Multi-media messaging method, apparatus and application for conducting real-time and time-shifted communications

• US 8,902,749 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2008
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• 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): Blanton, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, TITO Q
• Application Number:
  US12/037,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20090003340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,471 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/232
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/126 Foldable, retractable or tiltable tribunes E04H3/123 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A telecommunication and multimedia management apparatus and method that supports voice and other media communications and that enables users to: (i) participate in multiple conversation modes, including live phone calls, conference calls, instant voice messaging or tactical communications; (ii) review the messages of conversations in either a live mode or a time-shifted mode and to seamlessly transition back and forth between the two modes; (iii) participate in multiple conversations either concurrently or simultaneously; (iv) archive the messages of conversations for later review or processing; and (v) persistently store media either created or received on the communication devices of users. The latter feature enables users to generate or review media when either disconnected from the network or network conditions are poor and to optimize the delivery of media over the network based on network conditions and the intention of the users participating in conversations.

Claims

1. A communication application embedded in a non-transitory computer readable medium and intended to run on a communication device configured to be connected to a network, the application comprising:

a progressive, store and forward, messaging module that progressively stores and progressively transmits over the network voice media of an outgoing asynchronous voice message created using the communication device as the voice media of the outgoing asynchronous voice message is created so that;

(a) a recipient may selectively review the voice media of the outgoing asynchronous voice message in near real-time on a second communication device connected to the network and associated with the recipient; and

(b) the delivery of the outgoing asynchronous voice message over the network to the second communication device associated with the recipient is guaranteed,

the progressive, store and forward, messaging module using a transmission protocol that controls the transmission bit rate for delivering the voice media of the outgoing asynchronous voice message so that the second communication device can render the outgoing asynchronous voice message in near real time when conditions on the network permit, while guaranteeing the delivery of the outgoing asynchronous voice message; and

wherein the progressive, store and forward, messaging module is further configured to retransmit, in response to requests for retransmission, the voice media of the outgoing asynchronous voice message designated as missing and/or defective, the retransmissions guaranteeing delivery of a complete copy of the voice media of the outgoing asynchronous voice message to the second communication device.

2. The communication application of claim 1, wherein the selective near real-time review of the voice media of the outgoing asynchronous message means the rendering of the voice media on the second communication device, as the voice media is transmitted by the communication device and progressively forwarded to the second communication device, delayed by the latency on the network between the two communication devices.

3. The communication application of claim 1, wherein the progressive, store and forward messaging module is further configured to progressively transmit the voice media of the outgoing asynchronous voice message, as the voice media is created, without first establishing a connection over the network with the second communication device.

4. The communication application of claim 1, further configuring the progressive, store and forward, messaging module to guarantee delivery of the outgoing asynchronous voice message to the second communication device by transmitting the voice media of the outgoing message out of storage on the communication device if the communication device was disconnected from the network and/or unable to transmit the outgoing message when the voice media was created.

5. The communication application of claim 1, further configuring the progressive, store and forward, messaging module to progressively transmit the voice media of the outgoing asynchronous voice message using a non-IP address identifier associated with the recipient that is resolved on the network into an IP address used to identify and deliver over the network the voice media of the outgoing asynchronous voice message to the second communication device.

6. The communication application of claim 1, further configuring the progressive, store and forward, messaging module to store the voice media of the outgoing asynchronous voice message and voice media of an incoming asynchronous voice message on the communication device so that the voice media of the incoming and/or the outgoing asynchronous voice messages may be selectively rendered from storage.

7. The communication application of claim 1, further configuring the progressive, store and forward, messaging module to generate retransmission requests for voice media of an incoming asynchronous voice message noted as missing and/or defective so that a complete copy of the voice media of the incoming asynchronous voice message as transmitted is received at the communication device when the retransmission requests are satisfied.

8. The communication application of claim 1, further configuring the progressive, store and forward, messaging module to selectively render the voice media of an incoming asynchronous voice message for the first time:

(i) progressively as the voice media is progressively received over the network in a near real-time rendering mode; and

(ii) in a time-shifted mode by retrieving and progressively rendering the voice media of the incoming asynchronous voice message out of storage.

9. The communication application of claim 1, further configuring the progressive, store and forward, messaging module to selectively render voice media of an incoming asynchronous voice message in either a near real-time mode or a time-shifted mode without interfering with the progressive storage of the voice media of either the outgoing message and/or another incoming asynchronous voice message.

10. The communication application of claim 1, further configuring the progressive, store and forward, messaging module to thread together one or more outgoing asynchronous voice messages and one or more incoming asynchronous voice messages sharing a common attribute into a conversation.

11. The communication application of claim 1, wherein the outgoing asynchronous voice message, in addition to voice media, comprise one or more of the following types of media:

audio, video, sensor data, radio signals, position or GPS information, or any combination thereof.