MOBILE CONFERENCING METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20110282960A1
• Filed: 07/28/2011
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Pendragon Wireless LLC (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: LIN, Daniel J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,406,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A server-based architecture for mobile conferencing is presented. Session-based mobile conferencing is established by transmitting necessary server network address information through page-mode based messaging services to establish connections among the various mobile devices with the server.

Claims

1. A method of initiating a data exchange session among mobile devices, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an initiating mobile device to allocate a session identifier to use in a data exchange session with a participating mobile device;

transmitting the session identifier to the initiating mobile device, wherein the initiating mobile device uses a page-mode messaging service to assist in communicating the session identifier to the participating mobile device and wherein the page-mode messaging service utilizes a unique identifier to locate the participating mobile device;

establishing connections with the initiating mobile device and the participating mobile device based on the session identifier; and

facilitating the data exchange session between the initiating mobile device and the participating mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the page-mode messaging service may be utilized to transmit page-mode messages to devices for purposes unrelated to participating in the data exchange session.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the page-mode messaging service transmits a page-mode message to the participating mobile device that is encoded to be recognized by software on the participating mobile device configured to participate in the data exchange session.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein additional devices are invited to participate in the data exchange session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein an initiating device performing the method is a non-mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier utilized by the page-mode messaging service is associated with a telephone number of the participating mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network address is an IP address.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions for initiating a data exchange session among mobile devices, which when executed cause a processor to perform the steps of:

receiving a request from an initiating mobile device to allocate a session identifier to use in a data exchange session with a participating mobile device;

transmitting the session identifier to the initiating mobile device, wherein the initiating mobile device uses a page-mode messaging service to assist in communicating the session identifier to the participating mobile device and wherein the page-mode messaging service utilizes a unique identifier to locate the participating mobile device;

establishing connections with the initiating mobile device and the participating mobile device based on the session identifier; and

facilitating the data exchange session between the initiating mobile device and the participating mobile device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the page-mode messaging service may be utilized to transmit page-mode messages to devices for purposes unrelated to participating in the data exchange session.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the page-mode messaging service transmits a page-mode message to the participating mobile device that is encoded to be recognized by software on the participating mobile device configured to participate in the data exchange session.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein additional devices are invited to participate in the data exchange session.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein an initiating device performing the method is a non-mobile device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the unique identifier utilized by the page-mode messaging service is associated with a telephone number of the participating mobile device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the network address is an IP address.

15. A server configured to facilitate a data exchange session among mobile devices, the server configured to perform the steps of:

receiving a request from an initiating mobile device to allocate a session identifier to use in a data exchange session with a participating mobile device;

transmitting the session identifier to the initiating mobile device, wherein the initiating mobile device uses a page-mode messaging service to assist in communicating the session identifier to the participating mobile device and wherein the page-mode messaging service utilizes a unique identifier to locate the participating mobile device;

establishing connections with the initiating mobile device and the participating mobile device based on the session identifier; and

facilitating the data exchange session between the initiating mobile device and the participating mobile device.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein the page-mode messaging service may be utilized to transmit page-mode messages to devices for purposes unrelated to participating in the data exchange session.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein the page-mode messaging service transmits a page-mode message to the participating mobile device that is encoded to be recognized by software on the participating mobile device configured to participate in the data exchange session.

18. The server of claim 15, wherein additional devices are invited to participate in the data exchange session.

19. The server of claim 15, wherein an initiating device performing the method is a non-mobile device.

20. The server of claim 15, wherein the unique identifier utilized by the page-mode messaging service is associated with a telephone number of the participating mobile device.