Log-in based communications plus two data types

• US 20060041617A1
• Filed: 11/01/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1993
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pragmatus AV LLC (Pragmatus, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Collaboration Properties Incorporated
• Inventors: Lantz, Keith A., Lauwers, J. Chris, Burns, Emmett R., Burnett, Gerald J., Ludwig, Lester F.
• Application Number:
  US11/264,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20060041617A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• 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: 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: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A multimedia collaboration system that integrates separate real-time and asynchronous networks—the former for real-time audio and video, and the latter for control signals and textual, graphical and other data—in a manner that is interoperable across different computer and network operating system platforms and which closely approximates the experience of face-to-face collaboration, while liberating the participants from the limitations of time and distance. These capabilities are achieved by exploiting a variety of hardware, software and networking technologies in a manner that preserves the quality and integrity of audio/video/data and other multimedia information, even after wide area transmission, and at a significantly reduced networking cost as compared to what would be required by presently known approaches. The system architecture is readily scalable to the largest enterprise network environments. It accommodates differing levels of collaborative capabilities available to individual users and permits high-quality audio and video capabilities to be readily superimposed onto existing personal computers and workstations and their interconnecting LANs and WANs. In a particular preferred embodiment, a plurality of geographically dispersed multimedia LANs are interconnected by a WAN. The demands made on the WAN are significantly reduced by employing multi-hopping techniques, including dynamically avoiding the unnecessary decompression of data at intermediate hops, and exploiting video mosaicing, cut-and-paste and audio mixing technologies so that significantly fewer wide area transmission paths are required while maintaining the high quality of the transmitted audio/video.

Claims

1. A method of communication between a plurality of users, comprising:

allowing at least first and second users to establish communication using at least one communications network by logging in at their respective communication devices;

maintaining at least one service record for at least the second user, each service record including at least the second user'"'"'s location information;

allowing the first user to request communication with the second user;

in response to the request causing retrieval of the location information of the second user in response to the request by the first user; and

initiating a communication, including at least audio communications, between the first and second users by using at least one of the communications networks and the retrieved location information,

wherein the audio communication includes real-time audio signals and asynchronous data communication signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the service record includes information usable to associate a user with at least one port associated with that user'"'"'s communication device,

3. The method of claim 1;

wherein the location information includes addressing information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time audio signals and the asynchronous data signals are transmitted on separate paths.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time audio signals and the asynchronous data signals are multiplexed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the real-time audio and asynchronous data signals are switched using a common switching vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least the second users'"'"' location information includes information identifying the user'"'"'s location no matter where that user is located.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first user requests communication with the second user by selecting an identifier for the second user from a list of displayed user identifiers displayed to the first user.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising indicating to the first user whether another user has not logged in.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein indicating to the first user whether another user is not logged in occurs if no service record is found for the other user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the service record further includes information as to the capabilities of at least one of the communication devices.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second users establish communications using respective first and second communications networks.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the networks is a wireless network.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the networks is a wide area network.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the service record for the second user is maintained by an entity other than the network the second user uses to establish the communications.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the retrieved location information is provided to the communications device of the first user.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein the service record is maintained by at least one communications network.

18. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

detecting an attempt by the first user to initiate a communication with a third user;

causing an indication of the attempt to initiate communications to appear automatically on third user'"'"'s display; and

allowing the third user to accept or reject the communication.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the service records is entered when the associated user logs in to the network.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising creating at least first and second call handles, respectively associated with the first and second users'"'"' communication devices, each call handle defining at least a call state for its respective device.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the audio communication includes digital audio.

22. A system for communicating between a plurality of users, comprising:

at least one communication device associated with each user;

at least one communications network over which at least first and second users can establish communication by causing at least one communication device to register with at least one communication network; and

at least one service record, for at least the second user, including at least the second user'"'"'s location information;

wherein the system is configured to;

allow the first user to request communication with the second user;

retrieve the location information of the second user in response to the request by the first user; and

initiate a communication, including at least audio communication, between the first and second users by

using at least one of the communications networks and the retrieved location information; and

wherein the audio communication includes real-time audio signals and asynchronous data communication signals.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the system is configured to transmit the real-time audio signals and the asynchronous data signals on separate paths.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the real-time audio signals and the asynchronous data signals are multiplexed.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the system is configured to switch the real-time audio and asynchronous data signals using a common switching vehicle.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein at least the second users'"'"' location information includes information identifying the user'"'"'s location no matter where that user is located.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the system is further configured to:

cause a list of user identifiers to be displayed on the display, the list including an identifier for at least the second user; and

allow the first user to select the identifier for the second user to facilitate retrieving the location information.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the system is configured to indicate to the first user if another user has not logged in.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein indicating to the first user whether another user is not logged in occurs if no service record is found for the other user.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the service record further includes information as to the capabilities of at least one of the communication devices.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the first and second users establish communications using respective first and second communications networks.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein at least one of the networks is a wireless network.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein at least one of the networks is a wide area network.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the service record for the second user is maintained by an entity other than the network the second user uses to establish the communications.

35. The system of claim 26, wherein the retrieved location information is provided to the communication device of the first user.

36. The system of claim 26, wherein the service record is maintained by at least one communications network.

37. The system of claim 26, wherein the system is further configured to:

detect an attempt by the first user to initiate a communication with a third user;

cause an indication of the attempt to initiate communications to appear automatically on the third user'"'"'s display; and

allow the third user to accept or reject the communication.

38. The system of claim 30, wherein at least one of the service records is entered when the associated user logs in to the network.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the audio communication includes digital audio.

40. The system of claim 37, wherein the system is further configured to initiate the communication by creating at least a first and second call handle, respectively associated with the first and second users'"'"' communication devices, each call handle defining at least a call state for its associated device.

41. The method of claim 26, wherein the location information includes addressing information.