Network-based intercom system and method for simulating a hardware based dedicated intercom system

• US 20030161455A1
• Filed: 04/10/2002
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: U-Communications Virtual Intercom, LLC
• Original Assignee: Marc S. Lemchen, Rovi Cohen
• Inventors: Lemchen, Marc S., Cohen, Rovi
• Granted Patent: US 6,792,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/159
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message

Abstract

A network-based intercom system and method comprises software and the necessary portions of a computer network on which it is implemented. The software includes a dispatcher portion to be installed on any of the computers of the network, and an intercom module portion to be installed on each of the participating computers in the system. The system has the advantage that it can be installed on non-dedicated computers, thus avoiding costly and inconvenient wiring and hardware installation. The system provides automatic message receipt without unnecessarily interrupting a recipient. This is achieved by signaling that a message has been sent by an assigned audible tone that is unique to the addressee. Thus, the recipient becomes aware that he or she has automatically received a message. The message is displayed in a banner on the addressee'"'"'s computer monitor for selective viewing based on an order of priority.

Claims

25. A method for providing efficient, non-interruptive, distance communication by way of a network-based intercom system, said system integrated on a plurality of non-dedicated computers providing respective stations of a network, said system comprising software, said software comprising a dispatcher module in any one of said computers, said software further comprising an intercom module in each of said computers, the method comprising the steps of:

selectively placing a network-based intercom panel display and a message banner on a screen of each of said stations facilitated by said software control;

maintaining a dispatcher list of all current stations in said network in said one of said computers;

coordinating all current messages by computer readable instructions in said software in said dispatcher by;

designating at least one station number to which each of said messages is sent,

assigning at least one audible tone per message, said tone being unique to an addressee to whom said message is being sent, and

routing all of said messages automatically when a final one of a predetermined number of options has been selected;

selectively, automatically sounding said at least one audible tone at a respective one of said computers when one of said messages is sent to said one of said computers; and

wherein said messages are automatically received on respective ones of said banners without addressee input, such that each of said messages is received in a non-interruptive manner and a notification of the arrival of a message is also received in the form of said audible tone, so that an addressee may selectively view the screen without stopping other activities.

1. A network-based intercom system for use in a network with a plurality of stations communicated with the network, wherein each station comprises:

intercom means for simulating an intercom panel which is selectively displayed to communicate messages among the stations communicated through the network;

banner means for selectively displaying the messages received at each station; and

notification means for selectively generating an audible signal which is unique to a user of the intercom system, which audible signal is generated by at least one of the plurality of stations communicated with the network, the notification means for selectively notifying the user when a message for the user is received by the at least one station from another one of the plurality of stations communicated with the network.

2. The intercom system of claim 1, said intercom means further comprising:

a means for displaying options for user selection, said options comprising;

a list of individual addressees,

a list of preset messages, and

a list of station locations.

3. The intercom system of claim 2, said intercom means further comprising a means for permitting the user to selectively transmit a customized message by software control.

4. The intercom system of claim 2 comprising function keys designated by software control to correspond to certain said preset messages.

5. The intercom system of claim 1, said banner means further comprising a means for displaying banner options made available to the user by software control, said banner options comprising:

banner size;

banner positioning on a monitor screen;

banner color; and

message display format in a banner, selectable from among;

line-byline, page-at-a-time, or continuous scrolling of a list of messages to be displayed.

6. The intercom system of claim 5, said banner means comprising means for displaying a plurality of messages in chronological order so that said messages may easily be answered in the order said messages were received.

7. The intercom system of claim 5, said banner means comprising means for displaying a plurality of messages in order of priority with respect to a predetermined order of priority.

8. The intercom system of claim 5, said banner means further comprising means for displaying additional banner options including options permitting the user by software control to selectively set the banner to have either of a continuous display on the user'"'"'s screen or a time limited display, wherein said time may be selected and after which, said banner is moved into a background.

9. The intercom system of claim 5, said banner means comprising a means for selective message deletion, by one of:

clicking on the message,

displaying a list of all the messages for selective message deletion from among said list,

pressing a specific function key for deleting a specific message.

10. The intercom system of claim 1, wherein said notification means further comprises a means for additional actuation of said means for audible notification at a predetermined interval after an initial actuation when said message is not answered.

11. The intercom system of claim 1, said intercom means further comprising means for user selection of individuals or groups from among the users, wherein said user selection is for:

limiting from whom the messages at said station may be received, and

limiting to whom a message may be sent.

12. The intercom system of claim 5, said intercom means further comprising means for automatic deletion of a message in said banner after a predetermined length of time from when the message was received.

13. The intercom system of claim 2, said intercom means further comprising, by software control, a means for selectively storing non-urgent messages for later printing or retrieving.

14. The intercom system of claim 13, further comprising said means for storing in addition to a means for standard transmission of said messages to provide a dual messaging feature in which said means of storing provides a permanent record of a sent message that can be retrieved and printed in addition to said sent message displayed on a recipient'"'"'s banner.

15. The intercom system of claim 2, said intercom means further comprising a means for message transmission by voice activation, wherein said system includes voice or command recognition software control that completes selection of at least one of said user selectable options for a message to be sent.

16. The intercom system of claim 15, said means for message transmission further comprising means for voice activation of all of the user selectable options.

17. The intercom system of claim 1, implemented on a network of individual computers connected to each other, and comprising a software controlled dispatcher in any one of the computers, said software controlled dispatcher comprising means for controlling:

message routing, assignment of unique tones to respective users, designation of station numbers, assignment of message codes, and prioritization of messages for display.

18. The intercom system of claim 5, said banner means further comprising a means for distinguishing a first message in said display format of said list of messages.

19. The intercom system of claim 2, comprising a message send initiation by at least one of:

a means for initiating a message send, said means for initiating said message send comprising at least one of;

bringing up said simulated intercom panel on a computer screen of at least one of said stations of said network,

clicking on at least one individual addressee in a list of addressees, or

pressing a function key; and

a means for automatic message receipt that receipt that requires no intervention by an addressee, wherein a sent message is automatically received and automatically appears on a banner of said addressee.

20. The intercom system of claim 5, said banner means further comprising a means for selectively, automatically including at least one of a sender and a location associated with each message received on said banner.

21. The intercom system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the stations is geographically remote from other ones of the plurality of stations so that a geographically distributed intercom system is provided.

22. The intercom system of claim 21, said intercom system comprising means for selectively sending a message after a predetermined time delay based on the geographic location of the recipient.

23. The intercom system of claim 1, wherein said intercom system is adapted to be implemented on computers of respective stations of said network, said network based intercom system further comprising:

a software controlled dispatcher for each of a plurality of said computers, each of said software controlled dispatcher comprising means for controlling;

message routing, assignment of unique tones to respective users, designation of station numbers, assignment of message codes, and prioritization of messages for display, and

means for activating one of said plurality of said dispatchers when another one of said dispatchers is closed.

24. The user interface of claim 23, wherein when said another one of said dispatchers is closed by the computer in which it resides being shut down, said intercom system further comprises means for automatically activating said one of said dispatchers when.

26. The method of claim 25, the step of coordinating is based on sender and recipient input at respective ones of said stations and further comprising:

assigning message codes and preset messages;

filtering sent messages; and

displaying messages in an order of priority.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising initiating a message send by a vocal input, wherein said system utilizes voice or command recognition integrated with said software.

64. The user interface of claim 38 further comprising a remote control device including at least one button and means for sending a complete message on said system by pressing said at least one button.

28. A method of using a network-based intercom system for efficient, non-interruptive, distance communication, said system being configured for implementation on a network comprising a plurality of computers providing respective stations of said network, said system comprising software including a dispatcher module for any one of said computers, said software further including an intercom module in each of said computers, the method of using comprising the steps of:

selectively displaying a message banner on a monitor of one of said computers;

initiating a message send by;

bringing up a simulated intercom panel via user interface means,

selecting components of a message from lists on said intercom panel;

completing a message send via user interface means.

29. The method of using of claim 28, the step of bringing up further comprising clicking on a soft key on said banner.

30. The method of claim 28, the step of selecting components further comprising selecting an addressee from one of said lists.

31. The method of claim 30, the step of completing a message send further comprising automatically completing a message send by selecting each of a predetermined number of components of said message.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising automatically receiving a message when another user completes a message send.

33. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

setting up the dispatcher by assigning values to respective items on a list corresponding to at least one of said lists on said intercom panel;

displaying a plurality of messages on said banner in an order of priority based on said values.

34. The method of claim 28, the step of selectively displaying said banner further comprising:

selecting a length of time for displaying said banner; and

automatically moving said banner into a background after said length of time has lapsed by software control.

35. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

setting up the dispatcher by inputting predetermined addressees into a list of preset addressees to be selected during message formulation;

setting up the dispatcher by inputting predetermined messages into a list of preset messages to be selected during message formulation; and

setting up the dispatcher by inputting predetermined locations into a list of preset locations to be selected during message formulation.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising setting up the dispatcher by inputting respective unique audible tones corresponding to said predetermined addressees.

37. The method of claim 36, the step of initiating further comprising selecting at least one addressee and at least one of a preset message and a preset location.

38. A network based computer intercom user interface implemented on a plurality of stations of a network, comprising:

a software-based simulated intercom panel and means for selectively displaying said simulated intercom panel on the screen of each of said plurality of stations;

a software-based banner display and means for selectively displaying messages received at each of s aid plurality of stations on said banner display; and

a software controlled, audible signal and means for generating said audible signal wherein said audible signal is unique to a user of the intercom system, and wherein said audible signal is generated by at least one of the plurality of stations for selectively notifying the user when a message for the user is received by the at least one station.

39. The user interface of claim 38, said means for displaying said simulated intercom panel further comprising:

a means for displaying options for user selection, said options comprising;

a list of individual addressees,

a list of preset messages, and

a list of station locations.

40. The user interface of claim 39, said means for displaying said simulated intercom panel further comprising a means for permitting the user to selectively transmit a customized message by software control.

41. The user interface of claim 39 comprising function keys designated by software control to correspond to certain said preset messages.

42. The user interface of claim 38, said means for selectively displaying messages further comprising a means for displaying banner options made available to the user by software control, said banner options comprising:

banner size;

banner positioning on a monitor screen;

banner color; and

message display format in said banner, selectable from among;

line-by-line, page-at-a-time, or continuous scrolling of a list of messages to be displayed.

43. The user interface of claim 42, said means for selectively displaying messages comprising means for displaying a plurality of messages on said banner in chronological order so that said messages may easily be answered in the order said messages were received.

44. The user interface of claim 42, said means for selectively displaying messages comprising means for displaying a plurality of messages in order of priority with respect to a predetermined order of priority.

45. The user interface of claim 42, said means for selectively displaying messages further comprising means for displaying additional banner options including permitting the user by software control to selectively set the banner to have either of a continuous displayed on the user'"'"'s screen or a time limited display, wherein said time may be selected and after which, said banner is moved into a background.

46. The user interface of claim 42, said banner means comprising a means for selective message deletion, by one of:

clicking on the message,

displaying a list of all the messages for selective message deletion from among said list,

pressing a specific function key for deleting a specific message.

47. The user interface of claim 38, said means for generating an audible notification further comprising a means for additional actuation of said means for audible notification at a predetermined interval after an initial actuation when said message is not answered.

48. The user interface of claim 38, said means for selectively displaying said simulated intercom panel further comprising means for user selection of individuals or groups from among the users, wherein said user selection is for:

limiting from whom the messages at said station may be received, and

limiting to whom messages may be sent.

49. The user interface of claim 42, said means for selectively displaying messages further comprising means for automatic deletion of a message in said banner after a predetermined length of time from when the message was received.

50. The user interface of claim 39, means for selectively displaying said simulated intercom panel further comprising, by software control, a means for selectively storing non-urgent messages for later printing or retrieving.

51. The user interface of claim 50, further comprising said means for storing in addition to a means for standard transmission of said messages to provide a dual messaging feature in which said means for storing provides a permanent record of a sent message that can be retrieved and printed in addition to said sent message displayed on a recipient'"'"'s banner.

52. The user interface of claim 39, said means for displaying said simulated intercom panel further comprising a means for message transmission by voice activation, wherein said system includes voice or command recognition software control that completes selection of at least one of said user selectable options for a message to be sent.

53. The user interface of claim 52, said means for message transmission further comprising means for voice activation of all of the user selectable options.

54. The user interface of claim 38, said plurality of stations of said network comprising respective individual computers connected to each other, and comprising a software controlled dispatcher in any one of the computers, said software controlled dispatcher comprising means for controlling:

message routing, assignment of unique tones to respective users, designation of station numbers, assignment of message codes, and prioritization of messages for display.

55. The user interface of claim 42, said means for selectively displaying messages further comprising a means for distinguishing a first message in said display format of said list of messages.

56. The user interface of claim 39, comprising:

a means for initiating a message send, said means for initiating said message send comprising at least one of;

bringing up said simulated intercom panel on a computer screen of at least one of said stations of said network,

clicking on at least one individual addressee in a list of addressees, or

pressing a function key; and

a means for automatic message receipt that requires no intervention by an addressee, wherein a sent message is automatically received and automatically appears on a banner of said addressee.

57. The user interface of claim 42, said means for displaying messages further comprising a means for selectively, automatically including at least one of a sender and a location associated with each message received on said banner.

58. The user interface of claim 38 wherein at least one of the stations is geographically remote from other ones of the plurality of stations so that a geographically distributed intercom system is provided.

59. The user interface of claim 58, said intercom system comprising means for selectively sending a message with a time delay based on the geographic location of the recipient.

60. The user interface of claim 38, said user interface adapted to be implemented on computers of respective stations of said network and adapted to form a network based intercom system, said network based intercom system comprising:

a software controlled dispatcher adapted to be implemented in each of a plurality of said computers, said software controlled dispatcher comprising means for controlling;

message routing, assignment of unique tones to respective users, designation of station numbers, assignment of message codes, and prioritization of messages for display, and

means for activating one of said plurality of said dispatchers when another one of said dispatchers is closed.

61. The user interface of claim 60, comprising means for automatically activating said one of said dispatchers when said another said dispatcher is closed, wherein said another one of said dispatchers is closed by the computer in which it resides being shut down.

62. The user interface of claim 56, said means for initiating further comprising a hot key representing a pre-selected message for pressing by a sender to automatically include an implied location of said sender in the message.

63. The user interface of claim 56, said means for initiating further comprising a hot key representing a pre-selected message for pressing by a sender to automatically create a partial message, said means for initiating further comprising a means for pulling up a dialog box for customized entry of a remainder of said partial message to create and send a complete message.

64-1. The method of providing efficient, non-interruptive, distance communication of claim 25, the step of routing further comprising automatically routing at least one message in response to actuation by a sender of a remote control device.