method of claim 16, further comprising delivering the video communication out of storage to the communication device for review in a time-shifted mode.

21. The communication method of claim 16, wherein the portions the video communication delivered to the communication device are packets containing media payloads.

22. The communication method of claim 16, further comprising:

providing an application to run on the sending communication device, the application configured to enable the sending communication device to;

identify the recipient;

send the recipient identifier information to the video communication system; and

stream the video communication to the video communication system,

wherein the application is arranged to send the recipient identifier information and stream the video communication to the video communication system;

without having to first establish the end-to-end connection over the network between the sending communication device and the communication device associated with the recipient;

independently of the video communication system ascertaining the location of the communication device associated with the recipient; and

regardless of whether the communication device associated with the recipient is available on or not available on the network.

23. The communication method of claim 16, further comprising:

providing an application to run on the communication device associated with the recipient, the application enabling the communication device to;

at least partially render the video communication while the portions of the video communication is delivered; and

render the video communication in a time-shifted mode.

24. The communication method of claim 16, wherein the video communication system includes a plurality of servers that are collectively configured to receive the identifier information, ascertain the location, receive the video communication, store the video communication and deliver the video communication to the communication device associated with the recipient.

25. The communication method of claim 16, wherein the video communication system transcodes the video communication.

26. The communication method of claim 16, wherein the video communication system encrypts the video communication.

27. The communication method of claim 16, wherein the recipient identification information includes a plurality of identifiers associated with a plurality of recipients and the plurality of identifiers is used to identify a delivery location for a plurality of communication devices connected to the network and associated with the plurality of recipients respectively.

28. The communication method of claim 16, wherein ascertaining the location for the communication device further comprises ascertaining an IP address for the communication device, the IP address used to locate and deliver the video communication to the communication device when connected to the network.

29. The communication method of claim 16, wherein the recipient identification information includes identification information for plurality of recipients;

and

delivering the portions of the video communication further comprises delivering the video communication to a plurality of communication devices associated with the plurality of recipients using locations on the network ascertained from the identification information for the plurality of recipients respectively,

wherein the delivery of the portions of the video communication enables each of the plurality of recipients to at least partially render the video communication while the sender is sending the video communication.

30. The communication method of claim 16, wherein the recipient identification information identifies a plurality of recipients and the video communication system:

ascertaining locations for the video communication to a plurality of communication devices associated with the plurality of recipients; and

delivering the video communication to the plurality of communication device, the delivery occurring while the video communication is being received by the video communication system from the sender,

wherein each of the plurality of recipients is enabled to at least partially render the video communication while the sender is sending the video communication.