METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING DELIVERY OF NOTIFICATIONS IN REAL-TIME COMMUNICATIONS BASED ON COMMUNICATION CHANNEL STATE

• US 20110117886A1
• Filed: 11/18/2009
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Travis, Amy D., Scherpa, Josef
• Application Number:
  US12/620,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20110117886A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 2203/258 Service state indications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

A critical notification is reliably delivered to at least one participant in a real-time communication session. A candidate delivery channel is selected, and a set of one or more communication state variables associated with the candidate delivery channel are identified. Current values associated with the communication state variables and determined, and a determination is made as to whether the current values associated with the communication state variables indicate that the notification can currently be reliably delivered using the candidate delivery channel. If the notification cannot currently be reliably delivered using the candidate delivery channel, an alternative delivery option is selected that may include using an alternative delivery channel and/or delaying delivery of the notification.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one processor and at least one computer readable memory, said computer readable memory having stored thereon program code for reliably delivering a notification to at least one user, said program code including

program code for selecting a candidate delivery channel,

program code for identifying a set of one or more communication state variables associated with said candidate delivery channel,

program code for determining current values associated with said communication state variables,

program code for determining whether current values associated with said communication state variables indicate that said notification can currently be reliably delivered using said candidate delivery channel,

program code for, responsive to a determination that said notification can currently be reliably delivered using said candidate delivery channel, delivering said notification to said at least one user through said candidate delivery channel; and

program code for, responsive to a determination that said notification cannot currently be reliably delivered using said candidate delivery channel, selecting an alternative delivery option for delivering said notification to said at least one user.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein said at least one user comprises at least one participant in a real-time communication session; and

wherein said notification comprises a notification that said real-time communication session is being recorded.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein said at least one user comprises at least one participant in a real-time communication session; and

wherein said notification comprises a notification that another participant in said real-time communication would like to make a comment in the real-time communication session.

4. The system of claim 2, said program code further comprising:

program code for determining that said real-time communication session is to be recorded; and

wherein said program code for selecting said candidate delivery channel is responsive to said determining that said real-time communication session is to be recorded.

5. The system of claim 2, said program code further comprising:

program code for determining that delivery of said recording notification to said at least one of said participants is required; and

wherein said program code for selecting said candidate delivery channel is responsive to said determining that delivery of said recording notification to said at least one of said participants is required.

6. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

wherein said candidate delivery channel comprises an audio communication channel; and

wherein said program code for selecting said alternative delivery option for delivering said notification that said real-time communication session is being recorded to said at least one participant in said real-time communication session comprises program code for selecting a visual communication channel for delivering a visual notification that said real-time communication session is being recorded.

7. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

wherein said candidate delivery channel comprises a visual communication channel including an associated user interface window within a graphical user interface in a client system associated with said at least one of said participants; and

wherein said program code for selecting said alternative delivery option for delivering said notification that another participant in said real-time communication session would like to make a comment comprises program code for selecting an audio communication channel for delivering an audible notification to said at least one participant that another participant in said real-time communication session would like to make a comment.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

wherein said audio communication channel comprises a voice over IP (VoIP) communication session;

wherein said program code for determining whether current values associated with said communication state variables indicate that said notification that said real-time communication session is being recorded can currently be reliably delivered using said candidate delivery channel comprises program code for determining that the audio output on a client system associated with said at least one participant in said real-time communication session is currently muted; and

wherein said visual communication channel comprises a pop-up window generated in a display device on a client system associated with said at least one participant in said real-time communication session.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

wherein said program code for determining whether current values associated with said communication state variables indicate that said notification can currently be reliably delivered using said candidate delivery channel comprises program code for determining that said user interface window within said graphical user interface in said client system associated with said at least one of said participants is currently not visible because it is obscured by another user interface window within said graphical user interface; and

wherein said audible notification comprises a predetermined sound generated by an audio subsystem in said client system associated with said at least one participant in said real-time communication session.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

wherein said audio communication channel comprises a voice over IP (VoIP) communication session;

wherein said program code for determining whether current values associated with said communication state variables indicate that said notification that said real-time communication session is being recorded can currently be reliably delivered using said candidate delivery channel comprises program code for determining that said VoIP communication session is currently on hold; and

wherein said visual communication channel comprises a pop-up window generated in a display device on a client system associated with said at least one participant in said real-time communication session.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein said program code for selecting said alternative delivery option for delivering said notification to said at least one participant in said real-time communication session comprises program code for selecting a time period for which to delay delivery of said notification that said real-time communication session is being recorded.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein said real-time communication session comprises a Web conference.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein said communication state variables include an online presence status of said at least one participant in said real-time communication session; and

wherein said determination that said notification cannot currently be reliably delivered using said candidate delivery channel is responsive to program code for determining that a current value of said online presence status of said at least one participant in said real-time communication session indicates that said at least one participant is currently unavailable to receive communications sent to a client system associated with said at least one participant.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein said at least one user comprises at least one participant in a real-time communication session; and

wherein said notification comprises a notification that recording of said real-time communication session has been paused.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein said at least one user comprises at least one participant in a real-time communication session; and

wherein said notification comprises a notification that recording of said real-time communication session has been stopped.

16. The system of claim 3, said program code further comprising:

program code for determining that another participant in said real-time communication session would like to make a comment; and

wherein said program code for selecting said candidate delivery channel is responsive to said determining that another participant in said real-time communication session would like to make a comment.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

wherein said determining that another participant in said real-time communication session would like to make a comment is responsive to detecting that said other participant in said real-time communication session has selected a graphical object in a graphical user interface within a client system associated with said other participant.

18. A computer implemented method of reliably delivering a notification to at least one user, comprising:

selecting a candidate delivery channel;

identifying a set of one or more communication state variables associated with said candidate delivery channel;

determining current values associated with said communication state variables;

determining whether current values associated with said communication state variables indicate that said notification can currently be reliably delivered using said candidate delivery channel;

delivering, responsive to a determination that said notification can currently be reliably delivered using said candidate delivery channel, said notification to said at least one user through said candidate delivery channel; and

selecting, responsive to a determination that said notification cannot currently be reliably delivered using said candidate delivery channel, an alternative delivery option for delivering said notification to said at least one user.

19. A computer program product, comprising:

at least one computer readable storage medium, said computer readable storage medium having stored thereon program code for reliably delivering a notification to at least one user, said program code including

program code for selecting a candidate delivery channel,

program code for identifying a set of one or more communication state variables associated with said candidate delivery channel,

program code for determining current values associated with said communication state variables,

program code for determining whether current values associated with said communication state variables indicate that said notification can currently be reliably delivered using said candidate delivery channel,

program code for, responsive to a determination that said notification can currently be reliably delivered using said candidate delivery channel, delivering said notification to said at least one user through said candidate delivery channel; and

program code for, responsive to a determination that said notification cannot currently be reliably delivered using said candidate delivery channel, selecting an alternative delivery option for delivering said notification to said at least one user.