Remote call control and conferencing using paired devices

• US 8,250,147 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2008
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ramanathan, Rajesh, Potra, Adrian, Deshpande, Vinit, Tandon, Ankit, Houchen, Stephen, Krantz, Anton, Sheth, Sachin, Basu, Pradipta Kumar, Parameswar, Sriram
• Primary Examiner(s): TRUONG, LAN DAI T
• Application Number:
  US12/146,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 709/204, 709/203, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference

Abstract

In one embodiment, a user paired controller communication device may pair with a user paired server communication device. The user paired controller communication device may direct the user paired server communication device to execute a first mode communication session of a multimodal conversation, such as a voice session. The user paired controller communication may execute a second mode communication session of the multimodal conversation, such as an instant messaging session.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method for a multimodal conversation, comprising:

pairing a user paired controller communication device and a user paired server communication device to act as an integrated system, the user paired controller communication device and the user paired server communication device being independent communication devices with respective points of presence, the pairing comprising;

selecting, by the user paired controller communication device, either a previously indicated user paired server communication device or an available user paired server communication device as the user paired server communication device, the selected user paired server communication device being connected to the user paired controller communication device via a data connection and being controlled by the user paired controller communication device; and

directing, by the user paired controller communication device, the user paired server communication device to create a first mode communication session of the multimodal conversation with a partner communication device, the partner communication device being a communication device other than the user paired controller communication device and the user paired server communication device; and

executing, on the user paired controller communication device, a second mode communication session of the multimodal conversation with the partner communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the user paired controller communication device from a user, a request to establish the first mode communication session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second mode communication session is a video communication session.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

directing, by the user paired controller communication device, the user paired server communication device to include a conferencee paired server communication device into a conference with the user paired server communication device and the partner communication device via the first mode communication session, wherein

the partner communication device is paired with a second partner communication device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

merging the first mode communication session with an external first mode communication session to create a conference communication session.

6. A user paired controller communication device, comprising:

a communication interface to communicate with a user paired server communication device, the user paired controller communication device and the user paired server communication device being independent communication devices acting as an integrated system, each of the user paired controller communication device and the user paired server communication device having a respective point of presence;

a processor;

a memory or a read only memory having instructions stored therein for execution by the processor, such that execution of the instructions by the processor causes the processor to perform a method comprising;

selecting, by the user paired communication device, either a previously indicated user paired server communication device or an available user paired server communication device as the user paired server communication device, the selected user paired server communication device being connected to the user paired controller communication device via a data connection and being controlled by the user paired controller communication device,

directing, by the user paired controller communication device, the user paired server communication device to create a first mode communication session of the multimodal conversation with a partner communication device, the partner communication device being a communication device other than the user paired controller communication device and the user paired server communication device, and

executing a second mode communication session of the multimodal conversation with the partner communication device, the partner communication device being a communication device other than the user paired controller communication device and the user paired server communication device; and

the user paired controller communication device further comprising a bus connecting the processor with the communication interface and with the memory or the read only memory.

7. The user paired controller communication device of claim 6, further comprising:

a user input device to receive a user request to establish the first mode communication session.

8. The user paired controller communication device of claim 6, wherein the communication interface is at least one of a universal serial bus port, an Ethernet connection creating a peer-to-peer connection, or a Bluetooth®

connection.

9. The user paired controller communication device of claim 6, wherein the communication interface pairs with a user paired ancillary communication device.

10. The user paired controller communication device of claim 6, further comprising:

a user output device to display a state of the first mode communication session based on a status update message received from the user paired server communication device.

11. The user paired controller communication device of claim 6, wherein the communication interface directs the user paired server communication device to merge the first mode communication session with an external first mode communication session to create a conference communication session.

12. The user paired controller communication device of claim 11, wherein the communication interface places the conference communication session on hold.

13. The user paired controller communication device of claim 6, wherein the processor executes a first controller point of presence to execute the second mode communication session and a second controller point of presence to execute a third mode communication session of the multimodal conversation.

14. A user paired server communication device, comprising:

a processor; and

a communication interface to communicate with a user paired controller communication device executing a second mode communication session of a multimodal conversation, the user paired server communication device and the user paired controller communication device being independent communication devices acting as an integrated system when paired;

a memory or a read only memory having instructions stored therein, such that when the instructions are executed by the processor, the processor performs a method comprising;

permitting the user paired server communication device to be controlled by the user paired controller communication device, and

executing a first mode communication session of the multimodal conversation with a partner communication device, the partner communication device being a communication device other than the user paired server communication device and the user paired controller communication device, the first mode communication session having been created by the user paired server communication device as a result of the user paired controller communication device directing the user paired server communication device to create the first mode communication session; and

the user paired server communication device further comprising a bus connecting the processor with the communication interface and with the memory or the read only memory.

15. The user paired server communication device of claim 14, wherein the communication interface receives from the user paired controller communication device a user request to establish the first mode communication session.

16. The user paired server communication device of claim 14, wherein the communication interface is at least one of a universal serial bus port, an Ethernet connection creating a peer-to-peer connection, or a Bluetooth®

connection.

17. The user paired server communication device of claim 14, wherein the communication interface pairs with a user paired ancillary communication device.

18. The user paired server communication device of claim 14, wherein the communication interface sends a status update message to the user paired controller communication device.

19. The user paired server communication device of claim 14, wherein the communication interface merges the first mode communication session with an external first mode communication session to create a conference communication session.

20. The user paired server communication device of claim 14, wherein the processor executes a first server point of presence to execute the first mode communication session and a second server point of presence to execute a third mode communication session of the multimodal conversation.