EXTENSIBLE AND SECURE TRANSMISSION OF MULTIPLE CONVERSATION CONTEXTS

• US 20090279533A1
• Filed: 05/08/2008
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Anantharaman, Sundar, Strebel, Andreas, Basu, Pradipta K., Vyaghrapuri, Ramesh, Srinivasan, Srivatsa, Koppolu, Lokesh Srinivas, Ramanathan, Rajesh, Tandon, Ankit, Awan, Aatif
• Granted Patent: US 8,718,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

The entry and transmission of notes to recipients along the conversation chain. Notes can be created based on an incoming caller. The notes can be transmitted to the conversation recipient for viewing before, during, and after the recipient accepts the conversation. This is facilitated by a communications client that operates to allow entry of the notes, and forwarding of the call recipient via a SIP framework. Moreover, notes previously taken and/or information provided manually and/or automatically by the communications system can be provided to an agent (e.g., ACD, receptionist) receiving the conversation, at any point in the conversation chain for quick identification not only of the conversation source but of previous information already collected.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented information sharing system, comprising:

a context component for electronically recording and storing context in association with communications of a communications system; and

a transfer component for transferring the context to a party of the communication.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the context includes at least one of notes, links, or multimedia content.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the transfer component makes the context accessible to the party before, during, or after the communications.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising notification component for notifying the party of the context via the communications system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the context is transmitted as a multipart/mixed MIME message in one or more SIP messages.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the multipart/MIME message includes a MIMEpart as an SDP payload and another MIMEpart for another context.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more SIP messages include one or more of INVITE, REFER or INFO.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a description component for generating a content description for the context.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a versioning component for managing versions of the context.

10. A computer-implemented information sharing system, comprising:

a context component for electronically recording and storing notes as part of a conversation context in association with a conversation of an IP communications system;

a description component for generating a content description for content of the conversation context; and

a transfer component for transferring the notes and content description to a party of the conversation via the IP communications system.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the transfer component transfers the context to the party via a presence document.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising a notification component for notifying the party of the conversation context via the IP communications system.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the conversation context is transmitted using an encryption technology and as a multipart/mixed MIME message according to SIP messages that include at least one of INVITE, REFER or INFO.

14. A computer-implemented method of sharing call information, comprising:

receiving a phone call from a calling party via a call system;

entering call information associated with the call via a communications client;

sending the call information to a call recipient via the communications client; and

presenting the call information to the call recipient.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising sending the call information in multiple different communications formats using correspondingly different communications technologies via the communications client using SIP INVITE, REFER or INFO messages.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving the call information in an encrypted format using a private key;

sending the private key to a third party via a presence channel; and

opening the call information for the call recipient using the private key.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising protecting the call information during the sending of the call information using information rights management technology or S-MIME.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising extending the call information with new call information via a third-party application.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising identifying if a recipient system of the call recipient can receive and process the call information and sending a notification related to status of delivery of the call information.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising consulting with the call recipient using voice signals while the call recipient reviews the call information.