Virtual collaboration session access

• US 8,788,680 B1
• Filed: 01/30/2012
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Naik, Kiran
• Primary Examiner(s): Shiferaw, Eleni
• Assistant Examiner(s): GIDDINS, NELSON S
• Application Number:
  US13/360,968
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols

Abstract

Methods are provided that include receiving a request to couple a first client device to a communication session, wherein the request includes user identification information. The method may include determining a number of client devices coupled to the communication session and comparing the number of client devices coupled to the communication session to a maximum number of client devices to determine whether the maximum number of client devices are coupled to the communication session. The method may also include when the maximum number of client devices are coupled to the communication session, determining whether a user associated with the first client device is a preferred user based on at least the user identification information and when the user is the preferred user, coupling the client device associated with the preferred user to the communication session.

Claims

1. A method, executing on one or more computing devices, said method comprising:

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a request to couple a first client device to a communication server including a communication session, wherein the request includes user identification information;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, a number of client devices coupled to the communication session;

comparing, by the one or more computing devices, the number of client devices coupled to the communication session to a maximum number of client devices to determine whether the maximum number of client devices are coupled to the communication session;

when the maximum number of client devices are coupled to the communication session, determining, by the one or more computing devices, whether a user associated with the first client device is a preferred user based on at least the user identification information;

querying, by the one or more computing devices, at least one data store based on at least the user identification information to retrieve user status information for the user associated with the first client device;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, a user status of the user associated with the first client device based at least in part on the retrieved user status information, wherein the user status is one of the preferred user and a non-preferred user, wherein the preferred user has at least one of;

a granted preferred status based upon, at least in part, an activity level including a number of times the user initiates communication sessions, and a verified preferred status, including verifying the preferred status of a public figure via a social network service provider associated with the communication session; and

when the user is the preferred user, coupling, by the one or more computing devices, the first client device associated with the preferred user to the communication session, wherein the communication session enables communication between the first client device and one or more additional client devices coupled to the communication session, wherein a video feed associated with each client device coupled to the communication session is generated and concurrently displayed during the communication session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the granted preferred status has a limited duration.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the limited duration is based on at least one of a time limit, a number of connections to communication sessions, and the activity level.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the user is the non-preferred user, rejecting, by the one or more computing devices, the request to couple the first client device associated with the non-preferred user to the communication session.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when fewer than the maximum number of client devices are coupled to the communication session, coupling, by the one or more computing devices, the first client device to the communication session.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a configuration request from one of the one or more additional client devices to set the maximum number of client devices of the communication session.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

when the maximum number of client devices are coupled to the communication session and when the user associated with the first client device is the preferred user, sending, by the one or more computing devices, a notification to the one of the one or more additional client devices that sent the configuration request indicating the request to join.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the notification includes a permission request for the first client device to couple to the communication session.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a response to the permission request indicating whether the first client device associated with the preferred user has permission to couple to the communication session.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the user is the preferred user, sending, by the one or more computing devices, a message to the one or more additional client devices coupled to the communication session indicating that the first client device associated with the preferred user has coupled to the communication session.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user identification information includes a first identifier of the first client device that sent the request and a second identifier of the user associated with first client device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a request to obtain a verified preferred status;

verifying, by the one or more computing devices, that the user associated with the first client device is the preferred user; and

responsive to verifying that the user is the preferred user, storing, by the one or more computing devices, the verified preferred status of the user in at least one data store.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to couple a first client device to a communication server including a communication session, wherein the request includes user identification information;

determining a number of client devices coupled to the communication session;

comparing the number of client devices coupled to the communication session to a maximum number of client devices to determine whether the maximum number of client devices are coupled to the communication session;

when the maximum number of client devices are coupled to the communication session, determining whether a user associated with the first client device is a preferred user based on at least the user identification information;

querying at least one data store based on at least the user identification information to retrieve user status information for the user associated with the first client device;

determining a user status of the user associated with the first client device based at least in part on the retrieved user status information, wherein the user status is one of the preferred user and a non-preferred user, wherein the preferred user has at least one of;

a granted preferred status based upon, at least in part, an activity level including a number of times the user initiates communication sessions, and a verified preferred status, including verifying the preferred status of a public figure via a social network service provider associated with the communication session; and

when the user is the preferred user, coupling the first client device associated with the preferred user to the communication session, wherein the communication session enables communication between the first client device and one or more additional client devices coupled to the communication session, wherein a video feed associated with each client device coupled to the communication session is generated and concurrently displayed during the communication session.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

when the user is a non-preferred user, rejecting the request to couple the first client device associated with the non-preferred user to the communication session.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

when fewer than the maximum number of client devices are coupled to the communication session, coupling the first client device to the communication session.

16. A server comprising one or more computing devices, wherein the one or more computing devices perform a method of:

receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a request to couple a first client device to a communication server including a communication session, wherein the request includes user identification information;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, a number of client devices coupled to the communication session;

comparing, by the one or more computing devices, the number of client devices coupled to the communication session to a maximum number of client devices to determine whether the maximum number of client devices are coupled to the communication session;

when the maximum number of client devices are coupled to the communication session, determining, by the one or more computing devices, whether a user associated with the first client device is a preferred user based on at least the user identification information;

querying, by the one or more computing devices, at least one data store based on at least the user identification information to retrieve user status information for the user associated with the first client device;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, a user status of the user associated with the first client device based at least in part on the retrieved user status information, wherein the user status is one of the preferred user and a non-preferred user, wherein the preferred user has at least one of;

a granted preferred status based upon, at least in part, an activity level including a number of times the user initiates communication sessions, and a verified preferred status, including verifying the preferred status of a public figure via a social network service provider associated with the communication session; and

when the user is the preferred user, coupling, by the one or more computing devices, the client device associated with the preferred user to the communication session, wherein the communication session enables communication between the first client device and one or more additional client devices coupled to the communication session, wherein a video feed associated with each client device coupled to the communication session is generated and concurrently displayed during the communication session.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein the one or more computing devices are configured to perform the method that further comprises:

when the user is a non-preferred user, rejecting, by the one or more computing devices, the request to couple the first client device associated with the non-preferred user to the communication session.

18. The server of claim 16, wherein the one or more computing devices are configured to perform the method that further comprises:

when fewer than the maximum number of client devices are coupled to the communication session, coupling, by the computing device, the first client device to the communication session.