Method and system for moving phone call participation between carrier and data networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10097694-B1
Application number	US-201314140953-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 26, 2013
Priority date	Sep 27, 2013
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

A system and method for providing a communication session is provided. The system and method include a client device in communication with a plurality of communication networks. The system and method further includes a server also in communication with the plurality of communication networks. The client device includes a network monitor module and a dialer module. The network monitor module determines which networks to utilize in the communication session, and the dialer module initiates and terminates the communication session. The server receives a data signal associated with the communication session from the selected communication network. The server places a separate call to the recipient client device and completes the connection from the client device to the recipient client device by sending the data signal over the phone call to the recipient client device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A server configured to conduct a communication session and configured to coordinate the signaling of the communication session, the server comprising:
at least one processor;
a network interface configured to communicatively couple the server to a plurality of communication networks including at least one carrier network and at least one data network; and
a media mixing module running a media mixing service on the server configured as a central service that coordinates a signaling path between a plurality of client devices, the coordination of the signaling path includes:
receiving, by the server, a first individual phone call and a second individual phone call from an individual client device of the plurality of client devices, wherein the first individual phone call is received over either one of the at least one carrier network or the at least one data network, and the second individual phone call is received over the other of the at least one carrier network or the at least one data network;
placing, by the server, a third individual phone call to another individual client device of the plurality of client devices identified in the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call;
joining, by the server, each of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call with the third individual phone call to form a communication session sharing data between the individual client device and the another individual client device of the plurality of client devices;
after joining each of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call with the third individual phone call, monitoring, by the server, whether each of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call has an active connection, and monitoring, by the server, whether the third individual phone call has an active connection; and
maintaining, by the server, the communication session sharing data between the individual client device and the another individual client device based on the monitoring of the active connection of each of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call, and based on the monitoring of the active connection of the third individual phone call.

2. The server of claim 1 , wherein the coordination of the signaling path by the media mixing service implements an outbound phone call interception technique, the outbound interception technique comprises:
receiving a message from an initiating client device at the media mixing module of the server, the message containing a phone number of the initiating client device and a phone number of a remote client device;
returning a shadow phone number to the initiating client device, the shadow number is configured to call the media mixing module of the server;
receiving a first phone call from the initiating client device at the media mixing module of the server over the shadow number;
placing a second phone call to the remote client device from the media mixing module of the server over the phone number of the remote client device; and
joining the first phone call and the second phone call.

3. The server of claim 1 , wherein the coordination of the signaling path by the media mixing service implements an inbound phone call interception technique, the inbound interception technique comprises:
receiving a first phone call from an initiating client device over a service phone number assigned to a recipient client device, the service phone number is configured to connect directly to the media mixing module of the server;
placing a second phone call to the remote client device from the media mixing module of the server; and
joining the first phone call and the second phone call.

4. The server of claim 3 , wherein placing the second phone call to the remote client device from the media mixing module of the server comprises placing the second phone call to more than one client device associated with the recipient client device.

5. The server of claim 1 , wherein the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call to the media mixing service each comprises at least one of audio data and video data and the media mixing service shares the at least one of audio data and video data among each of the individual client device and the another individual client device of the plurality of client devices involved in the communication session.

6. The server of claim 1 , wherein the server further comprises a media session data joining module running a data joining service and wherein when one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call is terminated over the at least one data network,
the data joining service moves the other one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call that is over the at least one carrier network to the at least one data network by sending a message containing an identifier of the communication session to the individual client device, the identifier enables the individual client device to join the communication session over the at least one data network.

7. The server of claim 1 , wherein the server further comprises a media session data joining module running a data joining service and wherein when one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call is terminated over the at least one data network,
the data joining service provides an Application Protocol Interface (API) configured to provide an identifier to the other one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call that is over the at least one carrier network upon request from the individual client device, the identifier enables the individual client device to join the communication session over the at least one data network.

8. The server of claim 1 , wherein the server further comprises a connection number module running a connection service and wherein when one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call is terminated over the at least one carrier network,
the connection service moves the other one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call that is over the at least one data network to the at least one carrier network by sending a message containing an identifier of the communication session to the individual client device, the identifier enables the individual client device to join the communication session over the at least one carrier network.

9. The server of claim 8 , wherein the identifier is a connection number, the connection number directs the individual client device to the communication session.

10. The server of claim 1 , wherein the server further comprises connection number module running a connection service and wherein when one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call is terminated over the at least one carrier network,
the connection service moves the other one of the first individual phone call and the second individual phone call that is over the at least one data network to the at least one carrier network by providing a previously known phone number to the individual client device, the previously known phone number directs phone calls to the communication session coordinated by the media mixing service over the at least one carrier network.

11. The server of claim 1 , wherein the media mixing module receives a phone call from the individual client device of the plurality of client devices over a phone number previously stored at the individual client device, the phone number is configured to directly call the media mixing module, and based on identification informa

Assignees

• Google Inc
• Google Llc

Inventors

• Salisbury Dylan
• Reilly Matthew
• Jawad Anthony

Classifications

• H04L65/1069 Primary

  Session establishment or de-establishment · CPC title

• H04L65/4015

  where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference · CPC title

• H04M3/567 Primary

  Multimedia conference systems · CPC title

• H04L65/80

  Responding to QoS · CPC title

• H04L65/61

  for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio · CPC title