Anonymous sidebar method and system
First Claim
1. A method of establishing an anonymous sidebar during an ongoing session in which session participants communicate with each other through a central server, the method comprising, during the ongoing session:
- at the central server, identifying a subset of the participants that subscribe to anonymous sidebar service, at least in part by referring to profile data indicating which participants subscribe to anonymous sidebar service, wherein each participant of the subset has a private handle representing the participant;
transmitting from the central server to each of the participants of the subset a specification stating the private handle of one or more other participants of the subset;
receiving at the central server, from a given one of the participants of the subset, a user selection of one or more private handles from the transmitted specification; and
responsive to the received user selection, the central server establishing an anonymous sidebar between the given participant and each of the one or more participants represented by the one or more user-selected private handles, while maintaining the ongoing session between at least other participants.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for providing anonymous sidebars between participants in a existing conference session such as a push-to-talk session for instance. Each applicable participant in the session has a private handle that represents the participant but that does not reveal the true identity of the participant. Further, the conference server hosting the session maintains or has access to mapping data that correlates each participant'"'"'s private handle with a participant identifier that is sufficient to allow the conference server to engage in network communication with the participant. The server provides each participant with a list of other participant'"'"'s private handles, and a given participant can then initiate a sidebar by sending a sidebar-initiation request designating one or more private handles selected from the list. Using its mapping data, the server then identifies the corresponding participants and sets up the anonymous sidebar.
79 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of establishing an anonymous sidebar during an ongoing session in which session participants communicate with each other through a central server, the method comprising, during the ongoing session:
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at the central server, identifying a subset of the participants that subscribe to anonymous sidebar service, at least in part by referring to profile data indicating which participants subscribe to anonymous sidebar service, wherein each participant of the subset has a private handle representing the participant; transmitting from the central server to each of the participants of the subset a specification stating the private handle of one or more other participants of the subset; receiving at the central server, from a given one of the participants of the subset, a user selection of one or more private handles from the transmitted specification; and responsive to the received user selection, the central server establishing an anonymous sidebar between the given participant and each of the one or more participants represented by the one or more user-selected private handles, while maintaining the ongoing session between at least other participants. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of establishing an anonymous sidebar during an ongoing push-to-talk (PTT) session in which session participants communicate with each other through a PTT server, wherein each participant has a private handle representing the participant, the method comprising:
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at the PTT server, identifying a subset of the participants that subscribe to anonymous sidebar service, at least in part by referring to profile data indicating which participants subscribe to anonymous sidebar service; the PTT server communicating with each participant of the subset to confirm or update the private handle of the session participant; during the PTT session, providing from the PTT server to each of participant of the subset a specification stating the private handle of each other participant of the subset; during the PTT session, receiving at the PTT server, from a given one of the participants of the subset, a sidebar-request, the sidebar-request designating one or more private handles selected by the given session participant from the specification provided to the given session participant; during the PTT session, in response to the sidebar-request, the PTT server correlating each designated private handle with a respective participant, and the PTT server segregating (i) communications between the given session participant and each respective participant from (ii) remaining communications of the ongoing PTT session, thereby establishing the anonymous sidebar. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A push-to-talk (PTT) server comprising:
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a network communication interface for sending and receiving communications on a packet-switched network; a processor; data storage; program logic stored in the data storage and executable by the processor, during an ongoing PTT session being hosted by the PTT server, to carry out functions including; (a) identifying participants of the PTT session that subscribe to anonymous sidebar service, at least in part by referring to profile data that indicates which participants subscribe to anonymous sidebar service, (b) transmitting to each of identified participant of the PTT session a list specifying a private handle respectively of each other identified participant, (c) receiving from a given one of the identified participants a sidebar-request that designates one or more private handles selected by the given participant from the transmitted list, and (d) responsive to the request, correlating each designated private handle with a respective one of the identified participants, and setting up a sidebar between the given participant and each respective participant. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification