Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO MANAGE VIDEO CHAT CONTACTS
TECHNICAL FIELD:
[0001] The following relates generally to managing video chat contacts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0002] Many electronic devices, including mobile devices, include a camera
used to capture the face of the user of the device. The camera enables the
devices to be used to extend the mobile chatting experience to include real-
time
video. For example, a first mobile device can initiate a video chatting
session with
a second mobile device. The face of a first user is captured by camera of the
first
device and broadcasted in real-time to the display screen of the second mobile
device. Similarly, the face of a second user is captured by the camera of the
second device and broadcasted in real-time to the display screen of the first
mobile device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] Example embodiments will now be described by way of example only
with reference to the appended drawings wherein:
[0004] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a video
chat system.
100051 Figure 2 is a plan view of an example embodiment mobile device.
[0006] Figure 3 is a plan view of another example embodiment mobile
device.
[0007] Figure 4 is a plan view of another example embodiment mobile
device.
[0008] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an example embodiment mobile device.
[0009] Figure 6 is a screen shot of a home screen displayed by a mobile
device, according to an example embodiment.
[0010] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating example embodiments of the
other software applications and components shown in Figure 5.
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[0011] Figure 8 is a screen shot of an address book application of a first
mobile device, according to an example embodiment.
[0012] Figure 9 is the email address and video chat address portions of the
address book application of Figure 8.
[0013] Figure 10 is the email address and video chat address portions of
Figure 9, wherein the video chat address field is automatically populated,
according to an example embodiment.
[0014] Figure 11 is the email address and video chat address portions of
Figure 9, wherein the video chat address field is entered by a user, according
to
an example embodiment.
[0015] Figure 12 is a screen shot of an example embodiment of a graphical
layout for displaying a contact of a second mobile device.
[0016] Figure 13 is a screen shot of another example embodiment of a
graphical layout for displaying a contact of a second mobile device.
[0017] Figure 14A is a screen shot of an address book application of the
first
mobile device, wherein all contacts are shown, according to another example
embodiment.
[0018] Figure 14B is a screen shot of an address book application of the
first
mobile device, wherein only video contacts are shown, according to an example
embodiment.
[0019] Figure 15 is a flow diagram of computer executable or processor
implemented instructions for determining if a first mobile device is
discoverable
for video chat, according to an example embodiment.
[0020] Figure 16 is a graphical user interface of an End-User License
Agreement, according to an example embodiment.
[0021] Figure 17 is a flow diagram of computer executable or processor
implemented instructions for determining if a first mobile device is no longer
discoverable for video chat, according to an example embodiment.
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[0022] Figure 18 is a flow diagram of computer executable or processor
implemented instructions for determining if a second mobile device is
discoverable for video chat, according to an example embodiment.
[0023] Figure 19 is a flow diagram of computer executable or processor
implemented instructions for determining if a second mobile device is
available
for video chat, according to an example embodiment.
[0024] Figure 20 is a screen shot of an example embodiment of a message
application of a first mobile device.
[0025] Figure 21 is a screen shot of an example embodiment of a message
pop-up window of the message application of Figure 20.
[0026] Figure 22 is a flow diagram of computer executable or processor
implemented instructions for promoting mass adoption of a video chat service,
according to an example embodiment.
[0027] Figure 23 is a screen shot of an address book application of a first
mobile device, according to another example embodiment.
[0028] Figure 24 is a screen shot of a message prompt window of the
address book application of Figure 23, according to an example embodiment.
[0029] Figure 25 is a flow diagram of computer executable or processor
implemented instructions for determining if a plurality of mobile devices is
discoverable for video chat, according to an example embodiment.
[0030] Figure 26 illustrates a system and method for automatically updating
an address book with video chat contacts, according to an example embodiment.
[0031] Figure 27 is a block diagram of a video chat system according to
another example embodiment.
[0032] Figure 28 is an illustration of the relationship between the
definitions
of video chat capability, discoverability, and availability.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of
illustration, where
considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the
example figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition,
numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough
understanding of the example embodiments described herein. However, it will
be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the example
embodiments
described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other
instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been
described in detail so as not to obscure the example embodiments described
herein. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of
the
example embodiments described herein.
[0034] A mobile device may include one or more cameras for capturing video
or pictures. The camera or cameras may be positioned on a front face of the
mobile device to capture the face of a user of the mobile device. A mobile
device
may also include software applications which enable video content captured by
the one or more cameras of the mobile device to be transmitted to one or more
other mobile devices. The combination of the hardware and software
components as described enables a mobile device to offer video chatting
services.
[00351 For a mobile device to engage in video chatting, the mobile device
must be capable of video chatting. Video chat capability is defined as the
ability
for a mobile device to engage in video chatting based on the fulfillment of
certain
hardware and software requirements. In an example embodiment, a mobile
device requires a camera in order to engage in video chatting. In another
example embodiment, a mobile device requires a video chat application in order
= to engage in video chatting. Other conditions related to hardware and
software
can be used in addition to, or instead of, these example requirements.
[00361 In an example embodiment, both hardware and software requirements
must be met in order for the mobile device to be considered video chat
capable.
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For example, a mobile device having a camera but not a video chat application
cannot engage in video chatting and is therefore not video chat capable.
Similarly, a mobile device having a video chat application but not a camera
cannot engage in video chatting and is therefore not video chat capable.
[0037] It is useful for a mobile device to be able to determine the
discoverability of other mobile devices. A mobile device is defined as
discoverable to video chat service, or just discoverable, if the mobile device
is
video chat capable and the user of the mobile device has subscribed to a video
chat service. Subscription to a video chat service can be obtained, for
example,
when the user of the mobile device agrees to an End-Use License Agreement
(EULA). A mobile device is defined as not discoverable if the mobile device is
not video chat capable, or has not subscribed to a video chat service, or
both. A
mobile device having video chat capability may not necessarily be discoverable
to other mobile devices. For example, a user of a mobile device having video
chat capability may choose not to subscribe to a video chat service. For
example, a user of a mobile device having video chat capability may have
chosen to reject an EULA. Since the user in this case, chose not to subscribe,
such a mobile device is not discoverable.
[0038] It can be appreciated that a user is often unaware whether a contact
has video chat capability. In some example video chat systems, a user attempts
to initiate a video chat session with a contact without knowing whether or not
the
contact is video chat capable. This "blind" video chat initiation can be
frustrating
and leaves a user unsure about being able to communicate with a contact via
video chat. It is therefore useful to determine if a contact has video chat
capability.
[0039] After determining that a mobile device is discoverable to video chat
service, it is also useful to determine an availability of the mobile device.
By
definition, a mobile device is available if a user of the mobile device is
physically
able or willing to engage in one or more chatting sessions in substantially
real-
time and at the present time. A chatting session can include a video chatting
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session or an instant messaging chat session. For example, a mobile device
may be available if the mobile device is within coverage of the cellular
service
provider and the user of the mobile device has set his "availability status"
as
"available". For example, a mobile device may be unavailable if the mobile
device is out of coverage of the cellular service provider or the user of the
mobile
device has set his "availability status" as "busy". The availability status
may be,
for example, a user-selectable feature provided by a video chat application or
an
instant messaging application. A mobile device that is discoverable is not
necessarily available.
[0040] Availability may be device-level or application-level. Device-level
availability is an attribute shared by a plurality of applications. For
example, a
user may set his mobile device to "busy" in a systems setting menu, and this
availability status will be reflected in all applications utilizing
availability status,
e.g. video chat application and instant messaging application. Application-
level
availability is applied at the level of an application. For example, a user
may set
his video chat service availability status to "busy" but at the same time set
his
instant messaging availability status to "available". It can be appreciated
that the
methods described herein may apply to both device-level availability and
application-level availability.
[0041] The relationship between video chat capability, discoverability, and
availability, is illustrated in terms of subsets in Figure 28.
[0042] The systems and method described herein address issues related to
discoverability of video chat contacts.
[0043] An example embodiment of a video chat system will now be described
with reference to Figure 1.
[0044] Turning now to Figure 1, a block diagram of an example embodiment
of a video chat system 300 is shown. In the example embodiment, a first user
302 of a first mobile device 316 is engaging in a video chat session with a
second user 304 of a second mobile device 308. The first user 302 is uniquely
identified by a first email address 306. The second user 304 is uniquely
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identified by a second email address 308. The first mobile device 316 is
uniquely
identified by a first mobile device ID 310. The second mobile device 320 is
uniquely identified by a second mobile device ID 311. The mobile device ID's
can, for example, be a serial number provided by the manufacturer which is
unique to a mobile device.
[0045] In the example embodiment, both mobile devices 316, 320 include a
video chat application 312, a video chat contacts database 314 and a camera
317, 319. In the example embodiment, the camera 317, 319 is a front facing
camera. It can be appreciated that the camera can also be a back-facing camera
or a USB camera operable using the mobile device 316, 320. The video chat
database 314 includes a listing of email addresses associated with mobile
devices that are discoverable.
[0046] In the example embodiment, both mobile devices 316, 320 have been
determined to be discoverable based on systems and methods to be described in
Figures 8 to 25.
[0047] In the example embodiment, the video chat application 312a of the
first
mobile device 316 captures video content using the camera 317 of the first
mobile device 316. The video content is transmitted through a wireless network
200 and is received by the second mobile device 320. The video chat
application
312b of the second mobile device 320 receives the video content from the first
mobile device 316 and displays the video content on a display screen 322 of
the
second mobile device 320. In an example embodiment, the transmission of the
video content from the camera 317 of the first mobile device 316 to the
display
screen 322 of the second mobile device 320 occurs in substantially real-time.
In
the example embodiment, the video content transmitted from the first mobile
device 316 to the second mobile device 320 includes the face of the first
user.
[0048] In the example embodiment, the video chat application 312b of the
second mobile device 320 also captures video content using the camera 319 of
the second mobile device 320. The video content is transmitted through a
wireless network 200 and is received by the first mobile device 316. The video
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chat application 312a of the first mobile device 316 receives the video
content
from the second mobile device 320 and displays the video content on a display
screen 318 of the first mobile device 316. The transmission of the video
content
from the camera 319 of the second mobile device 320 to the display screen 318
of the first mobile device 316 occurs in substantially real-time. In the
example
embodiment, the video content transmitted from the second mobile device 320 to
the first mobile device 316 includes the face of the second user.
[0049] In the example embodiment, a video chat server 324 is provided. The
video chat server 324 provides a registrar which stores a listing 325 of email
addresses associated with mobile devices that are discoverable. In an example
embodiment, the registrar is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) registrar.
Systems and methods for providing the listing 325 of email addresses will be
discussed later with reference to Figures 8 to 18.
[0050] It can be appreciated that the video chat server 324 can include a
plurality of servers in different geographical locations. In an example
embodiment, the server 324 is dedicated to video chat information, and only
stores information related to the video chat contacts. In another example
embodiment, server 324 additionally stores other information.
[0051] The methods and systems described herein can be implemented with
respect to the example embodiment video chat system of Figure 1, wherein a
first mobile device engages in a video chat session with a second mobile
device.
It can be appreciated, however, that a video chat session can be conducted
using more than two mobile devices. For example, three or more mobile devices
can engage in a video chat conference wherein each mobile device can transmit
video content to two or more other mobile devices in substantially-real time.
[0052] It can also be appreciated that although an email address serves to
uniquely identify a user of a mobile device in the example embodiment of
Figure
1, other methods for uniquely identifying a use of a mobile device are
possible.
For example, the unique identifier can be the mobile device ID 310, which can
include a randomly-generated alphanumeric string. In other examples, for the
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sake of clarity, the methods and systems described herein will refer to the
email
address as being the unique identifier, with the understanding that in other
example embodiments, other identifiers can substitute the role of the email
address to uniquely identify the user of a mobile device.
[0053] Example embodiments of mobile devices will now be described with
reference to Figures 2 to 7.
[0054] It can be appreciated that various mobile devices can be used with
the
example embodiments described herein. Examples of applicable electronic
devices include pagers, tablets, cellular phones, cellular smart-phones,
wireless
organizers, personal digital assistants, computers, laptops, handheld wireless
communication devices, wirelessly enabled notebook computers, camera
devices and the like. Such devices will hereinafter be commonly referred to as
"mobile devices" for the sake of clarity. It will however be appreciated that
the
example embodiments described herein are also suitable for other devices, e.g.
"non-mobile" devices. The non-mobile devices may include, for example, a
desktop computer. More generally, both non-mobile and mobile devices are
referred to as "electronic devices". Such terms can be interchangeable.
[0055] In an example embodiment, the mobile device is a two-way
communication device with advanced data communication capabilities including
the capability to communicate with other mobile devices or computer systems
through a network of transceiver stations. The mobile device may also have the
capability to allow voice communication. Depending on the functionality
provided
by the mobile device, it may be referred to as a data messaging device, a two-
way pager, a cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, a wireless
Internet appliance, or a data communication device (with or without telephony
capabilities).
[0056] Referring to Figures 2, 3 and 4, any of mobile devices 100a, 100b
and
100c may be used to implement the example embodiments disclosed herein. It
will be appreciated that the numeral "100" will hereinafter refer to any
mobile
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device 100, including the example embodiments 100a, 100b and 100c, those
example embodiments enumerated above or otherwise.
[0057] It will also be appreciated that for Figures 2 and 3, a similar
numbering
convention may be used for other general features common between Figures 2
and 3, such as a display 12, a positioning device 14, a cancel or escape
button
16, a camera 123, a camera button 17, and a menu or option button 24.
[0058] The mobile device 100a shown in Figure 2 includes a display 12a, a
cursor or view positioning device 14, and a camera 123a. Shown in this example
embodiment are a front-facing camera 123a and an optical track pad 14a. In
another example embodiment, the positioning device 14 is a track ball (not
shown). In yet another example embodiment, the camera 123a is a back-facing
camera (not shown). Positioning device 14 may serve as another input member
and detects the displacement of a finger that is moving on top of it to
provide
selection inputs to the main processor 102 (see Figure 5). It can also be
pressed
in a direction generally toward housing to provide another selection input to
the
processor 102. The optical track pad 14a permits multi-directional positioning
of
the selection cursor 18 (see Figure 6) such that the selection cursor 18 can
be
moved in an upward direction, in a downward direction and, if desired and/or
permitted, in any diagonal direction. The optical track pad 14a is in this
example
situated on the front face of a housing for mobile device 100a as shown in
Figure
2 to enable a user to manoeuvre the optical track pad 14a while holding the
mobile device 100a in one hand. The optical track pad 14a may serve as
another input member (in addition to a directional or positioning member) to
provide selection inputs to the processor 102 and can preferably be pressed in
a
direction towards the housing of the mobile device 100b to provide such a
selection input.
[0059] The display 12a may include a selection cursor 18 that depicts
generally where the next input or selection will be received. The selection
cursor
18 may include a box, alteration of an icon or any combination of features
that
enable the user to identify the currently chosen icon or item. The mobile
device
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100a in Figure 2 also includes a programmable convenience button 15 to
activate a selected application such as, for example, a calendar or
calculator.
Further, mobile device 100a includes an escape or cancel button 16a, a camera
button 17a, a menu or option button 24a and a keyboard 20. The camera button
17 is able to activate photo-capturing functions when pressed preferably in
the
direction towards the housing. The menu or option button 24 loads a menu or
list
of options on display 12a when pressed. In this example, the escape or cancel
button 16a, the menu option button 24a, and keyboard 20 are disposed on the
front face of the mobile device housing, while the convenience button 15 and
camera button 17a are disposed at the side of the housing. This button
placement enables a user to operate these buttons while holding the mobile
device 100 in one hand. The keyboard 20 is, in this example embodiment, a
standard QWERTY keyboard.
[0060] The mobile device 100b shown in Figure 3 includes a display 12b, a
camera 123b, and a cursor or view positioning device 14b. Shown in this
example embodiment is a front-facing camera 123b and an optical track pad 14b.
In another example embodiment, the positioning device 14b is a track ball (not
shown). In yet another example embodiment, the camera 123b is a back-facing
camera (not shown). The mobile device 100b also includes a menu or option
button 24b, a cancel or escape button 16b, and a camera button 17b. The mobile
device 100b as illustrated in Figure 3 includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard 22.
In this example embodiment, the keyboard 22, positioning device 14b, escape
button 16b and menu button 24b are disposed on a front face of a mobile device
housing. The reduced QWERTY keyboard 22 includes a plurality of multi-
functional keys and corresponding indicia including keys associated with
alphabetic characters corresponding to a QWERTY array of letters A to Z and an
overlaid numeric phone key arrangement.
100611 It will be appreciated that for the mobile device 100, a wide range
of
one or more positioning or cursor/view positioning mechanisms such as a touch
pad, a positioning wheel, a joystick button, a mouse, a touchscreen, a set of
arrow keys, a tablet, an accelerometer (for sensing orientation and/or
movements
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of the mobile device 100 etc.), or other whether presently known or unknown
may be employed. Similarly, any variation of keyboard 20, 22 may be used. It
will also be appreciated that the mobile devices 100 shown in Figures 2 and 3
are for illustrative purposes only and various other mobile devices 100 are
equally applicable to the following examples. For example, other mobile
devices
100 may include the trackball 14b, escape button 16b and menu or option button
24 similar to that shown in Figure 3 only with a full or standard keyboard of
any
type. Other buttons may also be disposed on the mobile device housing such as
colour coded "Answer" and "Ignore" buttons to be used in telephonic
communications. In another example, the display 12 may itself be touch
sensitive thus itself providing an input mechanism in addition to display
capabilities.
[0062] The mobile device 100c shown in Figure 4 includes a touch-sensitive
display 102 and a front-facing camera 123. The touch-sensitive display 102
includes a touch-sensitive non-display area 124 surrounding a touch-sensitive
display area 122, both of which may be capable of receiving inputs in the form
of
touch inputs. The front-facing camera 123 points towards the user of the
mobile
device 100c. Although not shown in Figure 4, it can be appreciated that the
mobile device 100c may also have a back-facing camera.
[0063] It can be appreciated that the devices shown in Figures 2 to 4 can
have both a front-facing camera 123 and a back-facing camera.
[0064] To aid the reader in understanding the structure of the mobile
device
100, reference will now be made to Figures 5 through 7.
[0065] Referring first to Figure 5, shown therein is a block diagram of an
example embodiment of a mobile device 100 which may be used to implement
the example embodiments disclosed herein. The mobile device 100 includes a
number of components such as a main processor 102 that controls the overall
operation of the mobile device 100. Communication functions, including data
and voice communications, are performed through a communication subsystem
104. The communication subsystem 104 receives messages from and sends
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messages to a wireless network 200. In this example embodiment of the mobile
device 100, the communication subsystem 104 is configured in accordance with
the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and General Packet Radio
Services (GPRS) standards, which is used worldwide. Other communication
configurations that are equally applicable are the 3G and 4G networks such as
EDGE, UMTS and HSDPA, LTE, Wi-Max etc. New standards are still being
defined, but it is believed that they will have similarities to the network
behaviour
described herein, and it will also be understood by persons skilled in the art
that
the example embodiments described herein are intended to use any other
suitable standards that are developed in the future. The wireless link
connecting
the communication subsystem 104 with the wireless network 200 represents one
or more different Radio Frequency (RF) channels, operating according to
defined
protocols specified for GSM/GPRS communications.
[0066] The main processor 102 also interacts with additional subsystems
such as a Random Access Memory (RAM) 106, a flash memory 108, a display
110, an auxiliary input/output (I/0) subsystem 112, a data port 114, a
keyboard
116, a speaker 118, a microphone 120, a GPS receiver 121, short-range
communications 122, a camera 123, a camera light or flash 30, and other device
subsystems 124.
[0067] Some of the subsystems of the mobile device 100 perform
communication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide
"resident" or on-device functions. By way of example, the display 110 and the
keyboard 116 may be used for both communication-related functions, such as
entering a text message for transmission over the network 200, and device-
resident functions such as a calculator or task list.
[0068] The mobile device 100 can send and receive communication signals
over the wireless network 200 after required network registration or
activation
procedures have been completed. Network access is associated with a
subscriber or user of the mobile device 100. To identify a subscriber, the
mobile
device 100 may use a subscriber module component or "smart card" 126, such
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as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), a Removable User Identity Module
(RUIM) and a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM). In the example
shown, a SIM/RUIM/USIM 126 is to be inserted into a SIM/RUIM/USIM interface
128 in order to communicate with a network. Without the component 126, the
mobile device 100 is not fully operational for communication with the wireless
network 200. Once the SIM/RUIM/USIM 126 is inserted into the
SIM/RUIM/USIM interface 128, it is coupled to the main processor 102.
[0069] The mobile device 100 is a battery-powered device and includes a
battery interface 132 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 130. In
at
least some example embodiments, the battery 130 can be a smart battery with
an embedded microprocessor. The battery interface 132 is coupled to a
regulator (not shown), which assists the battery 130 in providing power V+ to
the
mobile device 100. Although current technology makes use of a battery, future
technologies such as micro fuel cells may provide the power to the mobile
device
100.
[0070] The mobile device 100 also includes an operating system 134 and
software components 136 to 146 which are described in more detail below. The
operating system 134 and the software components 136 to 146 that are executed
by the main processor 102 are typically stored in a persistent store such as
the
flash memory 108, which may alternatively be a read-only memory (ROM) or
similar storage element (not shown). Those skilled in the art will appreciate
that
portions of the operating system 134 and the software components 136 to 146,
such as specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily
loaded
into a volatile store such as the RAM 106. Other software components can also
be included, as is well known to those skilled in the art.
[0071] The subset of software applications 136 that control basic device
operations, including data and voice communication applications, may be
installed on the mobile device 100 during its manufacture. Software
applications
may include a message application 138, a device state module 140, a Personal
Information Manager (PIM) 142, a connect module 144 and an IT policy module
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146. A message application 138 can be any suitable software program that
allows a user of the mobile device 100 to send and receive electronic
messages,
wherein messages are typically stored in the flash memory 108 of the mobile
device 100. A device state module 140 provides persistence, i.e. the device
state module 140 ensures that important device data is stored in persistent
memory, such as the flash memory 108, so that the data is not lost when the
mobile device 100 is turned off or loses power. A PIM 142 includes
functionality
for organizing and managing data items of interest to the user, such as, but
not
limited to, e-mail, contacts, calendar events, and voice mails, and may
interact
with the wireless network 200. A connect module 144 implements the
communication protocols that are required for the mobile device 100 to
communicate with the wireless infrastructure and any host system, such as an
enterprise system, that the mobile device 100 is authorized to interface with.
An
IT policy module 146 receives IT policy data that encodes the IT policy, and
may
be responsible for organizing and securing rules such as the "Set Maximum
Password Attempts" IT policy.
[0072] Other types of software applications or components 139 can also be
installed on the mobile device 100. These software applications 139 can be pre-
installed applications (i.e. other than message application 138) or third
party
applications, which are added after the manufacture of the mobile device 100.
Examples of third party applications include games, calculators, utilities,
video
chat applications, etc.
[0073] The additional applications 139 can be loaded onto the mobile device
100 through at least one of the wireless network 200, the auxiliary 110
subsystem
112, the data port 114, the short-range communications subsystem 122, or any
other suitable device subsystem 124.
[0074] The data port 114 can be any suitable port that enables data
communication between the mobile device 100 and another computing device.
The data port 114 can be a serial or a parallel port. In some instances, the
data
port 114 can be a USB port that includes data lines for data transfer and a
supply
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line that can provide a charging current to charge the battery 130 of the
mobile
device 100.
[0075] For voice communications, received signals are output to the speaker
118, and signals for transmission are generated by the microphone 120.
Although voice or audio signal output is accomplished primarily through the
speaker 118, the display 110 can also be used to provide additional
information
such as the identity of a calling party, duration of a voice call, or other
voice call
related information.
[0076] The display 110 can also be used in combination with the camera 123
to provide video chatting capability. It can be appreciated that the mobile
device
100 may include more than one camera 123. For example, a front-facing
camera, a back-facing camera, or both, may be used to engage in a video
chatting session. It can also be appreciated that the camera 123 may be an
external hardware component operably connected to the mobile device 100
through the auxiliary I/0 112 or the data port 114.
[0077] Turning now to Figure 6, the mobile device 100 may display a home
screen 40, which can be set as the active screen when the mobile device 100 is
powered up and may constitute the main ribbon application. The home screen
40 generally includes a status region 44 and a theme background 46, which
provides a graphical background for the display 12. The theme background 46
displays a series of icons 42 in a predefined arrangement on a graphical
background. In some themes, the home screen 40 may limit the number of
icons 42 shown on the home screen 40 so as to not detract from the theme
background 46, particularly where the background 46 is chosen for aesthetic
reasons. The theme background 46 shown in Figure 6 provides a grid of icons.
It will be appreciated that preferably several themes are available for the
user to
select and that any applicable arrangement may be used. An example icon may
be a video chat icon 51 used to indicate a video chat application. One or more
of
the series of icons 42 is typically a folder 52 that itself is capable of
organizing
any number of applications therewithin.
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[0078] The status region 44 in this example embodiment includes a dateitime
display 48. The theme background 46, in addition to a graphical background and
the series of icons 42, also includes a status bar 50. The status bar 50
provides
information to the user based on the location of the selection cursor 18, e.g.
by
displaying a name for the icon 53 that is currently highlighted.
[0079] An application, such as message application 138 may be initiated
(opened or viewed) from display 12 by highlighting a corresponding icon 53
using
the positioning device 14 and providing a suitable user input to the mobile
device
100. For example, message application 138 may be initiated by moving the
positioning device 14 such that the icon 53 is highlighted by the selection
box 18
as shown in Figure 6, and providing a selection input, e.g. by pressing the
trackball 14b.
[0080] Figure 7 shows an example of the other software applications and
components 139 that may be stored and used on the mobile device 100. Only
examples are shown in Figure 7 and such examples are not to be considered
exhaustive. In this example, a GPS application 56 may be used to determine the
location of a mobile device. A calendar application 58 may be used to organize
appointments. Another application shown is an email application 57 that may be
used to send and receive emails. Another application shown is an address book
62 that is used to store contact information which may include, for example,
an
email address, a name, and a phone number.
[0081] Another example application is a video chat application 55 that may
be
used to engage in video chatting sessions. The video chat application 55 may
include a video chat contacts database 314. The video chat contacts database
314 stores a listing of email addresses associated with mobile devices that
are
discoverable. In an example embodiment, the video chat contacts database 314
is stored in flash memory 108 or any other form of non-volatile storage
medium.
In an example embodiment, the video chat application 55 may provide a video
chat address book 59 which provides a listing of only contacts that are
discoverable to video chat service.
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10082] It will be appreciated that any module or component exemplified
herein
that executes instructions or operations may include or otherwise have access
to
computer readable media such as storage media, computer storage media, or
data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example,
magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Computer storage media may include
volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in
any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable
instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data, except
transitory
propagating signals per se. Examples of computer storage media include RAM,
ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital
versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic
tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other
medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be
accessed by an application, module, or both. Any such computer storage media
may be part of the mobile device 100, or accessible or connectable thereto.
Any
application or module herein described may be implemented using computer
readable/executable instructions or operations that may be stored or otherwise
held by such computer readable media.
10083] Systems for managing video chat contacts will now be described with
reference to Figures 8 to 14.
10084] Turning now to Figures 8 and 9, an example embodiment of an
address book application 62a of a first mobile device 316 is shown. The
address
book application 62a includes a listing of contacts 400 and a contact details
section 402. The listing of contacts 400 includes contacts of the first mobile
device 316, some of which are discoverable to video chat service and some of
which are not. A contact corresponding to a user of a second mobile device 320
may be selected from the listing of contacts 400. Detailed information of the
contact corresponding to the user of the second mobile device 320 is then
displayed in the contact details section 402. The detailed information can
include
a display picture 404, a contact name 405, and other contact information 406.
Other contact information 406 can include an email address 408, a video chat
22230926.1 18
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address 410, a home phone number, a work phone number, a home address, a
work address, a telephone number, a mobile device ID, etc. The contact details
section 402 serves as a graphical user interface (GUI) 402 for editing the
detailed
information of a contact corresponding to the user of the second mobile device
320. For example, the user of the first mobile device 316 may edit the display
picture 404, the contact name 405, or the email address 408 of the contact
corresponding to the second mobile device 320.
[0085] Turning now to Figure 9, example embodiments of the email address
408 and the video chat address 410 portions of the contact details section 402
are shown. It can be appreciated that the email address 408 and the video chat
address 410 portions of the address book GUI 402 do not have to be adjacent to
each other as shown in Figure 8. The email address portion 408 includes an
email type selector 414 and an email address field 412a. The email type
selector
414 can be, for example, a drop-down menu. Examples of email types include
"home", "work", "other", etc. The video chat address 410 includes a video chat
address field 414a. An email address corresponding to a second mobile device
320 can be inputted in the email address field 408 or in the video chat
address
field 410.
[0086] Turning now to Figure 10, the email address 408 and video chat
address portions 410 of the contact details section 402 are shown, wherein the
video chat address field 414b corresponding to the second mobile device 320 is
automatically populated, according to an example embodiment. In the example
embodiment, an email address 413 of a second mobile device 320 is inputted in
the email address field 412b. A discoverability of the second mobile device
320
is determined according to an example embodiment method, symbolically
represented by the arrow 416 (Figure 18). The video chat address field 414b is
automatically populated with the email address 413 corresponding to the second
mobile device 320 only if the second mobile device 320 is discoverable to
video
chat service. If it is determined that the second mobile device 320 is not
discoverable to video chat service, the video chat address field 414b will not
be
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automatically populated with the email address 413 of the second mobile device
320.
[0087] In this example embodiment, it was determined, using the method 416
described in detail with respect to Figure 18, that the second mobile device
320
is discoverable to video chat service. Hence, the video chat address field
414b
has been automatically populated with the email address 413 corresponding to
the second mobile device 320.
[0088] Therefore, in an example embodiment, the discoverability of the
second mobile device 320 is automatically made known to the first mobile
device
316 without manual input from the user of the first mobile device 316. Since
video chat contacts are automatically made known to a user of a mobile device,
the user does not have to discover video chat contacts by manual means.
Making video chat contacts automatically known to users of a mobile device
generally helps promote mass adoption of a video chat service.
[0089] Turning now to Figure 11, the email address 408 and video chat
address 410 portions of the contact details section 402 are shown, wherein the
video chat address field 414c is manually entered by the user of the first
mobile
device, according to an example embodiment. In the example embodiment, an
email address 413 of a second mobile device 320 is inputted in the email
address field 412c. It was determined, using the method 416 (Figure 18), that
the second mobile device 320 is not discoverable to video chat service. Hence,
the video chat address field 414c was not automatically populated with the
email
address 413 corresponding to the second mobile device 320. In an example
embodiment, the user of the first mobile device 316 may manually input an
email
address 415 in the video chat address field 414c (block 418). The email
address
415 corresponds to a mobile device that may be discoverable. In another
example embodiment, the address book application 62 may provide a pop-up
window (not shown) to indicate that the second mobile device 320 corresponding
to the email address 413 is not discoverable to video chat service. With this
prompt, the user of the first mobile device may be more inclined to suggest to
the
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user of the second mobile device to use the video chat service. This may help
increase the adoption of the video chat service.
10090] In an example embodiment, the inputted email address 415 may be
checked, using the method 416 (Figure 18), to verify that the inputted email
address 415 corresponds to a mobile device that is discoverable to video chat
service. This is useful as it prevents a user from adding an incorrect video
chat
address, causing incorrect information to be stored on the video chat server_
100911 In another example embodiment, the email address is not checked.
[0092] Referring now to Figures 12 and 13, screen shots of an embodiment
of a graphical layout 420 of a contact associated with a second mobile device
320 is shown. The graphical layout 420 may be, for example, part of a GUI for
an address book or an instant messaging application. The graphical layout 420
includes a display picture 422, a contact name 424, a work place name 426, an
availability indicator 428, and a discoverability indicator 430. The
availability
indicator 428 may change color depending on the availability of the second
mobile device 320. For example, the availability indicator 428 may be green or
red depending on if the second mobile device 320 is available or unavailable,
respectively.
[0093] The discoverability indicator 430 likewise indicates whether or not
the
second mobile device 320 is discoverable to video chat service. In the
graphical
layout 420a of Figure 12, the second mobile device 320 is discoverable to
video
chat service and this is indicated by the discoverability indicator 430a. In
the
graphical layout 420b of Figure 13, the second mobile device 320 is not
discoverable to video chat service and this is indicated by the
discoverability
indicator 430b. The discoverability indicator 430b serves to remind the user
of
the first mobile device 316 that the user of the second mobile device may not
be
fully utilizing all of the capabilities of his device. The user of the first
mobile
device may then be prompted to encourage the user of the second mobile device
to adopt the video chat service. Hence, the discoverability indicator 430b may
help to increase the adoption of the video chat service.
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[0094] It can be appreciated that the discoverability of a second mobile
device 320 can also be indicated by the presence or absence of the
discoverability indicator 430. For example, if the second mobile device 320 is
not
discoverable to video chat service, then the graphical layout 420 will not
provide
the discoverability indicator 430.
[0095] Turning now to Figures 14a and 14b, a screen shot of an address
book application 62b of the first mobile device 316 is shown, according to
another example embodiment. The address book application 62b provides a
selector 432 for switching between viewing all contacts and viewing only video
contacts. Figure 14A shows the address book application 62b with "All
Contacts"
434a selected. In this view, a listing 433a of all contacts, including
contacts that
are discoverable to video chat service and contacts that are not discoverable
to
video chat service, are displayed. Figure 14B shows the address book
application 62b with "Video Chat Contacts" 436b selected. In this view, a
listing
433b of only contacts that have video chat service are displayed. The address
book application 62b may receive an input 438 from the user of the first
mobile
device 316 to switch between "All Contacts" 434 and "Video Chat Contacts" 436.
[0096] The view of Figure 14B provides a convenient method for browsing
through video chat contacts when, for example, the user of the first mobile
device
316 is looking specifically to engage in video chat sessions with contacts. It
can
be appreciated that the listing 433b of only contacts that are discoverable to
video chat service can be utilized by the video chat application 312 and the
video
chat contacts database 314a to provide a listing of contacts that is specific
to the
video chatting service.
[0097] Methods for managing video chat contacts using a video chat server
324 will now be described with reference to Figures 15 to 24.
[0098] Turning now to Figure 15, a flow diagram of computer executable or
processor implemented instructions for determining if a first mobile device is
discoverable for video chat, according to an example embodiment, is shown.
This method may be used, for example, by a video chat application 312 or an
22230926.1 22
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address book application 62, to determine which contacts are discoverable to
video chat service.
100991 At block 500, the video chat application 312 is initiated by the
first
mobile device 316. In an example embodiment, the user of the first mobile
device 316 navigates to the video chat icon 51 in the home screen 40 using the
selection cursor 18 (Figure 6). The user then initiates the video chat
application
312 using, for example, an enter key (not shown) or a touch gesture (not
shown).
[00100] At blocks 502 and 504, the video chat application 312 checks the
first
mobile device 316 for video chat capability. Various methods can be used to
perform blocks 502 and 504. In an example embodiment, the video chat server
324 receives a first mobile device ID 310 (e.g. email address). In an example
embodiment, the video chat server 324 determines the video chat capability of
the first mobile device 316 based on a look-up table (not shown). The look-up
table provides the video chat capability associated with at least one email
address or mobile device ID. The look-up table may, for example, indicate that
a
device model associated with certain model device ID's is not video chat
capable. For example, a certain model of a mobile device does not have a
camera 123, or the mobile device does not support a video chat application. In
other words, information about video hardware capability of a given electronic
device can be derived from the device ID.
[00101] In another example embodiment, the video chat capability of the
first
mobile device 316 may be determined using the first mobile device 316 (not
shown). For example, the operating system 134 of the first mobile device 316
may determine if the first mobile device 316 has a camera 123 and a video chat
application 55.
[00102] If the first mobile device 316 is determined to be not video chat
capable, then the method is terminated. If the first mobile device 316 is
determined to be video chat capable, then the method proceeds to block 506.
[00103] At block 506, the video chat application 312 displays an End-User
License Agreement (EULA). In an example embodiment, the EULA is displayed
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in a pop-up window in the video chat application 312. It can be appreciated
that
the EULA may be displayed outside of the context of a video chat application
312. For example, the EULA may be displayed when the first mobile device 316
is powered on for the first time. For example, the EULA may be displayed in a
message application 138 by way of recommending the user of the first mobile
device 316 to activate video chat service to engage in video chat sessions
with
video chat contacts.
[00104] At block 508, the first mobile device 316 receives a user input for
either accepting or declining the EULA. Any suitable form of user input may be
used. If the user declines the EULA, then the method is terminated. If the
user
accepts the EULA, then the method proceeds to block 510.
[00105] At block 510, the first mobile device 316 submits a first email
address
306 of the user of the first mobile device 316 to the video chat server 324.
In
another example embodiment, the first mobile device 316 also submits the first
mobile device ID 310 to the video chat server 324.
[00106] At block 512, the video chat server 324 stores the first email
address
306. The action provided by block 512 makes the first mobile device 316
associated with the first email address 316 discoverable by definition. In an
example embodiment, the first email address 306 is added to the listing 325 of
email addresses. In an example embodiment, a new entry is created under a
registrar in the video chat server 324. The entry may include the email
address
in the form of a string. In another example embodiment, the entry includes the
first mobile device ID 310. The first mobile device ID 310 may be used by the
video chat server 324 to identify which mobile device corresponds to the email
address 306 during provisioning of the video chat service.
[00107] In another example embodiment, only email addresses having certain
domain names may be able to be registered on the video chat server 324. For
example, block 512 may be modified so that a decision is made as to whether to
store the first email address 316 in the video chat server 324 (not shown).
For
example, if an email address does not use the domain name "@widgetcorp.ca",
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then the method of Figure 15 is terminated and the first mobile device 316 is
made not discoverable by definition. Email addresses having the domain name
"@widgetcorp.ca" will be stored in the video chat server 324 according to
block
512, and hence the first mobile device 316 is made discoverable by definition.
This feature may be used by the video chat server 324 to limit participants of
the
video chatting service. This is useful for certain scenarios. For example, a
company hosting a video chat server 324 may only want mobile devices
associated with a company email address to be capable of accessing video chat
service. However, in another example embodiment, email addresses having
other domain names can be registered on the video chat server.
[00108] It can be appreciated that blocks 502, 504 and 506 may be performed
by another software entity on the first mobile device 316. For example, the
operating system 134 of the first mobile device 316 may perform the task of
checking for video chat capability 502, 406, and displaying the EULA 506. For
=example, the EULA 506 may be displayed on the home screen 40.
[00109] In another example embodiment, the method described in Figure 15
may be performed only once for a given first mobile device 316. For example,
the method may only be performed upon initiating the video chat application
312
for the first time.
[00110] In another example embodiment, an additional step is taken before
block 506 to compare the first email address 306 corresponding to the first
mobile device 316 with the listing of email addresses in the video chat server
324. The listing 325 of email addresses in the video chat server 324 consists
of
only email addresses associated with mobile devices that are discoverable, in
accordance with the system of Figure 1. Hence, if a match is found, the first
mobile device 316 associated with the first email address 306 is determined to
be
already discoverable, and the method of Figure 15 is terminated. If a match is
not found, then the first mobile device 316 associated with the first email
address
306 is determined to be not discoverable, and the method proceeds to block
506.
This process ensures that an email address corresponding to a mobile device
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that is discoverable is not added again to the video chat server 324 if the
email
address already exists in the video chat server 324.
[00111] Turning now to Figure 16, an example embodiment of a graphical
user interface (GUI) 501 for an End-User License Agreement (EULA) is shown.
The GUI 501 includes a body text 503, an "Accept" button 505 and a "Cancel"
button 507.
[00112] Turning now to Figure 17, a flow diagram of computer executable or
processor implemented instructions is provided for changing the
discoverability of
a first mobile device 316, so that it is no longer discoverable for video
chat.
[00113] At block 514, the first mobile device 316 submits a request to the
video chat server 324 to remove a first email address 306 corresponding to the
first mobile device 316 from the video chat server 324. In an example
embodiment, the request is automatically initiated by the first mobile device
316
in certain scenarios. For example, when a user deactivates a particular email
address, e.g. by removing the email address from an email service provider,
the
first mobile device 316 may detect this action and initiate block 514. For
example, when a user initiates the process of deactivating the first mobile
device
316 from service, e.g. by unsubscribing to a wireless service provider, the
first
mobile device 316 detects this action and initiates block 514. For example,
when
a user manually unsubscribes to the video chat service, e.g. by declining the
EULA after having used the video chat service for a period of time, the first
mobile device 316 detects this action and initiates block 514.
[00114] At block 516, the video chat server 324 receives the request from
the
first mobile device 316 to remove the email addresses 306 corresponding to the
first mobile device 316 from the video chat server 324.
[00115] At block 518, the video chat server 324 removes the email address
306 corresponding to the first mobile device 316 from the video chat server
324,
making the first mobile device 316 not discoverable by definition. In an
example
embodiment, the entry corresponding to the first email address 306 is removed
from the listing 325 of email addresses in the video chat server 324. In
another
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example embodiment, values associated with the first email address 306, e.g.
availability and first mobile device ID 310, are also removed from the video
chat
server 324.
[00116] In another example embodiment video chat system, one or more
email addresses 306 may correspond to a first mobile device (see Figure 27).
For this example embodiment, at block 516, the video chat server 324 receives
the request from the first mobile device 316 to remove the one or more email
addresses corresponding to the first mobile device 316 from the video chat
server 324. For this example embodiment, at block 518, the video chat server
423 removes the one or more email addresses corresponding to the first mobile
device 316 from the video chat server 324.
[00117] Turning now to Figure 18, a flow diagram of computer executable or
processor implemented instructions 416 for determining if a second mobile
device 320 is discoverable for video chat, according to an example embodiment,
is provided. In an example embodiment, this method is used by an address book
application 62 of Figures 8 to 11 to automatically discover video chat
contacts.
[00118] At block 530, a first mobile device 316 sends a request to the
video
chat server 324 to determine discoverability associated with a second email
address 308. Consistent with the system of Figure 1, the second email address
308 is associated with a second mobile device 320. This block 530 can be
initiated in response to various actions performed on the first mobile device
316,
and can be initiated by the operating system 134 or software components 136 of
the first mobile device 316. For example, an address book application 62 can
perform block 530 in response to an email address being entered or edited in
the
email address field 412 under the contact details section 402 of the address
book
application 62. Similarly, an address book application 62 can perform block
530
in response to a video chat address being entered or edited in the video chat
address field 414 under the contact details section 402 of the address book
application 62. For example, an address book application 62 can perform block
530 for all stored contacts whenever the address book application 62 is
opened.
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For example, the operating system 134 of the first mobile device 316 can
periodically perform block 530 as part of a_ routine. For example, the address
book application 62 may be the address book application 62a of Figures 8 to
11.
It can be appreciated that the operation in block 530 can be initiated in
various
ways. =
[00119] At block 532, the video chat server 324 receives the request from
the
first mobile device 316 to determine the discoverability associated with the
second email address 308.
[00120] At blocks 534 and 536, the video chat server 324 optionally
determines if the first mobile device 316 is video chat capable. These blocks
prevent a mobile device that is not video chat capable from adding video chat
contacts. Although the first mobile device 316 may be video chat capable, the
first mobile device 316 may not be discoverable. For example, the user of the
first mobile device 316 may still need to agree to the EULA for the video chat
service. However, if the first mobile device 316 is not video chat capable,
then
the first mobile device 316 cannot be discoverable (see Figure 27). Where the
first mobile device 316 is not discoverable, it can be useful to continue to
determine the discoverability of a second mobile device 320. This provides an
opportunity to recommend to the user of the first mobile device 316 to adopt
the
video chat service based on determining that one or more of his contacts is
discoverable to video chat. The recommendation may be, for example, in the
form of a pop-up window as illustrated later in Figure 21.
[00121] Methods used to perform blocks 534 and 536 are substantially
identical to the methods used to perform blocks 502 and 504 of Figure 15. If
the
first mobile device 316 is determined not to be video chat capable, then the
process ends. If the first mobile device 316 is determined to be video chat
capable, then the method proceeds to block 538.
[00122] Turning now to block 538, the video chat server 324 compares the
second email address 308 with a listing 325 of email addresses provided by the
video chat server 324. The listing 325 of email addresses consists of email
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addresses associated with mobile devices that are discoverable. If no match is
found, then the second email address 308 is determined to be associated with a
mobile device that is not discoverable, and the method 416 is terminated. In
another example embodiment, if no match is found, then the video chat server
324 may return a message to the first mobile device 316 indicating that the
second mobile device 320 is not associated with discoverability. If a match is
found, then the second email address 308 is determined to be associated with a
mobile device that is discoverable, and the method proceeds to block 540.
[00123] At block 540, the video chat server 324 returns a message to the
first
mobile device 316 indicating that the second email address 308 is associated
with discoverability. In other words, if an entry in the listing of email
addresses
on the server 324 matches the second email address, it returns a message to
the
mobile device. The message is configured to automatically enable addition of
the email address as a video chat contact on the first mobile device.
[00124] At block 542, the first mobile device 316 enables the addition of
the
second email address 308 as a video chat contact. In an example embodiment,
the address book application 62a is automatically updated with the video chat
address of the second mobile device 320 according to Figure 10. Referring
briefly to Figure 10, the video chat address field 414 under the contact
details
section 402 of the contact corresponding to the second email address 308 is
automatically filled with the second email address 308. In another example
embodiment, the graphical layout 420 associated with a contact of the second
mobile device 320 is updated to indicate that the contact is discoverable to
video
chat, as in Figure 12. Referring briefly to Figure 12, the graphical layout
420 may
be updated to include the discoverability indicator 430a.
[001251 Turning now to Figure 19, a flow diagram of computer executable or
processor implemented instructions for determining if a second mobile device
320 is available for video chat, according to an example embodiment. This
method may be used, for example, by an address book application 62 or a video
chat application 312.
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[00126] At block 550, the first mobile device 316 sends a request to the
video
chat server 324 to determine an availability associated with a second email
address 308. Consistent with the system of Figure 1, the second email address
308 corresponds to a second mobile device 320.
[00127] At block 552, the video chat server 324 receives the request from
the
first mobile device 316 to determine the availability associated with the
second
email address 308. Block 550 can be initiated in response to various actions
performed on the first mobile device 316, and may be initiated by the
operating
system 134 or software components 136 of the first mobile device 316. For
example, an address book application 62 or the video chat application 312 may
perform block 550 upon being opened from the home screen 40. For example,
the address book application 62 or the video chat application 312 may perform
block 550 for each video chat contact 434b listed under the address book 62 or
the video chat contacts database 314b. For example, the operating system 134
of the first mobile device 316 can periodically perform block 550 as part of a
routine.
[00128] In this example embodiment, the second mobile device 320 is
discoverable to video chat service, and therefore the listing 325 of email
addresses includes an entry corresponding to the second email address 308. In
this example embodiment, the entry further includes values associated with
availability of the second mobile device 320 and a mobile device ID 311 of the
second mobile device 320. The second mobile device 1D 311 can then be used
by the video chat server 324 to identify the second mobile device 320 to, for
example, determine the availability of the second mobile device 320.
[00129] It can be appreciated that the method of Figure 19 can be modified
to
include an operation (not shown) following block 552 wherein the video chat
server 324 first checks that the second mobile device is discoverable. For
example, the video chat server can implement blocks 538 of Figure 18, that is,
to
compare the second email address 308 with a listing 325 of email addresses. If
a match is found, then the second mobile device 320 associated with the second
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email address 308 is determined to be discoverable, and the method can
proceed to, for example, block 556. If a match is not found, then the second
mobile device 320 associated with the second email address 308 is determined
to be not discoverable. If this is the case, then the method is either
terminated, or
the video chat server 324 may provide an indication to the first mobile device
316
to notify that the second mobile device 230 is not discoverable to video chat
service.
1001301 At blocks 556 and 558, the video chat server 324 determines if the
second mobile device 320 associated with the second email address 308 is
within coverage of a service provider. In an example embodiment, the service
provider is a cellular service provider (not shown). In an example embodiment,
the video chat server 324 does this check by checking if the second mobile
device 320 is actively connected to the cellular service provider. In an
example
embodiment, the active connection consists of an active Transmission Control
Protocol (TCP). In another example embodiment, the active connection consists
of a Transport Layer Security (TLS) connection. Currently known and future
known methods for determining availability can also be used.
[00131] If it is determined that the second mobile device 320 is not within
coverage, the method is continued at block 562. If it is determined that the
second mobile device 320 is within coverage, then method is continued at block
560.
[001321 At block 560, the video chat server 324 determines an availability
status of the second mobile device 320 associated with the second email
address 308. The availability status is set by a user of the second mobile
device
320. The availability status can be, for example, "busy", "active", or
"unavailable". After determining the availability status of the second mobile
device 320, the method is continued at block 562.
[00133] At block 562, the video chat server 324 stores the availability
associated with the second email address 308. Since a listing 325 of email
addresses is already provided by the video chat server 324, the information
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pertaining to the availability associated with an email address can simply be
appended to the pre-existing data. For example, an integer value can be
assigned to the availability status corresponding to an email address, e.g. 0
for
"unassigned", 1 for "active" , 2 for "busy" and 3 for "unavailable". This
integer
value can then, for example, be appended to the corresponding email address
within a registrar of the video chat server 234. Thus, a single registry of
the
video chat server 324 can provide both information pertaining to
discoverability
(e.g. by the presence or absence of an email address within the registry) and
the
availability of a mobile device.
[00134] At block 564, the video chat server 324 returns a message to the
first
mobile device 316 indicating the availability associated with the second email
address 308.
[00135] At block 566, the first mobile device 316 updates the availability
associated with the second email address 308. In an example embodiment,
graphical layout 420 of a contact associated with a second mobile device is
updated, as in Figure 12 and 13. Returning to Figures 12 and 13, the
availability
indicator 428 of the graphical layout 420 may be updated to reflect the
updated
availability of the contact corresponding to the second mobile device 320. For
example, the availability indicator 428 can change from being a red color to a
green color if the second mobile device 320, which was determined to be
unavailable based on a past iteration of the method of Figure 19, has now been
determined to be available based on the most recent iteration of the method of
Figure 19.
[00136] The usage of the email address to uniquely identify a user of a
mobile
device is useful in that an email address, in many cases, is often not
changed. In
comparison, a user's phone number or work address may not be as effective as
serving as a unique identifier, since phone numbers and work addresses may be
re-assigned to other users over a period of time. For example, a video chat
server might become out of date if users of mobile devices are identified
using a
phone number. Having an email address as the unique identifier enhances the
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relevancy of the listing 325 of video chat contacts of the video chat server
324
and mitigates the probability of storing invalid video chat contact
information due
to, for example, a change in phone number or a change in street address.
[00137] Using an email address to uniquely identify a user of a mobile
device
is useful when considering the privacy of subscribers. For example, an email
address is typically not publicly searchable information. In contrast, a phone
number is more easily publicly searchable. Therefore, when an email address is
used as the unique identifier, the discoverability of a user of a mobile
device may
only be made known to, for example, friends, family and coworkers of the
mobile
device, instead of being generally searchable public information. This further
prevents a user of a mobile device from receiving unsolicited video calls.
[00138] By differentiating between video chat capability and
discoverability,
privacy considerations regarding subscription to a service can be addressed.
For
example, a user of a mobile device may have video chat capability, but may
choose not to be discoverable due to privacy reasons. The systems and
methods described above provide such user with a method for making his mobile
device not discoverable even if his mobile device is video chat capable.
[00139] In an example embodiment, a dedicated video server has scalability
benefits. It is easier to add in a new video availability server for more
capacity.
Additionally, query traffic only affects a given machine, instead of consuming
data and processing resources of a network of generic registration servers
with
logins and logouts. A dedicated video server is also optimized for a focused
purpose, namely supporting video chat discoverability, vide chat status, and
video chat registrations.
[00140] Systems and methods for promoting adoption of a video chat service
will now be described with reference to Figures 20 to 22.
[00141] Turning now to Figure 20, a screen shot of an example embodiment
of a message application 138 of a first mobile device 316 is shown. The
message application 138 may, for example, be an instant messaging program.
In another example embodiment, the message application 138 is an email
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application 57. The message application 138 includes a listing 600 of contacts
available for messaging, a contact selector 604, and a messaging interface 602
which provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for chatting with the contact
highlighted by the contact selector. The highlighted contact 604 is associated
with a second mobile device 320. The messaging interface 602 includes a
display picture 608, a contact name 610, a dialog window 612 and a "reply"
field
614. The display picture 608 and the contact name 610 correspond to the
contact associated with the second mobile device 320. The dialog window 612
provides a history of the conversation between the user of the first mobile
device
316 and the contact associated with the second mobile device 320.
[00142] In the example embodiment, a pop-up window 616 is displayed
according to a method, which will be described later with respect to Figure
22.
The pop-up window 616 notifies the user of the first mobile device 316 that
the
contact associated with the second mobile device 320 is discoverable to video
chat service. It can be appreciated that other methods of notification are
possible, including receiving an email, or "in-line" notification as part of
the dialog
window 612.
[00143] Turning now to Figure 21, the pop-up window 616 includes a
notification text 618, an activation button 620, a "Cancel" button 622, and a
"Don't
Show Again" button 624. The notification text 618 conveys to the user of the
first
mobile device 316 that the contact associated with the second mobile device
320
is discoverable to video chat service. The buttons can be activated by any
suitable form of user input.
[00144] If the activation button 620 receives a user input, the first
mobile
device 316 may then proceed to activate video chat functionality for the first
mobile device 316 according to the method described in Figure 22.
[00145] If the "Cancel" button 622 receives a user input, the pop-up window
616 is closed, and the message application 138 may resume normal operation.
In an example embodiment, if the user of the first mobile device 316 engages
in
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a message session with the contact associated with the second mobile device
320 during a future time, then the pop-up window 616 may reappear.
[00146] If the "Don't Show Again" button 624 is selected by the user of the
first
mobile device 316, then pop-up window 616 is closed. In an example
embodiment, the message application 138 may receive instructions to suppress
the pop-up window 616 for future message sessions with the contact associated
with the second mobile device 320 or for all other future message sessions. In
another example embodiment, the message application 138 or the operating
system 134 of the first mobile device 316 may provide settings options (not
shown) to revoke the suppression of the pop-up window 616.
[00147] Turning now to Figure 22, a flow diagram of computer executable or
processor implemented instructions for promoting mass adoption of a video chat
service, according to an example embodiment, is shown.
[00148] At block 630, the first mobile device 316 sends a request to the
video
chat server 324 to determine the discoverability associated with a second
email
address 308. The second email address is associated with a second mobile
device 320, in accordance with the system of Figure 1. This block 630 may be
initiated in response to various actions performed on the first mobile device
316,
and may be initiated by the operating system 134 or software components 136 of
the first mobile device 316. In an example embodiment, a message application
138 may perform block 630 when a new messaging session with a contact
associated with a second mobile device 320 is initiated. In another example
embodiment, an address book application 62 or a video chat application 312 may
perform block 630 whenever the address book application 62 or the video chat
application 312, respectively, is initiated. In an example embodiment, the
address book application 62 or the video chat application 312 may perform
block
630 for each contact listed under the address book application.
[00149] At block 632, the video chat server 324 receives the request to
determine discoverability associated with the second email address 308.
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[00150] At blocks 634 and 636, the video chat server 324 determines if the
first mobile device 316 is video chat capable. These steps prevent the system
from providing an invalid recommendation, e.g. recommending for the user of
the
first mobile device 316 to activate video chat service when the first mobile
device
316 is not video chat capable. Detailed methods for performing blocks 634 and
636 are similar to the methods for performing blocks 502 and 504 of Figure 15,
respectively. If it is determined that the first mobile device 316 is not
video chat
capable, then the recommendation is invalid and the process 416 is terminated.
If it is determined that the first mobile device 316 is video chat capable,
then the
method proceeds to block 637.
[00151] At block 637, the video chat server 324 determines if the first
mobile
device 316 is discoverable. In an example embodiment, the method of Figure
18, wherein the second mobile device is also the first mobile device, can be
used
to perform block 637. In another example embodiment, the first mobile device
316 performs block 637 by determining if an EULA regarding video chat service
has been previously accepted by a user of the first mobile device 316. If it
is
determined that the first mobile device 316 is discoverable, operations are
performed as per blocks 538, 540, and 542, as described earlier. If it is
determined that the first mobile device 316 is not discoverable, then the
method
proceeds to block 638.
[00152] At block 638, the video chat server 324 compares the second email
address 308 associated with the second mobile device with a listing 325 of
email
addresses_ The listing 325 of email addresses contains only email addresses
associated with mobile devices that are discoverable to video chat service.
Hence, if a match is found, then the second mobile device 320 is automatically
determined to be discoverable. The method then proceeds to block 640. If a
match is not found, then the second mobile device 320 is determined to be not
discoverable. Hence, the recommendation for the first mobile device 316 based
on the incentive of being able to engage in video chat with the second mobile
device 320 is invalid, and the method of Figure 22 is terminated.
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1001531 At block 642, the first mobile device 316 displays a message to the
user of the first mobile device 316 to prompt activation of video chat
functionality.
In an example embodiment, the message is provided by a messaging application
138 in the form of a pop-up window 616 (Figures 19 and 20). In another example
embodiment, the pop-up window 616 of Figure 21 may be activated by the
address book application 62 or the video chat application 312 depending on
which program initiated block 630 of the described method 416. For example, if
block 630 was initiated by a video chat application 312, and it was determined
that a plurality of contacts are discoverable to video chat, then the video
chat
application 312 may initiate a pop-up window 616, prompting the user to
activate
video chat functionality. In an example embodiment, activating video chat
functionality consists of agreeing to a video chat EULA (Figure 16).
[00154] Systems and methods for importing a plurality of video chat
contacts
from a social network will now be described with reference to Figures 23 to
25.
1001551 Turning now to Figure 23, a screen shot of an address book
application 62 of a first mobile device 316, according to another example
embodiment, is shown. The address book application 62 has provided a pop-up
window 650 to notify the user with the option of searching a social network to
discover video chat contacts, wherein the user of the first mobile device 316
is
part of the social network. In an example embodiment, the pop-up window 650 is
provided each time the address book application 62 is opened.
[00156] Referring now to Figure 24, the pop-up window 650 includes a prompt
message 652, a social network selector 654, a "Search" button 656, a "Cancel"
button 658 and a "Don't Show Again" button 660. The social network selector
654 provides the user with the option of selecting between a plurality of
social
networks to import contacts from, provided the user belongs to each of the
social
networks listed. The buttons may be activated using any suitable form of user
input. A method, described below with respect to Figure 25, will be executed
upon activation of the "Search" button. If the "Cancel" button 658 is
activated,
the pop-up window 650 is closed, and the address book application 62 resumes
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normal operation. If the "Don't Show Again" button 660 is activated, the pop-
up
window 650 is closed, the address book application 62 resumes normal
operation, and the pop-up window 650 is further prevented from re-appearing
when the address book application 62 is re-opened.
100157] It can be appreciated that the pop-up window 650, including the
related described systems, can also appear in the context of a video chat
application 312.
[00158] Turning now to Figure 25, a flow diagram of computer executable or
processor implemented instructions for determining if a plurality of mobile
devices is discoverable for video chat, according to an example embodiment, is
shown.
[00159] At block 670, the first mobile device 316 imports a first listing
of email
addresses from a third party server (not shown). In an example embodiment, the
third party server is a social networking server which includes a listing of
email
addresses corresponding to members of the social network. In an example
embodiment, the first listing of email addresses correspond to people in the
social network of the user of the first mobile device 316.
[00160] Proceeding to block 672, the first mobile device 316 sends the
first
listing of email addresses to the video chat server. At block 674, the video
chat
server 324 receives the first listing of email addresses.
[00161] Blocks 676, 678 and 680 are repeated for each email address i
within
the listing of email addresses, wherein the listing includes N email
addresses.
[00162] At block 676, the video chat server 324 compares email address i
from the first listing of email addresses to a second listing of email
addresses,
wherein the second listing of email addresses are associated with mobile
devices
that are discoverable. The second listing 325 of email addresses is located on
the server. If a match is found, then the mobile device corresponding to email
address i is determined to be discoverable, and the method proceeds to block
680. If no match is found, then the mobile device corresponding to email
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address i is determined to be not discoverable, in which case no further
action is
taken.
[00163] At block 680, the video chat server 324 adds email address i to a
third
listing of email addresses, wherein the third listing consists of a subset of
email
addresses from the first listing of email addresses, the subset consisting of
email
addresses associated with mobile devices that are discoverable.
[00164] At block 682, the video chat server 324 provides the first mobile
device 316 with the third listing of email addresses.
[00165] At block 684, the first mobile device 316 enables the addition of
email
addresses from the third listing of email addresses as video chat contacts.
[00166] In another example embodiment, a listing of email addresses are
obtained from emails received by the first mobile device 316. For example, as
the first mobile device receives an email, the first mobile device obtains the
email
addresses listed as the "sender" and listed as the other "recipients", if any.
It
then sends the obtained email addresses to the video chat server 324 to
determine if they are video chat capable. If so, the email addresses are
automatically added to the video chat database 314a.
[00167] More generally, a mobile device sends one or more email addresses
to a video chat server 324. The mobile device then receives a message from the
video chat server indicating that at least one of the one more email addresses
is
associated with another electronic device having video chat capability. It
then
adds the at least one email address to its video chat contact list.
[00168] Turning now to Figure 26, an example embodiment of a method for
automatically updating an address book with video chat contacts is shown. User
1 (302) has a first mobile device 316, which has stored thereon email address
2
(308), which is associated with user 2 (304). Initially, user 2 (304) does not
have
a video chat enabled mobile device, or does have such a device, but is not
registered on the video chat server 324. Therefore, email address 2 (308) is
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stored in the first mobile device 316, but is not listed in the video chat
contacts
database 314a.
[00169] At a later point in time, user 2 (304) uses the second mobile
device
320 to register email address 2 (308) with the video chat server 324. In other
words, after registration, the video chat server has stored thereon email
address
2 (308) corresponding to the second mobile device 320.
[00170] At yet a further point in time, the first mobile device 316 sends a
request to the video chat server 324 to determine whether the contact with
email
address 2 (308) is discoverable (block 694). In an example embodiment, the
transmission of the request can be invoked periodically. In another example
embodiment, it can be invoked by a user input. In another example embodiment,
it can be invoked each time user 1 (302) logs into the first mobile device
316. It
can be appreciated that the transmission of the request can be invoked by
various events.
[00171] After receiving the request, the video chat server 324 then
determines
if email address 2 (308) is discoverable. Email address 2 (308) is now
discoverable since it was added to the video chat server 324. Initially, it
was not
discoverable.
[00172] The video chat server 324 sends a message back to the first mobile
device 316 indicating that the contact associate with email address 2 (308)
has
video chat capability. After receiving the message, the first mobile device
316
adds email address 2 (308) to its video chat contacts database 314a.
[00173] In this way, a user 1 (302) is automatically made aware if an
existing
contact (e.g. user 2 (304)) has a mobile device that is video chat capable.
[00174] In an example embodiment, using the method described in Figure 26,
a user 1 (302) had user 2 (304) as an email contact (e.g. not video chat
contact)
on user l's first mobile device 316. User 2 (304) later purchases or is given
a
new mobile device 320 that is video chat capable, and registers the same with
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the video chat server. The first mobile device 316 automatically updates the
video chat status of user 2 (304), without user 2 having to alert user 1.
1001751 A video chat system 700 wherein a plurality of mobile devices may
be
associated with a single user will now be described with reference to Figure
27.
Turning now to Figure 27, a block diagram of another example embodiment of a
video chat system is shown. In this example embodiment, a plurality of mobile
devices may be associated with an email address.
[001761 The video chat system of Figure 27 includes a first user 702 and a
second user 703. The first user 702 is uniquely identified by a first email
address
704, and the second user 703 is uniquely identified by a second email address
706. The first user 702 is associated with a plurality of mobile devices 705,
which include device 1A 708, device 1B 710 and device 1C 712, each uniquely
identified by mobile device IDs 720, 722 and 724, respectively. For example,
the
first user 702 may be the owner of mobile devices 705. The second user 703 is
associated with only one mobile device 714, the mobile device 714 being
uniquely identified by a second mobile device ID 726. In the example
embodiment, mobile devices 720, 710 and 714 are discoverable to video chat
service.
[00177] In the example embodiment, the first user 702 is using mobile
device
1A 708 to engage in a video chat session with the second user 703, who is
using
mobile device 2 714. In another example embodiment, the first user 702 may
also use mobile device 1B 710 to engage in a video chat session with the
second
user 703, since mobile device 1B 710 is also discoverable. However, the first
user 702 may not user mobile device 1C to engage in a video chat session
because mobile device 1C is not video chat capable. For example, mobile
device 1C does not have a camera. For example, mobile device 1C does not
have a video chat application.
1001781 In the example embodiment, a video chat server 718 is provided. The
video chat server 718 provides video chatting service and stores a listing of
email
addresses. For example, the listing may be provided by a registrar. In an
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example embodiment, the registrar is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
registrar.
Each email address in the listing are also associated with information
regarding
mobile device ID and availability. Since an email address may now be
associated with a plurality of mobile devices, the email address of a user can
no
longer uniquely identify the discoverability of a mobile device of the user.
Hence,
upon detecting that a plurality of mobile devices is associated with a single
user,
the structure of the registrar may be adjusted to relegate the information
which
identifies the discoverability of a mobile device from the email address to
the
mobile device ID. In the adjusted structure, each email address entry may
provide a plurality of nested entries corresponding to mobile device IDs. The
presence or absence of a particular mobile device ID may now act as the
information which uniquely identifies the discoverability of a mobile device
of the
user. For example, the presence of a mobile device ID will indicate that the
mobile device corresponding to the mobile device ID is discoverable. For
example, the absence of a mobile device ID indicates that the mobile device
corresponding to the mobile device ID is not discoverable.
[00179] For each entry corresponding to a mobile device ID, an additional
nested entry may be provided which corresponds to an availability for each
mobile device ID. This nested structure further serves to uniquely identify
the
availability for each mobile device.
[001801 In another example embodiment, the mobile device 1B 710 may be
video chat capable but not discoverable. For example, the first user 702 may
have declined the EULA for mobile device 1B 710. For example, the first user
702 may have decided not to make mobile device 710 not discoverable to video
chat service due to privacy reasons. In this case, the video chat server will
not
include the device 1B ID 722 or its associated availability 730.
[001811 It can be appreciated that the adjusted structure of the listing of
email
addresses can coexist with the structure of the listing 325 of email addresses
as
provided by the system of Figure 1. For example, since the second user 703
only has one mobile device 714, the discoverability of this mobile device 703
can
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be associated with the presence or absence of a second email address 706
corresponding to the mobile device 714 as before. It can be appreciated that
the
structure of the listing of email addresses in the video chat server 718 can
be
adapted depending on if a user has one mobile device or a plurality of mobile
devices.
1001821 It can be appreciated that the systems and methods described in
Figures 2 to 26 may be adjusted to become applicable to the example
embodiment of the video chat system of Figure 27. For example, wherever a
method required the provision of an email address, instead, an email address
and a mobile device ID is provided. The email address and mobile device ID are
then stored in the video chat service based on the structure as described in
Figure 27. Identification of discoverability is then based on the presence or
absence of the mobile device ID instead of the presence or absence of the
email
address.
[001831 An example embodiment of a method is provided for managing video
chat contacts. It can be performed by a server. The method includes: receiving
a request from an electronic device to determine video chat capability
associated
with an email address; comparing the email address with a listing of email
addresses, wherein the listing includes email addresses associated with other
electronic devices having video chat capability; and if an entry in the
listing
matches the email address, returning a message to the electronic device, the
message configured to automatically enable addition of the email address as a
video chat contact on the electronic device.
1001841 In another example embodiment, the server only stores information
related to the video chat contacts. In another example embodiment, each one of
the email addresses is associated with a device ID, identifying a given
electronic
device of the other electronic devices. In another example embodiment,
information about video hardware capability of the given electronic device is
derived from the device ID. In another example embodiment, the server includes
availability information stored in association with each one of the email
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addresses. In another example embodiment, the method further includes, after
receiving the request, determining if the electronic device is video chat
capable,
and if so, comparing the email address with the listing of email addresses. In
= another example embodiment, if it is determined the electronic device is
not
video chat capable, the server takes no further action. In another example
embodiment, the method further includes: after receiving the request,
determining if the electronic device is registered with the video chat server,
and if
so, comparing the email address with the listing of email addresses. In
another
example embodiment, the method further includes: after receiving the request,
determining if the electronic device is not registered with the video chat
server,
and if not, sending an other message to the electronic device prompting
activation of video chat service. In another example embodiment, the method
further includes: after determining the electronic device is not registered
with the
video chat server, comparing the email address with the listing of email
addresses; and, if an entry in the listing matches the email address, the
other
message further indicating that the email address is associated with a contact
that is capable of video chat.
[001851 Another example embodiment of a method is provided for
adding a
video chat contact. It can be performed by an electronic device. It includes:
displaying a graphical user interface including an email address field;
receiving
an email address in the email address field; sending the email address to a
video
chat server; receiving a message from the video chat server indicating that
the
email address is associated with another electronic device having video chat
capability; and adding the email address to a video chat contact list.
1001861 In an example embodiment, the method further includes:
after
receiving the message, populating a video chat address field in the graphical
user interface with the email address. In another example embodiment, if the
electronic device is not registered with the video chat server, the electronic
device receiving another message prompting activation of video chat service.
In
another example embodiment, the other message includes an indication that the
email address is associated with a contact that is capable of video chat. In
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another example embodiment, the method further includes: displaying an End
User License Agreement (EULA) for activating a video chat service; receiving
an
input accepting the EULA; and sending a registration to the video chat server,
including an email address of the electronic device. In another example
embodiment, the registration further includes a device ID of the electronic
device.
[001871 Another example embodiment of a method is provided for adding a
video chat contact, which can be performed by an electronic device. It
includes:
sending one or more email addresses to a video chat server; receiving a
message from the video chat server indicating that at least one of the one
more
email addresses is associated with another electronic device having video chat
capability; and adding the at least one email address to a video chat contact
list.
[00188] In an example embodiment, multiple email addresses are sent to the
video chat server. In another example embodiment, the multiple email
addresses are obtained from a social networking server. In another example
embodiment, one or more of the email addresses are sent to the video chat
server periodically. In another example embodiment, the one or more email
addresses are sent to the video chat server after logging into the electronic
device.
1001891 The steps or operations in the flow charts described herein are
just for
example. There may be many variations to these steps or operations without
departing from the principles described herein. For instance, the steps may be
performed in a differing order, or steps may be added, deleted, or modified.
1001901 The GUIs and screen shots described herein are just for example.
There may be variations to the graphical and interactive elements without
departing from the principles described herein. For example, such elements can
be positioned in different places, or added, deleted, or modified.
[00191j It will be appreciated that the particular example embodiments shown
in the figures and described above are for illustrative purposes only and many
other variations can be used according to the example embodiments described,
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Although the above has been described with reference to certain specific
example embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those
skilled in the art as outlined in the appended claims.
22230926.1 46
