Skype Limited

Derek MacDonald

Manrique Brenes

Dmytro Izotov

Eric Kenneth Rescorla

Daniel Winston

Theo Zourzouvillys

Theo Peter Zourzouvillys

There is provided a packet-based communication system for conducting voice or video calls over a packet-based network. A client application on a first terminal is configured to determine an availability of one or more other, second user terminals installed with other instances of the client application, and to present a near-end user with an option to select one of said second user terminals for use by the near-end user in conjunction with the first user terminal when conducting a voice or video call with a far-end user via the client instances and packet-based communication system; thereby enabling the voice or video call to be conducted using the second terminal to consume or generate at least one stream of the call whilst the first user terminal concurrently generates or consumes at least another stream of the call or controls the call.

Communication system and method

There is provided an instance of a client application enabling a first user terminal to access a packet-based communication system to conduct voice or video calls over a packet-based network. The client application is configured to receive an input from one or more audio and/or video input transducers of the first terminal, and to operate in conjunction with one or more other instances of the client application executed on one or more respective second terminals so as to participate in an analysis of the one or more inputs in relation to an input from one or more audio and/or video input transducers of the one or more second terminals; thereby enabling selection of one of the first and second terminals for use by a near-end user in conducting a call with a far-end user of a third user terminal via the respective client instance and packet-based communication system.

An instant messaging client application is executed on a first terminal, to participate in threads of instant messaging between user terminals over a packet-based network, each thread comprising exchanging text-based messages between the user terminals of a selected group of contacts comprising the first user and at least one second user. A digital record of the messages is maintained in a data storage medium. A further text-based message is received from one of the second terminals over the packet-based network, comprising a citation of a cited one of the text-based messages previously transmitted over the packet-based communication network and stored in the storage medium. The further message is processed at the first terminal so as, by reference to the storage medium, to recover a context of the cited message in relation to others of the text-based messages in the respective thread.

Retrieval of stored transmissions

A method, client application and user terminal, the method including providing a packet-based communication system for conducting voice or video calls over a packet-based network and providing an instance of a client application enabling a first user terminal to access the packet-based communication system. The client application is configured so as when executed on the first terminal to receive an input from multiple different audio and/or video input transducers of the first terminal, to analyze those inputs in relation to one another, and based on that analysis to select at least one audio and/or video input transducer and/or output transducer of the first terminal for use in conducting a voice or video call with a remote user terminal via the packet-based communication system.

A communication system comprising: a terminal having: an interface to a network, whereby the terminal can be connected to another party on a communication session; an output for outputting a communication stream received from another party on a communication session; and a source of play-out stream independent of a communication session; and a communication controller for managing a communication session terminated at the terminal, the communication controller being configured to: a) when it detects that the terminal has been placed on hold in a communication session, cause play-out stream from the source of play-out stream to be directed to the output; and b) when it detects that the terminal has been taken off hold in the communication session, cause communication stream from the communication session to be directed to the output.

Growing community of inventors

Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Derek MacDonald