JP2010512073A - Method and apparatus for communicating between devices - Google Patents

Abstract

  Communication services are provided. The communication service allows the end user to communicate interactively over the communication channel using individually selected communication interfaces at each of the channel endpoints. The end user selects a receiving interface, which provides the information to the end user in the format that is most desirable for the end user. As a result, the end user is no longer required to select the interface selected by the person who initiated the communication. Communication services allow users of instant messaging (IM) services to seamlessly communicate with voice service users such as push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) services.

Description

  The present invention relates to the technical field of networking, and in particular, to services that enable interactive communication between devices in a network using various communication interfaces on each device.

  Telecommunications service providers offer a variety of communication services that allow subscribers to communicate with each other over a network infrastructure. Such services include instant messaging (IM) services, which allow subscribers to perform text-based communication over the network infrastructure. The instant messaging (IM) service allows subscribers to send text messages to other devices coupled to the network, allowing end users to engage in instant messaging (IM) “chatting” with other end users. enable. The instant messaging service provides many other features such as maintaining a list of buddies (friends), checking the presence or accessibility of buddies, and so on. Text messages are manually entered into the IM service using a universal keyboard or other type of manual interface and received and displayed via a visual interface. Instant messaging (IM) requires some form of manual entry and is not always convenient for end-user communication. For example, if a moving end user while driving is engaged in instant messaging, safety issues may arise and the user may not be able to see the display easily and / or manually for manual input. There is a case that cannot be released.

  Applications such as push-to-talk, voice chat, and push-to-talk overcellular, use a walkie talkie service to allow users to actually “chat” with others. Such a service is “hands free” and allows users who are driving a car or who cannot manually enter or read characters to communicate with others by voice. One of the problems with voice communication is that it lacks the inherent privacy of text communication. In addition, devices such as computer terminals coupled to a network may not include circuitry for voice communication.

  For existing technologies, when an end user contacts other end users in the infrastructure, the originating end user makes a choice among voice, instant messaging (IM) or other communication services. Based on the subjective convenience for a particular communication interface, the originating end user selects a service. In the case of existing technologies, the receiving end user is forced to communicate using the service selected by the calling end user (and the associated service interface), but such selections are May be inconvenient or unsafe for the end user.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a communication service (CS) is provided and allows each connected end user to select text messaging and voice communication individually, so that the communication service (CS) Allow each end user to communicate in a convenient and safest way appropriate to their specific situation. According to one aspect of the invention, a method for sending information to a device coupled to a network includes receiving information addressed to an end user regarding the device. The information is in the original format associated with the first type of communication service. The method includes accessing a subscriber communication profile for the end user, the subscriber communication profile specifying a preferred format for transmitting information to the device for the end user. Information is sent to the end user in the desired format specified in the subscriber communication profile.

  According to another aspect of the invention, an apparatus having a computer-readable medium is provided. The apparatus includes service program code stored in the apparatus, and the service program code, when executed, receives information received from the first end user and addressed to the second end user as a first information related to the first end user. Functions to convert from the format to the second format specified as the preferred presentation format for the second end user, so that each of the first end user and the second end user can communicate using the preferred communication interface To do.

  Such a configuration makes it possible for two communicating end users to utilize a preferred communication interface for each of them when engaged in interactive communication. For example, in the case of an example of communication supported by the service of the present invention, when two or more end users engage in "chat", one end user communicates using an instant messaging (IM) service with a universal keyboard, The other end user can communicate by voice. The service according to the present invention performs the conversion before sending information to each end user so that each end user can communicate in the preferred form.

  The above and other advantages of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a network in which a service according to the present invention is advantageously used. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating some example components used in the service of the present invention. The figure which shows the example of a subscriber communication profile regarding a subscriber used by the service of this invention. The figure which shows the example of a subscriber communication profile regarding a subscriber used by the service of this invention. The figure which shows the example of a subscriber communication profile regarding a subscriber used by the service of this invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of steps for a client to execute and register a profile as shown in FIGS. 3A-3C with the service of the present invention. The functional flowchart which shows the example of a step performed by the service of this invention.

  In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a communication service is provided that allows end users to communicate interactively over a communication channel using various communication interfaces at each of the channel endpoints. To. In one form, each end user selects a receiving interface, which presents the information to the end user in a format that is most desirable for that end user. For example, a first driving end user who has limited functionality for reading and manually entering characters may wish to receive voice messages and send voice information. A second end user communicating with the first end user may seek privacy and therefore choose to send and receive text information.

  In another form, the format for presenting information at the endpoint of the communication channel may be controlled by the communication service using the presentation information about the end user. For example, if the user is in a place where voice communication is prohibited, such as a hospital, a movie theater, etc., the communication service may ensure that information is transferred in text instead of voice. The presentation information may be provided by the end user or may be obtained using information provided by the network itself in a manner known to those skilled in the art. Alternatively, the end user may control the selection of the communication interface by providing geographic information or a temporal (temporary) schedule to the service and control the format in which the information is presented to the end user. The communication service may support one-to-one communication and one-to-many communication, and each endpoint has a function of controlling its display format.

  FIG. 1 shows a network 10, which includes an application server that supports a communication service (CS) according to the present invention. Although the network 10 is shown to include a combination of a mobile network infrastructure 14 and a wide area network (WAN) infrastructure 16 (e.g., the Internet), it is essential that both network types exist for the operation of the present invention. Note that it is not.

  Mobile network 14 includes hardware and software that supports cellular communications, including base stations and mobile telephone switching offices (MTSO), such as MTSO, which uses any known cellular communications protocol using analog or digital radio frequency signals. Is used to transfer cellular information to a mobile device such as the telephone 12. The wide area network (WAN) 16 is a network in which computer devices and networks are connected to each other, and the devices and the like transmit data by a packet switching method using a standard Internet protocol (IP). IP networks carry a variety of information and services, such as voice over IP (in addition to propagating email, online chat, transfer files, interconnected web pages, other World Wide Web documents, etc. VoIP) service is also supported. VoIP is commonly referred to as IP phone, Internet phone, broadband phone, broadband phone, and voice over broadband, etc. VoIP routes voice over the Internet or other Internet-based networks. is there. FIG. 1 shows a laptop device 11, which is suitable for communicating with other devices coupled to the WAN 16 using the IP protocol.

  The network 10 of FIG. 1 also includes a gateway 24 coupled to the mobile and WAN interfaces. In one embodiment, the gateway is a service provider gateway that directs communication between the mobile and WAN network infrastructure. The service provider gateway is illustrated as being also coupled to application servers 18 and 22. Service providers typically maintain various application servers and control the provision of various services to subscribers. The gateway 24 directs information received from the mobile and WAN networks to the application server to support a group of subscriber services.

  The most common service provided by service providers in mobile networks is voice service. Voice services include normal cellular voice services and voice over internet protocol services. Typical mobile telephone networks and devices use full-duplex communication and allow customers to call and talk to and listen to others at the same time on a mobile or landline network. A connection in a cellular communications network is initiated by dialing a telephone number and the other party answering the call, and until either party hangs up or is due to a signal loss or network outage The connection remains active until the connection is disconnected. Such a system does not allow sudden transmission to a network partner without first dialing up. Full-duplex processing in a mobile telephone network is made possible by using separate frequencies for transmission and reception.

  Mobile push-to-talk (PTT) provided by a carrier allows individual half-duplex communication with the other party of the system without requiring a connection to be set up in advance. . Since this system is half-duplex, only one communication frequency is used, so only one user can send at a time with PTT, until the sending user releases the connection by releasing the PTT button, The other party cannot send. In essence, the PTT service is similar to the Walkie Talkie service.

  Based on 2.5G or 3G packet-switched networks, PTT formats using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and / or Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) are called Push-to-Talk-over-Cellular (PoC). ). The PoC architecture is described in Non-Patent Document 1 below, and the description is incorporated in the reference of the present application. In essence, the PoC service allows a mobile user to set up a walkie talkie-style voice communication on a shared frequency with one or more mobile users. Other walkie-talkie-like services include a voice chat service. Voice chat is the latest form of communication used on the Internet. The means for communicating the voice chat may be by any messenger such as Yahoo (registered trademark), AOL (registered trademark) or MSN Messenger (registered trademark). Voice chat greatly improves telecommunications and allows two people on the other side of the globe to talk for free.

  It should be noted that although the present embodiment uses PoC and IM as examples of services to be integrated when using the present invention, the present invention is not limited to using PoC and IM services. Advantageously, it is anticipated that the present invention may be used to provide an interface between any two types of communication services, such as PTT, voice chat, IM, PoC, MSN messenger, etc. However, it is not limited to these. Thus, the use of certain terms (such as PoC to IM etc.) should be understood to be only an example, and those skilled in the art will substitute other services for specific designs instead be able to.

  FIG. 1 shows an application server 18 having a function, which is described in the Open Mobile Alliance PoC architecture document for supporting PoC communication.

  Another common service provided by service providers is the instant messaging (IM) service. Instant messaging (IM) relates to transmitting messages between users in near real time. Note that these messages are usually short but are not required to be concise. IM is often used in conversation mode, i.e., the transmission of messages back and forth is fast enough to make an interactive conversation for the parties. Common instant messaging (IM) services include the America Online Instant Messaging (AIM) service and the like.

  As mentioned above, service providers typically provide wide area services. Depending on various features of the subscriber device, certain services may be more practical or desirable for certain types of subscriber devices. Such a feature may be a static feature such as an interface provided by the device or the mobility of the device. For example, voice services are less practical than personal messaging (IM) services for personal computers. This is because personal computers are mainly operated using a keyboard interface and generally do not have a high-performance microphone and are relatively difficult to move. Instant messaging services may be less practical or desirable for mobile phones than voice services. This is because many small telephones have only a limited keypad input function or are difficult to input. Dynamic features that control the relative demands of various services include the location and environment in which the device is used, the device usage time, and the like. For example, in the case of matters related to privacy, it is not desirable to use a voice service in a crowded place, and it is preferable to use a character-based IM service.

  The communication service (CS) according to the present invention provides a function for controlling how a subscriber receives session communication. Session communication includes, but is not limited to, PoC communication and IM communication. For example, the subscriber may choose to receive IM or PoC information such as text messages and voice chips. In addition, multiple subscribers may use the service to establish a chat session with one or more subscribers, and different subscribers may use different interfaces to receive information. As a result, each subscriber is no longer tied to the communication interface selected at the sending device, but rather customizes his or her communication to best suit his or her needs. An example of the communication service of the present invention is shown to be incorporated as a conversion service 20, which in this case is an IM / PoC conversion service, which runs on the application server 22 in FIG.

  As an example, in the case of FIG. 1, the end user A in the laptop device 11 sets up a chat session with the end user B of the mobile telephone 12. End user A wants to receive all session information as text, but end user B wants session information to be received as speech. A broken line 25 indicates a communication path from the end user A to the end user B. IM from A is forwarded to WAN 16 and captured at gateway 24, which forwards the signal to server 22. The server 22 examines the profile (information) related to the end user B and determines the interface that B prefers when receiving the information. In the example of FIG. 1, it is assumed that B prefers to receive audio information. The server 22 converts the IM into PoC voice information destined for the device 12 (eg, using a converter that converts characters into conversation) and sends it to the gateway 24. The server 18 that controls the PoC communication captures the PoC information and controls the transmission of the PoC information to the device 12.

  The mobile phone 12 may respond to the IM using PoC communication. The PoC information is captured by the gateway 24. Gateway 24 examines end user A's profile information and converts the PoC information into a format for presentation on the interface preferred by end user A, so that gateway 24 forwards the information to end user A. . For example, if the end user A likes text, the conversion service 20 performs a voice-to-text conversion. Further, the conversion service 20 may convert the PoC audio stream into an audio chip to be provided to the end user A.

  The conversion service 20 may be realized by a combination of hardware and software. In FIG. 2, some representative components used in one example of a conversion service 20 are shown. An example PoC / IM conversion service includes a subscriber communication profile table 30, which stores a subscriber ID 31a and an interface preference 31b for each subscriber. For cellular subscribers, the subscriber ID 31a may include a mobile electronic serial number (ESN), a mobile identification number (MIN), etc. In the case of an Internet subscriber, the subscriber ID 31a may be an Internet address. The present invention is not limited to any specific form of identifying a subscriber, and the present invention encompasses any means by which a service provider identifies a device coupled to a network.

  Interface preference 31b includes one or more fields, which indicate the desired interface for each subscriber to receive service information. Although the subscriber communication profile of FIG. 2 includes only the subscriber ID and the desired interface, according to one aspect of the invention, the subscriber communication profile may take a variety of forms. Some example subscriber communication profiles are shown in FIGS. 3A-3C. FIG. 3A shows the standard fields of a subscriber communication profile, showing a session ID 40, a subscriber ID 41 and a desired interface 42 that identify the communication session for the subscribers participating in the session. Although not shown in FIG. 3A, the subscriber communication profile may be more precisely configured. For example, a different interface may be defined for each information type received at the subscriber, and IM text may be displayed using an interface different from PoC voice. Further, the preferred interface may be different if the end user's location, environment or device changes. In one embodiment, the user may customize the way they receive services by changing their preferred receiving interface based on the user's schedule, which reflects changes in location, activity, environment or other attributes. To do. FIG. 3B shows a subscriber communication profile that includes a schedule for the receiving interface. It is anticipated that the subscriber communication profile may be further customized to use different interfaces for different attribute communication channels. For example, it is preferable to select a certain interface instead of another based on the end user's identity (identifier), information exchange security, network attributes, and the like. FIG. 3C shows a subscriber communication profile customized to use different receiving interfaces for preselected attribute communication information. It will be appreciated that there are various ways to customize a subscriber communication profile depending on the end user and the specific needs of the information exchange. Thus, the present invention is not limited to including any specific information in the profile.

  Referring back to FIG. 2, in addition to the subscriber communication profile table 30, the conversion service 20 includes interface customization logic (logic device) 26. The interface customization logic 26 includes hardware and software, which includes a processing engine, and the software includes computer code such as object-oriented computer code residing in a computer-readable medium. When a subscriber registers for service to maintain the subscriber communication profile table 30, the interface customization logic operates in response to control signals and other received signals. The interface customization logic 26 accesses the subscriber communication profile table 30 during subsequent communication with the subscriber and notifies the converter 34 of the conversion format. The gateway interface 35 operates to exchange information between the application server 22 and the gateway 24 (FIG. 1). The input buffer 36 stores the information received by the server 22, and the output buffer 37 stores the information modified by the converter 34, which modification is performed before the information is transferred to the subscriber via the gateway. This is made according to the preference information according to the person communication profile.

  The converter 34 has a function of converting a text message into a voice message or a voice clip, or converting a voice message into a text message. Many conversion tools exist in the art that perform both of these tasks and can be used here. According to one embodiment, the converter may be programmed to recognize a general shorthand slang term and generate a speech equivalent to the short slang term. For example, the conversion unit that recognizes the simple “lol” inserts the word “lots of laughs” into the audio clip. Additional voice may be inserted into the voice information to represent emotional icons (emoticons), and emotion icons are typically used in text messages to represent emotions. Other examples applied to the conversion unit so that the conversion unit more accurately conveys the content and status of the text message are also envisaged, and the present invention is not limited to the above specific examples.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating some exemplary steps that are performed in a process 50 performed by an end user client, thereby registering with a communication service according to the present invention. In one embodiment, the service is run as a client / server application, the end user runs the client portion of the service, and the application server 22 hosts the server portion of the service. In step 52, the client connects to the application server by registering with the server or logging in using a predetermined password.

  In step 54, as part of the connection process, the end user sends end user specific information to the conversion service 20. End user specific information may include subscriber communication profiles, buddy lists, and the like. Alternatively, it is noted that the subscriber communication profile and buddy list may be provided when the subscriber first registers for the service, or may be provided if the subscriber continues to use the service. Should. For example, the service may include a pull-down menu or the like, allowing the end user to dynamically customize the subscriber communication profile and associated presentation interface. Furthermore, the communication service according to the present invention monitors the state of the end user device such as presence or absence, and modifies (updates) the end user subscriber communication profile in response to the dynamic change of the end user device state. ) May be included.

  In step 56, when preliminary information (e.g., registration information, profile information, buddy list, etc.) is exchanged between the client and server, the client device communicates with the server using, for example, a session initiation protocol (SIP). Can start.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating some example steps, and is executed by the communication service of the present invention when information is received between users during an active session. In step 62, information about the service is received at the application server 22, and the communication service extracts a session identifier and a subscriber identifier. In step 64, using the session identifier and subscriber identifier, the service retrieves the subscriber communication profile. Using the subscriber communication profile (and possibly other external information such as date and time, end user presence / absence information, etc.), the communication service identifies the desired end user interface for that information. In step 66, the information is converted into a form for presentation at the desired end user interface, and in step 68, the information is transferred to the end user over the network.

  Thus, the present invention provides a service that allows end users to communicate with preferred interfaces and technologies using different communication interfaces and technologies. As described above, PoC and IM communication services and interfaces have been described, but the present invention is not limited to these specific services and interfaces, and those skilled in the art will recognize PTT, PoC, IM, voice chat, MSN messenger and It will be appreciated that the present invention can be readily adapted to support other equivalents. The service allows the features of each technology to be converted to other technologies. For example, an existing IM service notifies group members when someone in their buddy comes. This function may be integrated into the communication service of the present invention, and may be performed, for example, by prompting an alarm to the end user using the PoC technology and notifying by a ringing tone or the like, or This may be done by prompting the IM buddy to alert when the mobile device is connected to the mobile network. The present invention provides a mechanism for bridging between technologies, services, and interfaces, thereby enabling high-value-added functions related to technologies, services, and interfaces to be used in communication services.

  While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it will be understood that many of the above figures relate to method flowcharts, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the present invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions are loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing device to generate a machine, and the instructions operating on the computer and other programmable data processing devices are a block of a flowchart or a plurality of Provide a means (machine) to realize the function specified in the block. These computer program instructions are stored in a computer readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular way and is computer readable. The instructions stored in the memory provide a product that includes the instruction means, which performs the function specified in the block or blocks of the flowchart. Computer program instructions are loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing device, causing a series of processing steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable data processing device, creating a computer-executed process, Or instructions that operate on other programmable data processing devices result in the execution of the block or blocks of the flowchart.

  It should be well understood by those skilled in the art that the program for defining the functions according to the present invention is given to the computer in many forms, and the form is (a) permanently stored in a non-rewritable storage medium. Information (such media is a read-only memory device in a computer such as a ROM or CD-ROM disk that can be read by a computer I / O attachment), (b) can be changed to a rewritable storage medium (E.g., floppy disks and hard drives), or (c) broadband signaling technologies including baseband signaling and carrier signaling, for example, Including information given to the computer via the communication medium by the telephone network via It is not limited to these.

  Although the present invention has been described through the above embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications and changes to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the disclosed inventive concept. I will. It will be appreciated that the description is exemplary only and that other functional representations, additional steps and components can be added by those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the invention should not be limited except as by the appended claims.

OMA-AD PoC-v1 0-2006060, Open Mobile Alliance, “Push to talk over Cellular Architecture”

Claims (19)

A method for sending information to a device coupled to a network comprising:
Receiving information addressed to an end user of the device in an original format by a first type communication service;
Accessing a subscriber communication profile for the end user, the subscriber communication profile specifying a preferred format for sending information to the device of the end user;
Sending the information to the end user in the preferred format.   The method of claim 1, comprising converting the original format to the preferred format.   3. The method of claim 2, wherein the original format is an instant messaging (IM) format, the preferred format is an audio format, and the converting step generates audio information using instant messaging (IM) communication.   3. The method of claim 2, wherein the original format is an audio format, the preferred format is an instant messaging (IM) format, and the converting step converts an instance message into audio information.   5. The method of claim 4, wherein the voice information is communicated using a service selected from the group comprising push to talk over cellular (PoC), push to talk (PTT) and voice chat technology. The information is addressed to a plurality of destination end users, each of the plurality of destination end users having an associated subscriber communication profile, the subscriber communication profile being a preferred format for sending information to the associated end user And the method
Converting the information from the original format into a preferred format for each of the plurality of end users to obtain a plurality of converted information;
The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of sending the plurality of converted information to each of a plurality of end users.   3. The method of claim 2, wherein the converting step includes converting the omitted representation to a full representation.   The original format is a text format, the preferred format is an audio format, the information includes an emotion icon, and the converting step includes generating an audio clip in response to the emotion icon. The method described. An apparatus having a computer readable medium containing service program code, wherein when executed, the service program code is:
Selective interactive information received from the first end user and addressed to the second end user from the first format for the first end user to the second format designated as the preferred presentation format for the second end user And enabling the first end user and the second end user to provide information to the end user using their preferred communication interface.   10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein one of the first format and the second format is an instant messaging (IM) service and the other is an audio format.   11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the audio format is selected from the group comprising a push to talk over cellular (PoC) format, a push to talk (PTT) format, and a voice chat format. A profile data structure stored on the computer readable medium and accessible by the service program code;
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the profile data structure stores a preferred communication interface schedule for each end user in the network.   13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the preferred communication interface schedule is a temporal schedule.   13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the preferred communication interface schedule is a location schedule.   10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the service program code, when executed, modifies a schedule of a preferred communication interface of the end user according to information about the end user.   16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the information regarding the end user includes information on the presence or absence of the end user.   An apparatus having a computer readable medium for storing client program code related to a service, wherein the client program code, when executed, specifies a preferred interface for receiving service information to a service application. ,apparatus.   18. The device of claim 17, wherein the preferred interface is selected from the group comprising a text interface and a voice interface.   19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the voice interface is associated with any of a push to talk over cellular (PoC) service, a push to talk (PTT) service, and a voice chat service.

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