Data communication

• US 9,008,287 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2013
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metaswitch Networks Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Metaswitch Networks Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mairs, Chris, Rice, Liz, Palmer, Felix
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US13/865,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20130230159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 379/93.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4025 where none of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. downloading a file in a parallel FTP session, initiating an email or combinational services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

A method of establishing a communications session for communication of data with respect to at least two user devices in a data communications network. Call party details of a telephone call are received. The telephone call involves at least a first telephony user device and a second telephony user device. The call party details include a first identity associated with the first telephony user device and a second identity associated with the second telephony user device. At least one of the first and second identities comprises a telephone dialing number. A separate communications session is established on the basis of the first and second identities received in the call party details. The communications session is separate from the telephone call, for the communication of data to and/or from the at least two user devices.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a communications session for communication of data with respect to at least two user devices in a data communications network, the method comprising:

receiving call party details of a telephone call, the telephone call involving at least a first telephony user device and a second telephony user device, said call party details including a first identity associated with said first telephony user device and a second identity associated with said second telephony user device, at least one of said first and second identities comprising a telephone dialing number;

establishing, on the basis of said first and second identities received in said call party details, a separate communications session, separate from said telephone call, for the communication of data to and/or from said at least two user devices;

receiving an identifier identifying a feature of said separate communications session that requires authorization for use by a user device; and

in response to receipt of an authorization indication from one of said at least two user devices, enabling the use of said feature by at least one other of said at least two user devices.

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising requesting authorization from said one of said at least two different user devices, to authorize the use of said feature by said at least one other of said at least two different user devices.

3. A method according to claim 1, comprising receiving said identifier from said one of said at least two different user devices.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said authorization indication indicates payment authorization.

5. A method according to claim 4, comprising transmitting payment authorization to a payment server on behalf of said one of said at least two different user devices to authorize the use of said feature by said at least one other of said at least two different user devices.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein enabling the use of said feature comprises using a service application to process service data transmitted during said separate communications session, said service application requiring authorization.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein enabling the use of said feature comprises accessing data in relation to which an identifier is transmitted during said separate communications session, said data access requiring authorization.

8. A server system arranged to perform a method of establishing a communications session for communication of data with respect to at least two user devices in a data communications network, the method comprising:

receiving call party details of a telephone call, the telephone call involving at least a first telephony user device and a second telephony user device, said call party details including a first identity associated with said first telephony user device and a second identity associated with said second telephony user device, at least one of said first and second identities comprising a telephone dialing number;

establishing, on the basis of said first and second identities received in said call party details, a separate communications session, separate from said telephone call, for the communication of data to and/or from said at least two user devices;

receiving an identifier identifying a feature of said separate communications session that requires authorization for use by a user device; and

in response to receipt of an authorization indication from one of said at least two user devices, enabling the use of said feature by at least one other of said at least two user devices.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon, the computer readable instructions being executable by a computerized device to cause the computerized device to perform a method of establishing a communications session for communication of data with respect to at least two user devices in a data communications network, the method comprising:

receiving call party details of a telephone call, the telephone call involving at least a first telephony user device and a second telephony user device, said call party details including a first identity associated with said first telephony user device and a second identity associated with said second telephony user device, at least one of said first and second identities comprising a telephone dialing number;

establishing, on the basis of said first and second identities received in said call party details, a separate communications session, separate from said telephone call, for the communication of data to and/or from said at least two user devices;

receiving an identifier identifying a feature of said separate communications session that requires authorization for use by a user device; and

in response to receipt of an authorization indication from one of said at least two user devices, enabling the use of said feature by at least one other of said at least two user devices.