Communication system

• US 8,345,581 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2008
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skype S.Ã R.L. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mandre, Indrek
• Primary Examiner(s): Mattis, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duffy, James P
• Application Number:
  US12/220,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20090316686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/261
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1093 by adding participants; by removing participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1057 involving pre-assessment of levels of reputation of peers
• 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

Abstract

A method is provided of authorizing a user of a communication system to be added to a group communication event. The method comprises: selecting a group of users of the communication system; initiating from a host node the group communication event with the group of users; responsive to receiving a group communication acceptance from at least a first user in the group, establishing the group communication event with the first user in the group; receiving at the host node a communication set up request from another user of the communication system; analyzing the communication set up request to determine if said communication set up request is associated with said group communication event initiated by the host node; and adding said other user to the group communication event if it is determined that the communication set up request is associated with said group communication event.

Claims

1. A method of authorising a user of a communication system to be added to a group communication event comprising:

selecting, at a host node on a first user terminal, a group of users of the communication system, the first user terminal being associated with a user who is a member of the group of users;

initiating, from the host node, the group communication event with the group of users;

responsive to receiving a group communication acceptance from at least a first user in the group, establishing, using the host node, the group communication event with the first user in the group;

using the host node, enabling display of, in a user interface of a client configured to execute at a user terminal associated with the at least first user of said group of users, the identity of each member of the group communication event in response to receiving a notification of the group communication event;

receiving, at the host node and from another user of the communication system during the group communication event, a communication set up request associated with a communication event;

analysing the communication set up request effective to determine if said another user is a member of said group of users associated with said group communication event initiated by the host node;

responsive to determining said another user is a member of said group of users associated with said group communication event, determining whether the communication set up request indicates said another user requests to join said group communication event;

responsive to determining that said another user is a member of said group of users and requests to join said group communication event, adding said another user to the group communication event, and displaying the identity of said another user in said user interface;

responsive to determining that said another user is a member of said group of users associated with said group communication event and said another user does not request to join said group communication, rejecting the communication set up request from said another user; and

responsive to determining that said another user is not a member of said group of users associated with said group communication event, rejecting the communication set up request from said another user.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

assigning an identity to said group communication event; and

transmitting a notification of the communication event to said group of users, wherein the notification comprises the identity assigned to the communication event.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the notification of the group communication event comprises a group communication event set up request.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the group communication set up request is transmitted using a calling protocol.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the notification of the group communication event comprises a communication event notification message.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting a group creation notification message from the host node to the group of users, wherein the group creation notification message comprises a list comprising the identity of each member of the group of users and an identity assigned to the group.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the identity assigned to the communication event is the identity assigned to the group.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the communication event notification message and the group creation notification message are transmitted using an instant messaging protocol.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication set up request is transmitted using a calling protocol.

10. A communication system comprising:

a host node, the host node being a user terminal out of a plurality of user terminals operated by a plurality of users of the communication system, wherein the host node further comprises;

means for selecting a group of users from the plurality of users of the communication system, wherein the host node is associated with a user of the group of users;

means for initiating a group communication event with the group of users;

means for establishing a group communication event with at least a first user in the group, responsive to receiving a group communication acceptance from the at least first user in the group;

means for receiving a communication set up request from another user of the communication system during the group communication event;

means for analysing the communication set up request effective to determine if said another user is a member of said group of users;

means for determining if said communication set up request from said another user is associated with said group communication event initiated by the host node;

means for determining, responsive to determining said another user is a member of said group of users whether the communication setup request indicates said another user requests to join said group communication event;

means for, responsive to determining said another user is a member of said group of users and requests to join said group communication event, adding said another user to the group communication event;

means for, responsive to determining said another user is a member of said group of users associated with said group communication event and said another user does not request to join said group communication event, rejecting the communication setup request from said another user; and

means for, responsive to determining said another user is not a member of said group of users associated with said group communication event, rejecting the communication set up request from said another user.

11. The communication system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the host node further comprises

means for assigning an identity to said group communication event;

and

means for transmitting a notification of the communication event to said group of users, wherein the notification comprises the identity assigned to the communication event.

12. The communication system as recited in claim 11, wherein the notification message to each user in the group of users further comprises:

a conversation group identification (ID) field configured to include the identity assigned to the communication event;

an action field configured to identify an action associated with the group communication event; and

a username field configured to include a list of identities of each member in said group of users.

13. The communication system as recited in claim 12, wherein the means for analyzing the communication set up request further comprises means for analyzing the communication set up request to identify whether the set up request includes the conversation group ID sent in the notification message.

14. The communication system as recited in claim 11, the communication system further comprising means for downloading contact information associated with the plurality of users from a computing device that is different from the host node.

15. The communication system as recited in claim 14, the contact information comprising presence information associated with each user of the plurality of users.

16. A computer program product embodied on computer-readable storage medium hardware comprising program code which when executed by a computer processor directs the computer processor to:

select a group of users of the communication system;

initiate from a host node the group communication event with the group of users, the host node being a user terminal operated by a user who is a member of the group of users;

responsive to receiving a group communication acceptance from at least a first user in the group, establish the group communication event with the first user in the group;

enable display of, in a user interface of a client configured to execute at a user terminal of the at least first user of said group of users, the identity of each member of the group communication event in response to receiving a notification of the group communication event;

receive at the host node from another user of the communication system during the group communication event, a communication set up request for setting up a communication event;

analyse the communication set up request effective to determine if said another user is a member of said group of users associated with said group communication event initiated by the host node;

responsive to determining said another user is a member of said group of users associated with said group communication event, determine whether the communication set up request indicates said another user requests to join said group communication event;

responsive to determining that said another user is a member of said group of users and requests to join said group communication event, add said another user to the group communication event, and display the identity of said another user in said user interface;

responsive to determining that said another user is a member of said group of users associated with said group communication event and said another user does not request to join said group communication event, reject the communication set up request from said another user; and

responsive to determining that said another user is not a member of said group of users associated with said group communication event, reject the communication setup request from said another user.

17. The computer program product as recited in claim 16, the program code further configured to direct the computer processor to:

display, at the host node, a contact list associated with plurality of users of the communication system, the display configured to enable selection of each user of the plurality of users;

display, at the host node, a conversation list comprising at least one conversation group associated with the host node, the host node further configured to display multiple conversation groups; and

enable, at the host node, selection of a conversation group in the conversation list; and

responsive to selection of a conversation group in the conversation list, display, at the host node, information associated with each user of with said selected conversation group in the conversation list.

18. The computer program product as recited in claim 17, the program code further configured to direct the computer processor to display a presence status icon for each user associated with the contact list.

19. The computer program product as recited in claim 16, the program code further configured to direct the computer processor to initiate the group communication event with the group of users responsive to receiving input via a selectable button displayed on a user interface associated with the host node.

20. The computer program product as recited in claim 16, the program code further configured to direct the computer processor to send a notification message to each user of a group communication event effective to terminate the group communication event.