Multi-modality communication

• US 9,477,943 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Levien, Royce A., Lord, Richard T., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, John D. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US13/200,741
• Publication Number:
  US 20130079052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,854 Days
• Field of Search: 455/417, 455/418, 455/466, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/567, 455/569.1, 455/0.2, 370/310.2, 370/328, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/212.01, 379/221.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities

Abstract

Disclosed herein are example embodiments for multi-modality communications. By way of example but not limitation, a local user may interact with a local communication device via a local communication modality for a given communication, and a remote user may interact with a remote communication device via a remote communication modality for the given communication.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

(A) circuitry for receiving one or more signals corresponding to a first communication modality, the one or more signals indicative of one or more transmissions from a device that is remote to a user (“

remote device”

); and

(B) circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions, including at least;

(1) circuitry for receiving a user selection of the user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device;

(2) circuitry for causing at least a portion of a communication to be converted from corresponding to the first communication modality to corresponding to the second communication modality, including at least;

(a) circuitry for initiating transmission away from the local device and to at least one conversion node at least the portion of the communication corresponding to the first communication modality for conversion at the at least one conversion node from corresponding to the first communication modality to corresponding to the second communication modality, wherein the at least one conversion node is external to the local device and includes at least one of a telecommunications node or an Internet node; and

(b) circuitry for receiving from the at least one conversion node as converted data at least the portion of the communication corresponding to the second communication modality, the circuitry for receiving configured to at least one of receive at least the portion of the communication at the local device or to receive and forward at least the portion of the communication toward the local device;

(3) circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with the local device via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly upon an identity of a remote user associated with the remote device, wherein the at least one intimacy setting indicates a user preferred communication modality selected from at least two communication modalities for interacting with the local device during at least a portion of a communication;

(4) circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with the local device via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting, wherein the at least one intimacy setting indicates that if a remote communication modality for at least a portion of a communication is at least partly the first communication modality then the local communication modality for user interaction with the local device for at least the portion of the communication shall be at least partly via the second communication modality, the first and the second communication modalities being different communication modalities and wherein the circuitry for responding is configured to ascertain the intimacy setting at least partly from a user selection stored before the communication and is further configured to, at the time of the communication, select the second communication modality based at least in part on a determination that the remote communication modality for at least the portion of the communication is at least partly the first communication modality and based at least in part on the ascertained intimacy setting; and

(5) circuitry for transmitting one or more notification signals from the local device to the remote device indicating that at least a portion of the communication may be effectuated as a mixed-modality communication, wherein the one or more notification signals are configured to facilitate the remote device in presenting at least partly via a user interface one or more options that include at least one of accepting the mixed-modality communication, refusing the mixed-modality communication, cancelling the communication or changing communication modalities and wherein the one or more notification signals include at least other than the communication itself.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for receiving one or more signals corresponding to a first communication modality comprises:

circuitry for receiving the one or more signals from a remote device that initiated the communication, the one or more signals being associated with the communication.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for receiving one or more signals corresponding to a first communication modality comprises:

circuitry for receiving the one or more signals at a local device that initiated the communication, the one or more signals being associated with the communication.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for ascertaining the at least one intimacy setting from a user selection that was stored prior to receipt of the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for detecting that the at least one intimacy setting indicates that a local user, subject to one or more conditions, is willing to expose textual communications in response to voice communications.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication modality and the second communication modality include at least different communication modalities with (i) the first communication modality including at least one of voice communication, textual communication, or video communication and (ii) the second communication modality including at least one of voice communication, textual communication, or video communication.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for receiving one or more confirmation signals that indicate that the communication is to be effectuated as a mixed-modality communication corresponding to the first communication modality and to the second communication modality.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for receiving one or more additional signals from the remote device that indicate that the communication is to be migrated to a single-modality communication corresponding to the second communication modality.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for causing at least a portion of a communication to be converted from corresponding to the first communication modality to corresponding to the second communication modality comprises:

circuitry for converting at least a portion of the communication from corresponding to the first communication modality to corresponding to the second communication modality.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for causing at least a portion of a communication to be converted from corresponding to the first communication modality to corresponding to the second communication modality comprises:

circuitry for causing at least another portion of the communication to be converted from corresponding to the second communication modality to corresponding to the first communication modality.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the circuitry for causing at least another portion of the communication to be converted from corresponding to the second communication modality to corresponding to the first communication modality comprises:

circuitry for converting at least the other portion of the communication from corresponding to the second communication modality to corresponding to the first communication modality.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the circuitry for causing at least another portion of the communication to be converted from corresponding to the second communication modality to corresponding to the first communication modality comprises:

circuitry for initiating transmission of at least the other portion of the communication corresponding to the second communication modality to at least one conversion node; and

circuitry for receiving at least the other portion of the communication corresponding to the first communication modality from the at least one conversion node.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for obtaining a conversion of a portion of the communication that is received from a remote device from corresponding to the first communication modality to corresponding to the second communication modality; and

circuitry for obtaining a conversion of a portion of the communication that is received from a local user from corresponding to the second communication modality to corresponding to the first communication modality.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction via the second communication modality in at least substantially real-time.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction via the first communication modality during at least part of the communication; and

circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction via the second communication modality during at least part of the communication.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction via the second communication modality during at least part of the communication operates in response to a change during the communication of the at least one intimacy setting that is selective of the second communication modality.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for accepting user input interaction that corresponds to the first communication modality; and

circuitry for providing user output interaction that corresponds to the second communication modality responsive at least partly to a joint input-output interaction selection of the at least one intimacy setting.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for accepting user input interaction that corresponds to the second communication modality; and

circuitry for providing user output interaction that corresponds to the first communication modality.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one intimacy setting is representative of at least one degree of communicative exposure that a local user may establish for a local device.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one intimacy setting is indicative that a local user is to interact with an incoming voice call via a textual user interface of a local device.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for presenting a capability to a local user to participate in the communication via the second communication modality and thereby establish the at least one intimacy setting after receipt of the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one intimacy setting is associated with the local device;

and wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for detecting that the at least one intimacy setting is indicative that a given communication that corresponds to the first communication modality at least partly with respect to a remote device is to be interacted with at least partly via the second communication modality at the local device.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication modality includes at least voice communication, and the second communication modality includes at least textual communication.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication modality includes at least voice communication, and the second communication modality includes at least textual communication;

and wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for maintaining a voice connection associated with the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication modality includes at least voice communication, and the second communication modality includes at least textual communication;

and wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for detecting responsive at least partly to the at least one intimacy setting that a voice connection associated with the one or more signals corresponding to voice communication is to be effectuated with the local device at least partially using textual input; and

circuitry for maintaining the voice connection associated with the one or more signals corresponding to the voice communication.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for accepting user text input as text data;

circuitry for causing the text data to be converted to voice data; and

circuitry for transmitting the voice data as part of a voice connection.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for receiving voice data as part of a voice connection;

circuitry for causing the voice data to be converted to text data; and

circuitry for presenting the text data as text output.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication modality includes at least voice communication, and the second communication modality includes at least video communication.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes at least a part of the local device.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for presenting to a local user via a user output interface of the local device a capability to participate in the communication via the second communication modality and thereby establish the at least one intimacy setting after the receiving one or more signals corresponding to a first communication modality.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions comprises;

circuitry for detecting that the at least one intimacy setting indicates that a given communication that corresponds to the first communication modality at least partly while external to the local device is to be interacted with at least partly via the second communication modality at the local device.

32. A method for handling a communication, the method comprising:

(A) receiving one or more signals corresponding to a first communication modality, the one or more received signals indicative of one or more transmissions from a device remote from a user (“

remote device”

); and

(B) responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions, including at least;

(1) receiving a user selection of the user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device;

(2) causing at least a portion of a communication to be converted from corresponding to the first communication modality to corresponding to the second communication modality, including at least;

(a) initiating transmission away from the local device and to at least one conversion node at least the portion of the communication corresponding to the first communication modality for conversion at the at least one conversion node from corresponding to the first communication modality to corresponding to the second communication modality, wherein the at least one conversion node is external to the local device and includes at least one of a telecommunications node or an Internet node; and

(b) receiving from the at least one conversion node as converted data at least the portion of the communication corresponding to the second communication modality, the receiving including at least one of receiving at least the portion of the communication at the local device or receiving and forwarding at least the portion of the communication toward the local device;

(3) responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with the local device via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly upon an identity of a remote user associated with the remote device, wherein the at least one intimacy setting indicates a user preferred communication modality selected from at least two communication modalities for interacting with the local device during at least a portion of a communication;

(4) responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with the local device via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting, wherein the at least one intimacy setting indicates that if a remote communication modality for at least a portion of a communication is at least partly the first communication modality then the local communication modality for user interaction with the local device for at least the portion of the communication shall be at least partly via the second communication modality, the first and the second communication modalities being different communication modalities and wherein the responding is performed at least in part by ascertaining the intimacy setting at least partly from a user selection stored before the communication and by, at the time of the communication, selecting the second communication modality based at least in part on a determination that the remote communication modality for at least the portion of the communication is at least partly the first communication modality and based at least in part on the ascertained intimacy setting; and

(5) transmitting one or more notification signals from the local device to the remote device indicating that at least a portion of the communication may be effectuated as a mixed-modality communication, wherein the one or more transmitted notification signals are configured to facilitate the remote device in presenting at least partly via a user interface one or more options that include at least one of accepting the mixed- modality communication, refusing the mixed-modality communication, cancelling the communication or changing communication modalities and wherein the one or more notification signals include at least other than the communication itself,

wherein at least one of the (A) receiving one or more signals or the (B) responding to the one or more signals is at least partially implemented using one or more processing devices.

33. A computer program product, comprising:

at least one non-transitory computer readable medium including at least;

(A) one or more instructions for receiving one or more signals corresponding to a first communication modality, the one or more signals indicative of one or more transmissions from a device that is remote from a user (“

remote device”

); and

(B) one or more instructions for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions, including at least;

(1) one or more instructions for receiving a user selection of the user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device;

(2) one or more instructions for causing at least a portion of a communication to be converted from corresponding to the first communication modality to corresponding to the second communication modality, including at least;

(a) one or more instructions for initiating transmission away from the local device and to at least one conversion node of at least the portion of the communication corresponding to the first communication modality for conversion at the at least one conversion node from corresponding to the first communication modality to corresponding to the second communication modality, wherein the at least one conversion node is external to the local device and includes at least one of a telecommunications node or an Internet node; and

(b) one or more instructions for receiving from the at least one conversion node as converted data at least the portion of the communication corresponding to the second communication modality, the one or more instructions for receiving configured to at least one of receive at least the portion of the communication at the local device or to receive and forward at least the portion of the communication toward the local device;

(3) one or more instructions for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with the local device via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly upon an identity of a remote user associated with the remote device, wherein the at least one intimacy setting indicates a user preferred communication modality selected from at least two communication modalities for interacting with the local device during at least a portion of a communication;

(4) one or more instructions for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with the local device via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting, wherein the at least one intimacy setting indicates that if a remote communication modality for at least a portion of a communication is at least partly the first communication modality then the local communication modality for user interaction with the local device for at least the portion of the communication shall be at least partly via the second communication modality, the first and the second communication modalities being different communication modalities and wherein the one or more instructions for responding are configured to ascertain the intimacy setting at least partly from a user selection stored before the communication and are further configured to, at the time of the communication, select the second communication modality based at least in part on a determination that the remote communication modality for at least the portion of the communication is at least partly the first communication modality and based at least in part on the ascertained intimacy setting; and

(5) one or more instructions for transmitting one or more notification signals from the local device to the remote device indicating that at least a portion of the communication may be effectuated as a mixed-modality communication, wherein the one or more notification signals are configured to facilitate the remote device in presenting at least partly via a user interface one or more options that include at least one of accepting the mixed-modality communication, refusing the mixed- modality communication, cancelling the communication or changing communication modalities and wherein the one or more notification signals include at least other than the communication itself.

34. A system comprising:

(A) means for receiving one or more signals corresponding to a first communication modality, the one or more signals indicative of one or more transmissions from a device that is remote from a user (“

remote device”

); and

(B) means for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with a device that is local to the user (“

local device”

) via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly on one or more conditions, including at least;

(1) means for receiving a user selection of the user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device;

(2) means for causing at least a portion of a communication to be converted from corresponding to the first communication modality to corresponding to the second communication modality, including at least;

(a) means for initiating transmission away from the local device and to at least one conversion node of at least the portion of the communication corresponding to the first communication modality for conversion at the at least one conversion node from corresponding to the first communication modality to corresponding to the second communication modality, wherein the at least one conversion node is external to the local device and includes at least one of a telecommunications node or an Internet node; and

(b) means for receiving from the at least one conversion node as converted data at least the portion of the communication corresponding to the second communication modality, the means for receiving configured to at least one of receive at least the portion of the communication at the local device or to receive and forward at least the portion of the communication toward the local device;

(3) means for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with the local device via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting that indicates a user preferred communication modality for interacting with the local device based at least partly upon an identity of a remote user associated with the remote device, wherein the at least one intimacy setting indicates a user preferred communication modality selected from at least two communication modalities for interacting with the local device during at least a portion of a communication;

(4) means for responding to the one or more signals corresponding to the first communication modality based at least partly on user interaction with the local device via a second communication modality in accordance with at least one intimacy setting, wherein the at least one intimacy setting indicates that if a remote communication modality for at least a portion of a communication is at least partly the first communication modality then the local communication modality for user interaction with the local device for at least the portion of the communication shall be at least partly via the second communication modality, the first and the second communication modalities being different communication modalities and wherein the means for responding is configured to ascertain the intimacy setting at least partly from a user selection stored before the communication and is further configured to, at the time of the communication, select the second communication modality based at least in part on a determination that the remote communication modality for at least the portion of the communication is at least partly the first communication modality and based at least in part on the ascertained intimacy setting; and

(5) means for transmitting one or more notification signals from the local device to the remote device indicating that at least a portion of the communication may be effectuated as a mixed-modality communication, wherein the one or more notification signals are configured to facilitate the remote device in presenting at least partly via a user interface one or more options that include at least one of accepting the mixed-modality communication, refusing the mixed-modality communication, cancelling the communication or changing communication modalities and wherein the one or more notification signals include at least other than the communication itself.