TELECOMMUNICATION AND MULTIMEDIA MANAGEMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20140189029A1
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Inventors: KATIS, Thomas E., PANTTAJA, James T., PANTTAJA, Mary G., RANNEY, Matthew J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,154,628 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/126 Foldable, retractable or tiltable tribunes E04H3/123 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• 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: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A telecommunication and multimedia management apparatus and method that supports voice and other media communications and that enables users to: (i) participate in multiple conversation modes, including live phone calls, conference calls, instant voice messaging or tactical communications; (ii) review the messages of conversations in either a live mode or a time-shifted mode and to seamlessly transition back and forth between the two modes; (iii) participate in multiple conversations either concurrently or simultaneously; (iv) archive the messages of conversations for later review or processing; and (v) persistently store media either created or received on the communication devices of users. The latter feature enables users to generate or review media when either disconnected from the network or network conditions are poor and to optimize the delivery of media over the network based on network conditions and the intention of the users participating in conversations.

Claims

1. A method of providing and operating a progressive, store and forward, messaging system, the method comprising:

providing a first communication application, configured to be embedded in a first non-transitory computer readable medium on a first communication device, the first communication application including a first progressive, store and forward, messaging module that progressively stores and progressively transmits over a network media of a first message created using the first communication device as the media of the first message is created;

providing a second communication application, configured to be embedded in a second non-transitory computer readable medium on a second communication device, the second communication application including a second progressive, store and forward, messaging module that progressively stores and progressively transmits over the network media of a second message created using the second communication device as the media of the second message is created; and

operating a messaging services infrastructure on the network by;

(a) progressively storing the media of the first message at the messaging services infrastructure as the media of the first message is progressively received over the network from the first communication device and (b) progressively transmitting the media of the first message to the second communication device as the media of the first message is progressively received and stored at the messaging services infrastructure; and

(c) progressively storing the media of the second message at the messaging services infrastructure as the media of the second message is progressively received over the network from the second communication device and (d) progressively transmitting the media of the second message to the first communication device as the media of the second message is progressively received and stored at the messaging services infrastructure.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising exchanging the first message and the second message between the first communication device and the second communication device asynchronously without having to first establish a synchronous connection or session over the network between the first communication device and the second communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising progressively forwarding the media of the first message via the messaging services infrastructure to the second communication device, as the media of the first message is created and progressively transmitted by the first communication device, so that the media of the first message may be selectively rendered substantially live on the second communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling substantially live, two-way, communication when the first message and the second message are created, progressively transmitted, and progressively rendered by the first and second communication devices at substantially the same time.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling time-shifted communication when either:

(i) the second message is selectively rendered out of storage on the first communication device some time after the second message was delivered to and stored on the first communication device; and

/or

(ii) the first message is selectively rendered out of storage on the second communication device some time after the first message was delivered to and stored on the second communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, further configuring the first communication application and the messaging services infrastructure to cooperate in guaranteeing delivery of the first message to the second communication device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first communication application guarantees the delivery of the first message by progressively transmitting the media of the first message out of storage located on the first communication device when:

(i) the first communication device is disconnected from the network when the media of the first message is created; and

/or

(ii) conditions on a network connection connecting the first communication device to the network are inadequate for transmitting the media of the first message when the media of the first message is created.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the messaging services infrastructure guarantees the delivery of the first message to the second communication device by transmitting the first message out of storage when:

(i) the second communication device is disconnected from the network when the media of the first message is received and stored at the messaging services infrastructure; and

(ii) after the second communication device reconnects to the network.

9. The method of claim 1, further configuring the first communication application and the messaging services infrastructure to cooperate in delivering a complete copy of the first message to the second communication device.

10. The method of claim 9, further configuring the first communication application to retransmit, in response to requests for retransmission, the media of the first message designated as missing and/or defective, the retransmissions delivering the complete copy of the media of the first message to the messaging services infrastructure.

11. The method of claim 1, further configuring the messaging services infrastructure to retransmit, in response to requests for retransmission from the second communication device, the media of the first message designated as missing and/or defective, the retransmissions delivering the complete copy of the media of the first message to the second communication device.

12. The method of claim 1, further configuring the messaging services infrastructure to find at least a partial delivery route over the network for delivering the first message to the second communication device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first message contains an identifier associated with a user of the second communication device, the messaging services infrastructure using the identifier to find the least partial delivery route over the network for delivering the first message to the second communication device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the identifier is a non-IP address identifier.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the messaging services infrastructure further comprises ascertaining when the first communication device and the second communication device are each connected to and available on the network.

16. The method of claim 1, further configuring the messaging services infrastructure to:

(i) ascertain if the second communication device is connected to and available on the network when the media of the first message is received at the messaging services infrastructure; and

(ii) progressively transmitting the media of the first message to the second communication device, as the media of the first message is progressively received at the messaging services infrastructure, when the second communication device is connected to and available on the network.

17. The method of claim 1, further configuring the messaging services infrastructure to:

(i) ascertain if the second communication device is not connected to and available on the network when the media of the first message is received at the messaging services infrastructure; and

(ii) transmit the media of the first message out of storage when the second communication device connects to and becomes available on the network.

18. The method of claim 1, further configuring the first communication application and the messaging services infrastructure to each progressively transmit the media of the first message over the network using a transmission protocol capable of supporting near-real-time communication.

19. The method of claim 1, further configuring the first communication application and the messaging services infrastructure to each progressively transmit the media of the first message over the network as fast as conditions on the network permit.

20. The method of claim 1, further configuring the first progressive, store and forward, messaging module to progressively store on the first communication device:

(i) the media of the first message as the media is created using the first communication device and

(ii) the media of the second message as the media of the second message is progressively received at the first communication device.

21. The method of claim 1, further configuring the first progressive, store and forward, messaging module to selectively render the media of the second message:

(i) in a real-time rendering mode by progressively rendering the media of the second message as the media is progressively received over the network and

(ii) in a time-shifted mode by retrieving and progressively rendering the media of the second message out of storage on the first communication device.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising progressively storing the media of the first message and the media of the second message on the first communication device, the second communication device, and the messaging services infrastructure in a time-indexed format.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising threading together into a conversation messages exchanged between the first communication device and the second communication device sharing a common attribute.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the media of the first and the second messages comprise one or more of the following types of streaming media:

voice, video, sensor data, radio signals, position or GPS information, or any combination thereof.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the messaging services infrastructure on the network further comprises operating one or more servers connected to the network.