Method for downloading and using a communication application through a web browser

Abstract

A method of enabling communication over a network by maintaining a server on a network and receiving a request at the server from a user of a communication device. In response to the request, a communication application is downloading over the network to the communication device. The communication application enabling the user to participate in a conversation on the communication device in either (i) a real-time mode or (ii) a time-shifted mode and (iii) to seamlessly transition the conversation between the two modes (i) and (ii).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a Continuation-in Part (CIP) of U.S. application Ser. No. 12 / 028,400, filed Feb. 8, 2008, which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Applications 60 / 937, 552, filed Jun. 28, 2007, and 60 / 999,619, filed Oct. 19, 2007. This application is also a CIP of U.S. application Ser. No. 12 / 561,089, filed Sep. 16, 2009, which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 232,627, filed Aug. 10, 2009. This application is further a CIP of U.S. application Ser. Nos. 12 / 419,861, filed Apr. 17, 2009, 12 / 552,980, filed Sep. 2, 2009, and 12 / 857,486, filed Aug. 16, 2010, each of which claim priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 148,885, filed Jan. 30, 2009. The above-listed provisional and non-provisional applications are each incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]This invention pertains to communications, and more particularl...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]The invention involves a method for downloading a communication application onto a communication device. Once downloaded, the communication application is configured to create a user interface appearing within one or more web pages generated by a web browser running on the communication device. The communication enables the user to engage in voice conversations in (i) a real-time mode or (ii) a time-shifted mode and provides the ability to seamless transition the conversation back and forth between the two modes (i) and (ii). In the real-time mode, the communication application is configured to transmit voice media as the user speaks and render voice media as it is transmitted and received from a sender. The communication application also provides for the persistent storage of transmitted and received voice media. With persistent storage, the voice media may be rendered at a later arbitrary time defined by the user in the time-shifted mode.

[0017]In another embodiment, both the communication device and communication servers responsible for routing the voice media of the conversation between participants are “late-binding”. With late-binding, voice media is progressively transmitted as it is created and as soon as a recipient is identified, without having to first wait for a complete discovery path to the recipient to be discovered. Similarly, the communication servers can progressively transmit received voice media as it is available, before the voice media is received in full, as soon as the next hop is discovered, and before the complete delivery route to the recipient is fully known. Late binding thus solves the problems with current communication systems, including the (i) waiting for a circuit connection to be established before “live” communication may take place, with either the recipient or a voice mail system associated with the recipient, as required with conventional telephony or (ii) waiting for an email to be composed in its entirety before the email may be sent.

Problems solved by technology

The called party can pick up the phone while the caller is leaving a message, which causes most answering machines to stop recording the message.

In either situation, there is no way for the called party to review the recorded message until after the recording has stopped.

As a result, there is no way for the recipient to review any portion of the recorded message other than the current point while the message is ongoing and is being recorded.

There is no way to review previous portions of the message before the message is left in its entirety.

While the answering machine functionality has been integrated into the phone, the limitations of these answering machines, as discussed above, are still present.

If the user does not hear the message, for whatever reason, the message is irretrievably lost.

These systems, however, typically do not record messages that are reviewed live by the recipient.

Although it is possible to send time-based (i.e., media that changes over time, such as voice or video) as an attachment to an email, the time-based media can never be sent or reviewed in a “live” or real-time mode.

Real-time communication is therefore not possible with conventional email.

However with either Skype voice mail or Hot Recorder, it is not possible for a user to review the previous media of the conversation while the conversation is ongoing or to seamlessly transition the conversation between a real-time and a time-shifted mode.

Neither the instant messaging, nor the mobile phone applications, however, allow users to conduct voice and other time-based media conversations in both a real-time and a time-shifted mode and to seamlessly transition the conversation between the two modes.

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