Ease of use feature for audio communications within chat conferences

• US 20070192427A1
• Filed: 02/16/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Berstis, Viktors, Forlenza, Randolph
• Application Number:
  US11/355,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20070192427A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Methods and arrangements to communicate aurally during a chat conference are contemplated. Embodiments include transformations, code, state machines or other logic to communicate aurally during a chat conference by receiving through a user interface for the chat conference the designation of a participant in the chat conference, receiving through the user interface for the chat conference a command to capture audio, capturing audio, and transmitting the captured audio to the participant based upon the designation of the participant. In some embodiments, a participant may be designated by a mouse click on a name representing the participant. In some embodiments, the command to capture audio may be expressed by holding down a mouse button. In alternate embodiments, the command to capture audio may be expressed by a pop-up menu. In further embodiments, the captured audio may be stored and transmitted to additional participants.

Claims

1. A method to communicate aurally during a chat conference, the method comprising:

receiving through a user interface for the chat conference a designation of a participant in the chat conference;

receiving through the user interface for the chat conference a command to capture audio;

capturing audio; and

transmitting the captured audio to the participant based upon the designation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the captured audio;

receiving through the user interface a command to transmit the audio to a second participant in the chat conference; and

transmitting the stored captured audio to the second participant in response to the command.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the captured audio;

receiving through the user interface a command to transmit the stored captured audio to two or more other participants in the chat conference; and

transmitting the stored captured audio to the two or more other participants in the chat conference in response to the command.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving from the participant through the interface for the chat conference a command to capture audio comprises receiving a change in state of a button on a mouse.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the designation and receiving the command comprises receiving a first change in state of a button on a mouse while a location of a pointer driven by the mouse is associated with the designation; and

receiving a second change in the state of the button represents an instruction to stop capturing audio and to transmit the captured audio to the participant.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the designation and receiving the command comprises receiving a first change in state of a button on a mouse while a location of a pointer driven by the mouse is associated with the participant;

receiving the first change in state of the button represents an instruction to start transmitting the captured audio to the participant; and

receiving a second change in the state of the button represents an instruction to stop capturing the audio.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving from the participant through the interface for the chat conference a command to capture audio comprises receiving the command through a pop-up menu.

8. An apparatus to communicate aurally during a chat conference, the apparatus comprising:

an audio client module to transmit audio to designated participants; and

a chat conference client module to relay text messages among chat conference participants;

the chat conference module comprising;

a chat conference user interface coupled to the audio client module to present to conference participants a list of chat conference participants and to receive commands to transmit audio to designated participants.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a server to connect participants to the chat conference.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the server is operable to receive text and audio communications from the conference participants and to relay the text and audio communications to the other conference participants.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the audio client module comprises an audio input module to capture audio from a participant in the chat conference.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the audio client module comprises storage to store the captured audio for transmission to additional participants.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the server comprises storage to store the captured audio for transmission to additional participants.

14. A machine-accessible medium containing instructions to communicate aurally during a chat conference which, when the instructions are executed by a machine, cause said machine to perform operations, comprising:

receiving through a user interface for the chat conference a designation of a participant in the chat conference;

receiving through the user interface for the chat conference a command to capture audio;

capturing audio; and

transmitting the captured audio to the participant based upon to the designation.

15. The machine-accessible medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing the captured audio;

receiving through the user interface a command to transmit the stored captured audio to a second participant in the chat conference; and

transmitting the stored captured audio to the second participant in response to the command.

16. The machine-accessible medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing the captured audio;

receiving through the user interface a command to transmit the stored captured audio to two or more other participants in the chat conference; and

transmitting the stored captured audio to the two or more other participants in the chat conference in response to the command.

17. The machine-accessible medium of claim 14, wherein receiving from the participant through the interface for the chat conference a command to capture audio comprises receiving a mouse command.

18. The machine-accessible medium of claim 14, wherein:

receiving the designation and receiving the command comprises receiving a first change in state of a button on a mouse while a location of a pointer driven by the mouse is associated with the designation; and

receiving a second change in the state of the button represents an instruction to stop capturing audio and to transmit the captured audio to the participant.

19. The machine-accessible medium of claim 14, wherein:

receiving the designation and receiving the command comprises receiving a first change in state of a button on a mouse while a location of a pointer driven by the mouse is associated with the designation;

receiving the first change in state of the button represents an instruction to start transmitting the captured audio to the participant; and

receiving a second change in the state of the button represents an instruction to stop capturing the audio.

20. The machine-accessible medium of claim 14, wherein receiving from the participant through the interface for the chat conference a command to capture audio comprises receiving the command through a pop-up menu.