Enhanced telephony computer user interface allowing user interaction and control of a telephone using a personal computer

• US 8,694,915 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cadiz, Jonathan Jay, Gupta, Anoop, Jancke, Gavin, Narin, Attila, Boyle, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Nunez, Jordany
• Application Number:
  US13/612,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20130022038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 715/805, 725/106, 455/412.1, 345/1.1, 379/142.06, 713/1, 719/328
• US Class Current: 715/805
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2473 Telephone terminals interfacing a personal computer, e.g. using an API (Application Programming Interface) details of API H04M7/0021
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2478 Telephone terminals specially adapted for non-voice services, e.g. email, internet access centralized arrangements where telephones services are combined H04M7/0024; for recording text messages H04M3/5322; for accessing Internet H04M3/4938
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/042 with variable loudness of the ringing tone, e.g. variable envelope or amplitude of ring signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/558 Databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile

Abstract

Enhanced telephony computer user interfaces seamlessly integrate and leverage the features of personal computers and telephones. The manner in which media is presented at a computing system can also be modified automatically in response to detected telephone operations. These modifications can include pausing media in response to a detected telephone call and/or adjusting a volume of the media presentation. The media presentation/volume can also be resumed/restored upon detecting that the telephone call has terminated.

Claims

1. A method for controlling audio output rendered from a computing system, the method comprising:

the computing system rendering media at one or more speakers at a particular volume setting;

the computing system detecting a telephone call;

the computing system, upon detecting the telephone call, automatically modifying the rendering of the media at the output device by first lowering a volume setting of the media being rendered to a lower volume setting without fully muting the volume setting and then pausing the rendering of the media at the output device, such that the rendering of the media is automatically paused after the volume of the media has been lowered to the lower volume setting without being fully muted;

determining whether the telephone call is a voice over IP (VoIP) call;

upon determining the telephone call is a VOIP call, selectively switching the one or more speakers from the media to the telephone call for a duration of the telephone call, and such that the determination that the telephone call is a VOIP call will disconnect the media from the one or more speakers during the duration of the telephone call even though the volume of the media was only lowered rather than being fully muted;

wherein the method further includes unpausing the media in response to detecting the telephone call has terminated and gradually raising the lowered volume setting from the lowered volume setting to a higher volume setting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes activating a microphone for the telephone call.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes displaying a visual indication that the particular volume has been modified.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the visual indication is an icon that shows the particular volume has been lowered.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes restoring the media to the particular volume upon detecting that the telephone call has terminated.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the telephone call comprises detecting an incoming telephone call.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the telephone call comprises detecting an outgoing telephone call.

8. A computer program product comprising:

one or more computer storage device comprising non-volatile storage having stored computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a computer processor, implement the method of claim 1.

9. A computing system comprising:

a speaker;

at least one processor; and

system memory having stored computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, implement the method of claim 1.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further includes activating a microphone for the telephone call.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further includes displaying a visual indication that the particular volume has been modified.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the visual indication is an icon that shows the particular volume has been lowered.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further includes restoring the media to the particular volume upon detecting that the telephone call has terminated.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein detecting the telephone call comprises detecting an outgoing telephone call.

15. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the method further includes activating a microphone for the telephone call.

16. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the method further includes displaying a visual indication that the particular volume has been modified.

17. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the visual indication is an icon that shows the particular volume has been lowered.

18. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the method further includes restoring the media to the particular volume upon detecting that the telephone call has terminated.

19. The computing system of claim 9, wherein detecting the telephone call comprises detecting an outgoing telephone call.