Establishing A Communication Event

• US 20140074944A1
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Wells, Tyler, Rosenberg, Jonathan David, Oberle, Vincent Marc, Roberts, Lindsay Simon
• Granted Patent: US 10,089,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/655 Combination of telephone service and social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0024 Services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services arrangements which combine a telephonic equipment and a computer H04M7/0012

Abstract

Methods and computer program products for establishing communication events between an initiator user and a recipient user over a first communication system. The initiator and recipient users are contacts within a second communication system but are not contacts within the first communication system. For the initiator and recipient users, an association between a first user identity in the first communication system and a second user identity in the second communication system is determined. The initiator user device uses the association for the recipient user to determine the first user identity of the recipient user. A setup request to establish the communication event is sent over the first communication system from a first initiator client to a first recipient client. A communication event is authorized to proceed over the first communication system on the basis that the initiator user and the recipient user are contacts within the second communication system.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a communication event between an initiator user and a recipient user over a first communication system which requires users to have a contact relationship to communicate with one another, wherein said initiator user and said recipient user are contacts of one another within a second communication system but are not contacts of one another within the first communication system, and wherein a first initiator client implemented at an initiator user device enables the initiator user to access the first communication system, and a first recipient client implemented at a recipient user device enables the recipient user to access the first communication system, and wherein for each of the initiator user and the recipient user, an association between a first user identity in the first communication system and a second user identity in the second communication system is determined, the method comprising:

at the initiator user device, accessing contact details within the second communication system to determine the second user identity of the recipient user, and using the determined second user identity of the recipient user and said association for the recipient user to determine the first user identity of the recipient user;

sending a setup request to establish the communication event over the first communication system from the first initiator client to the first recipient client, said setup request being sent using the determined first identity of the recipient user,

wherein information is provided to the first recipient client indicating that the first identity of the initiator user is associated with the second identity of the initiator user, and wherein the communication event is authorized to proceed over the first communication system between the first initiator client and the first recipient client on the basis that the initiator user and the recipient user are contacts of one another within the second communication system.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing said determined association for each of the initiator user and the recipient user between a first user identity in the first communication system and a second user identity in the second communication system.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the determined associations are stored in a data store at a server of the second communication system.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said information is provided to the first recipient client by sending the determined association for the initiator user from the server to the recipient user device.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the determined association for the recipient user is sent from the server to the initiator user device.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the determined associations are stored in respective data stores at the initiator user device and at the recipient user device.

7. The method claim 2 wherein each of the determined associations is stored for the duration for which the respective user is online in both the first and second communication systems.

8. The method claim 2 wherein the determined associations are stored for the duration of the communication event, wherein responsive to the end of the communication event the associations are no longer stored.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said information is provided to the first recipient client by including the second user identity of the initiator user in the setup request that is sent from the first initiator client to the first recipient client.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, at the initiator user device, a token issued by a server of the second communication system, said token authorising the communication event to proceed over the first communication system; and

including the token in the setup request that is sent from the first initiator client to the first recipient client,

wherein the token indicates to the first recipient client that the initiator user is a contact of the recipient user in the second communication system and on that basis the communication event is authorised to proceed over the first communication system.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication event involves two or more users and is an audio call, a video call, an instant messaging session or a file transfer.

20. A computer program product configured to establish a communication event, the computer program product being embodied on a computer-readable storage medium and configured so as when executed on a processor to perform the operations of any of claim 1.

12. A method of establishing a communication event between an initiator user and a recipient user over a first communication system which requires users to have a contact relationship to communicate with one another, wherein said initiator user and said recipient user are contacts of one another within a second communication system but are not contacts of one another within the first communication system, and wherein a first initiator client implemented at an initiator user device enables the initiator user to access the first communication system, and a first recipient client implemented at a recipient user device enables the recipient user to access the first communication system, and wherein for each of the initiator user and the recipient user, an association between a first user identity in the first communication system and a second user identity in the second communication system is determined, the method comprising:

receiving a setup request to establish the communication event over the first communication system at the first recipient client from the first initiator client, said setup request being sent using the first identity of the recipient user;

receiving information at the first recipient client indicating that the first identity of the initiator user is associated with the second identity of the initiator user; and

authorising the communication event to proceed over the first communication system between the first initiator client and the first recipient client on the basis that the initiator user and the recipient user are contacts of one another within the second communication system.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising storing said determined association for each of the initiator user and the recipient user between a first user identity in the first communication system and a second user identity in the second communication system.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the determined associations are stored in a data store at a server of the second communication system.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said receiving information comprises receiving the information from the server, said information comprising the determined association for the initiator user.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the determined associations are stored in respective data stores at the initiator user device and at the recipient user device.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein either (i) each of the determined associations is stored for the duration for which the respective user is online in both the first and second communication systems;

or (ii) the determined associations are stored for the duration of the communication event, wherein responsive to the end of the communication event the associations are no longer stored.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein said receiving information comprises receiving the second user identity of the initiator user included in the setup request that is received from the first initiator client.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein said receiving information comprises receiving a token included in the setup request that is received from the first initiator client, wherein the token is issued by a server of the second communication system and authorises the communication event to proceed over the first communication system,

wherein the token indicates to the first recipient client that the initiator user is a contact of the recipient user in the second communication system and on that basis the communication event is authorised to proceed over the first communication system.