Systems, devices and methods for initiating communications based on selected content

• US 10,164,924 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Inventors: Arastafar, Martin, van Rensburg, Christopher, Jaffe, Theodore
• Primary Examiner(s): Barry, Lance Leonard
• Application Number:
  US14/869,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20170093774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• 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 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A communications device comprising at least one processing device configured to receive an input selection for use in connection with a communications session, including content of a portion of a chat associated with at least one first user and contact information associated with a second user, wherein the second user is different from the at least one first user. The at least one processing device is further configured to identify at least one object in the selected content to determine information describing the chat portion, and to initiate a communications session with at least one terminal device associated with the second user based on the contact information. The at least one processing device is also configured to transmit a message, including the determined information, to the at least one terminal device associated with the second user.

Claims

1. A communications device, comprising:

at least one processing device configured to;

receive an input selection for use in connection with a communications session, including content of a portion of a chat associated with at least one first user and contact information associated with a second user, wherein the second user is different from the at least one first user;

identify at least one object in the selected content to determine information describing the chat portion;

initiate a communications session with at least one terminal device associated with the second user based on the contact information; and

transmit a message, including the determined information, to the at least one terminal device associated with the second user.

2. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the communications device is a server, the input selection is received from a terminal device, and after receiving the input selection, the selected content is stored at a memory device included in the server.

3. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the communications device is a terminal device, the input selection is received from an input component, and the selected content is previously stored at a memory device included in the terminal device.

4. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the determined information included in the message transmitted to the at least one terminal device is prioritized according to predetermined rules.

5. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the message includes at least a timing indicator associated with an additional communications session between a user and the particular recipient.

6. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the message includes at least one detail regarding an additional communications session between a user of the communications device and the particular recipient, and the at least one processing device is further configured to:

upon receipt of an indication for non-delivery of the message, postpone initiating the additional communications session and retransmit the message.

7. The communications device of claim 1, wherein when the communications session is a chat session, the transmitted message includes at least one detail regarding an additional communications session between a user of the communications device and the second user, and the additional communications session is a phone call.

8. The communications device of claim 7, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to initiate the communications session with a computer associated with the second user and to initiate the additional communications session with a phone associated with the second user.

9. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the selected content includes a portion of a chat associated with a plurality of first users.

10. The communications device of claim 1, wherein the at least one object includes key terms in the portion of a chat associated with the at least one first user, and the determined information transmitted to the second user includes one or more of the identified key terms.

11. A method for providing recipients with information regarding communications sessions, the method comprising:

receiving an input selection for use in connection with a communications session, including content;

identifying at least one object in the selected content to determine information describing the selected content, wherein the selected content includes of a portion of a chat associated with at least one first user;

using the at least one object identified in the selected content to determine a list of possible contacts;

receiving an input selection from the list of possible contacts;

using the contact information associated with the input selection to initiate the communications session with at least one terminal device associated with a particular recipient, wherein the particular recipient is different from the at least one first user; and

transmitting a message, including the determined information, to the at least one terminal device associated with the particular recipient.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the input selection includes creating a range selection of text, dragging the selected range and dropping it on an icon representing the contact information.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the input selection includes a selection of a type of the communications session between a video communications session, an audio communications session, and a textual communications session.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the transmitted message includes a requested type of an additional communications session between a user and the particular recipient.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a type of the communications session is at least one of a video communications session, an audio communications session, and a textual communications session, and the communications session is a first type of communications session and the additional communications session is a second type of communications session other than the first type.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first type of communications session is initiated with a first terminal device associated with the particular recipient and the second type of communications session is initiated with a second terminal device associated with the particular recipient.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the communications session initiated with the first terminal device and the additional communications session initiated with the second terminal device are initiated concurrently.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one object includes key terms in the selected content identified by one or more processing engines, and determining the information describing the selected content includes selecting one or more of the identified key terms.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

upon receiving a confirmation that the particular recipient opened the message, initiating an additional communications session with the at least one terminal device associated with the particular recipient.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating a voice message from the selected content, wherein the selected content includes at least one of the following;

a document, an email, a fax, and a portion of chat; and

transmitting the voice message to the particular recipient.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the voice message includes an audible version of the at least one object identified in the selected content.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the voice message includes an audible version of the selected content generated from text associated with the at least one object.

23. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

using the determined information to select a preferred mode to communicate with the particular recipient based on the at least one object identified by one or more processing engines.