Indication of communication across applications

• US 10,616,150 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2018
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Faulkner, Jason Thomas, Baker, Casey James
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US16/048,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20180337874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 455416, 4554121, 4554122
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

Techniques for indication of communication across applications are described. According to various implementations, a graphical user interface (GUI) for a first application is presented. The GUI for the first application, for instance, enables a first user to communicate with a second user via the first application. An indication of communication between the first user and the second user via a second application is presented within the GUI for the first application. In at least one implementation, the first application and the second application enable communication via different respective modalities.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control the device to perform functions of;

displaying, via a first graphical user interface (GUI) for a first application, content of a first communication session between a first person and a second person, wherein the first person is a user of the device and the first communication session is carried out by the first application;

displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, an indication of a second communication session between the first and second persons, wherein the second communication session is carried out by a second application;

receiving, via the first GUI for the first application, a user input to display the second communication session carried out by the second application; and

in response to the received user input, displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, content of the second communication session carried out by the second application.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to control the device to display, via the first GUI for the first application, an indication of the first communication session between the first and second persons via the first application.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to control the device to perform functions of:

operating the first application to enable the first communication session via a first communication modality; and

operating the second application to enable the second communication session via a second communication modality that is different from the first communication modality.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to control the device to perform a function of displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, a session notification indicating that the second person and a third person are participating in a third communication session in which the first person is not participating.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein, for displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, the indication of the second communication session carried out by the second application, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control the device to perform a function of displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, a communication object indicating the second communication session carried out by the second application.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the communication object is portable so as to be embeddable in multiple different graphical user interfaces for multiple different applications.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein, for displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, the indication of the second communication session carried out by the second application, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control the device to perform functions of:

receiving the indication of the second communication session carried out by the second application; and

presenting, via the first GUI for the first application, a visual indication of the second communication session carried out by the second application.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to control the device to perform a function of enabling the first person to participate, via the first GUI for the first application, in the second communication session carried out by the second application.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein, for displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, the indication of the second communication session carried out by the second application, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control the device to perform functions of:

presenting, via the first GUI for the first application, a visual representation of the second person; and

visually animating, via the first GUI for the first application, the visual representation to indicate a voice activity of the second person.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to control the device to perform functions of:

receiving, via the first GUI for the first application, another user input by the first person instructing the first application to initiate communication with the second person via a second GUI for the second application; and

generating the second GUI for the second application that replaces or visually overlays the first GUI for the first application to enable the first person to communicate with the second person via the second GUI for the second application.

11. A method of operating a device, comprising:

displaying, via a first graphical user interface (GUI) for a first application, content of a first communication session between first and second persons, wherein the first person is a user of the device and the first communication session is carried out by the first application;

displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, an indication of a second communication session between the first and second persons, wherein the second communication session is carried out by a second application;

receiving, via the first GUI for the first application, a user input to display the second communication session carried out by the second application; and

in response to the received user input, displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, content of the second communication session carried out by the second application.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, the indication of the first communication session between the first and second persons via the first application.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

operating the first application to enable the first communication session via a first communication modality; and

operating the second application to enable the second communication session via a second communication modality that is different from the first communication modality.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, a session notification indicating that the second person and a third person are participating in a communication session in which the first person is not participating.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, the indication of the second communication session carried out by b the second application comprises displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, a communication object indicating the second communication session.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, the indication of the second communication session carried out by the second application comprises:

receiving the indication of the second communication session carried out by the second application; and

presenting, via the first GUI for the first application, a visual indication of the second communication session.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising enabling the first person to participate, via the first GUI for the first application, in the second communication session carried out by the second application.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, the indication of the second communication session carried out by the second application comprises:

presenting, via the first GUI for the first application, a visual representation of the second person; and

visually animating, via the first GUI for the first application, the visual representation to indicate a voice activity of the second person.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, via the first GUI for the first application, another user input by the first person instructing the first application to initiate communication with the second person via a second GUI for the second application; and

generating the second GUI for the second application that replaces or visually overlays the first GUI for the first application to enable the first person to communicate with the second person via the second GUI for the second application.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing instructions for causing a device to perform functions of:

displaying, via a first graphical user interface (GUI) for a first application, content of a first communication session between first and second persons, wherein the first person is a user of the device and the first communication session is carried out by the first application;

displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, an indication of a second communication session between the first and second persons, wherein the second communication session is carried out by a second application;

receiving, via the first GUI for the first application, a user input to display the second communication session between the first and second persons within the second application; and

in response to the received user input, displaying, via the first GUI for the first application, content of the second communication session.