Connecting Communication-Network End-Users Based on Current Network Connectivity

• US 20100291905A1
• Filed: 05/15/2009
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stankey, John Thomas, Malik, Dale, Mikan, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,737,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1078 Resource delivery mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42136 Administration or customisation of services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

One embodiment of the disclosed technology involves determining a preferred communication connection between two parties that are communication-network end-users, at least one of which parties has access to at least two networks. A database contains information on the current connectivity of the two parties and a preferred communication connection is determined based on information from the database. The preferred connection may be used to exchange multimedia content that can be transmitted in real time, or, based on the connectivity information, can be sent to a multimedia relay from which it will be obtained by the recipient when the recipient has appropriate connectivity.

Claims

1. A method for communicating between first and second end-users of communication networks, at least one of the end-users having parallel network connection capability to at least two different communication networks, the method comprising:

over a first network, obtaining, from a computer database having information on network connectivity of each of two or more end-users to a plurality of communication networks, information on current parallel network connectivity of the first end-user to at least two of the communication networks of the plurality and information on current network connectivity of the second end-user to at least one of the communication networks of the plurality; and

determining, based on the information, a preferred connection for communicating between the two end-users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein information is obtained on current parallel network connectivity of the second end-user to at least two of the communication networks of the plurality.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferred connection is selected from among at least two currently possible connections between the two end-users.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

establishing a communication connection between the two end-users using the preferred connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferred connection is over a single network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferred connection is over more than one network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferred connection includes a connection to a multimedia relay.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, at the multimedia relay, multimedia content from a first end-user, and

transmitting the multimedia content from the multimedia relay to a second end-user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the multimedia content is received at the multimedia relay over a second network, and the multimedia content is transmitted from the multimedia relay over a third network.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting to the multimedia relay content from a first end-user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the database contains data on end-users that have at least one social preference in common and wherein the at least two end-users have the one social preference in common.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network is a wireless network

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the first network is a cellular network.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network is a packet network.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the preferred connection is made over a WiFi network

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying at least one of the end-users of the network connectivity of a second end-user.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining if the at least one of the end-users desires to connect to the second end-user.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining if the at least one of the end-users desires to exchange multimedia content with the second end-user.

19. A method for communicating between first and second end-users of communication networks, at least one of the end-users having parallel network connection capability to at least two different communication networks, the method comprising:

over a wireless network, obtaining a request from a first end-user to transmit multimedia to a second end-user;

obtaining, from a computer database having information on network connectivity of each of two or more end-users to a plurality of communication networks, for end-users that have at least one specified social preference in common, information on current parallel network connectivity of the first end-user to at least two of the communication networks of the plurality and information on current parallel network connectivity of the second end-user to at least two of the communication networks of the plurality; and

selecting, based on the information, from among at least two possible connections between the two end-users, a preferred connection for communicating between the two end-users, said preferred connection comprising, receiving, at a multimedia relay, multimedia content from a first end-user transmitted over a first network, and transmitting the multimedia content from the multimedia relay to a second end-user over a second network.

20. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions for communicating between first and second end-users of communication networks, at least one of the end-users having parallel network connection capability to at least two different communication networks, said plurality of instructions, when executed by a computer, causing said computer to perform steps comprising:

over a first network, obtaining, from a computer database having information on network connectivity of each of two or more end-users to a plurality of communication networks, information on current parallel network connectivity of the first end-user to at least two of the communication networks of the plurality and information on current network connectivity of the second end-user to at least one of the communication networks of the plurality; and

determining, based on the information, a preferred connection for communicating between the two end-users.

21. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions for communicating between first and second end-users of communication networks, at least one of the end-users having parallel network connection capability to at least two different communication networks, said plurality of instructions, when executed by a computer, causing said computer to perform steps comprising:

obtaining, over a wireless network, a request from a first end-user to transmit multimedia to a second end-user;

obtaining, from a computer database having information on network connectivity of each of two or more end-users to a plurality of communication networks, for end-users that have at least one specified social preference in common, information on current parallel network connectivity of the first end-user to at least two of the communication networks of the plurality and information on current parallel network connectivity of the second end-user to at least two of the communication networks of the plurality; and

selecting, based on the information, from among at least two possible connections between the two end-users, a preferred connection for communicating between the two end-users, said preferred connection comprising, receiving, at a multimedia relay, multimedia content from a first end-user transmitted over a first network, and transmitting the multimedia content from the multimedia relay to a second end-user over a second network.

22. An apparatus for communicating between first and second end-users of communication networks, at least one of the end-users having parallel network connection capability to at least two different communication networks, the apparatus comprising:

means for obtaining, from a computer database having information on network connectivity of each of two or more end-users to a plurality of communication networks, information on current parallel network connectivity of the first end-user to at least two of the communication networks of the plurality and information on current network connectivity of the second end-user to at least one of the communication networks of the plurality; and

means for determining, based on the information, a preferred connection for communicating between the two end-users.

23. An apparatus for communicating between first and second end-users of communication networks, at least one of the end-users having parallel network connection capability to at least two different communication networks, the apparatus comprising:

means for obtaining, over a wireless network, a request from a first end-user to transmit multimedia to a second end-user;

means for obtaining, from a computer database having information on network connectivity of each of two or more end-users to a plurality of communication networks, for end-users that have at least one specified social preference in common, information on current parallel network connectivity of the first end-user to at least two of the communication networks of the plurality and information on current parallel network connectivity of the second end-user to at least two of the communication networks of the plurality; and

means for selecting, based on the information, from among at least two possible connections between the two end-users, a preferred connection for communicating between the two end-users, said preferred connection comprising, receiving, at a multimedia relay, multimedia content from a first end-user transmitted over a first network, and transmitting the multimedia content from the multimedia relay to a second end-user over a second network.