Dynamic call handling from multiple attached devices wherein devices advertize its capabililes before facilitating call through appropriate device

• US 8,180,933 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2009
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Krantz, Anton, Koppolu, Lokesh Srinivas, Kasturi, Sunil, An, Yu, Potra, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): PEYTON, TAMMARA R
• Application Number:
  US12/357,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20100185787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 710 8- 10, 710 14- 19, 455/415, 455/417
• US Class Current: 710/16
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72513 On hold, intercom or transfer communication modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Multiple peripheral devices are used for various modes of communication in a unified communication application. Employing standard or custom protocols, connected peripheral devices can be configured automatically and different modes of communication such as audio, video, data, and text, are routed to available or selected peripheral devices. Incoming communication requests can be extended to multiple peripheral devices synchronously and users enabled to switch between peripheral devices seamlessly during a communication session.

Claims

1. A method to be executed at least in part in a computing device for handling communications through a plurality of peripheral devices, the method comprising:

determining available peripheral devices coupled to the computing device;

configuring the available peripheral devices by each peripheral device advertising its capabilities to the computing device and transmitting control commands to the peripheral devices through a standard communication protocol based on at least one of;

a predefined rule and a computing device parameter;

receiving a communication request from a calling party;

determining an appropriate peripheral device based on a type of the received communication request, power consumption parameter of the computing device, and available peripheral device capabilities;

notifying a user through the appropriate peripheral device; and

in response to receiving an indication of the user'"'"'s acceptance of the communication request, facilitating the communication through the appropriate peripheral device, wherein the appropriate peripheral device is configured to accommodate a type of facilitated communication comprising at least one from a set of;

voice communication, video communication, electronic mail exchange, instant messaging, data sharing, application sharing, and white-boarding; and

in response to detecting a change condition, facilitating the communication through another one of the available peripheral devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the change condition includes one of:

an indication of a peripheral device switch from the user and a change of communication type.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the indication of the peripheral device switch from the user is received through one of:

a desired peripheral device and a user interface of a communication application executed on the computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the appropriate peripheral devices include one of:

all available peripheral devices, user selected peripheral devices, and peripheral devices capable of accommodating the received communication request type.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device include one of:

a speaker, a microphone, a monitor, a custom communication device, and a camera.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the peripheral devices are coupled to the computing device through one of:

a wireless means and a wired means, and wherein a communication application executed on the computing device is configured to communicate with the peripheral devices through one of;

a standard communication protocol and a custom communication protocol.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the wireless means includes one of:

a short range Radio Frequency (RF) communication link and an optical communication link, and wherein the wired means includes one of;

a parallel communication connection and a serial communication connection.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the standard communication protocol includes Human Interface Device (HID) protocol for exchanging control commands and communication data.

9. A system for handling unified communications through peripheral devices, the system comprising:

a first computing device having a plurality of coupled peripheral devices, the computing device executing a communication application configured to;

determine available peripheral devices coupled to the first computing device;

configure the coupled peripheral devices through a standard communication protocol by each peripheral device advertising its capabilities to the first computing device and the first computing device transmitting control commands to the peripheral devices through a standard communication protocol based on at least one of;

a predefined rule and a computing device parameter;

receive a communication request from a calling party employing a second computing device;

determine at least one appropriate peripheral device based on a type of the received communication request, a power consumption parameter of the computing device, and coupled peripheral device capabilities;

notify a user of the first computing device through the at least one appropriate peripheral device; and

in response to receiving an indication of the user'"'"'s acceptance of the communication request through a selected peripheral device, facilitate the communication between the first and the second computing devices through the selected peripheral device, wherein the selected applicable peripheral device is configured to accommodate a type of facilitated communication comprising at least one from a set of;

voice communication, video communication, electronic mail exchange, instant messaging, data sharing, application sharing, and white-boarding;

in response to detecting a change of communication type, facilitate the communication through another one of the coupled peripheral devices; and

a server configured to facilitate exchange of communication between the first and second computing devices through a unified communications network.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the coupled peripheral devices are configured through the first computing device querying its local communication ports periodically.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the second computing device includes one of:

a computer and a custom communications device.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first and second computing devices facilitate communications over at least one from a set of:

a wireless short range network, a wireless long range network, a cellular network, a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a satellite assisted network, and a wired data network.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the user is notified through at least one of:

an audio alert and a visual alert through at least one from of;

a user interface of the communication application and the selected peripheral device.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the peripheral device for facilitating the communication is selected through a user interface of the communication application based on at least one from a set of:

a mode of the communication, a unified communications network parameter, a power consumption parameter of the first computing device, and a request by the calling party.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for dynamically facilitating communications through multiple peripheral devices, the actions comprising:

determining available peripheral devices coupled to a computing device;

configuring the available peripheral devices by each peripheral device advertising its capabilities to the first computing device and transmitting control commands to the peripheral devices through a standard communication protocol based on at least one of;

a predefined rule and a computing device parameter;

receiving a communication request from a calling party;

determining an applicable peripheral device based on a type of the received communication request and a power consumption parameter of the computing device;

notifying a user through the applicable peripheral device;

in response to receiving an indication of the user'"'"'s acceptance of the communication request, facilitating the communication through the applicable peripheral device, wherein the set of applicable peripheral device is configured to accommodate a type of facilitated communication comprising at least one from a set of;

voice communication, video communication, electronic mail exchange, instant messaging, data sharing, application sharing, and white-boarding; and

in response to detecting a change of communication type, facilitating the communication through another one of the available peripheral devices.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise:

enabling the user to switch to another set of applicable peripheral devices during the communication without interrupting the communication.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the set of applicable peripheral devices is configured to communicate with the computing device employing HID.