TELECOMMUNICATION AND MULTIMEDIA MANAGEMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20090003554A1
• Filed: 04/25/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rebelvox LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Katis, Thomas E., Panttaja, Mary G., Ranney, Matthew J., Panttaja, James T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,345,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.220
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/126 Foldable, retractable or tiltable tribunes E04H3/123 takes precedence
• 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: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• 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: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A communication device configured to receive messages containing media over a communication network and to receive locally created messages containing media created using the communication device. The device also includes a time-shifting buffer to store in a time-based format the media contained in both the messages received over the communication network and the locally created messages. The time-shifting buffer enables on the communication device to either (i) render the media received over the network in a near real-time mode; or (ii) render both the media received over the network and the locally created media in a time-shifted mode by retrieving the stored media from the time-shifting buffer. The communication device also includes a message management system, which enables the communication device to transition the rendering of the media between the time-shifted mode and the near real-time mode without interrupting the ongoing storage of media of received messages into the time-shifting buffer.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a communication device configured to receive messages containing media over a communication network and to receive locally created messages containing media created using the communication device;

a time-shifting buffer to store in a time-based format the media contained in both the messages received over the communication network and the locally created messages, the time-shifting buffer enabling on the communication device either;

(i) rendering of the media received over the network in a near real-time mode;

or

(ii) rendering of both the media received over the network and the locally created media in a time-shifted mode by retrieving the stored media from the time-shifting buffer; and

a message management system which enables the communication device to transition rendering between the time-shifted mode and the near real-time mode without interrupting the ongoing storage of the media of the received messages into the time-shifting buffer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication device further comprises an encode receive element, the encode receive element including:

an encoder to encode the locally created media contained in the messages locally created using the communication device; and

a media storer configured to store the encoded locally created media in the time-based format in the time-shifting buffer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication device further comprises a transmit element configured to transmit the locally created media over the network to one or more recipients.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmit element is configured to progressively transmit the locally created media over the network as the messages are being locally created.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the transmit element progressively transmits the locally created media over the network at a rate equal to or less than the rate the locally created media is encoded by the communication device when created.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmit element is further configured to progressively transmit the locally created media over the network before the locally created media is stored in the time-shifting buffer.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmit element is further configured to progressively transmit the locally created media over the network after the locally created media is stored in the time-shifting buffer.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmit element is further configured to progressively transmit the locally created media over the network at substantially the same time the locally created media is stored in the time-shifting buffer.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmit element is configured to progressively transmit the locally created media over the network from the time-shifting buffer when the transmission occurs some time after the message containing the transmitted media was locally created and stored.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the transmit element is further configured to progressively transmit the locally created media over the network from the time-shifting buffer at a rate at least partially dictated by conditions on the communication network.

11. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmit element further comprises a prioritizer element configured to prioritize the locally created media for transmission based on an ascertained connectivity of the communication device to the network, wherein connectivity is defined as the ability of the communication device to transmit data over the network.

12. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmit element further comprises a prioritizer element configured to prioritize the locally created media for transmission based on ascertained intentions of the one or more recipients of the transmission, the ascertained intention being either an intent by the one or more recipients to render the transmitted locally created media in the near real-time mode or in the time-shifted mode.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transmit element further comprises a transmission quality element configured to deliver an adequate copy of the locally created media sufficient for near real-time rendering when the ascertained intentions of at least one of the one or more recipients is to render the locally created media in the near real-time mode.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transmit element further comprises a transmission quality element configured to transmit the locally created media at or near a maximum efficiency rate of the network when the ascertained intentions of all of the one or more recipients is to render the locally created media in the time-shifted mode.

15. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmit element further comprises a data retriever configured to retrieve the locally created media from the time-shifting buffer for the transmission.

16. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmit element further comprises a packetizer to packetize the media to be transmitted over the network.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication device further comprises a network receive element to process the media contained in the messages received over the network.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the network receive element further comprises a temporary buffer to store the media contained in the messages received over the network and to limit the rendering of the received media in the near real-time mode before a minimum time-shift delay (MTSD).

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the network receive element further comprises a data storage element to store the media received over the network in the time-shifting buffer in the time-based format.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the network receive element further comprises a data quality manager configured to ascertain defective or missing media contained in the messages received by the communication device over the network and to request retransmission of the messages containing the defective or missing media so that an exact copy of the media intended for receipt by the communication device is eventually stored in the time-shifting buffer.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication device further comprises a render element to render at the communication device the media stored in the time-shifting buffer.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the render element, in the near real-time mode, is configured to render the media contained in the messages received over the network before storing the media in the time-shifting buffer.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the render element, in the near real-time mode, is configured to render the media contained in the messages received over the network after storing the media in the time-shifting buffer.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the render element, in the near real-time mode, is configured to render the media contained in the messages received over the network at substantially the same time the media is stored in the time-shifting buffer.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the render element further comprises a prioritizing element configured to prioritize the rendering of the media stored in the time-shifting buffer.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the rendering element further comprises a retriever, the retriever configured to retrieve the media to be rendered in time-sequence from the time-shifting buffer starting at a selected point in time, wherein the selected point in time is selected by a user of the communication device.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the render element further comprises a mixer element to mix for rendering zero or more streams of media retrieved from the time-shifting buffer by the retriever.

28. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the time-shifting buffer persistently stores the media contained in the messages received over the network and the locally created messages.

29. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an archive storage system configured to archive the media stored in the time-shifting buffer.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the archival storage system is located remotely on the network.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the communication device further comprises a replacement element to selectively replace the media stored in the time-shifting buffer and to archive the replaced media in the archive storage system.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the replacement element relies on a replacement algorithm to archive the media stored in the time-shifting buffer, the replacement algorithm relying on one or more of the following algorithms:

(i) least recently used;

(ii) first-in, first-out;

(iii) replacement after a predetermined period of time of storage;

(iv) replacement based on an attribute associated with the media;

(v) replacement based on who sent the media;

or

(vi) replacement based on who received the media.

33. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication device further comprises a purge element, the purge element periodically purging selected media stored in the time-shifting buffer.

34. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the time-shifting buffer is implemented on the communication device using a first level of storage and a second level of storage, wherein the first level of storage has an access time that is faster and has a physical storage capacity that is smaller relative to the second level of storage.

35. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the time-shifting buffer is implemented using one or more of the following types of storage:

Random Access Memory (RAM), Flash memory, optical storage, or a hard drive.

36. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the time-based format further comprises associating a time-stamp for the both the media received over the network and the locally created media as both are stored in the time-shifting buffer, the time-stamp enabling the retrieval and rendering of the stored media from the time-shifting buffer in a time sequence order.

37. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received and locally created media comprises one or more of the following types of media:

voice, video, text, sensor data, radio signals, position or GPS information, or a combination thereof.

38. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises one of the following:

a land-line phone, a wireless phone, cellular phone, a mobile phone, a computer, a radio, a satellite phone, a satellite radio, a tactical radio, a tactical phone, or any other type of communication device.

39. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a packet-based network, a circuit-based network, a cellular network, a wireless network, a radio based network, a telephone network, a satellite network, or a combination thereof.

40. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message management system further provides a plurality of options for rendering both the media received over the network and locally created media stored in the time-shifting buffer, the plurality of rendering options including one or more of the following:

play normal, skip silences, pause, replay, play faster, play slower, jump backward, jump forward, catch up to the most recently received media, or jump to the most recently received media.

41. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message management system is further configured to transition rendering between the time-shifted mode and the near real-time mode without interrupting the ongoing storage into the time-shifting buffer the media of messages both received over the network and locally created on the communication device.