Method and System for Managing Simultaneous Electronic Communications

• US 20080205444A1
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Campbell, Christopher S., Farrell, Stephen P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,817,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/469
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A method for performing simultaneous synchronous or asynchronous communications. A first communication channel is established between a first entity and at least one second entity and a second communication channel is established between the first entity and at least one third entity over the network. Then, data associated with the first and second communication channels are recorded. Next, first, second, and third entities are dynamically monitored to identify if first, second, or third entities is in an active or inactive state, and based upon such monitoring, recorded data are either synchronously rendering to entities in an active state or asynchronously rendered to entities in an inactive state upon the entities in the inactive state transitioning from an inactive state to an active state.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a first communication channel between a first entity and at least one second entity and establishing a second communication channel between said first entity and at least one third entity;

recording data associated with said first and second communication channels;

dynamically monitoring said first, second, and third entities to identify if each of said first, second, or third entity is in an active or inactive state, and

synchronously rendering said recorded data to entities in an active state and asynchronously rendering said recorded data to entities in an inactive state upon said entities in said inactive state transitioning from an inactive state to an active state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said recorded data are audio data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said recorded data are video data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said recorded data are text data.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said recorded audio data are transformed to text via a speech recognition process prior to being asynchronously rendered to entities that have transitioned from said inactive state to said active state.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein channels are established over any of the following:

a TCP/IP-based network, a cellular network, a local area network, and a wide area network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said asynchronous rendering further comprises:

identifying a render rate at which said recorded data are to be rendered for an entity that transitions from an inactive state to an active state, and

asynchronously rendering said recorded data to said entity that transitions from said inactive state to said active state at said identified render rate.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, prior to said asynchronous rendering, said identified render rate is compared against a pre-determined threshold, and if said identified render rate is greater than said pre-determined threshold, then the identified render rate is reset to said pre-determined threshold, else no change is made to said identified render rate.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said recorded data are encrypted and compressed prior to storage.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said synchronous and/or asynchronous rendering is done via a graphical playback interface, said graphical playback interface including controls for any of, or a combination of the following:

play, rewind, stop, replay, and stream processing.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, prior to said asynchronous rendering, recorded data are subject to stream processing comprising any of the following:

time compression, time expansion, silence removal, and noise reduction.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said recorded data are forwarded to at least one entity in an inactive state in a format compatible with playback in a portable device.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a request from a third entity to join an ongoing communication between a first entity and a second entity, said first and second entity communicating in a synchronous mode while data are being recorded, said recorded data associated with said ongoing communication; and

rendering said recorded data to said third entity at a render rate to transition said third entity from an asynchronous mode to a synchronous mode, after which said third entity participates in said ongoing communication between said first and second entity in real-time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said recorded data are audio data.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said recorded data are video data.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said recorded data are text data.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said recorded audio data are transformed to text via a speech recognition process prior to being asynchronously rendered to entities that have transitioned from said inactive state to said active state.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein, prior to said recorded data being rendered, said render rate is compared against a pre-determined threshold, and if said render rate is greater than said pre-determined threshold, then the render rate is changed to said pre-determined threshold, else no change is made to the render rate.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein communication is established using any of the following:

a TCP/IP-based network, a cellular network, a local area network, and a wide area network.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein said recorded data are encrypted and compressed prior to storage.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein synchronous and/or asynchronous rendering is done via a graphical playback interface, said graphical playback interface including controls for any of, or a combination of the following:

play, rewind, stop, replay, and stream processing.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein, prior to said rendering, recorded data are subject to stream processing comprising any of the following:

time compression, time expansion, silence removal, and noise reduction.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein said recorded data are forwarded to at least one entity in an asynchronous mode in a format compatible for playback in a portable device.

24. A method comprising:

establishing a first channel between a first entity and at least one second entity and establishing a second channel between said first entity and at least one third entity;

recording data associated with said first and second channels;

dynamically monitoring said first, second, and third entities to identify if each of said first, second, or third entity is in an active or inactive state;

synchronously rendering said recorded data to entities in an active state;

receiving an indication that an inactive entity has transitioned from an inactive state to an active state;

identifying a render rate at which said recorded data are to be rendered for said entity that transitioned from said inactive state to said active state, and

asynchronously rendering said recorded data to said entity that transitioned from said inactive state to said active state at said identified render rate.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said recorded data are audio data.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said recorded data are video data.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein said recorded data are text data.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein said recorded audio data are transformed to text via a speech recognition process prior to being asynchronously rendered to entities that have transitioned from said inactive state to said active state.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein channels are established using any of the following:

a TCP/IP-based network, a cellular network, a local area network, and a wide area network.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein, prior to said recorded data being asynchronously rendered, said identified render rate is compared against a pre-determined threshold, and if said identified render rate is greater than said pre-determined threshold, then the identified render rate is changed to said pre-determined threshold, else no change is made to the identified render rate.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein said recorded data are encrypted and compressed prior to storage.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein said synchronous and/or asynchronous rendering is done via a graphical playback interface, said graphical playback interface including controls for any of, or a combination of the following:

play, rewind, stop, replay, and stream processing.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein, prior to said asynchronous rendering, recorded data are subject to stream processing comprising any of the following:

time compression, time expansion, silence removal, and noise reduction.

34. The method of claim 24, wherein said recorded data are forwarded to at least one entity in an inactive state in a format compatible for playback in a portable device.

35. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, said medium comprising:

computer readable program code aiding in establishing a first communication channel between a first entity and at least one second entity and establishing a second communication channel between said first entity and at least one third entity;

computer readable program code aiding in recording data associated with said first and second communication channels;

computer readable program code dynamically monitoring said first, second, and third entities to identify if each of said first, second, or third entity is in an active or inactive state, and

computer readable program code synchronously rendering said recorded data to entities in an active state and asynchronously rendering said recorded data to entities in an inactive state upon said entities in said inactive state transitioning from an inactive state to an active state.

36. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, said medium comprising:

computer readable program code aiding in receiving a request from a third entity to join an ongoing communication between a first entity and a second entity, said first and second entity communicating in a synchronous mode while data are being recorded, said recorded data associated with said ongoing communication; and

computer readable program code rendering said recorded data to said third entity at a render rate to transition said third entity from an asynchronous mode to a synchronous mode, after which said third entity participates in said ongoing communication between said first and second entity in real-time.

37. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein which implements a method to time-shift synchronous or asynchronous communications comprising:

computer readable program code aiding in establishing a first channel between a first entity and at least one second entity and establishing a second channel between said first entity and at least one third entity;

computer readable program code aiding in recording data associated with said first and second channels;

computer readable program code dynamically monitoring first, second, and third entities to identify if each of said first, second, or third entity is an active or inactive state;

computer readable program code synchronously rendering said recorded data to entities in an active state;

computer readable program code aiding in receiving an indication that an inactive entity has transitioned from an inactive state to an active state;

computer readable program code identifying a render rate at which said recorded data are to be rendered for said entity that transitioned from said inactive state to said active state, and

computer readable program code asynchronously rendering said recorded data to said entity that transitioned from said inactive state to said active state at said identified render rate.

38. A method comprising:

receiving a request from a third entity to join an ongoing communication between a first entity and a second entity, said first and second entity communicating in a synchronous mode while data are being recorded, said recorded data associated with said ongoing communication;

transforming recorded data by discarding portions of recorded data based on preset rules; and

rendering said transformed recorded data to said third entity to transition said third entity from an asynchronous mode to a synchronous mode, after which said third entity participates in said ongoing communication between said first and second entity in real-time.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein said preset rules are any of the following:

discard recorded data at pre-determined intervals of time, discarding recorded data after a predetermined time value, and discarding recorded data before a predetermined time value.

40. A method in which a receiver of audio communications conducts multiple conversations that overlap in time, said method comprising:

receiving and recording a first portion of a conversation with a first sender;

receiving and recording a first portion of a conversation with a second sender;

receiving and recording a second portion of a conversation with a first sender;

receiving and recording a second portion of a conversation with a second sender; and

alternatively sending audio responses to the first and second senders such that;

1) the receiver does not complete a conversation with the first sender until the receiver has sent a response to the first portion of the conversation with the second sender, and 2) the receiver does not complete a conversation with the second sender until the receiver has sent a response to the first portion of the conversation with the first sender.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the receiver controls the speed at which a given conversation takes place.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the method further comprises the step of listening to recorded portions.