HK1195375B - Multi-data type communications system - Google Patents

Description

Multi-data type communication system

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/486,531, filed May 16, 2011, entitled "COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM," the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a communication system, and more particularly, to a multi-data type communication system.

Background Art

A variety of communication systems and mechanisms are often used in both business-related and personal interactions. The available communication systems often influence how people interact with one another. Communication and expression may often have to be forced through ineffective communication media. Sometimes, the limitations imposed by the communication modality (e.g., audio only, text only, two-way only, synchronous only, or asynchronous only) can restrict and limit the expression of ideas. Consequently, individuals may have incomplete or insufficient expression, communication, or interaction capabilities.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first embodiment, a method may include receiving an authentication request from a user, generating an authentication communication via a third-party application associated with the user, and transmitting the authentication communication to an authentication system.

One or more of the following features may be included: The authentication request may include an authentication request associated with a third-party application. The third-party application may include one or more of an email communication application, an SMS communication application, an instant messaging application, and a social networking application.

Generating the authentication communication may include transmitting an authentication request to a third-party application. Generating the authentication communication may include pre-populating the communication content including a user identification. Generating the authentication communication may include pre-populating the communication content including an authentication code. Generating the authentication communication may include pre-populating a communication recipient. Generating the authentication communication may include receiving user credentials associated with the communication application. The method may further include authenticating the user.

According to another embodiment, a computer program product includes a computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon. When executed by a processor, the instructions may cause the processor to perform operations including receiving an authentication request from a user. The instructions may also include instructions for generating an authentication communication via a third-party application associated with the user. The instructions may further include instructions for transmitting the authentication communication to an authentication system.

According to another embodiment, a method may include receiving a request to initiate communication with a third party. A plurality of notification options may be provided. A selection of one of the plurality of notification options may be received. A notification may be transmitted to the third party based at least in part on the selected one of the plurality of notification options.

The method may include one or more of the following features. The method may also include receiving contextual information associated with a third party. Providing multiple notification options may further include providing contextual information associated with the third party. The contextual information may include one or more of location information and trajectory information. The contextual information may include activity information associated with a communication device associated with the third party.

The plurality of notification options may include one or more predefined dialog options. The one or more predefined dialog options may include a suggested communication modality. The one or more predefined dialog options may include a status request.

The method may further include receiving a reply to the notification from the third party.The method may further include initiating communication with the third party based at least in part on the reply to the notification.

According to another embodiment, a computer program product includes a computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon. When executed by a processor, the instructions may cause the processor to perform operations including receiving a request to initiate communication with a third party. A plurality of notification options may be provided. A selection of one of the plurality of notification options may be received. A notification may be transmitted to the third party based at least in part on the selected one of the plurality of notification options.

According to another embodiment, a method may include receiving a request to initiate a call via a channel. A set of call participants associated with the channel may be identified. A communication sequence associated with the call may be transmitted. The communication sequence may include at least a real-time media data type and an announcement data type. The communication sequence may be transmitted to the call.

One or more of the following features may be included: Identifying a set of call participants associated with the channel may include accessing a predefined set of channel participants associated with the channel; Identifying a set of call participants associated with the channel may include defining the set of channel participants based at least in part on implicit associations of individuals.

Receiving the communication sequence may include receiving the communication sequence as a real-time packetized data transmission. The real-time media data type may include real-time audio data. The real-time audio data may include voice over IP data. The real-time audio data may include bursty audio transmission. The posted media data type may include one or more of video, image, text, web data, and location data.

Transmitting the communication sequence to the call may include transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants. Transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants may include synchronously transmitting the communication sequence to at least a portion of the set of call participants. Transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants may include asynchronously transmitting the communication sequence to at least a portion of the set of call participants.

The method may further include recording a communication sequence associated with the call. Recording the communication sequence associated with the call may include defining an association between each communication in the communication sequence and the call. Recording the communication sequence associated with the call may include defining an association between the call and a channel. Recording the communication sequence associated with the call may include defining an association between each member of the set of call participants and a channel. Recording the communication sequence associated with the call may include defining access controls associated with the call.

According to another embodiment, a computer program product includes a computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon. When executed by a processor, the instructions may cause the processor to perform operations including receiving a request to initiate a call via a channel. The instructions may also cause the processor to identify a set of call participants associated with the channel. The instructions may also cause the processor to receive a communication sequence associated with the call. The communication sequence may include at least a real-time media data type and an announcement data type. The instructions may also cause the processor to transmit the communication sequence to the call.

One or more of the following features may be included: Identifying a set of call participants associated with the channel may include accessing a predefined set of channel participants associated with the channel; Identifying a set of call participants associated with the channel may include defining the set of channel participants based at least in part on implicit associations of individuals.

Receiving the communication sequence may include receiving the communication sequence as a real-time packetized data transmission. The real-time media data type may include real-time audio data. The real-time audio data may include voice over IP data. The real-time audio data may include bursty audio transmission. The posted media data type may include one or more of video, image, text, web data, and location data.

Transmitting the communication sequence to the call may include transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants. Transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants may include synchronously transmitting the communication sequence to at least a portion of the set of call participants. Transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants may include asynchronously transmitting the communication sequence to at least a portion of the set of call participants.

Instructions for recording a communication sequence associated with a call may also be included. Recording the communication sequence associated with the call may include defining an association between each communication in the communication sequence and the call. Recording the communication sequence associated with the call may include defining an association between the call and a channel. Recording the communication sequence associated with the call may include defining an association between each member of the set of call participants and a channel. Recording the communication sequence associated with the call may include defining access controls associated with the call.

According to another embodiment, a computing system includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor and the memory may be configured to perform operations including receiving a request to initiate a call via a channel. The processor and the memory may be configured to identify a set of call participants associated with the channel. The processor and the memory may also be configured to receive a communication sequence associated with the call. The communication sequence may include at least a real-time media data type and an announcement data type. The processor and the memory may further be configured to transmit the communication sequence to the call.

One or more of the following features may be included: Identifying a set of call participants associated with the channel may include accessing a predefined set of channel participants associated with the channel; Identifying a set of call participants associated with the channel may include defining the set of channel participants based at least in part on implicit associations of individuals.

Receiving the communication sequence may include receiving the communication sequence as a real-time packetized data transmission. The real-time media data type may include real-time audio data. The real-time audio data may include voice over IP data. The real-time audio data may include bursty audio transmission. The posted media data type may include one or more of video, image, text, web data, and location data.

Transmitting the communication sequence to the call may include transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants. Transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants may include synchronously transmitting the communication sequence to at least a portion of the set of call participants. Transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants may include asynchronously transmitting the communication sequence to at least a portion of the set of call participants.

The processor and the memory may be further configured to record the communication sequence associated with the call. Recording the communication sequence associated with the call may include defining an association between each communication of the communication sequence and the call. Recording the communication sequence associated with the call may include defining an association between the call and a channel. Recording the communication sequence associated with the call may include defining an association between each member of a set of call participants and a channel. Recording the communication sequence associated with the call may include defining access controls associated with the call.

The details of one or more embodiments will be set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 diagrammatically depicts a communication process coupled to a distributed computing network;

FIG2 is a flow chart of a process that may be performed by the communication program of FIG1;

FIG3 graphically depicts a user interface that may be generated, at least in part, by the communication program of FIG1 ;

FIG4 graphically depicts a user interface that may be generated, at least in part, by the communication program of FIG1 ;

FIG5 is a flow chart of a process that may be performed by the communication program of FIG1;

FIG6 graphically depicts a user interface that may be generated, at least in part, by the communication program of FIG1 ;

FIG7 graphically depicts a user interface that may be generated, at least in part, by the communication program of FIG1 ;

FIG8 graphically depicts a user interface that may be generated, at least in part, by the communication program of FIG1 ;

FIG9 graphically depicts a user interface that may be generated, at least in part, by the communication program of FIG1 ;

FIG10 is a flow chart of a process that may be executed by the communication program of FIG1;

FIG. 11 graphically depicts a user interface that may be generated, at least in part, by the communication program of FIG. 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Thus, the present invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects, all of which may be collectively referred to herein as a "circuit," "module," or "system." Furthermore, the present invention can take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable storage medium, the computer program product having computer-usable program code embodied in the medium.

Any suitable computer-usable or computer-readable medium (also referred to herein as a computer-readable medium and/or storage device associated with a computing device or client electronic device) may be utilized. Computer-usable or computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or apparatuses. More specific examples (not an exhaustive list) of computer-readable media would include: an electrical connection having one or more conductors, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), and an optical storage device. In the context of this document, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium can be any non-transitory medium that can contain, store, communicate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

The computer program code for implementing the operation of the present invention can be written in an object-oriented programming language (e.g., Java, Smalltalk, C++, etc.). However, the computer program code for implementing the operation of the present invention can also be written in a traditional procedural programming language (e.g., the "C" programming language or similar programming languages) and/or a scripting language (e.g., the JavaScript programming language or the Groovy programming language). In addition, when writing a computer program, various application programming interfaces (APIs) and/or application development frameworks (e.g., the Dojo development framework or the Grail development framework) can be used. The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as an independent software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter case, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer via a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

The present invention will be described below with reference to flowcharts and/or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that each block of such flowcharts and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in such flowcharts and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. Such computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a processor of a special-purpose computer, or a processor of other programmable data processing equipment to form a machine, so that such instructions (executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment) form a device that is used to perform the functions/actions specifically specified by one or more blocks of the flowcharts and/or block diagrams.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory, which may direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory form an article of manufacture, which includes instructions for executing the functions/actions specifically specified in one or more boxes of the flowchart and/or block diagram.

These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device to trigger a series of operating steps executed on the computer or other programmable device to form a program executed by the computer, and the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for executing the functions/actions specifically specified by one or more boxes in the flowchart and/or block diagram.

1 , communication programs 10 a through 10 d (collectively and/or generically referred to as communication program 10 ) are shown. Communication programs 10 a through 10 d may reside on and be executed by one or more client electronic devices (e.g., client electronic devices 12 , 14 , 16 , etc.) and/or a server computer 18 . The one or more client electronic devices 12 , 14 , 16 , and/or server computer 18 may be connected to a network 20 (e.g., the Internet, a local area network, a private network, or other network). Examples of client electronic devices may include mobile computing devices (e.g., smartphones 12 , 14 , tablet computing devices, data-enabled cellular phones, web-connected personal digital assistants, etc.), personal computing devices (e.g., laptop computers 16 , desktop computers, gaming consoles, etc.), web-connected television devices and/or set-top boxes, web-connected camera devices, web-connected embedded computing devices, and various other/alternative web-connectable computing devices. Examples of server computer 18 may include, but are not limited to, a personal computer, a server computer, a series of server computers, a minicomputer, and a mainframe computer, cloud computing services that may include virtualized instances of server computers, and the like.

As will be described in greater detail below, the communication program 10 can generally provide an integrated communication system that allows for simultaneous interaction between small and/or large groups of users via a variety of data and/or media types. Various types of information, concepts, and topics can be optimally transmitted and shared in different modalities. Thus, the communication program 10 can allow for rich interaction between users via the simultaneous exchange, sharing, and/or use of audio messages and conversations, video content, text-based information, images, and the like. The communication program 10 can allow for the exchange and use of a variety of different data and media types between users by providing an integrated user experience.

The instruction sets and subroutines of the concept development program 10 may be executed by one or more processors (not shown) and one or more memory modules (not shown) included in the client electronic devices 12, 14, 16 and/or the server computer 18. The instruction sets and subroutines may include one or more software modules and may be stored on a storage device (e.g., one or more of the storage devices 22, 24, 26, 28) coupled to one or more of the client electronic devices 12, 14, 16 and/or the server computer 18. The storage devices 22, 24, 26, 28 may include, but are not limited to, hard disk drives; solid-state drives; tape drives; optical drives; RAID arrays; random access memory (RAM); read-only memory (ROM), flash memory devices, and the like.

Each client electronic device 12, 14, 16 may run an appropriate operating system, such as Mac OS, iOS, Android OS, Windows, or other suitable operating systems. (Mac OS is a trademark of Apple Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both; iOS is a trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc.; Android is a trademark of Google Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both; Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.) Furthermore, the client electronic devices 12, 14, 16 may enable various data capture and presentation capabilities, such as audio capture, audio streaming, and audio playback; video capture, video streaming, and video playback; text input and text display; and image capture and image display. Various client electronic devices may further provide additional/alternative functionality, including but not limited to sensor functionality, including but not limited to positioning (e.g., via GPS data collection, etc.).

Furthermore, although not shown, client electronic devices 12, 14, and 16 may execute various applications, including, but not limited to, web browser applications (e.g., Internet Safari is a trademark of Apple Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both; Chrome is a trademark of Google Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both; Internet Explorer is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both), text messaging applications, instant messaging applications, audio, video, and/or image capture and editing applications, and social networking applications (e.g., Facebook applications, LinkedIn applications, etc.). One or more of client electronic devices 12, 14, and 16 may similarly execute various other/alternative applications. Communication programs 10a, 10b, and 10c may be standalone applications and/or may be modules and/or components of one or more other applications executed by client electronic devices 12, 14, and 16. Additionally or alternatively, communication programs 10a, 10b, and 10c may interact with one or more applications executed by client electronic devices 12, 14, and 16.

In some embodiments, the server computer 18 may be a server (or a series of servers) connected to the Internet, which runs a network operating system, examples of which may include, but are not limited to, for example, Server; or Red (Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both; Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of Novell Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both; Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red Hat Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both; and Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States, other countries, or both.) In some embodiments, the server computer 18 may execute a network server application, examples of which may include, but are not limited to, Microsoft IIS, Novell Webserver ^™ , or HTTP Server, an application server that allows HTTP access (i.e., Hypertext Transfer Protocol access) to the server computer 18 via the network 20 (Webserver is a trademark of Novell Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both; and Apache and Tomcat are registered trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation in the United States, other countries, or both). In some embodiments, the server computer may be implemented as a cloud service (such as Amazon Web Services and/or Microsoft Windows Azure). Network 20 may be connected to one or more secondary networks (e.g., network 30), examples of which may include, but are not limited to, a local area network; a wide area network; or an intranet.

In some embodiments, in addition to the communication program 10d, the server computer 18 may also execute various applications. For example, the server computer 18 may execute a data storage system, including, but not limited to, a database system. The server computer 18 may also execute, for example, a voice-over-IP system and/or a unified telephone system (e.g., such as provided by the Asterisk open source platform sponsored by Digium, the FreeSWITCH open source telephone platform, or other suitable communication applications and/or platforms). The server computer 18 may execute various other and/or alternative applications.

According to various embodiments, the communication program 10 may comprise a client-side program executed by one or more of the client electronic devices 12, 14, 16. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the communication program 10 may comprise a server-side program executed by a server computer 18. For example, as a server-side program, one or more users (e.g., users 32, 34, 36) may access the server-side program (e.g., the communication program 10d) via a web browser or other suitable application (e.g., which may include an application that provides functionality other than accessing the server-side communication program 10d). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the communication program 10 may comprise a hybrid server-client program that incorporates some of the functionality of the communication program 10 executed by one or more of the client electronic devices 12, 14, 16 and some of the functionality of the communication program 10 executed by the server computer 18. In various hybrid embodiments, one or more of the client-side communication programs 10a, 10b, 10c may include independent communication applications and/or may include modules or features of other applications, and/or may be integrated and/or interact with one or more other applications in other ways (e.g., may provide additional functionality in addition to the functionality provided by one or more of the communication applications 10a, 10b and/or 10c).

Users 32, 34, and 36 can access the communication program 10 via client electronic devices (e.g., smartphone 12 running communication program 10a, smartphone 14 running communication program 10b, and laptop computer 16 running communication program 10c) running communication program 10. By using the communication program 10, one or more of the users 32, 34, and 36 can interact with each other simultaneously using multiple data types, thereby allowing for a rich and dynamic exchange of ideas and information between the users.

Various client electronic devices may be coupled to network 20 (or network 30) directly or indirectly. For example, smartphone 12 is shown wirelessly coupled to network 20 via a wireless communication channel 38 established between smartphone 12 and a wireless access point (i.e., WAP) 40, which is shown directly coupled to network 14. WAP 40 may be, for example, an IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, Wi-Fi, and/or Bluetooth device capable of establishing wireless communication channel 38 between smartphone 12 and WAP 40. Smartphone 14 is shown wirelessly coupled to network 14 via a wireless communication channel 42 established between smartphone 14 and a cellular network/bridge 44, which is shown directly coupled to network 14. Laptop computer 16 is shown coupled to network 30 via a hardwired connection (e.g., it may be further coupled to network 20 and/or to server computer 18 via connection 46).

As is known in the art, all IEEE 802.11x specifications can use the Ethernet protocol and carrier sensing multiple access with collision avoidance (i.e., CSMA/CA) to achieve path sharing. For example, various 802.11x specifications may use phase-shift keying (i.e., PSK) modulation or complementary code keying (i.e., CCK) modulation. As is known in the art, Bluetooth is a telecommunications industry standard that allows, for example, mobile phones, computers, and personal digital assistants to interconnect using short-range wireless connections.

One or more exemplary embodiments may be described that illustrate specific features and/or aspects of the present invention. For ease of description, reference may be made to a communication program 10a executed by a smartphone 12 and/or in connection with a user 32. However, it should be understood that such reference is intended for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Other examples of communication programs, client electronic devices, and/or users may equally be utilized.

2 , according to one aspect, the communication program 10 may facilitate a user to register or enroll with an application or system that may utilize authentication and/or verification of a user's identification. In certain embodiments, the communication program 10 may allow a user to register or enroll with an application that utilizes an existing third-party application associated with the user to achieve the purpose of authenticating and/or verifying the user's identification without requiring the user to navigate away from a registration user interface. For example, generally speaking, the communication program 10 may receive an authentication request (100) from a user. The communication program 10 may generate an authentication communication via the third-party application associated with the user. The communication program 10 may further transmit the authentication communication to an authentication system (104).

For example, also referring to FIG. 3 , user 32 may wish to register or sign up with a third-party communication system (e.g., which, in some embodiments, may be provided at least in part by and/or in conjunction with communication program 10). Communication program 10 (alone and/or in conjunction with one or more other applications) may provide a registration user interface 150. Registration user interface 150 may, for example, allow user 32 to register and/or sign up via the third-party system provided by communication program 10. It should be understood that the registration and authentication functionality provided by communication program 10 may be implemented in conjunction with applications and/or systems that a user may already use to verify their identity (e.g., which may in turn provide an easy-to-use authentication process).

As described above, the communication program 10 may receive an authentication request from a user (100). The authentication request may include an authentication request associated with a third-party application that is associated with the user (i.e., the user may identify how the user wishes to be identified for authentication). For example, user 32 may wish to register as a new user of the communication system. As shown, the registration user interface 150 may allow user 32 to select an authentication mode that will be used for the purpose of registering for the application and for the purpose of authenticating the user and/or verifying the identity of the user. For example, user 32 may utilize an existing phone number, email address, social network identity, etc., for the purpose of authenticating their identity to the communication system.

As shown, in an exemplary embodiment, the user interface 150 may include selection options (e.g., buttons 152, 154, 156) that may allow the user 32 to select a third-party application that the user 32 wishes to use to authenticate their identity with the system. As shown, the buttons 152, 154, 156 may identify various third-party applications (i.e., email, short message service, and social network) that may be used to authenticate the user 32. Although the user interface 150 is shown as including three options (i.e., "email," "SMS," and "social network"), these options are intended for illustrative purposes and not for limiting purposes, as other options may be equally utilized (e.g., having associated third-party applications), including but not limited to other authentication systems, messaging systems (e.g., instant messaging systems), and the like. In one embodiment, in response to the user 32 selecting a button (e.g., via touch input, which may be received by the communication program 10 via a touch screen associated with the smartphone 12), the communication program 10 may receive the user's authentication request (100). The user's authentication request may include an authentication request associated with a third-party application (eg, “email” in the illustrated example) that is associated with the user 32 .

Upon receiving an authentication request from a user (e.g., based at least in part on a selection of a third-party application associated with the user) (100), the communication program 10 may generate an authentication communication (102) via the selected third-party application associated with the user. In one embodiment, the communication program 10 may interact (directly and/or indirectly) with the selected third-party application associated with the user to achieve the purpose of generating the authentication communication (102).

4 , the communication program 10 can generate 102 an authentication communication by a third-party application associated with the user (e.g., the email application in the above example) using the embedded send form 158 for the communication application. The communication program 10 can generate 102 an authentication communication by issuing a request to launch the communication application associated with the user and using, for example, the embedded send form as a pop-up window of the user interface registration user interface 150.

As shown in FIG4 , in some embodiments, generating an authenticated communication (102) may include pre-populating the communication content (110), including a destination address and an authentication code. For example, the communication program 10 may pre-populate 110 one or more fields of the communication within a send form 158. In the illustrated example, the communication program 10 may pre-populate a "to" field 160 and a "subject" field 162 of the send form 158. In various embodiments, the "to" field 160 may be pre-addressed, for example, using an email address or SMS phone number associated with an address associated with an authentication system associated with the communication program 10. For example, by using the pre-addressed "to" field, a third-party communication service associated with a third-party communication application may transmit (e.g., and ultimately deliver) a message to the communication program 10.

In various embodiments, the "from" field 164 may be populated based on one or more account settings of a communication application associated with the user (i.e., an email application in an example embodiment). In some embodiments, the selected third-party application associated with the user may include more than one user account. For example, the email application associated with the smartphone 12 may include more than one email account accessible via the email application. According to an example embodiment, the "from" field 164 may be pre-populated based on a default account (e.g., by an operating system or email application, etc.), for example, the default account may be defined in one or more preferences associated with the smartphone 12 and/or the email application executed by the smartphone 12. In such an embodiment, the communication application may generate an authenticated communication (102) via the selected third-party application based on the identified default account (e.g., the "from" field 164 may be pre-populated (110) based on default account information, such as from the device operating system, etc.). In some embodiments, the communication application 10 may allow the user 32 to select a desired account for use in generating the authenticated communication (102). Although not shown, in some embodiments, the user 32 may, for example, select the pre-populated "from" field 164, which may cause the communication program 10 (alone and/or in conjunction with an email application or other third-party application) to present various user interfaces (e.g., pop-up menus, etc.) that allow the user 32 to select the desired account for authentication.

In addition, the communication program 10 may pre-populate (110) the communication body 166 included in the sending form 158. In some embodiments, pre-populating (110) the body 166 may include generating an authentication code, for example, which may be used by the authentication system to authenticate the user 32. In some embodiments, pre-populating the "Subject" field 162 may include generating such an authentication code. According to the above example, the communication program 10 may generate 102 an authentication communication based on the user 32 selecting the communication application to be used for authentication, and the authentication communication may include the necessary information for authenticating the user 32 with the communication system (or other system with which the user 32 may be registered). In addition, the user 32 may not have to navigate away from the user interface 150 provided by the communication program 10. Therefore, in some embodiments, the registration and/or authentication process for registering with the application and/or system may be simplified and made more "user-friendly."

The communication program 10 may further transmit the authentication communication to the authentication system (104). For example, in conjunction with the authentication communication generated (102) (e.g., which may be included in the sending form 158), the communication program 10 may allow the user (e.g., user 32 in the above embodiment) to confirm their intention to register, for example, by selecting a "register now" button 168. In response to the user 32 selecting the "register now" button 168, the communication program 10 may instruct the mutually trusted third-party communication system to transmit and attempt to deliver the authentication communication. Pre-addressing the "to" field 160 (i.e., pre-populating the "to" field 160) may cause the message to be ultimately delivered to the communication program 10d, for example, via a server 18 connected to the network. When the message is received, the authentication code 168 may be used to verify the received authentication message and associate the authentication message. Therefore, in response to the receipt of the message and the association of the received authentication code included in the message, the communication program 10 (e.g., the communication program 10d executed by the server computer 18) may authenticate the user (114). As is known in the art, the authentication system (e.g., which may include the communication program 10d, and/or another authentication system and/or program) may then utilize a variety of standard techniques that can verify that the incoming communication (e.g., generated at least in part by the communication program 10 (102)) is authentic and not a forged communication and/or address.

In some embodiments, generating an authentication communication (102) may include receiving user credentials (112) associated with a third-party application. For example, although not shown, in some embodiments, a user may wish to use a third-party authentication application for registration and/or authentication purposes. For example, a user may wish to use an authentication system associated with a third-party social networking system for registration and/or authentication purposes. In such an embodiment, the communication program 10 may prompt the user to register and/or authenticate with one of a set of third-party authentication systems that the user wishes to use, and the registration and/or authentication may then require the user to enter login credentials (e.g., a user name and password) associated with the social networking system. The communication program 10 may access the social networking system (e.g., by transmitting an authentication request to the social networking system (108)), the social networking system will automatically receive the user credentials (e.g., the user credentials may be entered via an appropriate user interface), and may provide authentication (116) based on successful authentication using the third-party system.

According to certain embodiments, the communication systems and methods of the present invention can provide a platform that enables rich and diverse interactions between multi-party and polysynchronous communication systems. These multi-party and polysynchronous communication systems can be seamlessly integrated and facilitate both real-time and asynchronous modalities. This interaction can involve not only voice or images, but also the integration of many data types and modalities, providing a user experience that can leverage the full range of capabilities and functions of modern computing devices (e.g., smartphones) and involve both sharing and observation. Different data types and modalities can be utilized in different contexts to provide a highly meaningful interactive experience.

In one aspect of the present invention, a communication system may provide signaling functionality and features that may reduce transaction costs associated with communicating with one another. "Messaging," as used herein, may generally encompass interactions that may occur as a precursor to the actual content of a communication. In certain embodiments, messaging may include interactions and activities through which communications may be initiated and/or established between individuals. According to an embodiment, a communication program 10 may receive a request (500) from a user (i.e., a caller) to initiate a communication with a third party (i.e., one or more callees). The communication program 10 may provide a plurality of notification options (502). The communication program 10 may receive a selection from one of the plurality of notification options (504). The communication program 10 may further transmit a notification to the third party (506) based at least in part on the selected one of the plurality of notification options.

For example, in one embodiment, the communication program 10 may receive a request to initiate a communication (500). In some embodiments, the request issued by the caller to initiate a communication with one or more recipients may include: at least one criterion (level), the identity of one or more individuals with whom the caller may wish to communicate, and an indication that the caller may wish to initiate a communication. For example, referring to FIG6 , in accordance with some embodiments, the communication program (e.g., the associated communication program 10a executed by the smartphone 12 associated with the user 32) may provide a contact list user interface 600 alone and/or in combination with one or more other applications. The contact list user interface 600 may include a list of one or more individuals who may use (e.g., may be registered with) the collaborative communication system. In such an embodiment, in response to the caller (e.g., user 32) selecting an individual (e.g., user 34, who thereby becomes the recipient) from the contact list user interface 600, the communication program 10 may receive a request to initiate a communication (500). In various embodiments, the user 32 may simply select (e.g., via a touch screen interface or other suitable selection device) the individual with whom the user 32 (as the caller) wishes to initiate a communication.

According to various other/alternative embodiments, the communication program 10 may interact with one or more other applications and/or use one or more other/alternative interfaces, and the communication program 10 may receive a request to initiate communication (500) via the one or more other/alternative interfaces. For example, in one embodiment, the communication program 10 may interact with a calendar application executed by a computing device executing the communication program 10 (e.g., a calendar application executed by a smartphone 12 that can execute the communication application 10a). In one embodiment, a caller (e.g., user 32) may select an individual who may be listed as an invitee for a meeting included in the calendar application. In response to appropriate user input (e.g., a touch and tap input, a long touch input, or other appropriate user input), the communication program 10 may present a menu option, alone and/or in conjunction with the calendar application, to initiate communication with the selected individual. When the user 32 selects the menu option to initiate communication with the selected individual, the communication program 10 may receive a request to initiate communication with the selected individual (500). The communication program 10 may similarly receive 500 a request to initiate communication with a selected individual in response to user interaction with various other and/or alternative applications, such as a social networking application, an email application, a mapping application (e.g., which may include indications of the locations of various individuals), or other suitable applications.

In some embodiments, in response to receiving a request to initiate communication with an individual (500), the communication program 10 may receive contextual information (508) associated with the individual with whom the user has indicated an intent to communicate. In some embodiments, the communication program 10 may receive the contextual information (508) in response to, for example, the contact list user interface 600 being invoked (or another interface from which a callee may be selected). In other words, in one embodiment, the communication program 10 may receive contextual information associated with one or more callees (and/or potential callees) based on the interface from which a callee may be selected. According to various embodiments, the contextual information may provide status awareness information and/or prompts about the callee (i.e., the individual with whom the desire to communicate has been received (500)) to varying degrees. For example, the contextual information may include information that provides indicators and/or prompts regarding the individual's availability status and possible ability and/or willingness to participate in communications, and/or the format of communications in which the individual may be able to participate. Such contextual cues may be explicitly set by the callee (e.g., in a communication application executed by a client device associated with the callee) and/or may be automatically derived by the communication application from the client device's operating system, hardware sensors of the client device, and/or applications, services, etc. associated with the callee's associated client device. Contextual cues may include the general or specific, current or recent location, direction, and speed of the callee or their communication device.

For example, contextual information may include: location information of one or more individuals (i.e., the recipient) and trajectory information associated with the individual, such as provided by a GPS receiver, compass, and accelerometer associated with the individual's associated device (e.g., smartphone 14 associated with user 34); proximity to a cellular transceiver or WiFi access point; and the like. Location information may include absolute and/or relative location information (e.g., the individual is at their home, the individual is near you, etc.). Similarly, trajectory information may indicate, for example, the individual's movement and information such as the specific or general speed and direction of the movement. Location and/or trajectory contextual information may indicate, for example, that the individual is currently traveling at a driving speed in a generally northeasterly direction. The context that the individual is currently traveling at a driving speed may be used, for example, based on the type of data available for communication with the individual. For example, text-based communication may not be the preferred communication format for an individual who may be driving.

In some embodiments, the contextual information may include sensor information associated with the third-party callee's associated client device (e.g., smartphone 14 associated with user 34). For example, the sensor information may indicate that the device has been in darkness, plugged in, and stationary for the past seven hours (e.g., based on an accelerometer or other sensor associated with the device). Combined with other information (e.g., clock time information), the activity information may provide contextual information indicating that the individual may not be using the communication device, may be asleep, etc.

In some embodiments, contextual information may be received 508 based on information associated with other applications associated with the individual. For example, a phone application associated with the individual (e.g., a phone function associated with smartphone 14 used by user 34) may provide contextual information such as that the individual is currently busy on a PSTN call using the device's microphone and speaker. A meeting scheduled in a calendar application associated with the individual may provide contextual information such as that the individual is currently busy in a meeting (e.g., may also provide contextual information about the meeting, such as whether it is a telephone conference and/or a web conference). Various other and/or alternative applications associated with the individual may also provide contextual information associated with the individual.

In various embodiments, contextual information can be processed and/or understood in an integrated manner. For example, rather than existing as individual, separate pieces of information, various pieces of contextual information can be interpreted together to provide a richer context related to the individual. For example, contextual information indicating that an individual is traveling at a driving speed, contextual information indicating that the individual is busy on a conference call, and contextual information indicating that the individual is currently scheduled in a meeting can be interpreted as indicating that the individual is traveling in a vehicle while busy on a conference call. This contextual information can allow a user who wishes to initiate communication with the individual to assess whether the individual should be interrupted by the communication (e.g., the user can assess the urgency of the communication) and/or how the individual should be interrupted by the communication.

According to various embodiments, the context information (508) may be received in a format and/or manner that may be sensitive to the privacy of the individual with whom the context information is associated. For example, the context information (508) may be received at a level of granularity or characteristics that may be sensitive to privacy. For example, location and/or trajectory information may indicate that an individual is traveling at a driving speed, rather than identifying the individual's precise speed and location. Various other types of context information (508) may be received in a privacy-sensitive format.

According to various embodiments, the privacy sensitivity of contextual information may vary, for example, based on system-wide settings and/or individual user level settings. For example, a user may establish variable levels of privacy sensitivity associated with various other users. For example, an individual may desire a high degree of privacy in their contextual information that may be received by casual acquaintances. However, the same individual may desire a lower degree of privacy in their contextual information that may be received by close friends and family. Therefore, in some embodiments, an individual may set a privacy setting that is associated with the contextual information and associated with the users that may receive the contextual information. In some embodiments, a default high privacy sensitivity level may be associated with the contextual information. An individual may change the default privacy sensitivity for individuals and/or groups of users. Various other and/or alternative mechanisms for managing the privacy sensitivity associated with contextual information may be similarly implemented.

In one embodiment, the communication program 10 may receive context information (508) directly from a device associated with an individual (e.g., smartphone 14 associated with user 34, etc.). In some embodiments, the communication program 10 may receive context information about the individual (508) in response to a context information request transmitted by the communication program 10 to the device associated with the individual. In some embodiments, the device associated with the individual may intermittently transmit context information to a server (e.g., server 18) that may maintain the context information. For example, the device associated with the individual may intermittently (e.g., at predefined time intervals) transmit context information to server computer 18. In some embodiments, the device associated with the individual may transmit context information to server computer 18, for example, in response to a change in context associated with the individual (e.g., a change in motion status, an indication of a current meeting in a calendar application associated with the individual, etc.). According to such an embodiment, the communication program 10 may receive context information (508) from server 18. In certain embodiments, such as where it may be desirable to conserve energy, the device may not transmit context information to communication program 10 until communication program 10 indicates (e.g., in real time and/or near real time) that such information is actually needed. For example, in response to communication program 10 receiving a request to initiate communication with a particular recipient (500), communication program 10 may receive context for the recipient (508). Various other/alternative embodiments may be similarly implemented.

The communication program 10 may provide multiple caller notification options (502). In some embodiments, the multiple notification options may, for example, allow the caller to select whether to silently or quietly alert the caller (e.g., by selecting a "Remind" button 602 from the contact list user interface 600), or, as another option, allow the caller to select whether to have the caller's phone ring loudly or play a specific ringtone (e.g., by selecting a "Ring" button 604 from the contact list user interface 600). In some embodiments, providing multiple communication options (502) may include providing contextual information (510) associated with the caller (e.g., a third party or individual with whom the user wishes to communicate). The communication program 10 may provide the contextual information (510) associated with the individual in various suitable ways. For example, in some embodiments, the communication program 10 may provide contextual information (510) associated with one or more callees and/or potential callees (collectively referred to herein as "callees") in the form of one or more icons (e.g., driving icon 606 and/or walking icon 608) associated with each callee in the contact list user interface 600. In other examples, the communication program 10 may simply display the contextual information on a display associated with the smartphone 12 (e.g., "User 34 is traveling at driving speed") and/or announce the information, for example, via a text-to-speech engine. In addition, various types of contextual information (510) may be provided in other ways. For example, location contextual information (510) may be provided via a map display interface. For example, in an example embodiment in which user 34 (e.g., the individual with whom user 32 wishes to initiate communication) is traveling at driving speed, the communication program 10 (alone and/or in conjunction with another application, such as a map application) may present a map that displays the current and/or most recent location of user 34 and may further indicate that user 34 is driving. Various other and/or alternative mechanisms may similarly be utilized to provide contextual information 510. As described above, in some embodiments, communication program 10 may provide contextual information prior to providing the plurality of notification options.

According to an embodiment, the plurality of notification options may include one or more predefined or customized conversation options that enable a lightweight pre-call conversation between a caller and a callee. For example, the conversation options may include basic exchanges that can be used to determine, for example, whether an individual is available to speak with the caller (e.g., a status request) and/or whether the individual has a preferred communication modality or format, based on the individual's context or situation. For example, the communication application 10 may provide 502 a plurality of notification options including the one or more conversation options as selectable by the caller. For example, as shown in FIG6 , the communication application 10 may provide a "Add me to this call" button 610 . In response to the caller selecting button 610 , the communication application 10a (alone and/or in conjunction with another application) may generate a conversation user interface 700 , as shown in FIG7 . The conversation user interface 700 may include one or more predefined conversation options, which may be, for example, selectable options in the conversation user interface 700 (e.g., a "Just saying hi" option 702 , a "Are you available?" option 704 , and a "Need to talk now" option 706 ). While the conversation menu is shown as including three conversation options, this is intended for illustrative purposes only, and the number and nature of the conversation options may vary depending on design criteria and user needs. Furthermore, the conversation user interface may include an input field 708, which may, for example, allow user 32 to enter a free-form conversation. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the conversation options included in conversation menu 602 may be customized, for example, by the user, an application developer, a system administrator, or other individuals. Furthermore, while FIG. 7 is shown as including only a single conversation menu, more than one conversation menu may be included. In some embodiments, various conversation menus may be included with conversation options relating to various communication aspects (e.g., an individual's status and/or availability, preferred communication modality, importance, etc.).

Communication program 10 may receive a selection from one of a plurality of communication options (504). For example, a caller (e.g., user 32) may select one or more of a plurality of notification options (e.g., one or more of the conversation options included in conversation user interface 700), for example, using a touch selection gesture or other suitable selection mechanism. Furthermore, communication program 10 may transmit 506 a notification to a third party (i.e., a recipient or individual with whom the user wishes to communicate) based at least in part on the selection from the plurality of notification options.

The communication program 10 may further receive a response to the notification from a third party (512). For example, in response to user 32 selecting a conversation option (e.g., "Are you free?" 704) from the conversation user interface 700, the communication program 10 (e.g., communication program 10a and/or communication program 10d) may transmit a notification to the recipient (e.g., user 34) (506). Referring to FIG. 8 , the notification may be received by a device associated with the recipient (e.g., smartphone 14 associated with user 34). The conversation options may be displayed (e.g., in user interface 750) on the device associated with the individual (e.g., smartphone 14) by, for example, a corresponding communication program (e.g., communication program 10b executed by smartphone 14) and/or another suitable application. In one embodiment, the user interface 750 may include one or more response conversation options, which may include one or more selectable response options (e.g., "Can't talk now" 752, "Wait a minute" 754, "I'll call you back soon" 756, and "Send me a text message" 758). The user 34 can select an appropriate response from the response user interface 750, for example, by touching the desired response. Although the response user interface 750 is shown as including four options, the number and nature of the options included in the response user interface 750 are intended for illustrative purposes only. The number and nature of the responses included in the response menu can vary according to design standards and/or user needs, and can also or alternatively be customizable (e.g., by the user, by a system administrator, by an application developer, or by another individual). Furthermore, in some embodiments, an individual can be enabled to enter a free-form response (e.g., via the input field 760) and/or otherwise respond to the dialog options received from the user.

In response to the recipient (e.g., user 34) selecting and/or otherwise entering a reply to the conversation option (506) transmitted by communication program 10 as part of the notification, communication program 10 may receive a reply (512) from the individual. For example, as shown in FIG9 , user 34 may have selected the reply option "Send me a text message" from reply user interface 750. Accordingly, user interface 800 (e.g., which may be presented at least in part by communication program 10a on smartphone 12) may display the reply (512) received from the individual.

The communication program 10 may initiate communication with the individual (514). For example, the user 32 may select a reply from the individual (e.g., user 34 in this example), and/or may select an initiation option (e.g., reminder button 802 and/or ring button 804). In response to the user 32 selecting the reply and/or initiation option in the user interface 800 (e.g., via a touch selection input, etc.), the communication program 10 may initiate communication (514). In the illustrated embodiment in which the reply indicates that the individual desires to engage in text-based communication, the communication program 10 may initiate communication with the user 34 (514), wherein the user interface defaults are configured to support text-based communication as at least the initial communication modality. Of course, other embodiments may include different modes of communication based at least in part on the response to the third party, user preferences, etc.

While the above example includes only a single conversation exchange from a user to an individual with whom the user wishes to communicate, and a single reply from that individual, this exemplary exchange is intended for illustrative purposes only and not for limiting purposes. In various embodiments, multiple back-and-forth conversation exchanges may occur before initiating communication. Furthermore, as generally shown, one or more subsequent conversations and/or replies may be based, at least in part, on previous conversations and/or replies. For example, a reply conversation may be based, at least in part, on a received conversation, such that a reply conversation option may appropriately respond to the received conversation.

As generally described above, according to certain aspects, the communication programs herein may provide a platform or system for enabling communication between people. Generally speaking, in certain embodiments, the communication system may provide a single application that allows for the simultaneous exchange of a variety of data types and/or media types in an integrated manner within a single call. As used herein, a "call" may collectively refer to a sequence of interactions linked by a generally shared temporal attribute, such as where the interactions are chronologically ordered and related, such that they constitute a single conversation or group of related interactions. Furthermore, the sequence of interactions comprising a call may be generally related with respect to the participants of the call. For example, when the number of participants may change during the course of a call (e.g., due to participants joining and/or leaving the call), the call may include participant attributes. In other words, the call may be identified at least in part based on who is currently participating in the call. Thus, participants may be an attribute of the call. In certain embodiments, the communication program herein may provide an application and/or system that may provide a real-time media channel between a group of call participants that may allow for the simultaneous use of multiple different data types and/or media types during a single call and allow for seamless transitions between the multiple different data types and/or media types.

Referring also to FIG. 9 , in one embodiment, communication program 10 may receive a request to initiate a call via a channel ( 900 ). Communication program 10 may also identify a set of call participants associated with the channel ( 902 ). Communication program 10 may receive a communication sequence associated with the call ( 904 ). The communication sequence may include a real-time media data type (e.g., a synchronous data type) and an asynchronously posted data type. Furthermore, communication program 10 may transmit the communication sequence to the call ( 906 ).

The communication program 10 may receive a request to initiate a call via a channel (900) and may identify a set of call participants associated with the channel (902). According to the present invention, generally speaking, a call may include a set of interactions between members of a communication system achieved through the communication program 10. The set of interactions may result in a call and may include the call being initiated in the context of a channel. A channel may include a group of one or more calls having a shared default set of participants that may be automatically invited to participate in each call initiated within the channel. Thus, the participant set of members participating in the interaction may be an attribute of the call. The communication program 10 may identify the default call participant set as including the participant set 902 associated with the channel. In other words, by default, the call participant set may include the channel participant set. In some embodiments, as discussed in more detail below, the channel participant set may be modified for a given call by adding individuals to or removing individuals from the call. The call participant set may include individuals who may actually participate in the call.

In an exemplary embodiment, the communication program may receive a request to initiate a call (900) in response to input from a user (e.g., user 32 operating smartphone 12). The input from user 32 may include, for example, selecting a channel from a contact list associated with the communication program 10 (e.g., a contact list that can interact with the communication program 10a executing on smartphone 12 locally or via a network (e.g., network 20)). In some embodiments, the channel may be implicitly selected by the channel in which the call is being initiated and by expanding the list of members or users of the channel. For example, the communication program 10 may allow the membership of the channel to be manually configured by the user, or may be configured to automatically synchronize with a collection of individuals that can be managed externally (such as a Facebook group), participants in a public meeting (e.g., that can be managed via a calendar application, etc.), individuals with access privileges to an online workspace or folder, and the like.

Identifying a set of call participants associated with a channel (902) may include not only identifying individuals that may be invited to the call, but may further include identifying a set of call participants associated with an existing channel (902). As generally described above, in one embodiment, identifying a set of call participants associated with a channel (902) may include accessing a set of predefined channel participants associated with the channel (908). The set of predefined channel participants associated with the channel may include, for example, a list of individuals that may be associated with a previous call or a previously existing channel (e.g., a channel that may have been used in the past for one or more calls between a defined group of individuals). Thus, in such an embodiment, the communication program 10 may identify the set of call participants (902) by accessing the set of participants associated with the previously existing channel and the previous call (908). In other words, the set of channel participants may at least partially form the basis of the set of call participants (e.g., subject to any modifications, such as adding and/or removing individuals from the set of channel participants for the purpose of the call).

In another embodiment, accessing a predefined set of channel participants associated with a channel (908) may include accessing a contact list that is accessible by and/or integrated with communication program 10. For example, in one embodiment, a user (e.g., user 32) may define a contact list associated with communication program 10. The contact list associated with the communication program may include an indication of one or more channels associated with user 32, where each of the one or more channels may include one or more participants in the channel. For example, each individual contact in the contact list may form a paired channel (e.g., a set of channel participants that includes user 32 and the individuals listed in the contacts). Similarly, each group of contacts listed in the contact list (which may include more than one individual) may form a group channel (e.g., a set of channel participants that includes user 32 and the set of individuals). In response to receiving a request to initiate a call via a channel (900), communication program 10 can further identify a set of call participants associated with the channel (e.g., intended participants of the call) (902). Identifying the set of call participants associated with the channel (902) can include accessing a predefined set of channel participants associated with the channel (908), such as a predefined set of channel participants defined in a contact list. The channel including the predefined set of participants can include an explicit channel.

In one embodiment, identifying a set of call participants associated with a channel (902) may include defining a channel (910) based at least in part on implicit associations of individuals. For example, as also generally described above, a channel may be associated with an implicit group of individuals, which may include, for example, a group of individuals whose association with each other may be implied by a common interaction or intersection point. For example, the group of individuals may be members of a common social network group (e.g., a Facebook group, or other similar group). In another example, the group of individuals may be represented as attendees and/or invitees of a meeting or event that may be scheduled using a calendar system or application. Similar implicit associations of individuals may be based on, for example, individuals having access privileges to a shared online space or folder. Thus, the communication program 10 may identify a default set of participants for a call (902), which includes defining a channel based on implicit associations of individuals. According to such an embodiment, the communication program 10 may receive a request to initiate a call (900) via the channel based on user input associated with an intersection point of various implicitly related individuals (e.g., by selecting a social network group, a calendar event, etc.). In a manner similar to that described above, and as will be described in greater detail below, a call participant set may be based on a modified channel participant set (eg, modified by adding individuals to or removing individuals from the channel participant set).

According to various embodiments, call participants can be expanded and/or restricted. For example, the communication program 10 may allow a channel with a defined (implicitly or explicitly) set of participants to be expanded to include one or more additional participants for the purpose of a call. This expansion of the call participant set can be temporary (e.g., for a single call and/or a portion of a single call). In some embodiments, this expansion of the call participant set can be permanent (e.g., applicable to all calls associated with the channel and thereby explicitly modifying the base channel participant set). In some embodiments, a permanent expansion of a channel participant set can form a new channel that includes the expanded participant set. In a generally corresponding manner, the communication program 10 may allow a channel with a defined (implicitly or explicitly) set of participants to be restricted for a call by removing one or more participants from the set, thereby forming a call participant set that is a subset of the channel participant set. Restrictions on the membership of a participant set associated with a call can be temporary (e.g., for a single call) and/or permanent, thereby modifying the base channel participant set. In some embodiments, permanent restriction of a set of participants associated with a channel may result in the formation of a new channel (e.g., as opposed to simply modifying a pre-existing channel) that includes the restricted set of participants, while the original channel with the original set of participants remains in existence.

According to various embodiments, a suitable user interface can be used in conjunction with a request to initiate a call. For example, in response to a long touch or multi-point user selection of a contact and/or contact group in a contact list, or in response to the intersection of implicitly related individuals, communication program 10 can (alone and/or in conjunction with one or more other applications) present a user interface (e.g., a menu, etc.). The user interface presented by communication program 10 can provide a user (e.g., user 32 in the above example) with the option to request to initiate a call.

Initiating a call may include, for example, messaging each member of the call participant set, thereby alerting each member of the call participant set to their intent to initiate a call via a channel. Messaging may include traditional notification configurations, including transmitting notifications to one or more devices associated with each member of the call participant set. Additionally or alternatively, advanced messaging, as generally described herein, may also be implemented. Examples of such messaging may utilize pre-call dialogs, such as those that determine availability and preferred call modalities. Other messaging associated with initiating a call may similarly be utilized.

The communication program 10 may receive a communication sequence associated with a call (904). The communication sequence may include at least a real-time media data type and an asynchronous announcement data type. For example, as generally described above, according to one aspect, the communication program 10 may allow for communications including multiple different data types and/or including multiple different media types. In one embodiment, receiving the communication sequence (904) may include receiving the communication sequence as a real-time packetized data transmission.

According to various embodiments, real-time media data may include data transmitted and consumed in real time, as well as streaming media data types, such as real-time streaming data that may or may not be consumed in real time. As used herein, the term "real-time" may generally refer to media data in which the transmitted data can be received by one or more call participants substantially simultaneously with the transmission of the data. In one embodiment, the real-time media data type may include real-time audio data (e.g., voice data) and/or real-time data such as video data. In one example, the real-time audio data may include voice-over-IP data, and/or the real-time video data may include voice-over-IP data, although other forms of real-time audio data may similarly be utilized. According to this aspect, at least a portion of the communication sequence included in the call may include voice communications. The voice communications may include real-time voice communications, such as those in standard telephone or voice-over-IP calls. In one embodiment, the switching and routing of voice communications associated with the call may be facilitated by, for example, a PBX, voice-over-IP technology, or a unified telephone system that may interact with communication application 10 (e.g., communication application 10d executed by server computer 18). In one embodiment, a PBX, Voice over IP technology, or unified telephone system may be interconnected with the public switched telephone network.

In one embodiment, the real-time audio data may include continuous streaming voice data. In some embodiments, the continuous streaming voice data may be implemented in a symmetrical manner, for example, in which all members included in the set of call participants may generate and use continuous streaming voice data to and/or other members included in the set of call participants. In some embodiments, the real-time audio data may include bursty audio transmissions (e.g., bursty voice transmissions). For example, also referring to FIG. 10 , the communication program 10 may provide a talk button 1000, for example, which may include a virtual button in a user interface 1002 provided via a touch screen interface. In response to a user activating the talk button 1000, the communication program 10 may receive voice data (e.g., any audio data that may be received via a microphone associated with the computing device) (904). When the talk button 1000 is released, the communication program 10 may stop receiving voice data (904). In one embodiment, the communication program 10 may allow the user to switch between providing bursty voice data and providing continuous voice data. For example, as described above, in response to a user pressing talk button 1000, communication program 10 may receive burst voice data for the duration of the time talk button 1000 is activated (904). In one embodiment, communication program 10 may allow the user to transition to providing continuous voice data. For example, the user may activate talk button 1000 by pressing a virtual button. The user may then invoke a lock gesture (e.g., sliding talk button 1000 horizontally, or other suitable gesture). In response to the user invoking the lock gesture, communication program 10 may receive continuous voice data (904).

In addition to synchronous and real-time, near real-time, and/or streaming audio data (e.g., voice data and/or video data), the communication program 10 can receive various types of synchronous streaming media data types and asynchronous posted media data types (904). The media data types received by the communication program 10 can be transmitted (906) synchronously and/or asynchronously. In addition, the media data types can be received (904) and transmitted (906) as defined content segments, such as the defined content segments that can be used once the media data is posted, or the defined content can be used and processed synchronously in real-time while the media is being transmitted. In one embodiment, the posted media data types can include one or more of video data (e.g., a video clip), images, text, web data, location data, etc.

While various example data types and media types have been described above, it should be understood that these examples are intended for illustrative purposes only and not for purposes of limitation. Various other and/or alternative data types and media types may also be utilized. Examples of data that may be included as part of communications associated with a call may include data obtained from sensors provided by functionality provided by the computing device (e.g., location, route, speed, direction, etc., provided by, for example, navigation or mapping applications and GPS or other functionality provided by the computing device). Microphone and camera functionality associated with the computing device may be used to generate real-time audio (e.g., voice) and/or video data, as well as audio clips, video clips, photos, etc. Input devices (e.g., touchscreen interfaces) may be used to generate stylus or finger drawings. Web browser applications may be used to generate and/or retrieve web content, web links, etc. Text data, documents, etc. may be generated by the computing device and/or accessed and/or implemented in communications via input and/or storage functionality associated with the computing device. Thus, in various embodiments, the synchronous and asynchronous data types transmitted may include one or more of the following: video, still or moving images, text, network links, location and route data, gestures, drawings, files and folders and documents, voice and music and audio, software code and scripts, QR and NFC and barcodes, quality of service data (including signal strength, latency and performance), sensors and other such data obtained from the device, from its operating system, from additional devices or applications or Internet services, and from device peripherals that may be connected via wired or wireless means. While the above discussion has provided many examples of data that may be received 904 and transmitted 906 as communications in a call, this list is not intended to be exhaustive, as other data types and/or media types may also be utilized.

The communication program 10 may transmit a communication sequence to a call (906). For example, the communication program 10 transmits the received communication (904) to all members of the set of call participants (906). In some embodiments, one or more members of the set of call participants may not be participating in the call (e.g., may not have joined the call). In one embodiment, transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants (906) may include synchronously transmitting the communication sequence to at least a portion of the set of call participants. In one embodiment, the portion of the set of call participants to which the communication sequence is synchronously transmitted may include members of the set of call participants that may participate in the call. Synchronously transmitting the communication sequence may include transmitting the communication sequence to the portion of the set of call participants in real time or near real time.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the set of call participants may not be participating in the call and/or may experience poor data connectivity, e.g., which may prevent real-time participants in the call. In such cases, transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants (906) may include asynchronously transmitting the communication sequence to at least a portion of the set of call participants. Asynchronously transmitting the communication sequence may include, for example, posting the communication sequence for subsequent retrieval by one or more members of the set of call participants and/or for retrieval on an available basis, e.g., which available basis may depend at least in part on data connectivity associated with the one or more members of the set of participants.

Various suitable user interfaces may be implemented to receive and interact with individual communications associated with a call. In some embodiments, different user interfaces may be implemented, for example, the different user interfaces may be tailored to the specific data type of a particular communication. According to some embodiments, multiple user interfaces may be accessed simultaneously, for example, to allow for the generation and/or interaction with different data types. For example, a viewfinder user interface may be implemented in conjunction with the capture of image or video data (e.g., via a camera function associated with a computing device), while a web browser user interface may be implemented in conjunction with the capture of web links or data included in a website. Communication program 10 may receive data captured via various suitable user interfaces (904). Various user interfaces may be utilized in a similar manner in conjunction with the use of communications transmitted by communication program 10. User interfaces constructed in conjunction with communication program 10 may not only allow for the capture and use of communications from other users, but may also allow for interaction with such communications (e.g., mediating, forwarding, and transforming such communications). In some embodiments, the various user interfaces may be accessed by scrolling horizontally or vertically between different user interface screens or panes (e.g., based on a tap input gesture via a touch screen interface, etc.). It should be understood that various other and/or alternative user interfaces may be similarly implemented in connection with a call including a communication sequence that may include a variety of different data types and/or a variety of different media types.

In one embodiment, the communication program 10 may record a communication sequence associated with the call (912). For example, recording the call may include storing the interaction in a suitable data store, such as may be associated with the server computer 18 and/or another computing device. In one embodiment, the recorded communication sequence associated with the call (912) may be accessed, for example, by one or more individuals included in a set of participants associated with the channel. In one embodiment, the recorded call may be accessed, for example, via a web browser and/or by using a customized application.

In one embodiment, recording a call (912) may include using tags and media data associated with a communication sequence. For example, recording a communication sequence associated with a call may include defining an association (914) between each communication of the communication sequence and the call. For example, the communication program 10 may define tags (914) associated with each communication of the communication sequence in the call. The defined tags (914) may identify each communication (e.g., individually and/or collectively) as being associated with the call. Thus, the recording of the call may be based at least in part on communications that are marked as belonging to a particular call. In one embodiment, each communication may further include a sequence tag and/or a timestamp, e.g., the sequence tag and/or timestamp may indicate a chronological position of the communication in the call.

In one embodiment, recording a sequence of communications associated with a call (912) may also include defining an association between the call and a channel (916). For example, the association between the call and the channel may include a tag associated with each call (and/or associated with each communication tagged as associated with a given call) that identifies the call (and/or each communication tagged as associated with the call) as being associated with a given channel. Thus, the communication program 10 may tag each call as being associated with a particular channel.

Furthermore, in an exemplary embodiment, recording a communication sequence associated with a call (912) may include defining an association between each member of a call participant set and a channel (918). For example, the communication program 10 may include a list of all members of a communication system. The communication program 10 may define an association between each member included in a channel's participant set and the channel itself (918). For example, the communication program 10 may define 918 a tag associated with each member of a communication system facilitated by the communication program 10, wherein the tag may identify a channel in which the member is included in the participant set of the channel. In instances where a member of the communication system may be included in the participant set of more than one channel, the communication program 10 may define 918 a tag associated with the member of each channel to indicate that the member is included in the participant set.

In one embodiment, calls within a channel and/or communications within a call can be presented in a timeline format. For example, via a user interface associated with a member of the communication system facilitated by communication program 10, communication program 10 can allow the member to identify one or more channels with which the member is tagged. Furthermore, each channel can include a chronological representation of the calls associated with each channel. In one embodiment, selecting a call associated with a channel can generate a user interface that includes a chronological representation of the communications tagged as associated with the call. In one embodiment, the representation of the communications tagged as associated with the call can include the communications themselves (e.g., graphical communications such as text, images, etc.) and/or representations of the communications that can be selected for use (e.g., by replaying an audio or video recording, etc.). Various other and/or alternative approaches for presenting and/or accessing calls and/or communications can similarly be implemented.

In certain embodiments, the content of a call may decay over time. For example, by default settings and/or by user preferences, the content of a call (e.g., the individual communications comprising the call) may expire after a defined period of time, after which the content may no longer be valid. In exemplary embodiments, the decay of the content of a call may include a gradual reduction in the resolution or quality of the content. For example, the quality and/or resolution of communications may decrease over time (e.g., according to default settings and/or user preferences). Examples of degradation in quality and/or resolution may include a reduction in image resolution associated with images, a reduction in the bit rate associated with audio components, and the like. In one embodiment, a user may explicitly elect to have certain calls retained indefinitely, so that they do not decay or degrade or become inaccessible.

In one embodiment, communication program 10 may allow for publication of a call and/or one or more communications associated with the call (e.g., a portion of the call). For example, publishing a call and/or a portion of the call may include exporting (e.g., saving content, copying content, etc.) the call and/or the portion of the call to a location external to the communication system facilitated by communication program 10. In certain embodiments, publishing a call and/or a portion of the call may include allowing for establishment of a link to the call and/or the portion of the call. For example, a link to the call and/or the portion of the call may allow access to the call and/or the portion of the call from a location external to the communication system facilitated by communication program 10. For example, in one embodiment, a call via a channel may be published to a social network group, such as via a social networking website, the call including an implicit association of individuals, the implicit association having an intersection point, and the intersection point including the social network group.

In one embodiment, recording a communication sequence associated with a call (912) may include defining access controls associated with the call (920). For example, the communication program 10 may allow one or more members of a set of participants included in the call to implement access controls, such as access controls that may restrict publication and/or dissemination of communications associated with the call. In some embodiments, one or more default access controls may be associated with the call.

In addition, although various embodiments and features have been described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the various embodiments and features may be combined with each other and/or may have various other/alternative combinations. All such combinations of the subject matter disclosed herein are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

The flowcharts and block diagrams shown in the figures illustrate the architecture, functions, and possible implementations of the systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each box in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or code portion, which includes one or more executable instructions for performing one or more specified logical functions. It should also be noted that in some alternative embodiments, the functions described in the box may not be performed in the order described in the figure. For example, depending on the functions involved, the two boxes shown in sequence may actually be executed simultaneously, or sometimes the boxes may be executed in the opposite order. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagrams and/or flow charts, and the combination of the boxes in the block diagrams and/or flow charts, may be implemented by a dedicated hardware system that performs a specified function or action, or by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a" or "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that when the terms "comprises and/or comprising" are used in this specification, they are used to specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, actions, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the following claims are intended to include any structure, material, or action for performing the function in combination with other elements explicitly claimed. The description of the present invention is provided for illustration and description purposes only and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the disclosed form. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiments are selected and described in order to best illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical application, and to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention to obtain various modified embodiments suitable for the specific application envisioned.

Having described the invention of the present application in detail above with reference to embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (45)

1. A method for communication, comprising: Receive a request on the processor to initiate a call via the channel; Identify the set of call participants associated with the channel on the processor; The processor receives a communication sequence associated with the call, the communication sequence including at least a real-time media data type and an announcement data type, the real-time media data type including real-time voice communication, and the announcement data type including one or more defined fragments of content for use by members of the call participant set as communication exchange between the call participant sets; The communication sequence associated with the call is recorded on the processor; and The communication sequence is transmitted to the call on the processor, the transmission including the transmission of the announcement data type during at least a portion of the real-time voice communication process. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the set of call participants associated with the channel includes accessing a predefined set of channel participants associated with the channel. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the set of call participants associated with the channel comprises defining the set of channel participants based at least in part on implicit associations of individuals. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the communication sequence includes receiving the communication sequence as real-time packetized data transmission. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time media data type includes real-time audio data. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the real-time audio data includes VoIP data. 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the real-time audio data includes burst audio transmission. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the announcement data type includes one or more of video, image, and text, or the announcement data type includes one or more of web data and location data. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the communication sequence to the call comprises transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the call participant set comprises synchronously transmitting the communication sequence to at least a portion of the call participant set. 11. The method of claim 9, wherein transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the call participant set comprises asynchronously transmitting the communication sequence to at least a portion of the call participant set. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein recording the communication sequence associated with the call includes defining the association between each of the communications in the communication sequence and the call. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein recording the communication sequence associated with the call includes defining the association between the call and the channel. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein recording the communication sequence associated with the call includes defining the association between each member of the set of call participants and the channel. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein recording the communication sequence associated with the call includes defining access control associated with the call. 16. An apparatus for communication, comprising: A unit used to receive requests to initiate a call via a channel; A unit for identifying the set of call participants associated with the channel; A unit for receiving a communication sequence associated with the call, the communication sequence including at least a real-time media data type and an announcement data type, the real-time media data type including real-time voice communication, and the announcement data type including one or more defined fragments of content for use by members of the call participant set as communication exchange between the call participant sets; A unit for recording the communication sequence associated with the call; and A unit for transmitting the communication sequence to the call, the transmission including transmitting the announcement data type during at least a portion of the real-time voice communication process. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the unit for identifying the set of call participants associated with the channel includes a unit for accessing a predefined set of channel participants associated with the channel. 18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the unit for identifying the set of call participants associated with the channel includes a unit for defining the set of channel participants based at least in part on implicit associations of individuals. 19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the unit for receiving the communication sequence includes a unit for receiving the communication sequence as real-time packetized data transmission. 20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the real-time medium data type includes real-time audio data. 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the real-time audio data includes VoIP data. 22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the real-time audio data includes burst audio transmission. 23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the announcement data type includes one or more of video, image, and text, or the announcement data type includes one or more of web data and location data. 24. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the unit for transmitting the communication sequence to the call includes a unit for transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants. 25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the unit for transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the call participant set includes a unit for synchronously transmitting the communication sequence to at least a portion of the call participant set. 26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the unit for transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the call participant set includes a unit for asynchronously transmitting the communication sequence to at least a portion of the call participant set. 27. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the unit for recording the communication sequence associated with the call includes a unit for defining the association between each of the communications in the communication sequence and the call. 28. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the unit for recording the communication sequence associated with the call includes a unit for defining the association between the call and the channel. 29. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the unit for recording the communication sequence associated with the call includes a unit for defining the association between each member of the set of call participants and the channel. 30. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the unit for recording the communication sequence associated with the call includes a unit for defining access control associated with the call. 31. A computing system comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the processor and the memory being configurable to perform operations including: Receive a request to initiate a call via the channel; Identify the set of call participants associated with the channel; Receive a communication sequence associated with the call, the communication sequence including at least a real-time media data type and an announcement data type, the real-time media data type including real-time voice communication, and the announcement data type including one or more defined fragments of content for use by members of the call participant set as communication exchange between the call participant sets; Record the communication sequence associated with the call; and The communication sequence is transmitted to the call, the transmission including the transmission of the announcement data type during at least a portion of the real-time voice communication process. 32. The computing system of claim 31, wherein identifying the set of call participants associated with the channel includes accessing a predefined set of channel participants associated with the channel. 33. The computing system of claim 31, wherein identifying the set of call participants associated with the channel comprises defining the set of channel participants at least in part based on implicit associations of individuals. 34. The computing system of claim 31, wherein receiving the communication sequence includes receiving the communication sequence as real-time packetized data transmission. 35. The computing system of claim 31, wherein the real-time media data type includes real-time audio data. 36. The computing system of claim 35, wherein the real-time audio data includes VoIP data. 37. The computing system of claim 35, wherein the real-time audio data includes burst audio transmission. 38. The computing system of claim 31, wherein the announcement data type includes one or more of video, image, and text, or the announcement data type includes one or more of web data and location data. 39. The computing system of claim 31, wherein transmitting the communication sequence to the call comprises transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants. 40. The computing system of claim 39, wherein transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants includes synchronously transmitting the communication sequence to at least a portion of the set of call participants. 41. The computing system of claim 39, wherein transmitting the communication sequence to each member of the set of call participants includes asynchronously transmitting at least a portion of the communication sequence to the set of call participants. 42. The computing system of claim 31, wherein recording the communication sequence associated with the call includes defining the association between each of the communications in the communication sequence and the call. 43. The computing system of claim 31, wherein recording the communication sequence associated with the call includes defining the association between the call and the channel. 44. The computing system of claim 31, wherein recording the communication sequence associated with the call includes defining the association between each member of the set of call participants and the channel. 45. The computing system of claim 31, wherein recording the communication sequence associated with the call includes defining access control associated with the call.