Application server component notification to one or more communication devices of one or more open communication sessions

• US 7,171,228 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2003
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Piece Future Pte., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hunter, Karla Rae, Florkey, Cynthia Kae, Joglekar, Mrinal Milind, Halsell, Victoria Marie, Wilson, Randall Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Gesesse; Tilahun
• Application Number:
  US10/600,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20040259580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 455/416, 455/414.3, 455/517, 455/519, 455/466, 455/518, 455/414.2, 455/412.2, 370/270, 370/260, 379/202.01, 709/219, 709/223
• US Class Current: 455/519
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5009 Adding a party to an existing conference conducting a computer conference, e.g. admission detection H04L12/1822
• 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: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/04 Large scale networks; Deep hierarchical networks

Abstract

An application server component of an apparatus in one example receives one or more notifications of one or more open communication sessions from one or more first communication devices. The application server component sends one or more of the one or more notifications of one or more of the one or more open communication sessions to one or more second communication devices. Upon a request by a communication device of the one or more second communication devices to join an open communication session of the one or more of the one or more open communication sessions, the application server component initiates a connection of the communication device to the open communication session.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an application server component that receives one or more notifications of at least one open communication session from one or more first communication devices, wherein the one or more notifications are not limited to telephone numbers, email, a text message, an audio message, a video message, and an interactive multimedia session; and

wherein the application server component sends at least one of the one or more notifications of the at least one open communication session to one or more second communication devices; and

wherein upon a request by a communication device of the one or more second communication devices to join an open communication session of the at least one open communication session, the application server component initiates a connection of the communication device to the open communication session; and

wherein at least one user of the one or more second communication devices employs one or more topics of the at least one open communication session, a list of the one or more first communication devices, and a time of the notification to make a determination to join the open communication session.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the one or more notifications comprise information of the at least one open communication session;

and

wherein the application server component sends the at least one of the one or more notifications to the one or more second communication devices to output the information to the at least one user of the one or more second communication devices.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the information comprises the one or more topics of the at least one open communication session;

and

wherein the at least one user of the one or more second communication devices comprise a user of the communication device, and wherein the user employs the communication device to make a selection of a topic from the one or more topics, and wherein the topic corresponds to the open communication session; and

wherein the communication device sends the request that comprises the topic to the application server component to join the open communication session; and

wherein upon receipt of the request, the application server component initiates the connection of the communication device to the open communication session.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the information comprises the list of the one or more first communication devices;

and

wherein the at least one user of the one or more second communication devices comprise a user of the communication device, and wherein the user employs the list to make the determination to join the open communication session; and

wherein upon the determination, the communication device sends the request to the application server component; and

wherein upon receipt of the request, the application server component initiates the connection of the communication device to the open communication session.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the information comprises a limit to a number of the one or more second communication devices able to participate in the open communication session;

and

wherein once the number of the one or more second communication devices in the open communication session reaches the limit, the application server component rejects subsequent requests of the one or more second communication devices to join the open communication session.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a session identification of the open communication session, and wherein the application server component sends the session identification to the one or more control components to initiate the connection of the communication device to the open communication session;

and

wherein the one or more control components employ the session identification to connect the communication device to the open communication session.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a third communication device accesses the application server component to obtain a list of the at least one open communication session;

and

wherein upon a request by the third communication device to join the open communication session, the application server component initiates a connection of the third communication device to the open communication session.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein prior to receipt of the request from the communication device by the application server component, the one or more first communication devices send a notification of a private communication session to at least one of the one or more second communication devices;

and

wherein the open communication session becomes the private communication session.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the application server component receives one or more requests to join the private communication session from the at least one of the one or more second communication devices.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the application server component sends one or more rejections of the one or more requests to the at least one of the one or more second communication devices.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the application server component sends one or more acceptances of the one or more requests to the at least one of the one or more second communication devices.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one open communication session comprise one or more voice chat rooms, and wherein the one or more notifications of the at least one open communication session comprises one or more notifications of one or more topics of the one or more voice chat rooms;

and

wherein the application server component sends at least one of the one or more notifications of at least one of the one or more voice chat rooms to the one or more second communication devices.

13. A method, comprising the steps of:

sending one or more notifications of at least one open communication session to one or more communication devices, wherein the one or more notifications are not limited to telephone numbers, email, a text message, an audio message, a video message, and an interactive multimedia session;

receiving a request to join an open communication session of the at least one open communication session from a communication device of the one or more communication devices;

initiating a connection of the communication device to the open communication session; and

employing one or more of a topic of the at least one open communication session, a list of the one or more users of the one or more communication devices, and a time of the notification to make a determination to join the open communication session.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more notifications comprise information of the at least one open communication session, and wherein the information comprises the one or more of the topic, the list of one or more users of the one or more communication devices, and a list of the at least one open communication session, and wherein the one or more of the topic and the list correspond to the open communication session, and wherein the step of receiving the request to join the open communication session from the communication device further comprises the step of:

receiving the request to join the open communication session from the communication device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more notifications comprise information of the at least one open communication session, and wherein the information comprises a limit to a number of the one or more communication devices able to participate in the open communication session, and wherein the step of receiving the request to join the open communication session from the communication device further comprises the steps of:

receiving the request to join the open communication session from the communication device upon reaching the limit of the number of the one or more communication devices; and

sending a rejection of the request to the communication device prior to initiation of the connection of the communication device to the open communication session.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the request comprises a session identification of the open communication session, and wherein the step of initiating the connection of the communication device to the open communication session further comprises the steps of:

receiving the session identification from the communication device; and

sending the session identification to one or more control components to connect the communication device to the open communication session.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of initiating the connection of the communication device to the open communication session further comprises the steps of:

enabling access to a list of the at least one open communication session to a second communication device;

receiving a request to join the open communication session from the second communication device; and

initiating the connection of the second communication device to the open communication session.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more communication devices comprise one or more first communication devices, the method further comprising the steps of:

receiving a notification of a private communication session prior to receipt of the request to join the open communication from one or more second communication devices;

sending the notification of the private communication session to at least one of the one or more first communication devices; and

changing the open communication session to the private communication session.

19. An article, comprising:

one or more computer-readable signal-bearing media;

means in the one or more media for sending one or more notifications of at least one open communication session to one or more communication devices, wherein the one or more notifications are not limited to telephone numbers, email, a text message, an audio message, a video message, and an interactive multimedia session;

means in the one or more media for receiving a request to join an open communication session of the at least one open communication session from a communication device of the one or more communication devices;

means in the one or more media for initiating a connection of the communication device to the open communication session; and

means in the one or more media for employing one or more of a topic of the at least one open communication session, a list of the one or more users of the one or more communication devices, and a time of the notification to make a determination to join the open communication session.

20. The article of claim 19, wherein the one or more notifications comprise information of the at least one open communication session, and wherein the information comprises the one or more of the topic, the list of one or more users of the one or more communication devices, and a list of the at least one open communication session, and wherein the one or more of the topic and the list correspond to the communication session, and wherein the means in the one or more media for receiving the request to join the open communication session from the communication device comprises:

means in the one or more media for receiving the request to join the open communication session from the communication device.