System and method for voice and text based service interworking

• US 7,983,706 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wolter, David Randall
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alam; Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US10/935,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20060052127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,506 Days
• Field of Search: 455516-521, 455/526, 455/4, 455/66, 455/414.4
• US Class Current: 455/519
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• 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 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

A method of communication includes receiving a request to initiate a push-to-talk/instant messaging exchange from a push-to-talk device. A determination is made in order to ascertain if an instant messaging device is available to partake in the push-to-talk/instant messaging exchange. If the instant messaging device is available, the push-to-talk device is notified that the push-to-talk/instant messaging exchange has begun. Voice packets are received from the push-to-talk device after a push to talk button is pressed and released. The voice packets from the push-to-talk device are converted to text packets. Then, the converted text packets are transmitted to the instant messaging device. The method further includes determining whether the push-to-talk device is blocked by the instant messaging device. If the push-to-talk device is not blocked, text packets are received from the instant messaging device and converted to voice packets. Further, the converted voice packets are transmitted to the push-to-talk device.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising:

receiving a selection of a first target user selected by an initiating user having an initiating push-to-talk (PTT) device;

when the first target user is available to communicate via multiple devices including a target PTT device and a target instant messaging (IM) device, indicating a user preference of the first target user to communicate via a preferred device of the multiple devices;

beginning a PTT session with the initiating PTT device;

when the preferred device is the target IM device, beginning an IM session with the target IM device; and

when the preferred device is the target PTT device, beginning a PTT session with the target PTT device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving voice packets from the initiating PTT device after a PTT button is pressed and released.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

after beginning the IM session with the target IM device, converting the voice packets received from the initiating PTT device into converted text packets; and

transmitting the converted text packets to the target IM device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining whether the initiating PTT device is blocked by the target IM device.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving text packets from the target IM device; and

converting the text packets received from the target IM device into converted voice packets.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

transmitting the converted voice packets to the initiating PTT device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving multimedia content from the initiating PTT device; and

storing the multimedia content at a database.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting a link associated with the multimedia content to the target IM device.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

communicating the multimedia content from the database to the target IM device.

27. The method of communication of claim 1, further comprising notifying the initiating PTT device that a PTT/IM exchange has begun when the first target user is available to communicate via the target IM device.

28. The method of communication of claim 1, further comprising indicating that the first target user is available to communicate prior to beginning the PTT session with the initiating PTT device and prior to beginning the IM session with a target IM device.

29. The method of communication of claim 1, wherein, when the user preference of the first target user indicates a preference to communicate via the target PTT device, the method further comprises:

receiving a selection of a second target user selected by the initiating user via the initiating PTT device, wherein the second target user is available via a second target IM device;

after beginning the PTT session with the target PTT device, beginning a second IM session with the second target IM device;

receiving voice packets from the initiating PTT device;

sending the voice packets to the target PTT device;

converting the voice packets received from the initiating PTT device into text packets; and

sending the text packets to the second target IM device.

30. The method of communication of claim 1, wherein, when the user preference of the first target user indicates a preference to communicate via the target IM device, the method further comprises:

receiving a selection of a second target user selected by the initiating user via the initiating PTT device, wherein the second target user is available via a second target PTT device;

after beginning the IM session with the target IM device, beginning a second PTT session with the second target PTT device;

receiving voice packets from the initiating PTT device;

sending the voice packets to the second target PTT device;

converting the voice packets received from the initiating PTT device into text packets; and

sending the text packets to the target IM device.

31. The method of communication of claim 1, wherein, when the user preference of the first target user indicates a preference to communicate via the target IM device, the method further comprises:

receiving a selection of a second target user selected by the initiating user via the initiating PTT device, wherein the second target user is available via a second target IM device;

after beginning the IM session with the target IM device, beginning a second IM session with the second target IM device;

receiving voice packets from the initiating PTT device;

converting the voice packets received from the initiating PTT device into text packets; and

sending the text packets to the target IM device and to the second target IM device.

32. The method of communication of claim 1, wherein, when the user preference of the first target user indicates a preference to communicate via the target PTT device, the method further comprises:

receiving a selection of a second target user selected by the initiating user via the initiating PTT device, wherein the second target user is available via a second target PTT device;

after beginning the PTT session with the target PTT device, beginning a second PTT session with the second target PTT device;

receiving voice packets from the initiating PTT device;

sending the voice packets to the target PTT device and to the second target PTT device.

33. The method of communication of claim 4, further comprising, when the initiating PTT device is blocked by the target IM device, sending an indication to the initiating PTT device that the initiating PTT device is blocked by the target IM device.

10. A method of communication, comprising:

receiving a request to initiate a messaging exchange with a target user from an initiating user having an initiating instant messaging (IM) device;

when the target user is available to communicate via multiple devices including a target push-to-talk (PTT) device and a target IM device, indicating a user preference of the target user to communicate via a preferred device of the multiple devices;

beginning an IM session with the initiating IM device;

when the preferred device is the target PTT device, beginning a PTT session with the target PTT device; and

when the preferred device is the target IM device, beginning an IM session with the target IM device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving text packets from the initiating IM device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

after beginning the PTT session with the target PTT device, converting the text packets from the initiating IM device into converted voice packets.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting the converted voice packets to the target PTT device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining whether the initiating IM device is blocked by the target PTT device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving voice packets from the target PTT device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

converting the voice packets from the target PTT device into converted text packets.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting the converted text packets to the initiating IM device.

18. A communication system, comprising:

a push-to-talk (PTT)/instant messaging (IM) server to communicate via a data network, the PTT/IM server including;

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium including processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a selection of a target user from an initiating user device of a first device type;

when the target user is available to communicate via multiple device types of devices, the multiple device types of devices including a target PTT device type and a target IM device type, indicate a user preference of the target user to communicate via a preferred device type of the multiple device types;

prevent use of a PTT/IM exchange when the preferred device type is a same type of device as the first device type; and

facilitate the PTT/IM exchange when the preferred device type is a different type of device than the first device type.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first device type is one of a PTT device type and an IM device type.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

instructions to receive voice packets from devices of the PTT device type.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

instructions to receive text packets from devices of the IM device type.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

instructions to convert voice packets to converted text packets to be delivered to one or more devices of the IM device type.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

instructions to convert text packets to converted voice packets to be delivered to one or more devices of the PTT device type.

24. A computer system for facilitating communication between a push-to-talk device and an instant messaging device, the computer system comprising:

a push-to-talk (PTT) server;

an instant messaging (IM) server;

a presence server to indicate that a target user is available to communicate and a user preference of the target user to communicate via one of a PTT device and an IM device; and

a PTT/IM gateway server comprising;

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium including processor-executable instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive voice packets from the PTT server when the presence server indicates that the target user is available to communicate;

convert the voice packets to text packets when the user preference indicates that the target user prefers to communicate via the IM device;

transmit the text packets to the IM server; and

prevent use of the PTT/IM gateway server when the user preference indicates that the target user prefers to communicate via the PTT device.

25. The computer system of claim 24, wherein the PTT server comprises:

instructions to receive voice packets from the PTT device;

instructions to transmit the voice packets to the PTT/IM gateway server; and

instructions to receive voice packets from the PTT/IM gateway server.

26. The computer system of claim 24, wherein the IM server comprises:

instructions to receive text packets from the IM device;

instructions to transmit the text packets to the PTT/IM gateway server; and

instructions to receive text packets from the PTT/IM gateway server.