Establishing Communication Among Parties Based on Location

• US 20130132478A1
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Csdrvs
• Original Assignee: Csdrvs
• Inventors: Belanger, Sean, Hayes, Peter
• Application Number:
  US13/598,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20130132478A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for transmitting a location of a first client device to a server device. A communication request is transmitted from the first client device that requests a conference with a second client device. A conference is established with the second client device using a communications link. The communications link facilitates the conference being established over a network between the first and second client devices.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program executable in a first mobile device, comprising:

code that transmits, via a network, authentication data to a server device, the authentication data comprising an authentication credential for a first user of the first mobile device;

code that transmits, via the network, a communication preference for the first mobile device to the server device, the communication preference comprising an availability and a location for the first mobile device, the location being provided by a location sensor in the first mobile device;

code that obtains, via the network, a communication request initiated by a second mobile device, the communication request being an invitation to participate in a multimedia conference with a second user of the second mobile device, the communication request comprising a network address of the second mobile device;

code that transmits, via the network, a communication acceptance to the server device, the communication acceptance being transmitted in response to an acceptance of the communication request by the first user; and

code that initiates, via the network, the multimedia conference with the second mobile device, a communication link facilitating the multimedia conference, the communication link being initiated by the first mobile device using the network address of the second mobile device.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the network is a wireless network.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program further comprises code that transmits, via the network, a multiparty communication request to the server device, the multiparty communication request being a multiparty invitation for a third client device to participate in the multimedia conference with the first and second users, the communication request comprising a network address of the first mobile device.

4. A first mobile communication device, comprising:

a processor; and

a communications application executable by the processor, the communications application comprising;

logic that transmits, via a network, a location of the first mobile communication device to a server device;

logic that obtains, via the network, a communication request initiated by a second client device; and

logic that establishes, via the network, a conference with the second client device, a communication link facilitating the conference, the communication link traversing the server device.

5. The first mobile communication device of claim 4, wherein the conference comprises a video transmission.

6. The first mobile communication device of claim 4, further comprising logic that transmits a communication acceptance in response to the communication request, the conference being initiated in response to the communication acceptance.

7. The first mobile communication device of claim 4, wherein the location is determined by a location sensor in the first mobile communication device.

8. The first mobile communication device of claim 4, further comprising logic that transmits session data to the server device, the session data comprising an authentication credential for a user and a communication preference for the user.

9. The first mobile communication device of claim 8, wherein the session data further comprises a communication capability of the first mobile communication device.

10. The first mobile communication device of claim 4, wherein the first mobile communication device is a smartphone.

11. The first mobile communication device of claim 4, wherein at least one other client device participates in the conference.

12. A method, comprising the steps of:

transmitting, via a network interface of a first client device, a location of the first client device to a server device;

transmitting, via the network interface, a communication request for a second client device; and

establishing, via the network interface, a conference with the second client device, a communications link facilitating the conference being established between the first and second client devices without traversing the server device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of obtaining, in the first client device, a network address of the second client device, the network address being used to establish the communications link.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of identifying, in the first client device, the second client device based upon a search of a plurality of client devices available for the conference, the second client device being one of the client devices.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the search is based at least upon the location reported by the client devices.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the search is based at least upon a communication capability reported by the client devices.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the location is determined by a location sensor in the first client device.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of transmitting, via the network interface, session data to the server device, the session data comprising an authentication credential for a user and a communication availability for the user.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the conference comprises a multimedia transmission, the multimedia transmission comprising an audio segment and a video segment.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one other client device participates in the conference.