Providing secure, instantaneous, directory-integrated, multiparty, communications services

• US 20020078153A1
• Filed: 11/02/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TTI Inventions B LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: TTI Inventions B LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Long, Michael, Crescenzo, Giovanni Di, Graveman, Richard, Chung, Chit, Shim, Hyong Sop, Dalal, Siddhartha, Patton, Gardner
• Application Number:
  US10/002,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20020078153A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0435 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1324 Conference call
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13336 Store & forward, messaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13339 : Ciphering, encryption, security
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet

Abstract

A method and system for providing secure, instantaneous, multiparty, real-time, communications. Users can engage in text or audio conferences on demand with security. The system and method is characterized by a client server architecture with a centralized process for controlling communications access; and a plurality of client applications each located with an end user for control, and with each end user having a device for effecting the communications which may be combined with or operated separately from the client application controlling the communications session.

Claims

1. A communications system for spontaneous enterprise conferencing comprising:

at least one conference server located within a network;

at least one routing server located within a network;

at least one client software application associated with a user where said client software application may be separate from a user'"'"'s communications device used for participation in a conference;

a data communications network for enabling said associated user client software application to communicate with said conference server to initiate and receive conference participation requests; and

wherein said conference server maintains presence and availability data for each said other users for each conference established and wherein said routing server establishes the communications media connection to said user'"'"'s communication device for participation in said established conference.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said conference server is comprised of a means for authenticating a users access to a conference.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said conference server is comprised of a means managing and updating said presence and availability lists stored in said database.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a database containing a lists of other users for which a first user may want to know of the their presence and availability in said system and wherein said conference system retrieves from said database said list of users for said first user to establish said conference.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said routing server is further comprised of:

a public switched telephone network gateway;

a means for multipoint audio conferencing; and

a means for multipoint text conferencing and

a means for application sharing.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising:

a mixing means located within each of said clients for mixing the communications from any one of said conferences sent by either said means for multipoint audio conferencing or said means for multipoint text conferencing.

14. The system of claim 2 further comprising:

a means for service registration.

15. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an enterprise directory.

7. A spontaneous enterprise communications server comprising:

a database containing lists of other users one user may want know of their presence and availability;

a means for authenticating a users access to a conference

a means managing and updating said presence and availability lists stored in said database;

a public switched telephone network gateway;

a means for multipoint audio conferencing; and

a means for multipoint text conferencing.

8. A method for establishing a conference between participants in a system having a client server architecture, wherein said method comprises:

using the Session Initiation Protocol defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force for conference establishment wherein said client sends a SUSCRIBE message to said server to access the presence data of said conference; and

said server responds to said SUBSCRIBE message by sending a NOTIFY message to said client whenever the presence data of said conference changes.

9. A system for multiparty instantaneous communications comprising:

a centralized process for controlling communications access; and

a plurality of processes, each located with every end user device, for mixing multiple audio or textual communications connections wherein communications control is effected using the Session Initiation Protocol defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said centralized process for controlling communications access further comprising a means for establishing an object for each instantaneous communications sessions.

22. The system of claim 9 further comprising means for establishing multiple conferences using multiple devices simultaneously from a single user.

11. A system for establishing a conference between participants in a system having a client server architecture, wherein said system comprises:

a protocol means for conference establishment between said client and said server and wherein said protocol is characterized in having;

a globally unique user identifier;

enables users to subscribe to one or more conferences;

enables said server to redirect communications to a conference; and

enables said server to proactively notify one or more clients of any changes to any of said subscribed conferences.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said protocol means is a Session Initiation Protocol means.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

creating a conference session key for each conference; and

encrypting said conference session key with said second key for communication said conference session key to said client.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps, executed by a client, of:

encrypting authentication, time stamp and message data to be sent to a second user on a conference; and

sending said encrypted authentication, time stamp, and message data to said second user wherein a client of said second user decrypts said authentication and time stamp data using said conference key and if said authentication and time stamp data is valid said second user decrypts said message data using said conference key.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of:

sending message data in encrypted, authenticated and time stamped form to multiple conference participants at the same time.

13. A method for inviting a user to join a conference in a system having a client server architecture, wherein said method comprises:

using the Session Initiation Protocol defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force for conference establishment;

sending an INVITE message from a first user to a communications control process;

responding to said INVITE message by forwarding said INVITE message from said first user from said communications control process to a second user; and

said second user accepts the invitation to join the conference by sending an OKAY message to said communications control process; and

said second user sends to said communications control process an address of a device said second user intends to use for participating in said conference.

16. A method for secure instantaneous communications comprising the steps of:

generating a joint key for authenticating servers in a system;

authenticating a client to a server by generation of a second key;

encrypting messages between servers using said joint key; and

encrypting messages between a server and said client using said second key.

20. A method for creating a conference in a system having a client server architecture, wherein said method comprises:

sending message from a first user client to a communications control process to initiate a conference;

creating a conference object in said communication control process located in a control server for maintaining the presence and availability data of users to participated in said conference;

requesting a conference communications facility from a multiparty control process located in a routing server;

returning a conference identifier to said first user client; and

establishing a communications path from a user'"'"'s communications device to said multiparty control process.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the steps of:

requesting that a second user join said conference;

checking the presence and availability to see if said second user is able to join said conference;

forwarding said conference request to said second users client;

said second user client sending a join message back to said conference controller specifying a device address and media to be used for the conference; and

connecting said second users device to said multiparty control process.