Synchronous communication system and method

• US 9,294,522 B1
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Yeskel, Zachary, Bennett, David Scrymgeour, Cushing, Kathryn, Cohen, Dave
• Primary Examiner(s): Serrao, Ranodhi
• Application Number:
  US13/730,499
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• 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 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A method and computing system for providing, using one or more computing devices, a plurality of users of a social network with the ability to schedule a topic-specific, synchronous communication session to occur at a future time. An indication is received, from a first user of the plurality of users, to schedule the topic-specific, synchronous communication session to occur at a future time. Electronic invitations are provided concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session, using the one or more computing devices, to one or more invited users chosen from the plurality of users of the social network.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program is executable by a processor to perform operations comprising:

providing, using one or more computing devices, a plurality of users of a social network with an ability to schedule a topic-specific, synchronous communication session to occur at a future time by specifying a specific topic for the communication session, one or more members of a social network group to invite, and a date and time;

receiving an indication, from a first user of the plurality of users, to schedule the topic-specific, synchronous communication session to occur at the future time, the indication including a proposed topic for the communication session, one or more members of the first user'"'"'s social network groups to invite, and the date and time;

providing, using the one or more computing devices, electronic invitations concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session to one or more invited users chosen from the plurality of users of the social network, the electronic invitations including the proposed topic for the communication session and the date and time;

receiving an invitation response notification, from at least one of the invited users, in response to the electronic invitation concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session; and

providing, using the one or more computing devices, the topic-specific, synchronous communication session for the first user and the at least one of the invited users at the date and time by rendering an audio-video stream received from one or more of the first user and the at least one of the invited users within the topic-specific, synchronous communication session.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

allowing the first user to define a text-based comment concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2 wherein the providing electronic invitations concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session includes:

providing the text-based comment to the one or more invited users.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the text-based comment is a descriptor for the topic-specific, synchronous communication session.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing, using the one or more computing devices, electronic reminders concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session to one or more invited users chosen from the plurality of users of the social network at the future time.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the electronic reminders are chosen from the group consisting of:

an email notification to an email inbox;

a sandbar notification to a GUI; and

a ping notification to a cellphone.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the electronic invitations concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session are provided to one or more invited users who have proactively chosen to allow invitations.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing, using one or more computing devices, a plurality of users of a social network with an ability to schedule a topic-specific, synchronous communication session to occur at a future time by specifying a specific topic for the communication session, one or more members of a social network group to invite, and a date and time;

receiving an indication, from a first user of the plurality of users, to schedule the topic-specific, synchronous communication session to occur at the future time, the indication including a proposed topic for the communication session, one or more members of the first user'"'"'s social network groups to invite, and the date and time; and

providing, using the one or more computing devices, electronic invitations concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session to one or more invited users chosen from the plurality of users of the social network, the electronic invitations including the proposed topic for the communication session and the date and time;

receiving an invitation response notification, from at least one of the invited users, in response to the electronic invitation concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session; and

providing, using the one or more computing devices, the topic-specific, synchronous communication session for the first user and the at least one of the invited users at the date and time by rendering an audio-video stream received from one or more of the first user and the at least one of the invited users within the topic-specific, synchronous communication session.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 further comprising:

allowing the first user to define a text-based comment concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 wherein providing electronic invitations concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session includes:

providing the text-based comment to the one or more invited users.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 wherein the text-based comment is a descriptor for the topic-specific, synchronous communication session.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 further comprising:

providing, using the one or more computing devices, electronic reminders concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session to one or more invited users chosen from the plurality of users of the social network at the future time.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 wherein the electronic reminders are chosen from the group consisting of:

an email notification to an email inbox;

a sandbar notification to a GUI; and

a ping notification to a cellphone.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the electronic invitations concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session are provided to one or more invited users who have proactively chosen to allow invitations.

21. The computing system of claim 12 wherein the electronic invitations concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session are provided to one or more invited users who have proactively chosen to allow invitations.

15. A computing system including a processor and memory configured to perform operations comprising:

providing, using one or more computing devices, a plurality of users of a social network with an ability to schedule a topic-specific, synchronous communication session to occur at a future time by specifying a specific topic for the communication session, one or more members of a social network group to invite, and a date and time;

receiving an indication, from a first user of the plurality of users, to schedule the topic-specific, synchronous communication session to occur at the future time, the indication including a proposed topic for the communication session, one or more members of the first user'"'"'s social network groups to invite, and the date and time; and

providing, using the one or more computing devices, electronic invitations concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session to one or more invited users chosen from the plurality of users of the social network, the electronic invitations including the proposed topic for the communication session and the date and time;

receiving an invitation response notification, from at least one of the invited users, in response to the electronic invitation including the topic-specific, synchronous communication session; and

providing, using the one or more computing devices, the topic-specific, synchronous communication session for the first user and the at least one of the invited users at the date and time by rendering an audio-video stream received from one or more of the first user and the at least one of the invited users within the topic-specific, synchronous communication session.

16. The computing system of claim 15 further configured to perform operations comprising:

allowing the first user to define a text-based comment concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session.

17. The computing system of claim 16 wherein the providing electronic invitations concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session includes:

providing the text-based comment to the one or more invited users.

18. The computing system of claim 16 wherein the text-based comment is a descriptor for the topic-specific, synchronous communication session.

19. The computing system of claim 15 further configured to perform operations comprising:

providing, using the one or more computing devices, electronic reminders concerning the topic-specific, synchronous communication session to one or more invited users chosen from the plurality of users of the social network at the future time.

20. The computing system of claim 19 wherein the electronic reminders are chosen from the group consisting of:

an email notification to an email inbox;

a sandbar notification to a GUI; and

a ping notification to a cellphone.