Communication system and method of using the same

• US 10,542,056 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2018
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Ruetschi, Johannes, Domingos, Luiz, Garbin, Christian, Lederer, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rotolo, Anthony T
• Application Number:
  US15/869,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20180139253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/263 Language identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1076 Screening of IP real time communications, e.g. spam over Internet telephony [SPIT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2061 Language aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6045 Identity confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6081 Service authorization mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/655 Combination of telephone service and social networking messaging within social networks H04L51/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/565 relating to time schedule aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication

Abstract

A communication system can include terminal devices that communicate with a social network or a computer server device for scheduling use of conference resources and/or for using conference appliances that may be located in a conference room being used for a video conference or teleconference. The communication system can be configured to permit a user to use such resources without having to have a user'"'"'s device be physically and directly connected by wiring to a conference appliance or communication device. The communication system can also be configured to validate participants to help ensure that only authorized personnel are properly attending a scheduled conference based on audio and/or video input received for the different participants and can also be configured to allow screen sharing to be performed during a video conference or teleconference.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

at least one server computer device; and

at least one conference appliance communicatively connectable to the server computer device to register with the server computer device so that a location of the conference appliance is published so that the location of the conference appliance is determinable by a terminal device registered with the at least one server computer device; and

the terminal device communicatively connectable to the at least one server computer device and the conference appliance, the terminal device configured to register with the at least one server computer device to utilize a social networking service hosted by the at least one server computer device, the terminal device configured to communicate authentication information to the at least one server computer device before establishing a connection for use of the social networking service;

the terminal device configured to generate a graphical user interface after registration with the at least one server computer device to facilitate receipt of input from a user for communicating requests for social network services to the at least one server computer device, the graphical user interface having icons, each icon representing an entity that is joinable to a conference communication session, each conference appliance being represented as a respective one of the icons for joining to the conference communication session such that input for selection of the conference appliance for utilization of the conference appliance in the conference communication session is providable via selection of the icon representing that conference appliance and moving icon along the graphical user interface to a graphical element of the graphical user interface to actuate the joining of the conference appliance to the conference communication session;

the server computer device configured so that, in response to receiving a communication from a terminal device initiated via the graphical user interface relating to a scheduling of the conference communication session, the server computer device is configured to;

communicate with a communication device to automatically schedule use of resources for the conference communication session based on information included in the communication from the terminal device such that the communication device reserves conference communication session resources so that the conference communication resources are available for the conference communication session when that conference communication session is scheduled to occur,

communicate with terminal devices of users to be invited to the conference communication session identified in the communication from the terminal device relating to the scheduling of the conference communication session or a calendar server computer device that manages calendars for different users to have calendars associated with the users to be invited to the conference communication session updated to identify the scheduled conference communication session, and

send information to the terminal device such that a conference appliance is identifiable to the terminal device for the terminal device to establish a connection with that conference appliance for use of at least one service for the conference communication session; and

in response to receipt of input provided via movement of the icon representing the conference appliance to the graphical element, the server computer device communicates with the conference appliance to join the conference appliance to the conference communication session.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the server computer device is configured to communicate with a conference appliance to join that conference appliance to the conference communication session;

and

wherein the conference appliance is configured to validate each conference participant located within a conference room of the conference appliance after being joined to the conference communication session to verify that each conference participant in the conference room is authorized to participate in the conference communication session.

3. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the validation of each conference participant comprises voice validation based on a voice sample recorded from each conference participant and a stored voice sample of that conference participant that was previously recorded.

4. The communication system of claim 3, wherein the validation of each conference participant comprises image validation based on an image of each conference participant recorded via the conference appliance and an image of that conference participant that was previously captured and stored.

5. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the validation of each conference participant comprises image validation based on an image of each conference participant captured in the conference room via the conference appliance and an image of that conference participant that was previously captured and stored.

6. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the server computer device is configured to communicate with a conference appliance to join that conference appliance to the conference communication session;

and

wherein the conference appliance is configured to set a language setting based on information received from the server computer device or the terminal device.

7. The communication system of claim 6, wherein the language setting is set by the conference appliance in response to information received from the terminal device that identifies a language for the language setting based on an evaluation of language utilized in a pre-selected number of communications exchanged with a user of that terminal device via a service hosted by the at least one server computer device.

8. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the server computer device is configured to send information relating to a number of communications exchanged with the user via the service to the terminal device in response to a request sent by the terminal device, the information relating to the number of communications exchanged with the user via the service being analyzable by the terminal device to select a language to which the language setting of the conference appliance is to be set.

9. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the server computer device is configured to communicate with the conference appliance to join that conference appliance to the conference communication session such that the conference appliance establishes a connection to the terminal device to provide a screen share service for the conference communication session.

10. The communication system of claim 9, wherein the conference appliance is configured to communicate with the terminal device to display a selected portion of a screen of the terminal device or a portion of a graphical user interface of an application displayed on the screen during the conference communication session.

11. The communication system of claim 10, wherein the server computer device is configured to communicate with a conference appliance or the terminal device to effect a joining of a conference appliance to the conference communication session via a process that comprises:

the server computer device responding to a request for an identification of a conference appliance that is configured to provide the service that is received from the terminal device by identifying that conference appliance to the terminal device based on information received from the conference appliance when that conference appliance registered with the server computer device and the server computer device automatically sends a message to the conference appliance to join the communication conference session in response to a message from the terminal device identifying that conference appliance for use of the service.

12. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the server computer device is configured to effect a joining of a conference appliance to the conference communication session via a process that comprises:

the server computer device responding to a request for an identification of a conference appliance that is configured to provide a service for the conference communication session within a conference room reserved for the conference communication session that is received from the terminal device by identifying at least one conference appliance to the terminal device based on information received from each conference appliance when that conference appliance registered with the server computer device; and

wherein the terminal device is configured to automatically select a conference appliance based on the response from the server computer device and automatically send a communication to the conference appliance to invite the conference appliance to the conference communication session.

13. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the conference appliance is configured to join the conference communication session and establish a screen share with the terminal device to communicate data for the conference communication session for providing a screen share service based on a portion of a screen of the terminal device during the conference communication session in response to the communication the conference appliance receives from the terminal device that invites the conference appliance to the conference communication session.

14. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the server computer device is configured to communicate with a conference appliance to join that conference appliance to the conference communication session;

wherein the conference appliance is configured to receive audio from conference participants within a conference room for the conference communication session and the conference appliance is configured to output audio of the conference communication session in the conference room during the conference communication session; and

the conference appliance is configured to communicate with terminal devices of conference participants within the conference room to deactivate microphones and speakers of the terminal devices during the conference communication session.

15. A communication system, comprising:

a terminal device;

at least one conference appliance that is communicatively connectable to the terminal device,

a server computer device configured to provide at least one social network service, the server computer device being communicatively connectable to at least one of the terminal device and the conference appliance;

the terminal device being configured to communicate with one of the server computer device and the conference appliance to join the conference appliance to a conference communication session for providing at least one service for that conference communication session such that a graphical user interface is displayable by the terminal device to communicate a request to join the conference appliance to the conference communication session in a same way as a human user of the social network service is invited to join the conference communication session, the graphical user interface having icons, each icon representing an entity that is joinable to a conference communication session, each conference appliance being represented as a respective one of the icons for joining to the conference communication session such that input for selection of the conference appliance for utilization of the conference appliance in the conference communication session is providable via selection of the icon representing that conference appliance and moving icon along the graphical user interface to a graphical element of the graphical user interface to actuate the joining of the conference appliance to the conference communication session;

wherein the conference appliance is configured to receive audio from conference participants within a conference room for the conference communication session and the conference appliance is configured to output audio of the conference communication session in the conference room during the conference communication session; and

the conference appliance is configured to communicate with terminal devices of conference participants within the conference room to deactivate microphones and speakers of the terminal devices during the conference communication session at a time the conference appliance is joined to the conference communication session.

16. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the terminal device is configured to determine a location of the terminal device and determine a location of at least one conference appliance, match the determined location of the terminal device with the location of the conference appliance to select a conference appliance closest to the determined location of the terminal device, discover the selected conference appliance via a short range radio communication mechanism, and request the conference appliance to join the conference communication session.

17. The communication system of claim 16, wherein the terminal device is configured to communicate with the server computer device to receive information relating to text within messaging exchanged with a user of the terminal device via a service hosted by the server computer device, analyze the text of the messaging to identify a language setting for selecting a language setting for the conference appliance, and send a message to the conference appliance to select that identified language setting for at least one of audio and visual prompts to be communicated by the conference appliance.

18. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the terminal device is configured to discover the conference appliance within a pre-selected time period of a scheduled conference communication session and directly communicate with the discovered conference appliance to join that conference appliance to the conference communication session via the short range radio communication mechanism.

19. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the conference appliance is configured to provide a prompt to at least one conference participant within a conference room of the conference appliance to record a voice sample from that conference participant in a conference room of that conference appliance and validate the voice sample with a previously recorded voice sample of that conference participant accessible to the conference appliance to verify that the conference participant is authorized to be included in the conference communication session;

wherein the conference appliance is configured to provide an audible warning to at least one conference participant within a conference room of the conference appliance to inform each conference participant that an image of that conference participant is to be captured, effect a capturing of the image after the warning is provided, and compare the image of each conference participant with at least one image that was previously captured of that conference participant to validate the conference participant to verify that the conference participant is authorized to be included in the conference communication session; and

wherein the conference appliance is also configured to provide a prompt to at least one conference participant within the conference room of the conference appliance to record a voice sample from that conference participant and validate the voice sample with a previously recorded voice sample of that conference participant accessible to the conference appliance to verify that the conference participant is authorized to be included in the conference communication session.

20. A method of facilitating a conference communication session via a communication network, the method comprising:

a terminal device having a processor and non-transitory memory registering with the at least one server computer device to utilize a social networking service hosted by the at least one server computer device, the terminal device communicating authentication information to the at least one server computer device before establishing a connection for use of the social networking service;

the terminal device generating a graphical user interface after registration with the at least one server device to display the graphical user interface to a user to facilitate receipt of input from the user for communicating requests for social network services to the at least one server computer device, the graphical user interface having icons, each icon representing an entity that is joinable to a conference communication session, each conference appliance being represented as a respective one of the icons for joining to the conference communication session such that input for selection of the conference appliance for utilization of the conference appliance in the conference communication session is providable via selection of the icon representing that conference appliance and moving icon along the graphical user interface to a graphical element of the graphical user interface to actuate the joining of the conference appliance to the conference communication session; and

in response to receiving a communication from the terminal device initiated via the graphical user interface relating to a scheduling of the conference communication session, the server computer device;

communicating with a communication device to automatically schedule use of resources for the conference communication session based on information included in the communication from the terminal device such that the communication device reserves conference communication session resources so that the conference communication resources are available for the conference communication session when that conference communication session is scheduled to occur,

communicating with terminal devices of users to be invited to the conference communication session identified in the communication from the terminal device relating to the scheduling of the conference communication session or a calendar server computer device that manages calendars for different users to have calendars associated with the users to be invited to the conference communication session updated to identify the scheduled conference communication session,

sending information to the terminal device such that a conference appliance is identifiable to the terminal device for the terminal device to establish a connection with that conference appliance for use of at least one service for the conference communication session; and

in response to receipt of input provided via movement of the icon representing the conference appliance to the graphical element transmitted to the server computer device via the terminal device, the server computer device communicating with the conference appliance to join the conference appliance to the conference communication session.