Communication system and communication method

• US 7,508,822 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2007
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yumoto, Kazuma, Hoshi, Toru, Tanigawa, Keiko, Shiga, Kenta
• Primary Examiner(s): Sam; Phirin
• Application Number:
  US11/798,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20080069315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

The usage of communication systems is improved. An IM server 4 manages presence information regarding each of IM clients and usable media and user information such that each of the IM clients can obtain these kinds of information. In order to perform text chatting, the IM server 4 manages a connection between each of the IM clients participating the chat and the IM server 4, merges text from each of the participating IM clients and distributes the result to each of the participating IM clients. In order to perform voice chatting, an AP server 5 manages a connection between each of the IM clients participating the chat and an MD server 6, mixes voice from each of the participating IM clients except for a focused IM client and distributes the result to the focused participating IM clients. This processing is performed for each of the participating IM clients.

Claims

1. A communication system for implementing a chat between/among Instant Messaging (IM) clients, comprising:

an IM presence management server which manages presence information indicating a state of each of the IM clients;

a VoIP communication connection management server which manages a connection for voice chatting using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol); and

a media server which implements multi-party voice communication by mixing voice data,

wherein, the IM presence management server, comprising;

a unit which manages, as to each of the IM clients, the presence information, information regarding media (including text and voice) usable for chatting and user information of the IM client;

a unit which provides, in accordance with an instruction from one of the IM clients, said one IM client with the presence information, the information regarding media usable for chatting and user information of each of the IM clients which are set as buddies of said one IM client;

a unit which manages, in accordance with information of each of IM clients (text participating clients) participating in a text chat, which is notified from one of the IM clients, a connection between/among the text participating clients and the IM presence management server; and

a unit which merges text data sent from each of the text participating clients and distributes the result to each of the text participating clients,

wherein, the VoIP communication connection management server, comprises a unit which manages a connection between/among each of the voice participating clients and the media server in accordance with information of each of the IM clients (voice participating clients) participating in a voice chat, which is notified from one of the IM client or the IM presence management server,

wherein, the media server, comprises a unit which performs, as to each of the voice participating clients, processing for mixing voice data sent from the voice participating clients except for the client in question (focused client) to distribute the result to the focused client,

wherein, in a case that the IM presence management server receives an instruction from one of the voice participating clients (first IM client) while the VoIP communication connection management server manages a connection between/among each of the voice participating clients and the media server mixes voice data sent from said first IM client with voice data sent from the other voice participating clients and distributes the result to the focused client,

the IM presence management server;

provides the first IM client with the presence information, the information regarding media usable for chatting and user information of each of the IM clients which are set as buddies of the first IM client;

manages, in accordance with information of text participating clients which is notified from the first IM client, a connection between/among the text participating clients, and merges text data sent from each of the text participating clients and distributes the result to each of the text participating clients;

the VoIP communication connection management server stops, in accordance with an instruction from the first IM client, management of connection between/among the voice participating clients, and

the media server stops mixing processing of voice data sent from said first IM client with voice data sent from the other voice participating clients.

2. A communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the media server obtains the information regarding the voice participating clients from the VoIP communication connection management server.

3. A communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the IM presence management server determines each of the voice participating clients that will participate in a voice chat on the basis of the presence information and the information regarding media usable for chatting, regarding each of the IM clients set as a buddy of the IM client which calls for the voice chat, to notify the information regarding each of the voice participating clients to the VoIP communication connection management server.

4. A communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the IM presence management server stops, in accordance with an instruction from said first IM client, management of a connection to said first IM client and merge processing of text data sent from said first IM client with text data sent from the other text participating clients.

5. An IM presence management server used for the communication system according to claim 1.

6. A VoIP communication connection management server used for the communication system according to claim 1.

7. A media server used for the communication system according to claim 1.