Monitoring and controlling the status of a communication session

• US 10,516,703 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2017
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Precision Biometrics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Precision Biometrics, Inc.
• Inventors: Peters, Michael Lawrence, Marcarian, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjob
• Application Number:
  US15/452,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20170257400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1066 Session management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42

Abstract

Embodiments are directed to a communication-session (CS) module that monitors the status of a communication session and at least partially controls the status. The CS module provides a party participating in a communication session an indication of whether a status of a microphone the user is employing to participate in an audio and/or video communication session is in a mute (or off) state, or whether the microphone status is in a live (or on) state. Likewise, a CS module may indicate to a user whether a status of a camera that the user is employing to participate in a video communication session is in an off state, or whether the camera status is in an on (or live) state. As such, a CS module provides users reminders of whether or not the microphone and/or camera, is in a live state, a mute state, or is otherwise turned on or off.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a communication-session (CS) status of one or more communication sessions between a computing device and one or more other computing devices over a network, wherein the computing device performs actions of the method, comprising:

associating, over the network, a local CS module with the one or more communication sessions, wherein at least one of one or more local microphones or one or more local cameras are employed by the computing device to participate in the one or more communication sessions;

employing the one or more local microphones to detect utterance of one or more of a forbidden keyword or a forbidden phrase during the one or more communication sessions;

automatically substituting the one or more forbidden keyword or the forbidden phrase with a pre-selected non-forbidden keyword or non-forbidden phrase for transmission in the one or more communication sessions, wherein the one or more forbidden keyword or the forbidden phrase is blocked from transmission in the one or more communication sessions;

determining a physical proximity of a user to the computing device during participation in the one or more communication sessions;

providing, over the network, the CS status of the one or more communication sessions, wherein the CS status includes at least one of a status of the one or more local microphones, the user'"'"'s physical proximity, or a status of the one or more local cameras at the computing device, and wherein a proximity sensor is employed to detect the user'"'"'s physical proximity;

employing the local CS module to provide one or more local status indicators based on the CS status, wherein the one or more status indicators indicate at least one of the status of the one or more local microphones, an alert when the user'"'"'s physical proximity away from the computing device is greater than a distance threshold for participation in the one or more communication sessions, or the status of the one or more local cameras; and

in response to an update of the CS status, updating the one or more local status indicators based on the updated CS status.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to update the CS status based on a user selection of one or more CS controls included in the local CS module;

updating the CS status based on the received request; and

updating the one or more local status indicators based on the updated CS status.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

employing one or more event sensors included in the local CS module to detect one or more trigger events;

updating the CS status based on the trigger event; and

updating the one or more local status indicators based on the updated CS status.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more local status indicators include at least one of one or more visual indicators, one or more audible indicators, or one or more haptic indicators.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

training the local CS module to recognize a voice specific to the user of the local CS module.

6. A computing device that employs a local communication-session (CS) module for monitoring a CS status of one or more communication sessions with one or more other computing devices over a network, comprising:

one or more local status indicators;

one or more event sensors;

one or more controls; and

one or more hardware processor devices that perform actions, including;

associating, over the network, the local CS module with the one or more communication sessions, wherein at least one of one or more local microphones or one or more local cameras are employed to participate in the one or more communication sessions;

employing the one or more local microphones to detect utterance of one or more of a forbidden keyword or a forbidden phrase during the one or more communication sessions;

automatically substituting the one or more forbidden keyword or the forbidden phrase with a pre-selected non-forbidden keyword or non-forbidden phrase for transmission in the one or more communication sessions, wherein the one or more forbidden keyword or the forbidden phrase is blocked from transmission in the one or more communication sessions;

determining a physical proximity of a user to the computing device during participation in the one or more communication sessions;

providing, over the network, the CS status of the one or more communication sessions, wherein the CS status includes at least one of a status of the one or more local microphones, the user'"'"'s physical proximity, or a status of the one or more local cameras at the computing device, and wherein a proximity sensor is employed to detect the user'"'"'s physical proximity;

controlling a mode of the one or more local status indicators based on the CS status, wherein the mode of the one or more local status indicators indicates at least one of the status of the one or more local microphones, an alert when the user'"'"'s physical proximity away from the computing device is greater than a distance threshold for participation in the one or more communication sessions, or the status of the one or more local cameras; and

in response to an update of the CS status, updating the mode of the one or more local status indicators based on the updated CS status.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein

the one or more local status indicators includes one or more of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), audio emitters, or haptic interfaces;

the one or more event sensors includes one or more of light photon sensors or audio sensors; and

the one or more controls includes one or more of a keypad or a touch interface.

8. The computing device of claim 6 further comprising at least one of a coupler that couples the CS module to one or more of a display of a computer employed to participate in the one or more communication sessions or a rechargeable power source.

9. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the update of the CS status includes at least one of transitioning the one or more of local microphones between a mute state and an on state or transitioning the one or more local cameras between an off state and an on state.

10. The computing device of claim 6, wherein

the one or more local status indicators indicates at least one of whether the one or more local microphones is in a mute state or whether the one or more local cameras is in an off state;

and

the one or more controls generate a request to transition at least one of the one or more local microphones to the mute state or the one or more local cameras to the off state.

11. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the local CS module is implemented as one or more of a separate physical device, a software module, or a firmware module.

12. A processor readable non-transitory storage media that includes instructions to monitor a communication-session (CS) status of one or more communication sessions between a computer, wherein execution of the instructions by one or more processor devices of the computer performs actions, comprising:

associating, over a network, a local CS module with the one or more communication sessions, wherein at least one of one or more local microphones or one or more local cameras are employed by the computing device to participate in the one or more communication sessions;

employing the one or more local microphones to detect utterance of one or more of a forbidden keyword or a forbidden phrase during the one or more communication sessions;

automatically substituting the one or more forbidden keyword or the forbidden phrase with a pre-selected non-forbidden keyword or non-forbidden phrase for transmission in the one or more communication sessions, wherein the one or more forbidden keyword or the forbidden phrase is blocked from transmission in the one or more communication sessions;

determining a physical proximity of a user to the computing device during participation in the one or more communication sessions;

providing, over the network, the CS status of the one or more communication sessions, wherein the CS status includes at least one of a status of the one or more local microphones, the user'"'"'s physical proximity, or a status of the one or more local cameras at the computing device, and wherein a proximity sensor is employed to detect the user'"'"'s physical proximity;

employing the local CS module to provide one or more local status indicators based on the CS status, wherein the one or more status indicators indicate at least one of the status of the one or more local microphones, an alert when the user'"'"'s physical proximity away from the computing device is greater than a distance threshold for participation in the one or more communication sessions, or the status of the one or more local cameras; and

in response to an update of the CS status, updating the one or more local status indicators based on the updated CS status.

13. The media of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a request to update the CS status based on a user selection of one or more CS controls included in the local CS module;

updating the CS status based on the received request; and

updating the one or more local status indicators based on the updated CS status.

14. The media of claim 12, further comprising:

employing one or more event sensors included in the local CS module to detect one or more trigger events;

updating the CS status based on the trigger event; and

updating the one or more local status indicators based on the updated CS status.

15. The media of claim 12, wherein the one or more local status indicators include at least one of one or more visual indicators, one or more audible indicators, or one or more haptic indicators.

16. The media of claim 12, further comprising:

training the local CS module to recognize a voice specific to the user of the local CS module.