Methods of establishing a communications link using perceptual sensing of a user's presence
US7242421B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 13, 2001 |
| Grant date | Jul 10, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 22, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N7/147
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method of establishing a communications link uses automatic sensing of a computer user's presence and activity state to record user attributes in a form accessible to other computers in a communications network. Such automatic sensing may include keyboard/mouse monitors, cameras with associated image processing algorithms, speech detectors, RF radiation detectors, and infrared sensors. Preferably, the attribute recording is done in a server process which can be accessed by other computer programs. A first application of this method is to inform persons at remote locations whether the party to be called is available to receive a call. A second application of the method is to use a Connection Agent to determine whether all desired participants for a conference, or at least a quorum of them, are present and available, so that the conference can be started. A third application of the method is to allow a called party to adjust the kind of notification, if any, he or she receives of an incoming call, depending upon what activity is currently engaging the called party.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.