Multi-media communication management system with multicast messaging capabilities

• US 20030058858A1
• Filed: 02/20/2002
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teleware Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Teleware Incorporated
• Inventors: Lewis, Calvin E., Ross, Rodney A., Berlyoung, Danny L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,177,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/02 Constructional features of telephone sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2473 Telephone terminals interfacing a personal computer, e.g. using an API (Application Programming Interface) details of API H04M7/0021
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2478 Telephone terminals specially adapted for non-voice services, e.g. email, internet access centralized arrangements where telephones services are combined H04M7/0024; for recording text messages H04M3/5322; for accessing Internet H04M3/4938
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• 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: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/908 Multimedia

Abstract

The multi-media communication management system comprises a controller that interfaces with a plurality of communication space stations and with one or more communication medium service providers. The controller provides for multicasting or real time voice communications to selected recipients. To provide such multicasting, the controller receives a recipient list of subscribers to include in the multicast session. The controller identifies a communication space station serving a subscriber device associated with each recipient and invites such communication space station to the multicast session. If a recipient'"'"'s subscriber device is not served by a communication space station, the multicast message is packaged as an audio file and sent to the recipient by e-mail.

Claims

1. A multi-media communication management system for operation with a plurality of subscriber stations, the multi-media communication management system comprising:

a network communication circuit for multi-media communication with said plurality of subscriber stations;

a control module for establishing a communication session with the subscriber stations through the network communication circuit, the control module comprising;

means for receiving an indication of a plurality of recipients selected to receive a multi-cast message;

means for identifying a plurality of recipient subscriber stations, each recipient subscriber station being one of the plurality of subscriber stations that is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of recipients;

means for transmitting a message to each one of the recipient subscriber stations to participate in a session group; and

means for multi-casting a message to the recipient subscriber stations that are participating in said session group.

2. The multi-media communication management system of claim 1,

wherein the means for receiving an indication of a plurality of recipients comprises:

means for providing a list of recipient groups to an initiating subscriber station;

means for receiving an indication from the initiating subscriber station of a subscriber selection of a recipient group from said list of recipient groups;

means for identifying each recipient included within the selected recipient group.

3. The multi-media communication management system of claim 2, wherein the means for providing a list of recipient groups comprises:

means for providing display content messages to the initiating subscriber station, the display content messages including the list of recipient groups; and

means for providing display layout control messages to the initiating subscriber station, the display layout control messages including instructions utilized by the initiating subscriber station for displaying the list of recipient groups on a display screen associated with the initiating subscriber station.

4. The multi-media communication management system of claim 1, wherein the means for identifying each one of the recipient subscriber stations comprises:

means for identifying a recipient subscriber device associated with each one of the plurality of recipients; and

means for identifying each one of the subscriber stations at which one of the recipient subscriber devices is coupled.

5. The multi-media communication management system of claim 1, wherein the control module further comprises:

means for identifying a plurality of recipients that are not associated with any of the subscriber stations; and

means for sending an audio file comprising the voice mail message to a plurality of e-mail addresses, each e-mail address being associated with one of the plurality of recipients that are not associated with any of the subscriber stations.

6. The multi-media communication management system of claim 1, wherein the control module further comprises:

means for identifying those of the plurality of the subscriber stations who are members of the selected recipient group that do not receive the voice message; and

means for sending an audio file comprising the voice mail message to a plurality of e-mail addresses, each e-mail address being associated with one of the plurality of recipients that are associated with one of those subscriber stations who are members of the selected recipient group that did not receive the voice message.

7. The multi-media communication management system of claim 1, further comprising:

a service provider interface for interconnecting said network communication circuit with a service provider communication medium; and

wherein the control module further comprises;

means for establishing a voice communication session with a remote voice communication device via the service provider interface; and

wherein the means for receiving an indication of a plurality of recipients to receive a multicast message comprises;

means for providing a list of recipient groups to the remote voice communication device;

means for receiving an indication of subscriber selection of a recipient group;

means for identifying each recipient included within the recipient group.

8. The multi-media communication management system of claim 7, wherein the control module further comprises:

means for establishing a data communication session with the remote communication device via the service provider interface and wherein the means for providing a list of recipient groups to the remote communication device comprises;

means for providing display content messages to the remote device, the display content messages including the list of recipient groups; and

means for providing display layout control messages to the remote device, the display layout control messages including instructions utilized by the remote device for displaying the list of recipient groups on a display screen associated with the remote device.

9. The multi-media communication management system of claim 8, wherein the means for identifying a one of the plurality of subscriber stations associated with each recipient comprises:

means for identifying a recipient subscriber device associated with each one of the plurality of recipients; and

means for identifying each one of the subscriber stations at which one of the recipient subscriber devices is coupled.

10. A method of multicasting a voice message to selected subscribers to a multimedia communication management system, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a plurality of recipients selected to receive a multicast message;

identifying a plurality of recipient subscriber stations, each recipient subscriber station being a subscriber station that is associated with a one of said plurality of selected to receive the multi-cast message;

transmitting a message to each one of the recipient subscriber stations to participate in a session group; and

multi-casting a message to the recipient subscriber stations that are participating in said session group.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of receiving an indication of a plurality of recipients comprises:

providing a list of recipient groups to an initiating subscriber station;

receiving an indication from the initiating subscriber station of a subscriber selection of a recipient group from said list of recipient groups;

identifying each recipient included within the selected recipient group.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providing a list of recipient groups comprises:

providing display content messages to the initiating subscriber station, the display content messages including the list of recipient groups; and

providing display layout control messages to the initiating subscriber station, the display layout control messages including instructions utilized by the initiating subscriber station for displaying the list of recipient groups on a display screen associated with the initiating subscriber station.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of identifying each one of the recipient subscriber stations comprises:

identifying a recipient subscriber device associated with each one of the plurality of recipients; and

identifying each one of the subscriber stations at which one of the recipient subscriber devices is coupled.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying a plurality of recipients that are not associated with any of the subscriber stations; and

sending an audio file comprising the voice mail message to a plurality of email addresses, each e-mail address being associated with one of the plurality of recipients that are not associated with any of the subscriber stations.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying those of the plurality of the subscriber stations who are members of the selected recipient group that do not receive the voice message; and

sending an audio file comprising the voice mail message to a plurality of email addresses, each e-mail address being associated with one of the plurality of recipients that are associated with one of those subscriber stations who are members of the selected recipient session group that did not receive the voice message.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

establishing a voice communication session with a remote voice communication device via a service provider interface; and

wherein the step of receiving an indication of a plurality of recipients to receive a multicast message comprises;

providing a list of recipient groups to the remote voice communication device;

receiving an indication of subscriber selection of a recipient group; and

identifying each recipient included within the recipient group.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

establishing a data communication session with the remote communication device via the service provider interface and wherein the means for providing a list of recipient groups to the remote communication device comprises;

providing display content messages to the remote device, the display content messages including the list of recipient groups; and

providing display layout control messages to the remote device, the display layout control messages including instructions utilized by the remote device for displaying the list of recipient groups on a display screen associated with the remote device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of identifying a one of the plurality of subscriber stations associated with each recipient comprises:

identifying a recipient subscriber device associated with each one of the plurality of recipients; and

identifying each one of the subscriber stations at which one of the recipient subscriber devices is coupled.