CA2670518A1

CA2670518A1 - Method and system for communicating between devices

Info

Publication number: CA2670518A1
Application number: CA002670518A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Mark Cobbold
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Apple Inc
Priority date: 2006-12-05
Filing date: 2007-12-05
Publication date: 2008-06-12
Also published as: WO2008067654A1; KR20090087497A; CN102037692A; JP2010512073A; EP2119168A1; KR101027826B1

Abstract

A communication service is provided that enables end-users to interactively communicate over a communication channel using individually selected communication interfaces at each end-point of the channel. Each end-user may select a receive interface that presents communications to the end-user in a format that is most desirable to the end-user. As a result, an end-user is no longer subjected to the interface selected by an initiator of a communication. The communication service may be used to allow users of instant messaging (IM) services to seamlessly communicate with users of voice services such as Push-to-Talk-over-Cellular (PoC) services.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR COMMUNICATING BETWEEN DEVICES
Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to the field of networking and more particularly to service that enables interactive communication between devices in a network using different communication interfaces at each of the devices.

Background of the Invention A telecommunications service provider provides a variety of communication services that enable subscribers to communicate with each over a network infrastructure. The services may include an Instant Messaging (IM) service that allows subscribers to exchange text based communications over the network infrastructure. Instant Messaging (IM) services enable subscribers to deliver text messages to others devices coupled to the network, enabling an end-user to engage in an Instant Messaging (IM) `chat' with another end-user.
Instant Messaging services also provides many other capabilities such as maintaining buddy lists, identifying the presence and accessibility of buddies, etc. The text messages are entered manually to the IM service using a universal keyboard or other type of manual interface, and received and displayed on a visual interface. Because Instant Messaging (IM) requires some form of manual entry, IM is not always a convenient form of communication for an end-user.
For example, safety issues may arise when mobile end-users engage in instant messages when driving and in other such situations when a user is not able to easily read a display and/or does not have free hands to provide manual input.
Push-to-Talk, Voice Chat and Push to talk over Cellular applications allow a user to essentially `chat' with others using a walkie talkie service. Such services may be `hands free', allowing a user who is driving in a car or otherwise unable to read or manually enter text to communicate with others by voice. One problem with voice communications is that they lack the privacy inherent in text communications. In addition, some devices, such as computer terminals that are coupled to a network, may not include circuitry for voice communications.
In the existing art, when an end-user initiates contact with another end-user in the infrastructure, the initiating end-user makes a choice between using voice, Instant Messaging (IM) or another communication service. The initiating end-user will select a service based on the subjective convenience of a particular communication interface. In the current art, the receiving end-user is forced to communicate using a service (and associated service interface) selected by the initiating end-user that may be inconvenient or unsafe for the receiving end-user.
Summary of the Invention According to one aspect of the invention, a Communication Service (CS) is provided that allows each end-user in a connection to individually select between text messaging and voice communication; the Communication Service therefore enables each end-user to communicate in the most safe and convenient manner commensurate with the end-users particular situation. According to one aspect of the invention, a method of delivering communications to a device coupled to a network includes the step of receiving a communication destined for an end-user associated with the device. The communication is received in an original format associated with a first type of communication service. The method includes the step of accessing a subscriber communication profile associated with the end-user, the subscriber communication profile identifying a desired format for delivery of communications to the device associated with the end-user. The communication is delivered to the end-user in the desired format indicated in the subscriber communication profile.
According to another aspect of the invention, a device comprising a computer readable medium is provided. The device includes service program code stored thereon, the service program code being operable when executed to translate communications, received from a first end-user and destined for a second-end user, from a first format associated with the first end-user to a second format indicated as a desired presentation format for the second-end user to enable each of the first end-user and second end-users to communicate using a preferred communication interface.
Such an arrangement allows two communicating end-users to each utilize their preferred communication interface when engaging in interactive communication.
For example, in a communication supported by the service of the present invention, two or more end-users may engage in a`chat', with one end-user communicating using an Instant Messaging (IM) service via a universal keypad, while the other end-user communicates by voice. A service of the present invention translates the communications prior to delivery to each end-user, to allow each end-user to communicate in a preferred form.
These and other advantages of the invention will now be described with regards to the below figures.
Brief Description of the Figures Figure 1 is a block diagram of a network in which the service of the present invention may advantageously be employed; and Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating several exemplary components that may be included in a service of the present invention; and Figures 3A - 3C illustrate exemplary embodiments of subscriber communication profiles for subscribers to the service of the present invention; and Figure 4 is flow diagram illustrating exemplary steps that may be performed by a client of the service of the present invention to register with the service and populate a profile such as those described in Figures 3A - 3C; and Figure 5 is a functional flow diagram provided to illustrate exemplary steps that may be performed by the service of the present invention.
Detailed Description According to one aspect of the invention, a communication service is provided that enables end-users to interactively communicate over a communication channel using different communication interfaces at each end-point of the channel. In one embodiment, each end-user may select a receive interface that presents communications to the end-user in a format that is most desirable to the end-user. For example, a first end-user that is driving an automobile with limited capability to read text or perform manual input may wish to receive voice messages and transmit voice communications. A second end-user that communicates with the first end-user may seek privacy, and therefore may choose to transmit and receive text communications.
In another embodiment, the format of presentation of the communication at end-points in the communication channel may be controlled by the communication service using presence information associated with each end-user. For example, when an end-user is in a location where voice communication is prohibited, such as a hospital, movie or the like, the communication service may ensure that communications are forwarded in text, rather than by voice. The presence information may be provided by the end-user, or obtained using information provided by the network itself in a manner known to those of skill in the art.
Alternatively, the end-user may control the selection of communication interface by providing a geographic or temporal schedule to the service to control the format of presentation of communications to the end-user. The communication service may support both point to point and point to multi-point communications, with each end-point having the capability of controlling its presentation form.
Figure 1 is a diagram of a network 10 which includes an application server supporting the Communication Service (CS) of the present invention. The network 10 is shown to include a combination of a mobile network infrastructure 14 and a Wide Area Network (WAN) infrastructure 16, (which may be, for example, the Internet) although it will be appreciated that it is not required that both forms of network infrastructures be present for the operation of the present invention.
The mobile network 14 includes hardware and software supporting cellular communications, including base stations and Mobile Telephone Switching Offices (MTSOs) which may be used to forward cellular communications to mobile devices, such as mobile phone 12, using analog or digitized radio frequency signals using any one of the known cellular communication protocols. Wide Area Network (WAN) 16 is a network of interconnected computer devices and networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP). The IP network may carry various information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and the interlinked Web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web, in addition to supporting Voice over IP
(VoIP) services. VoIP. VoIP, also commonly referred to as IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over Broadband, is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or through any other IP-based network. Figure 1 illustrates a laptop device 11 adapted to communicate with other devices coupled to the WAN
16 using the IP protocol.
The network 10 of Figure 1 also includes a gateway 24, coupled to the mobile and WAN infrastructures. In one embodiment, the gateway may be a service provider gateway which directs communications between the mobile and WAN network infrastructures. The service provider gateway is also shown coupled to application servers 18 and 22. Service providers typically maintain a variety of application servers for controlling the delivery of various services to subscribers. The gateway 24 may direct communications that are received from the respective mobile and WAN networks to the application servers to support a contracted service set of a subscriber.
The most common service provided by service providers in mobile networks is a voice service. Voice services include traditional cellular voice services and Voice over Internet Protocol services. Traditional mobile phone networks and devices use full-duplex communications, allowing customers to call other persons on a mobile or land-line network and be able to simultaneously talk and hear the other party. Connections in a cellular communication network are initiated by dialing a phone number and the other party answering the call, and the connection remains active until either party ends the call or the connection is dropped due to signal loss or network outage. Such a system does not allow for casual transmissions to be sent to other parties on the network without first dialing them up.
Full-duplex operation on mobile phone networks is made possible using separate frequencies for transmission and reception.
Mobile Push-to-Talk (PTT) services, offered by some carriers, allow individual half-duplex transmissions to be sent to another party on the system without needing an a pre-established connection. Since the system is half-duplex, only one communication frequency is used, and therefore only one user can transmit by PTT at a time; the other party is unable to transmit until the transmitting user releases the connection by unkeying the PTT button. In essence the PTT service is similar to a walkie-talkie service.
Versions of PTT which are based on 2.5G or 3G packet switched networks and use Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and/or Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) are referred to as Push-to-Talk-over-Cellular (PoC). A PoC Architecture is described in document number OMA-AD PoC-vl 0-20060609 provided by the Open Mobile Alliance and entitled "Push to talk over Cellular - Architecture", incorporated herein by reference. In essence a PoC service enables mobile users to establish voice communications in a walkie-talkie fashion over a shared frequency with one or more other mobile users. Other walkie-talkie like services include the Voice Chat service. Voice Chat is a modern form of communication used on internet. The means of communicating with voice chat is through any of the messengers, mainly YahooTM, AOLTM or MSN messengerTM. Voice chat has led to a significant increase in distant communications where two people from opposite ends of the world can talk almost free of cost.
It should be noted that although the present invention uses PoC and IM as examples of services that may be integrated using the present invention, the present invention is not limited to use with PoC and IM services. Rather, it is envisioned that the present invention may advantageously be used to provide an interface between any two types of communication services, including but not limited to PTT, Voice Chat, IM, PoC, MSN
messenger, etc .
Therefore the use of particular terms (such as PoC to IM, etc.) are understood to be by way of example only, and one of skill in the art may substitute other services in their stead according to the desires of the particular design.
Figure 1 illustrates an application server 18 for which may include functionality such as that described in the Open Mobile Alliance PoC architecture document for supporting PoC
communications.
Another typical service that is offered by a service provider is an Instant Messaging (IM) service. Instant Messaging (IM) refers to the transfer of messages between users in near real-time. These messages are usually short, although it is understood that brevity is not required. IMs are often used in a conversational mode, that is, the transfer of messages back and forth is fast enough for participants to maintain an interactive conversation. Typical Instant Messaging (IM) services include the America Online Instant Messaging (AIM) service, etc.

As mentioned above, a service provider typically offers a wide range of services.
Some services may have more utility or desirability for certain types of subscriber devices depending upon various characteristics of the subscriber device. The characteristics may be static characteristics, such as the interfaces offered by the device or the mobility of the device.
For example, voice services may have less utility to a personal computer than Instant Messaging (IM) services because the personal computer is primarily operated using a keyboard interface, typically does not have high quality microphones and is relatively immobile. Instant message services may have less utility or be less desirable for mobile handheld phones than voice services since many smaller phones have limited or difficult key pad entry. Dynamic characteristics that control the relative desirability of different services include the location and environment of use for the device and the time of use of the device.
For example privacy issues may make it less desirable to use a voice service in a crowded location than it would be to use a text-based IM service.
The Communication Service (CS) of the present invention provides the ability to control the manner in which session communications are received by the subscriber. The session communications may include, but are not limited to, PoC communications and IM
communications. For example, the subscriber may choose to receive IM or PoC
communications either as text messages or voice clips. In addition, multiple subscribers may use the service to establish a chat session, with one or more other subscribers, with various subscribers using different interfaces for receiving communications. As a result, each subscriber is no longer bound to the communication interface selected by the sending device, but rather may customize his or her communication experience to best fit his or her needs.
One embodiment of the Communication Service of the present invention is shown embodied as a translation service 20, which may be in this example an IM/PoC
translation service that executes on application server 22 in Figure 1.
By way of example, in Figure 1 an end-user A at laptop device 11 may establish a chat session with an end user B at mobile phone 12. End-user A may desire that all session communications are received as text, while end-user B may desire that session communications are received as voice. Dashed line 25 illustrates a path of a communication from end-user A to end-user B. An IM from A is forwarded into the WAN 16 and intercepted by gateway 24, which forwards the communication to server 22. Server 22 examines a profile associated with end-user B to identify B's preferred interface for receipt of communications.
In the example of Figure 1, assume that B prefers to receive voice communications. The server 22 translates the IM into a PoC voice communication, (for example, using a text to speech converter) destined for device 12, and forwards it out to the gateway 24. Server 18, which controls PoC communications, intercepts the PoC communication, and controls the delivery of the PoC communication to device 12.
Mobile phone 12 may respond to the IM using a PoC communication. The PoC
communication is intercepted by gateway 22. Gateway 22 examines profile information for end-user A, and forwards the communication to the end-user A by translating the PoC
communication into a form for presentation on the interface desired by end-user A. For example, if end-user A prefers text, the translation service 20 performs a speech to text conversion. Alternatively, the translation service 20 may translate the PoC
voice stream into a voice clip which is provided to end-user A.
The translation service 20 may be implemented in a combination of hardware and software. Several representative components of an exemplary translation service 20 are shown in Figure 2. An exemplary PoC/IM translation service may include a subscriber communication profile table 30 which stores, for each subscriber, a subscriber ID 31 a and an interface preference 31b. For cellular subscribers, the subscriber ID 31a may include mobile Electronic Serial Number (ESN), Mobile Identification Number (MIN) or the like. For internet subscribers, the subscriber ID 31 a may be an internet address. The present invention is not limited to any particular form for identifying a subscriber, but rather encompasses any means by which devices coupled to a network may be identified by a service provider.
The interface preference 31b includes one or more fields that indicate a desired interface for receipt of communications by each subscriber to the service.
Although the subscriber communication profile of Figure 2 includes only a subscriber ID and a desired interface, according to one aspect of the invention the subscriber communication profile can take a variety of forms. Several exemplary subscriber communication profile forms are illustrated in Figures 3A-3C. Figure 3A illustrates standard fields of a subscriber communication profile, showing a session ID 40 identifying the communication session and subscriber ID 41 and a desired interface 42 for each subscriber participating in the session.
Although not shown in Figure 3A, the subscriber communication profile may include more granularities. For example, there may be a separate interface for each type of communication received at the subscriber; thus IM text may be presented on using a different interface than PoC voice. In addition, it is appreciated that the desired interface may change as the location or environment of the end-user or device changes. In one embodiment a user may customize the service experience by varying the desired receive interface based on their schedule, where the schedule reflects changes in location, activity, environment or other characteristic. Figure 3B illustrates a subscriber communication profile that includes a receive interface schedule. It is also envisioned that the subscriber communication profile may be further customized, to utilize different interfaces for communication channels having different attributes. For example, it may be desirable to select one interface over another based on the identity of end-users, the security of the exchange, a characteristic of the network, etc.
Figure 3C illustrates a subscriber communication profile that is customized to utilize different receive interfaces for communications having pre-selected attributes. It is appreciated that there are a variety of methods by which subscriber communication profiles may be customized to the particular needs of the end-users or the exchange, and the present invention is not limited to the inclusion of any specific information in the profile.
Referring back to Figure 2, in addition to subscriber communication profile table 30, the translation service 20 includes interface customization logic 26.
Interface customization logic 26 comprises hardware and software, where the hardware may include a processing engine and the software may comprise computer code such as object oriented computer code that resides on a computer readable medium. The interface customization logic may operate in response to control and other signals received when a subscriber registers with the service to maintain the subscriber communication profile table 30. The interface customization logic 26 accesses the subscriber communication profile table 30 during subsequent communications with the subscriber to provide a translation type to a translator 34. A
gateway interface 35 operates to exchange communications between the application server 22 and the gateway 24 (Figure 1). Input buffers 36 are provided to store communications received at the server 22 while output buffers 37 store communications, selectively modified by the translator 34 in response to preference information in the subscriber communication profile, prior to forwarding the communications to the subscribers over the gateway.
The translator 34 includes functionality for translating a text message to a voice message or voice clip, and for translating a voice message to a text message.
Many translation tools for performing both tasks exist in the art and can be used herein. According to one embodiment, the translator may be programmed to recognize common text shorthand slang terms, and to provide the voice equivalents for the shorthand slang terms. For example, a translator, recognizing the shorthand `lol' may insert the words `lots of laughs' into the voice clip. Additional sounds may be inserted in the voice communication to represent textual emoticons, which are typically provided in text messages to convey emotion. Other adaptations to the translator which allow the translator to more closely convey the content and context of the text message are also contemplated herein, and the present invention is not limited merely to the above described examples.
Figure 4 is a flow diagram that illustrates several exemplary steps that may be executed during a process 50 performed by an end-user client which registers with a communication service of the present invention. In one embodiment the service is implemented as a client/server application, with the end-user operating a client portion of the service and the application server 22 hosting the server portion of the service. At step 52 the client connects with the application server, for example by registering with the server or logging in using a pre-defined password.
At step 54, as part of the connection process the end-user forwards end-user specific information to the translation service 20. The end-user specific information may include a subscriber communication profile, a buddy list, etc. It should be noted that the subscriber communication profile and buddy list may alternatively be provided when the subscriber initially registers with the service, or may evolve as the subscriber continues to use the service. For example, the service may include pull down menus or the like which allow the end-user to dynamically customize the subscriber communication profile and associated presentation interface. In addition, the communication service of the present invention may include the ability to monitor characteristics of the end-user device, such as presence, etc., and modify the subscriber communication profile of the end-user in response to dynamic changes in the characteristics of the end-user device.
At step 56, once preliminary information (such as registration information, profile information, buddy lists, etc.) has been exchanged between the client and the server the client device is able to initiate communications using the service, for example using the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).
Figure 5 is a flow diagram illustrating several exemplary steps that may be performed by the communication service of the present invention when receiving communications between users in an active session. At step 62 a communication associated with the service is received at the application server 22, and the communication service extracts the session identifier and subscriber identifier. At step 64, using the session identifier and subscriber identifier, the service retrieves the subscriber communication profile. Using the subscriber communication profile (and potentially other external information, such as time of day or presence information associated with the end-user), the communication service identifies the desired end-user interface for the communication. At step 66 the communication is translated into a form for presentation on the desired end-user interface and at step 68 the communication is forwarded into the network to the end-user.
Accordingly the present invention provides a service that allows end-users, using different communication interfaces and technologies, to communicate using preferred interfaces and technologies. As stated above, although the PoC and IM
communication services and interfaces have been described, the present invention is not limited to these particular services and interfaces, and it is appreciated that the present invention may easily be adapted by one of skill in the art to support PTT, PoC, IM, Voice Chat, MSN
messenger and any equivalents. The service may be adapted to allow features of each of the technologies to be translated into the other technology. For example, existing IM services notify members of a group when one of their buddies comes on line. This feature may be integrated into the communication service of the present invention, for example by pushing an alert, signaled by a ring tone or the like, to an end-user using PoC technology, or alternately alerting an IM
buddy when a mobile device connects to the mobile network. The present invention provides a mechanism for bridging between technologies, services and interfaces, thereby allowing the value added features of each technology, service and interface an to be utilized by communicating services.
Having described various embodiments of the invention, it will be appreciated that many of the above figures are flowchart illustrations of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to an embodiment of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by computer program instructions.
These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.
Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that programs defining the functions of the present invention can be delivered to a computer in many forms;
including, but not limited to: (a) information permanently stored on non-writable storage media (e.g. read only memory devices within a computer such as ROM or CD-ROM disks readable by a computer I/O attachment); (b) information alterably stored on writable storage media (e.g. floppy disks and hard drives); or (c) information conveyed to a computer through communication media for example using baseband signaling or broadband signaling techniques, including carrier wave signaling techniques, such as over computer or telephone networks via a modem While the invention is described through the above exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that modification to and variation of the illustrated embodiments may be made without departing from the inventive concepts herein disclosed. It should be understood that the descriptions are representative only, other functional delineations or additional steps and components can be added by one of skill in the art. Accordingly, the invention should not be viewed as limited except by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of delivering communications to a device coupled to a network includes the steps of:
receiving a communication destined for an end-user associated with the device, the communication being received in an original format associated with a first type of communication service;
accessing a subscriber communication profile associated with the end-user, the subscriber communication profile identifying a desired format for delivery of communications to the device associated with the end-user; and forwarding the communication to the end-user in the desired format

2. The method of claim 1 including the step of translating the communication from the original format into the desired format.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the original format is an Instant Messaging (IM) format, the desired format is a voice format and the step of translating generates voice communications using Instant Messaging (IM) communications.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the original format is voice format, the desired format is Instant Messaging (IM) format, and the step of translating generates instant messages into voice communications.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the voice communications are communicated using a service selected from a group including Push-to-Talk-over-Cellular (PoC), Push to Talk (PTT) and Voice Chat technology.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is destined for a plurality of destination end-users, and wherein each of the plurality of destination end-users has an associated subscriber communication profile identifying a desired format for delivery of communications to the associated end-user and wherein the method includes the steps of:
translating the communication from the original format to each of the desired formats of the plurality of end-users to provide a plurality of translated communications;
and forwarding the plurality of translated communications to respective plurality of end-users.

7. The method according to claim 2 wherein the step of translating includes the step of translating abbreviated expressions into full expressions.

8. The method according to claim 2 wherein original format is text format, the desired format is voice format, the communication includes emoticons and the step of translating includes the step of generating audio clips in response to the emoticons.

9. A device comprising a computer readable medium having service program code stored thereon, the service program code being operable when executed to:
selectively translate interactive communications, received from a first end-user and destined for a second-end user, from a first format associated with the first end-user to a second format indicated as a desired presentation format by the second-end user to enable the first end-user and second end-user to have communications presented to the respective end-user using a preferred communication interface.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein one of the first format and second format is an Instant Messaging (IM) format and another is a voice format.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the voice format is selected from a group including a Push-to-Talk-over-Cellular (PoC) format, a Push to Talk (PTT) format and a Voice Chat format.

12. The device of claim 9 further comprising:
a profile data structure, stored in the computer readable medium and accessible by the service program code, the profile data structure storing, for each end-user in the network, a preferred communication interface schedule.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the preferred communication interface schedule is a temporal schedule.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein the preferred communication interface schedule is a location schedule.

15. The device of claim 9 wherein the service program code is further operable when executed to modify profile a preferred communication interface schedule of an end-user in response to information regarding the end-user.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the information includes presence information associated with the end-user.

17. A device comprising a computer readable medium storing client program code for a service, the client program code operable when executed to indicate, to a server application, a preferred interface for receiving communications associated with the service.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the preferred interface is selected from a group including a textual interface and a voice interface.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the voice interface is associated with one of a Push-to-Talk-over-Cellular (PoC) service, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) service and a Voice Chat service.