An intelligent connection station has at least one wireless transceiver operating in a wireless protocol, at least one speaker and one microphone, a connection to a wide area network, and software executing on the connection station from a non-transitory physical medium, the software providing a first function seeking compatible communication appliances within range of the wireless transceiver operating in the wireless protocol, and a second function enabling wireless pairing, providing a wireless link between the intelligent connection station and any communication appliance discovered within range and activated to pair. The pairing enables digital communication between the paired device and a remote communication appliance over the wireless link, through the intelligent connection station and the wide area network.

Technology is disclosed for a unified communications service (UCS) that converts an audio call to an online collaboration session where users collaborate using one or more collaboration services while continuing to converse on the audio call without interruption (the technology). The technology enables two or more users, who are engaged in a voice conversation, to start a collaboration service. Collaboration service includes such services as, e.g., file sharing, screen sharing, video conferencing, and whiteboarding. These collaboration services are started without disconnecting the ongoing audio call, and/or leaving any user interface used for that call.

A method and system includes the ability for individuals to set up an ad hoc digital and voice network easily and rapidly to allow users to coordinate their activities by eliminating the need for pre-entry of data into a web or identifying others by name, phone numbers or email. This method is especially useful for police, fire fighters, military, first responders or other emergency situations for coordinating different organizations at the scene of a disaster to elevate conventional communication problems either up and down the chain of command or cross communication between different emergency units. The method and system provides that the users are only required to enter a specific Server IP address and an ad hoc event name, a password and perhaps the name of the particular unit.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for best server selection for real-time data transmission are provided. The systems and methods include an access controller, and an application which receives information of a selection of several best servers with which to transmit real-time packets to. The application sends a request to the access controller for server information before call initiation. The access controller identifies servers with the same ISP, and then selects a regional server within this group of same ISP servers. Subsequently the geo optimizer identifies servers closest to the application from among the regional servers. The respective loads of each of the closest servers are analyzed to select only servers that are likely to provide satisfactory quality of service. A monitor within the central IDC is able to measure load conditions of each server and provide this load information to the access controller.

A communication terminal includes a display control unit configured to display, on a display unit, a function selecting screen that contains a first icon for receiving a selection of a first communication function and a second icon for receiving a selection of a second communication function. The first communication function is to provide communication using a signaling protocol for connecting to or disconnecting from a destination of communication and an encoding protocol for encapsulating communication data in IP packets. The second communication function is to provide communication using the same signaling protocol and a different encoding protocol. The communication terminal also includes a receiving unit configured to receive a selection of the first icon or the second icon; and a starting unit configured to start the first communication function and the second communication function in response to the selection of the first icon and the second icon, respectively.

Disclosed embodiments provide improved communication between a caller and multiple parties. A caller performs a call spray operation on a group of contacts using an electronic communication device such as a mobile telephone. The call spray operation attempts to contact an electronic device associated with each contact in the group of contacts. If one of the contacts answers and is deemed to be a live user, then the remaining contacts that did not answer each receive a message on their associated electronic device indicating which of the contacts answered the caller with a live user. In this way, a group of people can be conveniently contacted and kept up to date with the status of the communication with the caller.

Systems, methods, and computer systems are disclosed for establishing a screen share session. One such method comprises a collaboration server receiving a message from an application executing on a mobile communication device. The message identifies that a voice call remote to the collaboration server has been initiated by the mobile communication device and established between a calling party using the mobile communication device and one or more called parties. The collaboration server determines that the calling party and the one or more called parties in the remote voice call have an active collaboration presence with the collaboration server. The collaboration server initiates a display of a screen share user interface control on a first computing device associated with the calling party and one or more second computing devices associated with the one or more called parties. The screen share user interface control is configured to enable the calling party and the one or more called parties to establish a screen share session.

A computer-implemented method manages remote electronic drop-ins on local conversations. A local audio sensor transmits a captured conversation from a local cluster of persons to a remote communication device where members of the local cluster of persons are within a predefined distance of one another, and where the remote communication device is at a location that is beyond a human hearing range from the local audio sensor. One or more processors determine that the captured conversation is about a particular topic. A request from a remote user is received from the remote communication device to electronically drop in on a particular remote cluster of persons who are having a conversation about the particular topic. In response to receiving the request from the remote user, one or more processors selectively connect a local communication device proximate to the cluster of persons to the remote communication device.

A software application enables a mobile device to make and receive voice calls, video calls, and text messages over a data network using VoIP. The application may run in the background and intercept outgoing and incoming calls. When the outgoing or incoming call is to/from another user of the application, the application may launch an appropriate screen and make/receive the call or text via Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP). Otherwise, the call or text functionality may be performed by native functionality of the mobile device via a GSM network.

Methods, systems, and devices enable recovery of words spoken while a communication device is on mute during a voice call. A processor of the communication device or a network server may buffer audio segment in memory when the mute function is turned on. If the mute function is turned off soon after the input audio segment begins, or the processor recognizes from the spoken words that the speaker does not intend to be on mute, the processor may transmit to the third party participant a playback of at least one portion of the buffer in conjunction with turning off the mute function. Playback of the buffered audio segment may be sped up so that the playback catches up to current speech of the speaker. Buffering and playback of an input audio segment may be accomplished at the speaker's communication device or in a server within the communication network.