Electronic conferencing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022247730-A1
Application number	US-202117485260-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 24, 2021
Priority date	Jan 29, 2021
Publication date	Aug 4, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

Aspects of the subject technology provide for secure, privacy-preserving access to electronic conferencing. In one or more implementations, a device may obtain a link that corresponds to a call with a second device, encrypt a request to join the call using a key obtained using the link, and send the encrypted request to a server for delivery to the second device. The link may also include information used to identify an alias for an account associated with the second device. The device may send the encrypted request to the server with the alias. The device may receive an encrypted response to the request from the server, obtain an identifier of the call from the encrypted response, and then receive an invitation to join the call associated with the identifier.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
by a first device:
obtaining a link that corresponds to a call with a second device;
obtaining code from a server at a domain obtained from the link; and
executing the code to:
encrypt a request to join the call using a key obtained using the link; and
send the encrypted request to the server for delivery to the second device.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the link comprises a uniform resource locator (URL).

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the request to join the call comprises a request to join an ongoing call that is in progress.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein sending the encrypted request to the server for delivery to the second device comprises sending the encrypted request to the server with an alias for an account associated with the second device, wherein information used to identify the alias is included in the link.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the link and the request do not include (1) identifying information of current participants in the call and (2) keys for decrypting communication within the call.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the request includes information used to identify a public key for the first device.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
by the first device:
receiving an encrypted response to the request from the server;
decrypting the encrypted response using a private key corresponding to the public key for the first device and using the key obtained using the link; and
obtaining an identifier of the call from the decrypted response.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
by the first device:
receiving, using the obtained code, an invitation to join a call associated with the identifier;
receiving an input to an input component indicating acceptance of the invitation; and
joining the call based on receiving the input.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the encrypted response is received via the server from the second device.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the encrypted response includes an approval provided by a third device that is a participant in the call and has been encrypted by the first device or a fourth device that is associated with an account associated with the first device.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, by the first device:
obtaining, using the obtained code, a temporary identifier for the first device from the server; and providing the temporary identifier to the server with the encrypted request.

12 . A device, comprising:
a memory; and one or more processors configured to:
obtain a link that corresponds to a call with a second device;
obtain code from a server at a domain obtained from the link; and
execute the code to:
encrypt a request to join the call using a key obtained using the link; and
send the encrypted request to the server for delivery to the second device.

13 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the link comprises a uniform resource locator (URL).

14 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to send the encrypted request to the server for delivery to the second device by sending the encrypted request to the server with an alias for an account associated with the second device, wherein information used to identify the alias is included in the link.

15 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the link and the request do not include (1) identifying information of current participants in the call and (2) keys for decrypting communication within the call.

16 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the request includes information used to identify a public key for the device.

17 . The device of claim 16 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
receive an encrypted response to the request from the server; decrypt the encrypted response using a private key corresponding to the public key for the device and using the key obtained using the link; and obtain an identifier of the call from the decrypted response.

18 . The device of claim 17 wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
receive, using the obtained code, an invitation to join a call associated with the identifier;
receive an input to an input component indicating acceptance of the invitation; and
join the call based on receiving the input.

19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
by a first device:
obtaining a link that corresponds to a call with a second device;
obtaining code from a server at a domain obtained from the link; and
executing the code to:
encrypt a request to join the call using a key obtained using the link; and
send the encrypted request to the server for delivery to the second device.

20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the request includes information used to identify a public key for the first device, and wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving an encrypted response to the request from the server; decrypting the encrypted response using a private key corresponding to the public key for the first device and using the key obtained using the link; obtaining an identifier of the call from the decrypted response; receiving, using the obtained code, an invitation to join a call associated with the identifier; receiving an input to an input component indicating acceptance of the invitation; and joining the call based on receiving the input.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Circosta Nicholas J
• Pollack Daniel B
• Etzine Justin R
• Leduc Nelson M
• Jacobs Frederic

Classifications

• 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

• H04L65/1093

  by adding participants; by removing participants · CPC title

• H04L12/1818

  Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties · CPC title

• H04L51/52

  for supporting social networking services · CPC title

• H04L12/1822

  Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission · CPC title