Video messaging

• US 8,078,678 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Enete, Noel, Packard, Wayne, Morris, Harry W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Application Number:
  US13/118,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20110231506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 200 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-207, 709217-227
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• 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 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/50 Telephonic communication in combination with video communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5315 where the non-audio components are still images or video still image mailbox systems H04N1/324, intermediate storage of video signals for videophones H04N7/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/155 : involving storage of or access to video conference sessions tracking arrangements for later retrieval of a computer conference content or participants activities H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Systems and techniques for transferring electronic data between users of a communications system by receiving, at an instant messaging host, a video file from a sender and intended for a recipient; authenticating the video file; and sending the video file to the intended recipient.

Claims

1. A communications method, comprising:

initiating an instant messaging session between a sender and a recipient;

transmitting an instant message to a server;

receiving an authentication report from the server indicating that the recipient is a valid recipient;

receiving a report from the server that contains capability information of the recipient;

transmitting a video messaging session initiation request to the server;

receiving a report from the server that a video messaging session has been established between the sender and the recipient;

generating a video message; and

transmitting the video message to the recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sender is associated with a first subscriber and the recipient is associated with a second subscriber.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein initiating an instant messaging session comprises:

transmitting, to the server, an access request from the sender, the request comprising first subscriber identity information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication report is created based on matching identity information corresponding to the sender and the recipient with identity information corresponding to valid subscribers stored in a reverse look-up table.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the capability information comprises an indication of the capability of the recipient to receive video instant messages.

6. A computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer readable storage medium is storing instructions for:

initiating an instant messaging session between a sender and a recipient;

transmitting an instant message to a server;

receiving an authentication report from the server indicating that the recipient is a valid recipient;

receiving a report from the server that contains capability information of the recipient;

transmitting a video messaging session initiation request to the server;

receiving a report from the server that a video messaging session has been established between the sender and the recipient;

generating a video message; and

transmitting the video message to the recipient.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the sender is associated with a first subscriber and the recipient is associated with a second subscriber.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein initiating an instant messaging session comprises:

transmitting, to the server, an access request from the sender, the request comprising first subscriber identity information.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the authentication report is created based on matching identity information corresponding to the sender and the recipient with identity information corresponding to valid subscribers stored in a reverse look-up table.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the capability information comprises an indication of the capability of the recipient to receive video instant messages.

11. A communications method comprising:

receiving, at a server, an instant message that is addressed from a sender to a recipient;

transmitting, from the server, an authentication report indicating that the recipient is a valid recipient;

transmitting, from the server, a report that contains capability information of the recipient;

receiving, from at least one of the sender or the recipient, a video messaging session initiation request;

generating, by the server, a report that a video messaging session has been established between the sender and the recipient; and

enabling the transmission a of a video message from the sender to the recipient.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the sender is associated with a first subscriber and the recipient is associated with a second subscriber.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising initiating an instant messaging session between the sender and the recipient, wherein initiating the instant messaging session comprises:

receiving, by the server, an access request from the sender, the request comprising first subscriber identity information;

receiving, by the server, an access request from the recipient, the request comprising second subscriber identity information;

verifying, by the server, the first subscriber identity information and the second identity information; and

authorizing access to the server by the sender and the recipient.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the authentication report is created by matching identity information corresponding to the sender and the recipient with identity information corresponding to valid subscribers stored in a reverse look-up table.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the capability information comprises an indication of the capability of the recipient to receive video instant messages.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving, at a server, an instant message that is addressed from a sender to a recipient;

transmitting, from the server, an authentication report indicating that the recipient is a valid recipient;

transmitting, from the server, a report that contains capability information of the recipient;

receiving, from at least one of the sender or the recipient, a video messaging session initiation request;

generating, by the server, a report that a video messaging session has been established between the sender and the recipient; and

enabling the transmission a of a video message from the sender to the recipient.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the sender is associated with a first subscriber and the recipient is associated with a second subscriber.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the method performed by the processor further comprises initiating an instant messaging session between the sender and the recipient, and wherein initiating the instant messaging session comprises:

receiving, by the server, an access request from the sender, the request comprising first subscriber identity information;

receiving, by the server, an access request from the recipient, the request comprising second subscriber identity information;

verifying, by the server, the first subscriber identity information and the second identity information; and

authorizing access to the server by the sender and the recipient.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the authentication report is created by matching identity information corresponding to the sender and the recipient with identity information corresponding to valid subscribers stored in a reverse look-up table.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the capability information comprises an indication of the capability of the recipient to receive video instant messages.