Techniques for media call multiway relay escalation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11070677-B1
Application number	US-201816197104-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 20, 2018
Priority date	Nov 20, 2018
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

Techniques to signal escalation of a peer-to-peer two-party media call to a multiway media call are described. An apparatus may comprise a communication client operative on caller and callee client devices. The communication client may comprise a user interface component to allow users of the device to initiate and take part in one-to-one and multiway calls; a network component operative to handle network communications between messaging servers and other client devices; a peer-to-peer media call component operative to perform peer-to-peer one-on-one media calls between client devices; a multiway media call component operative to join a multiway call at a multiway media relay system; and a media call management component operative to initiate the peer-to-peer media call, to detect a multiway media call escalation event and to transition the peer-to-peer media call to a multiway call session. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
initiating, by a first client device, a peer-to-peer two-party media call with a second client device by sending a peer-to-peer two-party call request to a messaging server, wherein the peer-to-peer two-party call request is sent by the messaging server to the second client device and includes a multiway call identifier for connecting the first client device, the second client device, and a third client device to a multiway media call session by a multiway server;
performing the peer-to-peer two-party media call with the second client device;
detecting a multiway media call escalation event at the first client device;
initiating, by the first client device, the multiway media call session by sending a multiway join request to the multiway server, wherein a first escalation signal is sent by the multiway server to the second client device and includes the multiway call identifier;
joining the multiway media call session; and
transitioning the first client device from the peer-to-peer two-party media call to the multiway media call session.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multiway join request includes at least an indicator for identifying the third client device and an identifier for identifying the second client device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second client device receives the first escalation signal and verifies that the multiway call identifier included in the first escalation signal matches the ongoing peer-to-peer two-party media call in which the second client device is engaged.

4. The method of claim 1 , the multiway media call escalation event comprising a user addition control selection on the first client device, the method further comprising:
sending a multiway media call invitation to the third client device in response to the user addition control selection.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
determining a second escalation signal is received at the first client device from the multiway server subsequent to the detecting of the user addition control selection on the first client device, the second escalation signal indicating a request by the second client device to escalate the peer-to-peer two-party call to the multiway media call session; and
discarding the second escalation signal based on the determining.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
receiving, at the first client device, an indication that the second client device is capable of joining the multiway media call session while initiating the peer-to-peer two-party media call; and
displaying a user addition control in association with a media call interface on the first client device in response to receiving the indication at the first client device, the user addition control selection received in association with the user addition control.

7. An apparatus, comprising:
a memory; and
at least one processor, coupled with the memory, to execute stored instructions to:
initiate a peer-to-peer two-party media call with a second client device by sending a peer-to-peer two-party call request to a messaging server, wherein the peer-to-peer two-party call request is sent by the messaging server to the second client device and includes a multiway call identifier for connecting the first client device, the second client device, and a third client device to a multiway media call session by a multiway server;
perform the peer-to-peer two-party media call with the second client device;
detect a multiway media call escalation event;
initiate the multiway media call session by sending a multiway join request to the multiway server, wherein a first escalation signal is sent by the multiway server to the second client device and includes the multiway call identifier;
join the multiway media call session; and
transition from the peer-to-peer two-party media call to the multiway media call session.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the apparatus is a first client device, wherein the multiway media call escalation event comprising a user addition control selection wherein the at least one processor is caused to:
send a multiway media call invitation to the third client device in response to the user addition control selection.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further caused to:
determine that a second escalation signal is received from the multiway server subsequent to the detecting of the user addition control selection on the first client device, the second escalation signal indicating a request by the second client device to escalate the peer-to-peer two-party call to the multiway media call session; and
discarding the second escalation signal based on the determination.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving, at the first client device, an indication that the second client device is capable of joining the multiway media call session while initiating the peer-to-peer two-party media call; and
displaying a user addition control in association with a media call interface on the first client device in response to receiving the indication at the first client device, the user addition control selection received in association with the user addition control.

11. At least non-transitory one computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:
initiate, by a first client device, a peer-to-peer two-party media call with a second client device by sending a peer-to-peer two-party call request to a messaging server, wherein the peer-to-peer two-party call request is sent by the messaging server to the second client device and includes a multiway call identifier for connecting the first client device, the second client device, and a third client device to a multiway media call session by a multiway server;
perform the peer-to-peer two-party media call with the second client device;
detect a multiway media call escalation event at the first client device;
initiate, by the first client device, the multiway media call session by sending a multiway join request to the multiway server, wherein a first escalation signal is sent by the multiway server to the second client device and includes the multiway call identifier;
join the multiway media call session; and
transition the first client device from the peer-to-peer two-party media call to the multiway media call session.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , the multiway media call escalation event comprising a user addition control selection on the first client device, comprising further instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:
send a multiway media call invitation to a third client device in response to the user addition control selection.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , comprising further instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:
receive, at the first client device, an indication that the second client device is capable of joining the multiway media call session while initiating the peer-to-peer two-party media call; and
display a user addition control in association with a media call interface on the first client device in response to receiving the indication at the first client device, the user addition control selection received in association with the user addition control.

Assignees

• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Pickett Cameron James
• Mercredi Dwayne B
• Wong David Kawai

Classifications

• H04N7/15

  Conference systems · CPC title

• H04N7/147

  Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals (selecting H04Q) · CPC title

• H04M7/0024 Primary

  Services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services (arrangements which combine a telephonic equipment and a computer H04M7/0012) · CPC title

• H04M3/56

  Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities (video conference systems H04N7/15) · CPC title

• H04L65/403

  Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15) · CPC title