Caller-callee association of a plurality of networked devices

• US 9,544,439 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Guedalia, Isaac David, Guedalia, Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): JAIN, RAJ K
• Application Number:
  US15/046,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20160165057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 328 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/344 Out-of-band transfers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2596 Translation of addresses of the same type other than IP, e.g. translation from MAC to MAC addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4547 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0075 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for establishing and maintaining communication between two or more communication devices coupled to communication networks. Some specific aspects relate to communication between a plurality of communication devices each of which is coupled to a respective network. Other aspects relate to establishing such communication by way of contact lists maintained and facilitated on systems coupled to the networks. Users of multiple communication networks, such as VoIP, PSTN and wireless, employ multiple communication devices to communicate with their contacts. For example, a VoIP enabled computer is necessary to access contacts on a VoIP network and a mobile or cellular telephone is used to access contacts on wireless and PSTN networks. A contact list, stored on one communication device, in some instances, cannot be accessed from another communication device. For example, a contact list stored in a VoIP enabled computer cannot be accessed from PSTN or wireless phone devices. Various embodiments described herein provide a convenient solution that can integrate contacts stored on different communication devices and make them accessible from a single device.

Claims

1. A method of operating a server, comprising:

maintaining a contact list of a user that includes contact information for each contact in a set of contacts for the user, the contact information for each contact in the set of contacts including at least a contact identifier that uniquely identifies the contact and a network address at which the contact can be contacted;

receiving, from a first device operated by the user, a contacts update request;

transmitting, to the first device in response to the contacts update request, a portion of the contact information for the set of contacts in the contact list of the user, the portion of the contact information including a given contact identifier that uniquely identifies a given contact within the set of contacts;

receiving, from the first device in response to the transmission, a connection request that includes the given contact identifier;

mapping the given contact identifier to a corresponding network address for a second device associated with the given contact within the contact list; and

attempting to bridge communication between the first device and the second device using the mapped network address in response to the connection request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the contacts update request includes authentication information that identifies the user or the first device, further comprising:

authenticating the user or the first device based on the authentication information,

wherein the portion of the contact information is transmitted in response to the authentication of the user or the first device.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the portion includes all of the contact information for the set of contacts, or

wherein the portion includes less than all of the contact information for the set of contacts.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection request includes authentication information that identifies the user or the first device, further comprising:

authenticating the connection request based on the authentication information,

wherein the mapping and attempting are performed in response to the authentication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the contact information that is transmitted to the first device is configured to indicate that at least one contact is currently available for communication.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein the at least one contact includes the given contact, and

wherein the first device initiates the connection request based on the given contact being currently available for communication.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the indication that the at least one contact is currently available for communication references presence information for the at least one contact.

8. A server, comprising:

means for maintaining a contact list of a user that includes contact information for each contact in a set of contacts for the user, the contact information for each contact in the set of contacts including at least a contact identifier that uniquely identifies the contact and a network address at which the contact can be contacted;

means for receiving, from a first device operated by the user, a contacts update request;

means for transmitting, to the first device in response to the contacts update request, a portion of the contact information for the set of contacts in the contact list of the user, the portion of the contact information including a given contact identifier that uniquely identifies a given contact within the set of contacts;

means for receiving, from the first device in response to the transmission, a connection request that includes the given contact identifier;

means for mapping the given contact identifier to a corresponding network address for a second device associated with the given contact within the contact list; and

means for attempting to bridge communication between the first device and the second device using the mapped network address in response to the connection request.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the contacts update request includes authentication information that identifies the user or the first device, further comprising:

means for authenticating the user or the first device based on the authentication information,

wherein the portion of the contact information is transmitted in response to the authentication of the user or the first device.

10. The server of claim 8,

wherein the portion includes all of the contact information for the set of contacts, or

wherein the portion includes less than all of the contact information for the set of contacts.

11. The server of claim 8, wherein the connection request includes authentication information that identifies the user or the first device, further comprising:

means for authenticating the connection request based on the authentication information,

wherein the server maps the given contact identifier to the corresponding network address for the second device and attempts to bridge communication between the first device and the second device in response to the authentication.

12. The server of claim 8, wherein the portion of the contact information that is transmitted to the first device is configured to indicate that at least one contact is currently available for communication.

13. The server of claim 12,

wherein the at least one contact includes the given contact, and

wherein the first device initiates the connection request based on the given contact being currently available for communication.

14. The server of claim 12, wherein the indication that the at least one contact is currently available for communication references presence information for the at least one contact.

15. A server, comprising:

a processor coupled to a communication port and configured to;

maintain a contact list of a user that includes contact information for each contact in a set of contacts for the user, the contact information for each contact in the set of contacts including at least a contact identifier that uniquely identifies the contact and a network address at which the contact can be contacted;

receive, from a first device operated by the user, a contacts update request;

transmit, to the first device in response to the contacts update request, a portion of the contact information for the set of contacts in the contact list of the user, the portion of the contact information including a given contact identifier that uniquely identifies a given contact within the set of contacts;

receive, from the first device in response to the transmission, a connection request that includes the given contact identifier;

map the given contact identifier to a corresponding network address for a second device associated with the given contact within the contact list; and

attempt to bridge communication between the first device and the second device using the mapped network address in response to the connection request.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein the contacts update request includes authentication information that identifies the user or the first device, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

authenticate the user or the first device based on the authentication information,

wherein the portion of the contact information is transmitted in response to the authentication of the user or the first device.

17. The server of claim 15,

wherein the portion includes all of the contact information for the set of contacts, or

wherein the portion includes less than all of the contact information for the set of contacts.

18. The server of claim 15, wherein the connection request includes authentication information that identifies the user or the first device, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

authenticate the connection request based on the authentication information,

wherein the processor is configured to map the given contact identifier to the corresponding network address for the second device and to attempt to bridge the communication between the first device and the second device in response to the authentication.

19. The server of claim 15, wherein the portion of the contact information that is transmitted to the first device is configured to indicate that at least one contact is currently available for communication.

20. The server of claim 19,

wherein the at least one contact includes the given contact, and

wherein the first device initiates the connection request based on the given contact being currently available for communication.

21. The server of claim 19, wherein the indication that the at least one contact is currently available for communication references presence information for the at least one contact.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a server, cause the server to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

at least one instruction for causing the server to maintain a contact list of a user that includes contact information for each contact in a set of contacts for the user, the contact information for each contact in the set of contacts including at least a contact identifier that uniquely identifies the contact and a network address at which the contact can be contacted;

at least one instruction for causing the server to receive, from a first device operated by the user, a contacts update request;

at least one instruction for causing the server to transmit, to the first device in response to the contacts update request, a portion of the contact information for the set of contacts in the contact list of the user, the portion of the contact information including a given contact identifier that uniquely identifies a given contact within the set of contacts;

at least one instruction for causing the server to receive, from the first device in response to the transmission, a connection request that includes the given contact identifier;

at least one instruction for causing the server to map the given contact identifier to a corresponding network address for a second device associated with the given contact within the contact list; and

at least one instruction for causing the server to attempt to bridge communication between the first device and the second device using the mapped network address in response to the connection request.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the contacts update request includes authentication information that identifies the user or the first device, further comprising:

at least one instruction for causing the server to authenticate the user or the first device based on the authentication information,

wherein the portion of the contact information is transmitted in response to the authentication of the user or the first device.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22,

wherein the portion includes all of the contact information for the set of contacts, or

wherein the portion includes less than all of the contact information for the set of contacts.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the connection request includes authentication information that identifies the user or the first device, further comprising:

at least one instruction for causing the server to authenticate the connection request based on the authentication information,

wherein the at least one instruction for causing the server to map and at least one instruction for causing the server to attempt are executed in response to the authentication.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the portion of the contact information that is transmitted to the first device is configured to indicate that at least one contact is currently available for communication.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26,

wherein the at least one contact includes the given contact, and

wherein the first device initiates the connection request based on the given contact being currently available for communication.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the indication that the at least one contact is currently available for communication references presence information for the at least one contact.