System and method for operating a server for real-time communication of time-based media

• US 8,825,772 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Katis, Thomas E., Panttaja, James T., Panttaja, Mary G., Ranney, Matthew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hua
• Application Number:
  US12/857,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20100312914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport

Abstract

A system and method for operating a server on a communication network. The system and method involving the progressive receipt of time-based media at the server as the time-based media is transmitted by a sender over the communication network and the discovery at least a partial delivery route to a recipient of the time-based media as the time-based media is being received. The time-based media is progressively transmitted as the media is available and as the partial delivery route over the communication network to the recipient is discovered.

Claims

1. A method of operating a server node on a communication network, comprising:

establishing a session between a first communication device and the server node over the communication network;

progressively receiving at the server node during the session a message from a sender using the first communication device, the message having a message header including an identifier associated with a recipient of the message and a message body containing voice media, wherein the voice media contained in the message body is progressively received by the server node as the voice media is created, dynamically added to the message body, and transmitted over the communication network by the first communication device during the session;

discovering at the server node at least a partial delivery route to the recipient over the communication network using a look-up result of the identifier included in the message header when the message header is received at the server node without waiting for all the voice media in the message body to be received in full at the server node;

progressively transmitting the voice media contained in the message body, at the same time as the voice media is progressively received at the server node, over the discovered at least partial delivery route without waiting for all the voice media in the message body to be received in full at the server node; and

progressively and persistently storing at the server node all of the voice media contained in the message body, the voice media progressively and persistently stored as the voice media is progressively received at the server node.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising starting the progressive transmission of the received voice media of the message before all the voice media of the message contained in the message body is received in full at the sever node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the progressive transmission of the received voice media of the message starts as soon as a first hop on the communication network along a complete delivery route to a second communication device associated with the recipient is discovered.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the progressive transmission starts before a complete delivery route to a second communication device associated with the recipient is discovered.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(i) ascertaining if the look-up result of the identifier indicates that a second communication device associated with the recipient is connected to and available on the communication network; and

(ii) progressively transmitting the voice media of message to the second communication device when the second communication device is connected to and in communication with the network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein progressively transmitting comprises progressively transmitting using a real-time communication protocol that operates over an IP network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising

encapsulating the voice media of the message into a file;

and

forwarding the file to the recipient as an email attachment over the communication network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the recipient with a URL; and

arranging for the voice media of the message to be served to the recipient when the recipient accesses the URL.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ascertaining from the lookup result that the identifier is invalid; and

providing the sender with a notification indicating that the message was not delivered to the recipient when the identifier is invalid.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier uniquely identifies the recipient on the communication network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the identifier is an email address associated with the recipient.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein discovering the at least partial delivery route to the recipient further comprises using the lookup result of the identifier associated with the recipient to determine a next hop on the communication network for delivering the voice media of the message to a second communication device associated with the recipient.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the lookup result is either:

(i) an active lookup result of the identifier;

or

(ii) a cached result of a previous lookup of the identifier.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the lookup of the identifier is used to authenticate the recipient.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the lookup result is a domain name lookup result.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising progressively transmitting the message to one or more second communication devices associated with the recipient.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein discovering the at least partial delivery route further comprises:

(i) ascertaining at the server node a next hop on the communication network for forwarding the voice media of the message to a second communication device associated with the recipient; and

(ii) progressively transmitting the received voice media of the message to the next hop.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising repeating the steps (i) and (ii) of claim 17 for each of one or more hops along a complete delivery route to the second communication device associated with the recipient.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein progressively transmitting the received voice media of the message further comprises progressively delivering the voice media to a second communication device associated with the recipient as the voice media is created by the sender using the first communication device.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein the server node is further configured to support asynchronous communication between the sender of the message and the recipient.

42. The method of claim 1, wherein the server node is further configured to support substantially live communication between the sender of the message and the recipient.

43. The method of claim 1, wherein progressively transmitting further comprises starting the progressive transmission of the voice media contained in the message body before a complete delivery path over the communication network binding the sender and the recipient is established.

44. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is a Push-To-Talk transmission.

45. The method of claim 1, further comprising supporting peer-to-peer communication of the message between the sender and the recipient.

46. The method of claim 1, wherein the message contains, in addition to the voice media, video media.

20. A server node configured to operate on a communication network, the server node comprising:

a session element configured to establish a session over the communication network with a first communication device;

a receiver configured to progressively receive during the session a message from a sender using the first communication device, the message having a message header including an identifier associated with a recipient of the message and a message body containing voice media, wherein the voice media contained in the message body is progressively received by the server node as the voice media is created, dynamically added to the message body, and transmitted over the communication network by the first communication device during the session;

a route discovery element configured to discover at least a partial delivery route to the recipient over the communication network using a look-up result of the identifier included in the message header when the message header is received at the server node without waiting for all the voice media in the message body to be received in full at the server node;

a transmitter configured to progressively transmit the voice media contained in the message body, at the same time as the voice media is progressively received at the server node, over the at least partial delivery route without waiting for all the voice media in the message body to be received in full at the server node; and

a storage element configured to progressively and persistently store at the server node all of the voice media contained in the message body, the storage element progressively and persistently storing the voice media as the voice media is progressively received at the server node.

21. The server node of claim 20, wherein the transmitter is further configured to start the progressive transmission of the received voice media of the message before all the voice media of the message contained in the message body is received in full at the server node.

22. The server node of claim 20, wherein the transmitter is further configured to start the progressive transmission of the received voice media of the message as soon as a first hop on the communication network along a complete delivery route to a second communication device associated with the recipient is discovered.

23. The server node of claim 20, wherein the transmitter is further configured to start the progressive transmission of the received voice media before a complete delivery route to a second communication device associated with the recipient is fully discovered.

24. The server node of claim 20, wherein the route discovery element is further configured to ascertain if the look-up result of the identifier indicates that a second communication device associated with the recipient is connected to and available on the network and the transmitter is further configured to transmit the voice media of the message when the second communication device is connected to and available on the network.

25. The server node of claim 20, wherein the transmitter uses a real-time transmission protocol that operates over an IP network.

26. The server node of claim 20, further comprising an email element configured to encapsulate the received voice media of the message into a file and to email the file as an attachment to the recipient.

27. The server node of claim 20, further configured to (i) provide the recipient with a URL and (ii) arrange for the received voice media of the message to be served to the recipient when the recipient accesses the URL.

28. The server node of claim 20, further comprising a notification element configured to provide the sender with a notification indicating that the message was not delivered to the recipient when the lookup result of the identifier is invalid.

29. The server node of claim 20, wherein the identifier uniquely identifies the recipient on the communication network.

30. The server node of claim 20, wherein the identifier is an email address associated with the recipient.

31. The server node of claim 20, wherein the route discovery element discovers the at least partial delivery route to the recipient using the lookup result of the identifier to determine a next hop on the communication network to a second communication device associated with the recipient.

32. The server node of claim 20, wherein the lookup result is either:

(i) an active lookup result of the identifier;

or

(ii) a cached result of a previous lookup of the identifier.

33. The server node of claim 20, wherein the identifier is used to authenticate the recipient.

34. The server node of claim 20, wherein the lookup result is a domain name lookup result.

35. The server node of claim 20, wherein the transmitter is further configure to progressively transmit the message to one or more second communication devices associated with the recipient.

36. The server node of claim 20, wherein the server node is further configured to support asynchronous communication between the sender of the message and the recipient.

37. The server node of claim 20, wherein the server node is further configured to support substantially live communication between the sender of the message and the recipient.

38. The server node of claim 20, wherein the transmitter is further configured to start the progressive transmission of the voice media contained in the message body before a complete delivery path over the communication network binding the sender and the recipient is established.

39. The server node of claim 20, wherein the message is a Push-To-Talk transmission.

40. The server node of claim 20, wherein the server node is further configured to support peer-to-peer communication of the message between the sender and the recipient.

47. The server node of claim 20, wherein the message contains, in addition to the voice media, video media.