Method, Device, and System for Providing Privacy for Communications

• US 20160261532A1
• Filed: 03/06/2015
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Garbin, Christian, Ruetschi, Johannes
• Granted Patent: US 10,142,271 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]

Abstract

A communication system, method and communication terminal are configured to facilitate private outputting of content of a message or communication session. A communication terminal can be configured via data included in a message or via a privacy setting to output content of data from a communication session or message in accordance with a pre-selected privacy setting or one or more privacy rules. For instance, a communication terminal may be configured to suppress a text to speech function for certain text messages, email messages, instant messages, or social networking messages that it receives having the privacy parameter set therein. As another example, a user may set the privacy parameter in his or her terminal so that any such message received by that terminal is output in accordance with the privacy setting or rules. A detection of nearby people can affect how certain content may be output via a terminal.

Claims

1. A method of outputting content of a message or communication session comprising:

setting a privacy indicator that is applicable to a first communication to be received by a communication terminal of an addressee of the first communication;

receiving, by the communication terminal, the first communication;

determining that the privacy indicator applies to the received first communication;

outputting content of the first communication in accordance with at least one privacy setting identified by the privacy indicator in response to determining that the privacy indicator applies to the received first communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication is a text message, an instant message, an email message, a voice mail message, or a telephone call.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication is a message containing text and wherein a text to speech function of the communication terminal is suppressed or disabled for the received first communication to deactivate the text to speech function in response to the determination that the privacy indicator applies to the first communication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the addressee of the first communication is a user associated with the communication terminal, and

the outputting content of the first communication in accordance with at least one privacy setting identified by the privacy indicator in response to determining that the privacy indicator applies to the received first communication comprises;

determining, by the communication terminal, whether there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within a pre-specified distance of the communication terminal prior to the outputting of the content of the first communication;

permitting output of content of the first communication in response to determining that no other person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal is determined to be within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal; and

deactivating audible outputting of content of the first communication in response to determining that there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the addressee of the first communication is a user associated with the communication terminal, and

the outputting content of the first communication in accordance with at least one privacy setting identified by the privacy indicator in response to determining that the privacy indicator applies to the received first communication comprises;

determining, by the communication terminal, whether there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within a pre-specified distance of the communication terminal prior to the outputting of the content of the first communication;

outputting content of the first communication in response to determining that no other person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal is determined to be within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal; and

one of;

delaying outputting of content of the first communication audibly until input for audible output of the content is received in response to a warning and outputting the warning via a display of the communication terminal in response to determining that there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal,

permitting output of content of the first communication audibly via at least one ear bud or a headphone device when the communication terminal is connected to the headphone device or at least one ear bud in response to determining that there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal, and

permitting output of content of the first communication audibly via a speaker of the communication terminal at or below a pre-selected audible level when the communication terminal is determined to be in a first position in which the speaker is adjacent an ear of the user associated with the communication terminal in response to determining that there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the addressee of the first communication is a user associated with the communication terminal, and

the outputting of content of the first communication in accordance with at least one privacy setting identified by the privacy indicator in response to determining that the privacy indicator applies to the received first communication comprises;

determining, by the communication terminal, whether there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within a pre-specified distance of the communication terminal prior to the outputting of the content of the first communication; and

at least one of;

(i) permitting output of content of the first communication audibly in response to determining that no other person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal is determined to be within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal, and

(ii) permitting output of content of the first communication audibly at or below a pre-specified audible level via a speaker of the communication terminal in response to determining that there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal and determining that the communication terminal is in a first position in which the speaker of the communication terminal is adjacent an ear of the user associated with the communication terminal,

(iii) permitting output of content of the first communication audibly in response to determining that no person who is identified within a first list is determined to be within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal,

(iv) permitting output of content of the first communication audibly in response to determining that only one or more persons who are identified within a second list are determined to be within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal,

(v) permitting output of content of the first communication audibly via at least one ear bud or a headphone device when the communication terminal is connected to the headphone device or at least one ear bud, and (vi) deactivating audible outputting of content of the first communication in response to determining that there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal and in response to determining that conditions (i) through (v) are not met.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the outputting content of the first communication in accordance with at least one privacy setting identified by the privacy indicator in response to determining that the privacy indicator applies to the received first communication also comprises:

determining that the communication terminal has moved from the first position to a second position, the second position positioning a camera sensor of the communication terminal to record a face of the user associated with the communication terminal and positioning the speaker farther away from the ear as compared to the first position; and

deactivating audible output of content of the first communication by the communication terminal in response to determining that the communication terminal moved from the first position to the second position.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the speaker of the communication terminal is to output audio on a speakerphone setting when the communication terminal is in the second position.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting of content of the first communication in accordance with at least one privacy setting identified by the privacy indicator in response to determining that the privacy indicator applies to the received first communication comprises:

determining, by the communication terminal, whether there is a person who is identified within a list associated with the privacy indicator within a pre-specified distance of the communication terminal prior to the outputting of the content of the first communication;

permitting output of content of the first communication audibly in response to determining that no person who is identified within the list is determined to be within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal; and

deactivating output of the content of the first communication audibly in response to determining that at least one person who is identified within the list is determined to be within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal.

10. A communication terminal, comprising:

a processor communicatively connected to non-transitory memory, the memory having an application stored thereon, the application defining a method that is performed by the communication terminal when the processor runs the application such that the communication terminal is configured to;

determine that a privacy indicator applies to a received first communication, and

output content of the first communication in accordance with at least one privacy setting identified by the privacy indicator in response to determining that the privacy indicator applies to the received first communication.

11. The communication terminal of claim 10, wherein the first communication is a text message, an instant message, an email message, a voice mail message, or a telephone call.

12. The communication terminal of claim 10, wherein the first communication is a message containing text and wherein a text to speech function of the communication terminal is suppressed or disabled for the received first communication to deactivate the text to speech function in response to the determination that the privacy indicator applies to the first communication.

13. The communication terminal of claim 10, wherein:

an addressee of the first communication is a user associated with the communication terminal, and

the output of the content of the first communication in accordance with at least one privacy setting identified by the privacy indicator in response to determining that the privacy indicator applies to the received first communication is configured to comprise;

determining whether there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within a pre-specified distance of the communication terminal prior to the output of the content of the first communication;

permitting output of content of the first communication audibly in response to determining that no other person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal is determined to be within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal; and

deactivating audible output of content of the first communication in response to determining that there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal.

14. The communication terminal of claim 10, wherein:

an addressee of the first communication is a user associated with the communication terminal, and

the output of content of the first communication in accordance with at least one privacy setting identified by the privacy indicator in response to determining that the privacy indicator applies to the received first communication is configured to comprise;

determining whether there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within a pre-specified distance of the communication terminal prior to the output of the content of the first communication;

permitting output of content of the first communication in response to determining that no other person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal is determined to be within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal; and

at least one of;

(i) delaying outputting of content of the first communication audibly until input for audible output of the content is received in response to a warning and outputting of the warning via a display of the communication terminal in response to determining that there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal,

(ii) permitting output of content of the first communication audibly via at least one ear bud or a headphone device when the communication terminal is connected to the headphone device or at least one ear bud in response to determining that there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal,

(iii) permitting output of content of the first communication audibly at or below a pre-selected audible level via a speaker of the communication terminal when the communication terminal is determined to be in a first position in which the speaker of the communication terminal is adjacent an ear of the user associated with the communication terminal in response to determining that there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal,

(iv) permitting output of content of the first communication audibly in response to determining that no person who is identified within a first list is determined to be within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal,

(v) permitting output of content of the first communication audibly in response to determining that only one or more persons who are identified within a second list are determined to be within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal, and

(vi) deactivating audible outputting of content of the first communication in response to determining that there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal and determining that conditions (i) through (v) are not met.

15. The communication terminal of claim 10, wherein:

an addressee of the first communication is a user associated with the communication terminal, and

the output of content of the first communication in accordance with at least one privacy setting identified by the privacy indicator in response to determining that the privacy indicator applies to the received first communication comprises;

determining whether there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within a pre-specified distance of the communication terminal prior to the output of the content of the first communication;

outputting content of the first communication in response to determining that no other person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal is determined to be within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal; and

one of;

permitting output of content of the first communication audibly at an audible level at or below a pre-selected level via a speaker of the communication terminal in response to determining that there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal and determining that the communication terminal is in a first position in which the speaker of the communication terminal is adjacent an ear of the user associated with the communication terminal;

permitting output of content of the first communication audibly via at least one ear bud or a headphone device in response to determining that there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal and determining that the headphone device or at least one ear bud is connected to the communication terminal, and

deactivating output of the content of the first communication audibly in response to determining that the communication terminal is not in the first position and is not connected to at least one ear bud and is not connected to a headphone device and that there is at least one person who is not the user associated with the communication terminal within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal.

16. The communication terminal of claim 15, wherein the output of content of the first communication in accordance with at least one privacy setting identified by the privacy indicator in response to determining that the privacy indicator applies to the received first communication also comprises:

determining that the communication terminal has moved from the first position to a second position, the second position positioning a camera sensor of the communication terminal to record a face of the user associated with the communication terminal and positioning the speaker farther away from the ear as compared to the first position; and

deactivating audible output of the content of the first communication in response to determining that the communication terminal moved from the first position to the second position.

17. The communication terminal of claim 16, wherein the speaker is to output audio on a speakerphone setting when the communication terminal is in the second position.

18. The communication terminal of claim 10, wherein the output of content of the first communication in accordance with at least one privacy setting identified by the privacy indicator in response to determining that the privacy indicator applies to the received first communication comprises:

determining whether there is a person who is identified within a list associated with the privacy indicator within a pre-specified distance of the communication terminal prior to the outputting of the content of the first communication;

permitting output of content of the first communication audibly in response to determining that no person who is identified within the list is determined to be within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal; and

deactivating audible output of content of the first communication in response to determining that at least one person who is identified within the list is determined to be within the pre-specified distance of the communication terminal.

19. A communication system comprising:

a communication terminal communicatively connectable to a communication device that hosts a communication service that supports transmission of at least one type of communication;

the communication terminal comprising a processor communicatively connected to non-transitory memory, the memory having an application stored thereon, the application defining a method that is performed by the communication terminal when the processor runs the application such that the communication terminal is configured to;

determine that a privacy indicator applies to a received first communication, and

output content of the first communication in accordance with at least one privacy setting identified by the privacy indicator in response to determining that the privacy indicator applies to the received first communication.

20. The communication system of claim 19, wherein the first communication is a message containing text;

and

a text to speech function of the communication terminal is suppressed or disabled for the received first communication to deactivate the text to speech function in response to the determination that the privacy indicator applies to the first communication.