Cross-Mode Communication

• US 20170279759A1
• Filed: 03/28/2016
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Liden, Lars, Laird-McConnell, Thomas Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 10,171,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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

Abstract

The techniques described herein are directed to cross-channel communication. The techniques can employ a central method, system, or mode (“Cross-Mode Manager” or “CMM” herein), which is enabled to send and/or receive messages over a multiplicity of modes. Users can enable the CMM through a variety of methods described herein on modes which the user uses to communicates. Once enabled on at least one channel which the user uses to communicate, the presence of the CMM across a multiplicity of modes allows a user to create and/or join a cross-channel communication session maintained by the CMM and to communicate between the user'"'"'s communication mode and any of the multiplicity of modes for which the CMM has a presence. In other words, the techniques permit users to communicate across disparate channels from within a channel of their choosing.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, via a first channel and from a first computing device associated with the first channel, a command to initiate a cross-channel communication session;

receiving, via a second channel and from a second computing device associated with the second channel, a request to join the cross-channel communication session, the second channel being different than the first channel; and

based at least in part on receiving the command and the request, relaying communication from the first computing device to the second computing device by receiving a message from the first client device via the first channel and sending the message to the second client device via the second channel.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a third channel associated with a user associated with at least one of the first client device or the second client device, based at least in part on user account data; and

relaying communication between the first channel and the second channel to the third channel.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the command includes a first command and a conversation name; and

wherein the request includes a second command and the conversation name.

4. A method as recited in claim 3 further comprising storing:

the conversation name,

user account data associated with a first user associated with the first channel,

user account data associated with a second user associated with the second channel, and

identifiers of the first channel and the second channel.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the user account data includes a username or user identifier and is free of user account credentials.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising selecting a third channel to which to relay communication based at least in part on one or more of:

an indicated user preference of the third channel,

metadata related to channel use, or

message content or metadata.

7. A method as recited in claim 6 further comprising:

based at least in part on selecting the third channel, discontinuing communication via the first channel or the second channel; and

relaying communication between a remaining one of the first channel or the second channel and the third channel.

8. A method as recited in claim 6 further comprising, based at least in part on selecting the third channel, replicating communication between the first channel and the second channel over the third channel.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising storing information regarding multiple agent accounts, the multiple agent accounts allowing a cross-channel communication manager to communicate over channels corresponding to the agent accounts, the channels corresponding to the agent accounts including the first channel and the second channel.

10. A method as recited in claim 9 further comprising:

receiving the message from the first computing device at a first agent account associated with the first channel; and

sending the message from a second agent account associated with the second channel to the second computing device.

11. A method comprising:

causing display of an interface for sending and receiving messages over a first channel;

sending a message over the first channel, the message including a command to enable a cross-channel communication session; and

sending messages to and receiving messages from a second channel via the interface of the first channel and over the first channel and based at least in part on the cross-channel communication session.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the interface is a first interface, the method further comprising:

displaying a second interface for sending and receiving messages over a third channel;

sending a message over the third channel, the message including a command to join the cross-channel communication session;

in response to joining the cross-channel communication session;

displaying, via the second interface, messages sent to the first channel from the second channel;

displaying, via the second interface, messages sent from the first channel to the second channel; and

via the second interface and over the third channel, sending messages to and receiving messages from the first channel and the second channel.

13. A method comprising:

establishing a cross-channel communication session;

relaying messages between a first channel and a second channel via the cross-channel communication session, the relaying including;

receiving a first message via the first channel;

delivering the first message via the second channel;

receiving a second message via the second channel; and

delivering the second message via the first channel.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein establishing the cross-channel communication session includes:

receiving, via the first channel and from a first client device, a command to establish the cross-channel communication session;

associating together an identifier of the first channel, a user identification associated with a first user and corresponding to the first channel, and a session identifier;

receiving, via a second channel and from a second client device, a request to join the cross-channel communication session; and

at least partly in response to receiving the request, associating together an identifier of the second channel, a user identification associated with a second user and corresponding to the second channel, and the cross-channel session identifier.

15. A method as recited in claim 14 further comprising:

identifying a third channel associated with a particular user of the first user or the second user;

identifying a user identification corresponding to the third channel and associated with the particular user; and

associating together an identifier of the third channel, the user identification associated with the particular user, and the session identifier.

16. A method as recited in claim 13 further comprising:

receiving a termination command; and

disassociating the cross-channel communication session from channel identifiers and user identifiers.

17. A method as recited in claim 13 further comprising:

storing a user profile associated with the first channel;

identifying a third channel associated with the user profile;

detecting a change of activity associated with the third channel; and

additionally relaying the messages to the third channel.

18. A method as recited in claim 17 further comprising, based at least in part on detecting the change of activity:

relaying communication between the first channel and the second channel to a client device associated with the third channel;

receiving via the third channel communication from the client device associated with the third channel; and

relaying communication from the client device associated with the third channel to client devices associated with the first channel and the second channel.

19. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the change of activity includes a change of one or more of:

channel metadata;

client device metadata;

message content or metadata.

a user indication;

metadata regarding a user;

or

user profile data.

20. A method as recited in claim 13 further comprising:

storing a user profile associated with the first channel;

identifying a third channel associated with the user profile;

detecting a change of activity associated with the third channel; and

relaying the messages to the third channel instead of to the first channel at least partly in response to detecting the change of activity.