SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GRAPHICALLY MANAGING A COMMUNICATION SESSION WITH A CONTEXT BASED CONTACT SET

• US 20100251177A1
• Filed: 03/29/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Geppert, Birgit, Roessler, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 10,574,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/821
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• 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: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5027 Dropping a party from a conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/62 user interface aspects of conference calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 : Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42289 : with carrierprovider selection by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 : User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/564 : whereby the feature is a sub-conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 : for social networking applications

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for presenting a contact manager associated with a communication session represented in a graphical user interface (GUI). The method includes grouping by context contacts associated with a user in the communication session, wherein the communication session is displayed as a set of connected graphical elements representing a structure of the communication session, presenting on the GUI a graphical representation of at least a part of the grouped contacts, receiving user input associated with one contact of the contacts and the communication session, and modifying the communication session based on information associated with the user input and the one contact. Grouping the contacts by context can include sorting the contacts as a cache, and grouping based on user preferences, user communications history, social networks, topic, project, and/or employer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of presenting a contact manager associated with a communication session represented in a graphical user interface (GUI), the method causing a communications device to perform steps comprising:

grouping by context contacts associated with a user associated with a communication session, wherein the communication session is displayed as a set of graphical elements representing the communication session, wherein the communication session is one of a current communication session and a proposed communication session;

presenting on the GUI a representation of at least a part of the grouped contacts;

receiving user input associated with one contact of the grouped contacts and the communication session; and

manipulating the communication session based on the user input and the one contact.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein grouping the contacts by context includes sorting the contacts based on one or more of:

the communication session, as a cache, at least one of user preferences, a user communications history, a social network, a topic, a project, family relationship, friend relationship, hobby, area of interest, political affiliation, current/future/former school, a calendar, a local time zone, and an employer.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein modifying the communication session includes one or more of adding the at least one contact to the communication session, creating a sidebar communication session including the at least one contact, and optionally splitting the communication session.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving user input associated with a plurality of contacts of the grouped contacts.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, after modifying the communication session:

revising the context and generating a new grouping of contacts; and

presenting on the GUI a graphical representation of at least a part of the new grouping of contacts.

6. A system for presenting a contact manager associated with a communication session represented in a graphical user interface (GUI), the system comprising:

a processor;

a first module controlling the processor to group by context a set of contacts associated with a user associated with a communication session, wherein the communication session is displayed as a set of graphical elements representing the communication session, wherein the communication session is one of a current communication session and a proposed communication session;

a second module controlling the processor to present on the GUI a representation of at least a part of the grouped set of contacts;

a third module controlling the processor to receive user input associated with one contact of the set of contacts and the communication session; and

a fourth module controlling the processor to manipulate the communication session based on the user input and the one contact.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein grouping the set of contacts by context includes one or more of sorting the set of contacts as a cache, and grouping based on at least one of user preferences, user communications history, social networks, topic, project, family relationship, friend relationship, hobby, area of interest, political affiliation, current/future/former school, a calendar, a local time zone, and employer.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein modifying the communication session includes one or more of adding the at least one contact to the communication session, creating a sidebar communication session including the at least one contact, and optionally splitting the communication session.

9. The system of claim 6, further comprising a fifth module controlling the processor to receive user input associated with a plurality of contacts of the set of contacts.

10. The system of claim 6, further comprising a fifth module controlling the processor to, after modifying the communication session, revise the context and generating a new grouping of contacts and present on the GUI a graphical representation of at least a part of the new grouping of contacts.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to present a contact manager associated with a communication session represented in a graphical user interface (GUI), the instructions comprising:

grouping by context a set of contacts associated with a user associated with a communication session, wherein the communication session is displayed as a set of graphical elements representing the communication session, wherein the communication session is one of a current communication session and a proposed communication session;

presenting on the GUI a representation of at least a part of the grouped set of contacts;

receiving user input associated with one contact of the set of contacts and the communication session; and

manipulating the communication session based on the user input and the one contact.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein grouping the set of contacts by context includes one or more of sorting the set of contacts as a cache, and grouping based on at least one of user preferences, user communications history, social networks, topic, project, family relationship, friend relationship, hobby, area of interest, political affiliation, current/future/former school, a calendar, a local time zone, and employer.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein modifying the communication session includes one or more of adding the at least one contact to the communication session, creating a sidebar communication session between the user and the at least one contact, and optionally splitting the communication session.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising receiving user input associated with a plurality of contacts of the set of contacts.

15. A method of managing a set of contacts for a communication session, the method comprising:

receiving data about a group of contacts;

sorting the group of contacts based on the received data and relative to a current communication session including a user, wherein the current communication session is graphically displayed to the user including a set of connected graphical elements in which each element represents a party to the communication session;

displaying at least one contact of the sorted group of contacts to the user with the displayed communication session;

receiving input from the user associated with the communication session and a selected contact of the at least one contact; and

modifying the communication session relative to the selected contact.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the input is one of gesture based or multimodal based.

17. A system for managing a set of contacts for a communication session, the system comprising:

a processor;

a first module controlling the processor to receive data about a group of contacts;

a second module controlling the processor to sort the group of contacts based on the received data and relative to a current communication session including a user, wherein the current communication session is graphically displayed to the user including a set of connected graphical elements in which each element represents a party to the communication session;

a third module controlling the processor to display at least one contact of the sorted group of contacts to the user with the displayed communication session;

a fourth module controlling the processor to receive input from the user associated with the communication session and a selected contact of the at least one contact; and

a fifth module controlling the processor to modify the communication session relative to the selected contact.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a sixth module controlling the processor, after modifying the communication session, to revise the context and generating a new grouping of contacts and present on the GUI a graphical representation of at least a part of the new grouping of contacts.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein modifying the communication session comprises one or more of adding the at least one contact to the communication session, creating a sidebar communication session between the user and the at least one contact, and splitting the communication session.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a computing device cause the computing device to manage a set of contacts for a communication session, the instructions comprising:

receiving data about a group of contacts;

sorting the group of contacts based on the received data and relative to a current communication session including a user, wherein the current communication session is graphically displayed to the user including a set of connected graphical elements in which each element represents a party to the communication session;

displaying at least one contact of the sorted group of contacts to the user with the displayed communication session;

receiving input from the user associated with the communication session and a selected contact of the at least one contact; and

modifying the communication session relative to the selected contact.