Data communication

• US 9,723,032 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2014
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metaswitch Networks Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Metaswitch Networks Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Pearl, Philip, Palmer, Felix, Drysdale, David, Crampton, Shaun, Rice, Liz, Mairs, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US14/482,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20140376704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

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. A client-server connection request is received from at least one of the at least two user devices. 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.

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 a client-server connection request from a first user device of the at least two user devices and establishing a client-server connection with the first user device of the at least two user devices;

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

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

receiving, while the telephone call is in progress between the at least two user devices, geographical location data from the second user device involved in the separate communication session, the geographical location data being based on a physical location of the second user device of the at least two user devices; and

in response to the receiving of the geographical location data, and while the telephone call is in progress between the at least two user devices, transmitting data including or derived from the received geographical location data to the first user device of the at least two user devices involved in the separate communication session via the client-server connection,

wherein authorization is requested, via the client server connection, from the second user device, to authorize the transmission of the data including or derived from the received geographical location data to the first user device.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising transmitting a request for geographical location data to the second user device.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising receiving the geographical location data in the form of a data object including geographical coordinate data, conducting a capability check in relation to whether the first user device is capable of processing the geographical coordinate data during the separate communications session, and transmitting the geographical coordinate data to the first user device in response to the capability check indicating the first user device is capable of processing the geographical coordinate data during the separate communications session.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising receiving the geographical location data in the form of a data object including geographical coordinate data, generating a map image derived from the geographical coordinate data, and transmitting the derived map image to the first user device.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the method comprises conducting a capability check in relation to whether the first user device is capable of processing the geographical coordinate data during the separate communications session, and transmitting the derived map image to the first user device in response to the capability check indicating the first user device is not capable of processing the geographical coordinate data during the separate communications session.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data including or derived from the received geographical location data is transmitted in response to a request received from the first user device during the separate communications session.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data including or derived from the received geographical location data is transmitted in response to a request from the second user device during the separate communications session.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the received geographical location data comprises a network link containing information relating to the physical location of the second user device.

9. A server system configured 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 a client-server connection request from a first user device of the at least two user devices and establishing a client-server connection with the first user device of the at least two user devices;

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

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

receiving, while the telephone call is in progress between the at least two user devices, geographical location data from the second user device involved in the separate communication session, the geographical location data being based on a physical location of the second user device; and

in response to the receiving of the geographical location data, and while the telephone call is in progress between the at least two user devices, transmitting data including or derived from the received geographical location data to the first user device of the at least two user devices involved in the separate communications session,

wherein authorization is requested, via the client-server connection, from the second user device, to authorize the transmission of the data including or derived from the received geographical location data to the first user device.

10. 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 a client-server connection request from a first user device of the at least two user devices and establishing a client-server connection with the first user device of the at least two user devices;

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

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

receiving, while the telephone call is in progress between the at least two user devices, geographical location data from the second user device involved in the separate communication session, the geographical location data being based on a physical location of the second user device of the at least two user devices; and

in response to the receiving of the geographical location data, and while the telephone call is in progress between the at least two user devices, transmitting data including or derived from the received geographical location data to the first user device of the at least two user devices involved in the separate communication session via the client-server connection,

wherein authorization is requested, via the client-server connection, from the second user device, to authorize the transmission of the data including or derived from the received geographical location data to the first user device.

11. A first user device configured to establish a communications session for communication of data with a second user device in a data communications network, the user device being configured to:

transmit a client-server connection request to, and establish a client-server connection with, a server system;

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

establish, on the basis of the first and second identities in the call party details, a separate communications session between the first user device and the second user device, separate from the telephone call, for the communication of data to and/or from the second user device, the separate communications session comprising the client-server connection; and

transmit, while the telephone call is in progress between the first user device and the second user device, geographical location data to the server system, the geographical location data being based on a physical location of the first user device involved in the separate communication session with the second user device,

wherein authorization is requested, via the client-server connection, from the first user device, to authorize transmission of data including or derived from geographical location data of the first user device to the second user device.