SECURITY TECHNIQUES FOR RECONNECTING TO A CONFERENCE SESSION USING A COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20170026839A1
• Filed: 10/10/2016
• Published: 01/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lundqvist, Jan Tomas, Lindberg, Jonas Erik, Nepal, Sailesh
• Granted Patent: US 9,736,692 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/152 Temporary dial plan
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2088 Call or conference reconnect, e.g. resulting from isdn terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A computer-implemented technique can include joining, by a computing device having one or more processors, a conference session hosted by a server via a wireless computing network. In response to joining the conference session, the computing device can receive, from the server via the wireless computing network, a dial-in telephone number for reconnecting to the conference session. The computing device can detect a trigger condition indicative of a need to reconnect to the conference session via a cellular telephone network. In response to detecting the trigger condition, the computing device can initiate a telephone call to the dial-in telephone number via the cellular telephone network. In response to the server obtaining authentication of a caller identification of the computing device, the computing device can rejoin the conference session via the cellular telephone network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

joining, by a computing device having one or more processors, a conference session hosted by a server via a wireless computing network;

in response to joining the conference session, receiving, at the computing device and from the server via the wireless computing network, a dial-in telephone number for reconnecting to the conference session;

detecting, by the computing device, a trigger condition indicative of a need to reconnect to the conference session via a cellular telephone network;

in response to detecting the trigger condition, initiating, by the computing device, a telephone call to the dial-in telephone number via the cellular telephone network; and

in response to the server obtaining authentication of a caller identification of the computing device, rejoining, by the computing device, the conference session via the cellular telephone network.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein when the cellular telephone network is operated by a carrier that is integrated with the server, the call by the computing device to the dial-in telephone number causes the server to automatically authenticate the caller identification of the computing device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein when the cellular telephone network is operated by a carrier that is not integrated with the server, the call by the computing device to the dial-in telephone number causes the server to obtain authentication of the caller identification of the computing device from a third-party authentication service.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising in response to detecting the trigger condition, transmitting, by the computing device to the server, a ping, wherein the ping is a signal or identifier of the computing device that causes the server to initiate a defined time window during which rejoining of the conference session using the dial-in telephone number is permitted.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dial-in telephone number is selected from a predetermined collection of telephone numbers.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the dial-in telephone number is a single-use dial-in telephone number that, in response to the computing device rejoining the conference session, is no longer valid for reconnecting to the conference session.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising after the computing device has rejoined the conference session via the cellular network:

receiving, at the computing device, an explicit request for a new dial-in telephone number for reconnecting to the conference session;

transmitting, from the computing device and to the server, the explicit request, wherein receipt of the explicit request causes the server to select another one of the predetermined collection of telephone numbers to obtain the new dial-in telephone number; and

receiving, at the computing device from the server, the new dial-in telephone number.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the trigger condition includes a signal strength of the cellular telephone network being substantially greater than a signal strength of the wireless computing network.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the trigger condition includes the computing device losing or dropping its connection to the wireless computing network.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the trigger condition includes at least one of audio and video quality at the computing device decreasing below a user-defined or predetermined threshold.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the trigger condition includes a manual input by a user of the computing device.

12. A computing device having one or more processors configured to perform operations comprising:

joining a conference session hosted by a server via a wireless computing network;

in response to joining the conference session, receiving, from the server via the wireless computing network, a dial-in telephone number for reconnecting to the conference session;

detecting a trigger condition indicative of a need to reconnect to the conference session via a cellular telephone network;

in response to detecting the trigger condition, initiating a telephone call to the dial-in telephone number via the cellular telephone network; and

in response to the server obtaining authentication of a caller identification of the computing device, rejoining the conference session via the cellular telephone network.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein when the cellular telephone network is operated by a carrier that is integrated with the server, the call by the computing device to the dial-in telephone number causes the server to automatically authenticate the caller identification of the computing device.

14. The computing device of claim 12, wherein when the cellular telephone network is operated by a carrier that is not integrated with the server, the call by the computing device to the dial-in telephone number causes the server to obtain authentication of the caller identification of the computing device from a third-party authentication service.

15. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise in response to detecting the trigger condition, transmitting a ping the server, wherein the ping is a signal or identifier of the computing device that causes the server to initiate a defined time window during which rejoining of the conference session using the dial-in telephone number is permitted.

16. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the dial-in telephone number is selected from a predetermined collection of telephone numbers, and wherein the dial-in telephone number is a single-use dial-in telephone number that, in response to the computing device rejoining the conference session, is no longer valid for reconnecting to the conference session.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise after the computing device has rejoined the conference session via the cellular network:

receiving an explicit request for a new dial-in telephone number for reconnecting to the conference session;

transmitting, to the server, the explicit request, wherein receipt of the explicit request causes the server to select another one of the predetermined collection of telephone numbers to obtain the new dial-in telephone number; and

receiving, from the server, the new dial-in telephone number.

18. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the trigger condition includes a signal strength of the cellular telephone network being substantially greater than a signal strength of the wireless computing network.

19. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the trigger condition includes the computing device losing or dropping its connection to the wireless computing network.

20. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the trigger condition includes at least one of audio and video quality at the computing device decreasing below a user-defined or predetermined threshold.