Systems and methods for advanced communications and control

Abstract

Methods and systems for telecommunications operations and controls include (1) an enhanced text message process or methodology that allows a remote user who does not have, already installed, a specialized voice telephony program to nevertheless place and participate in a voice call, (2) call admission control using a “degrees of separation” metric, (3) real time controlled sharing of contact (buddy) lists, (4) multi-service instance messaging conferences, and (5) “meta buddies” or buddy lists that can be automatically imported and made part of a user's own buddy list.

1 . A method for initiating a voice connection from a text-only internet communication session, comprising:
 initiating an Instant Message (IM) session from a calling party to a called party;   sending a hyperlink by the calling party to the called party as part of an IM message, wherein the hyperlink is associated with an internet voice application;   receiving, by the calling party, via the internet voice application subsequently launched by the called party to whom the hyperlink was sent, a request by the called party to initiate a voice connection; and   accepting by the calling party the request and establishing a voice call between the calling party and the called party.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising maintaining an IM session between the calling and called parties simultaneously with the voice call. 
   
   
       3 . A system for initiating a voice connection from a text-only internet communication session, comprising:
 an integrated client associated with a calling party;   an Instant Message (IM) client associated with a called party;   the integrated client operable to:
 send a hyperlink to the IM client as part of an IM message, wherein the hyperlink is associated with an internet voice application, wherein the IM client displays the hyperlink to the called party; 
 receive via the internet voice application subsequently launched in response to the called party accessing the hyperlink, a request by the called party to initiate a voice connection; and 
 accept the request and establish a voice call between the calling party and the called party. 
   
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the integrated client is running on a communication device associated with the calling party, and the IM client is running on a communication device associated with the called party. 
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the IM session between the calling and called parties is maintained simultaneously with the voice call.