Asynchronous communication system architecture

• US 9,548,998 B1
• Filed: 07/18/2013
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MindMeld, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Barros, Brett, Jheeta, Moninder, Kola, George Samuel, Tuttle, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US13/945,868
• Time in Patent Office: 1,279 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] H04L51/04; selective video distribution H04N21/00
• 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/22 Synchronisation circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

Data is asynchronously provided to a participant of a conversation. A temporal model is maintained for each of a plurality of client devices associated with the conversation. A temporal model describes a state of an associated client device. Data for sending to a client device is identified based on conversation context information describing a context of a conversation participant associated with the client device. A determination of whether to send the identified data to the client device is made based on the temporal model associated with the client device. The temporal model associated with the client device is updated based on the determination.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for asynchronously providing data to conversation participants, comprising:

establishing, by a central server, a communicative interface between the central server and each of a plurality of client devices associated with the conversation participants, wherein the central server comprises a hardware HTTP server, wherein, for each client device, the communication interface between the client device and the central server is maintained by the central server for the duration of the associated conversation participant'"'"'s participation in a conversation, wherein each client device is configured to display a conversation interface, and wherein each client device is configured to display data associated with the conversation and received from the central server within the conversation interface;

maintaining, by the central server, an associated temporal model describing a state of each of the plurality of client devices associated with the conversation and describing a user state of each of the conversation participants associated with the conversation, each user state indicating whether or not a corresponding conversation participant is actively participating in the conversation;

identifying, by the central server, data to be sent to a first client device of the plurality of client devices based on conversation context information describing a context of a conversation participant associated with the first client device within the conversation;

determining, by the central server, whether to send the identified data to the first client device based on a measure of participation in the conversation by a user of the first client device described by the temporal model associated with the first client device;

in response to determining that the user state described by the temporal model of a conversation participant associated with the first client device indicates that the conversation participant is not actively participating in the conversation, queuing the identified data within a queue of the central server associated with the first client device;

in response to determining that the user state described by the temporal model of the conversation participant associated with the first client device indicates that the conversation participant is actively participating in the conversation, sending, by the central server, the identified data to the first client device configured to display the identified data within the conversation interface of the first client device; and

updating, by the central server, the temporal model associated with the first client device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying data to be sent to the first client device comprises identifying data in the queue associated with the first client device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein identifying data in the queue of data comprises identifying highest priority data in the queue of data.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the temporal model includes a status of each of the plurality of client devices, each status indicating if a client device is available to receive data.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein determining to send the identified data to the first client device based on the temporal model comprises determining to send the identified data to the first client device if the status of the first client device included in the temporal model indicates that the first client device is available to received data.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions for asynchronously providing data to conversation participants, the instructions, when executed by a processor of a central server, configured to perform steps comprising:

establishing, by the central server, a communicative interface between the central server and each of a plurality of client devices associated with the conversation participants, wherein the central server comprises a hardware HTTP server, wherein, for each client device, the communication interface between the client device and the central server is maintained by the central server for the duration of the associated conversation participant'"'"'s participation in a conversation, wherein each client device is configured to display a conversation interface, and wherein each client device is configured to display data associated with the conversation and received from the central server within the conversation interface;

maintaining, by the central server, an associated temporal model describing a state of each of the plurality of client devices associated with the conversation and escribing a user state of each of the conversation participants associated with the conversation, each user state indicating whether or not a corresponding conversation participant is actively participating in the conversation;

identifying, by the central server, data to be sent to a first client device of the plurality of client devices based on conversation context information describing a context of a conversation participant associated with the first client device within the conversation;

determining, by the central server, whether to send the identified data to the first client device based on the measure of participation in the conversation by a user of the first client device described by the temporal model associated with the first client device;

in response to determining that the user state described by the temporal model of a conversation participant associated with the first client device indicates that the conversation participant is not actively participating in the conversation, queuing the identified data within a queue of the central server associated with the first client device;

in response to determining that the user state described by the temporal model of the conversation participant associated with the first client device indicates that the conversation participant is actively participating in the conversation, sending, by the central server, the identified data to the first client device configured to display the identified data within the conversation interface of the first client device; and

updating, by the central server, the temporal model associated with the first client device.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein identifying data to be sent to the first client device comprises identifying data in the queue associated with the first client device.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein identifying data in the queue of data comprises identifying highest priority data in the queue of data.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the temporal model includes a status of each of the plurality of client devices, each status indicating if a client device is available to receive data, and wherein determining to send the identified data to the first client device based on the temporal model comprises determining to send the identified data to the first client device if the status of the first client device included in the temporal model indicates that the first client device is available to received data.

10. A central server for asynchronously providing data to a participant of a conversation, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions comprising instructions for;

establishing, by the central server, a communicative interface between the central server and each of a plurality of client devices associated with a plurality of conversation participants, wherein the central server comprises a hardware HTTP server, wherein, for each client device, the communication interface between the client device and the central server is maintained by the central server for the duration of the associated conversation participant'"'"'s participation in the conversation, wherein each client device is configured to display a conversation interface, and wherein each client device is configured to display data associated with the conversation and received from the central server within the conversation interface;

maintaining, by the central server, an associated temporal model describing a state of each of the plurality of client devices associated with the conversation and describing a user state of each of the conversation participants associated with the conversation, each user state indicating whether or not a corresponding conversation participant is actively participating in the conversation;

identifying, by the central server, data to be sent to a first client device of the plurality of client devices based on conversation context information describing a context of a conversation participant associated with the first client device within the conversation;

in response to determining that the user state described by the temporal model of a conversation participant associated with the first client device indicates that the conversation participant is not actively participating in the conversation, queuing the identified data within a queue of the central server associated with the first client device;

in response to determining that the user state described by the temporal model of the conversation participant associated with the first client device indicates that the conversation participant is actively participating in the conversation, sending, by the central server, the identified data to the first client device configured to display the identified data within the conversation interface of the first client device; and

updating, by the central server, the temporal model associated with the first client device; and

a processor for executing the computer program instructions.

11. The central server of claim 10, wherein identifying data to be sent to the first client device comprises identifying data in the queue associated with the first client device.

12. The central server of claim 11, wherein identifying data in the queue of data comprises identifying highest priority data in the queue of data.

13. The central server of claim 10, wherein the temporal model includes a status of each of the plurality of client devices, each status indicating if a client device is available to receive data.

14. The central server of claim 13, wherein determining to send the identified data to the first client device based on the temporal model comprises determining to send the identified data to the first client device if the status of the first client device included in the temporal model indicates that the first client device is available to received data.