COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20120102108A1
• Filed: 01/26/2010
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: O'Connell, John, Mansutti, David, Brandt, Marc, Guigui, Alain
• Granted Patent: US 9,450,770 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a communication system and method for supporting multiple communications between users using a plurality of different services.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a specified type of communication involving at least a pair of users of a plurality of users participating in an existing type of communication;

the method comprising;

receiving a request associated with a first user of the pair of users to establish the specified type of communication session with a second user of pair of users;

accessing a communication policy and determining whether or not the specified type of communication session can be established between the first and second users;

establishing, on behalf of the first and second users, the second type of communication session according to said determining.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of accessing and determining comprises:

determining that the request associated with the first user to establish the specified type of communication session with the second user originated from or is associated with the existing type of communication session.

3. A method as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising the step of establishing for the first and second users one or more than one communication policy for influencing establishment of one or more than one type of communication associated with the first and second types of user.

4. A method as claimed in any preceding claim in which the step of establishing, on behalf of the first and second users, the second type of communication session comprises establishing at least one of a messaging communication, a video communication, and an audio communication.

5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim comprising supplying contact data associated with two or more of the plurality of users to a network entity;

the network entity being arranged to establish or at least instigate establishing a communication session between said two or more of the plurality of users using said supplied contact data.

6. A system comprising means adapted to implement a method as claimed in any preceding claim.

7. Machine executable instructions arranged, when executed, to implement a method as claimed in any preceding claim or to realise a system as claimed in claim 6.

8. Machine readable storage storing machine executable instructions as claimed in claim 7.