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).

1 . A method of facilitating communication over a network, comprising:
 providing access to a communication application through a web site, the communication application enabling a user to participate in a voice conversation on a communication device either in:   (i) a real-time mode; or   (ii) a time-shifted mode; and   (iii) providing the ability to seamlessly transition the conversation between the two modes (i) and (ii).   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing access to the communication application through the web site further comprises:
 receiving a request from the user to download the communication application to the communication device of the user when the user is accessing the web site;   downloading the communication application to the communication device in response to the request, the communication application configured to create a user interface appearing within a web page generated by a web browser running on the communication device so that the user has the experience that the user interface is an part of the web page; and   enabling the user of the communication device to participate in the conversation through the user interface.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication application is written in a programming language so that it will run within the context of the web page appearing within the browser of the communication device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising serving web content so that the user interface appears within the web page including the served web content. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further downloading a multi-media platform and a web-browser plug-in as needed to the communication device. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication application is further configured to:
 enable the user to create voice media pertaining to the conversation;   progressively store the voice media as the voice media is created; and   progressively transmit the voice media to a recipient as the voice media is created and stored.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication application is further configured to:
 progressively receive voice media from a participant of the conversation;   progressively store the voice media as it is received; and   progressively render the voice media as it is received and stored.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication application is further configured to enable the user to render received voice media on the communication device out of persistent storage at an arbitrary later time after the voice media was received when participating in the conversation in the time-shifted mode. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication application is capable of full-duplex communication when voice media is synchronously transmitted during the conversation. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the communication application is capable of half-duplex communication when voice media is asynchronously transmitted or received during the conversation. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the voice media of the conversation is live voice media that is transmitted or received as the voice media is created. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the conversation further comprises text media and the voice media. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the conversation further comprises one or more of the following:
 (i) video;   (ii) GPS data;   (iii) sensor data; or   (iv) any combination of voice and (i) through (iv).   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the user interface is configured to enable the user to:
 create a new conversation;   present a list of conversations; and   provide the user with the ability to select one conversation among the list of conversations for participation.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the user-interface is further configured to present a message history of a selected conversation in time-indexed order. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the message history further comprises presenting one or more media bubbles, each of the one or more media bubbles representing one or more messages of the selected conversation respectively. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein at least one of the one or more media bubbles includes at least one of the following:
 (i) a media type indicator which indicates the media type associated with the media bubble;   (ii) a date and time indicator indicative of the date and the time when the media associated with the media bubble was created;   (iii) a name indicator indicative of the name of the participant of the selected conversation that created the media associated with the media bubble; or   (iv) any combination of (i) through (iii).   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the user interface is configured to provide the user with a number of rendering options for rendering the voice media of the conversation, the rendering options including one or more of the following:
 (i) play;   (ii) pause;   (iii) mute;   (iv) jump forward;   (v) jump backward; and   (vi) catch up to the most recently received voice media by rendering previously received and persistently stored voice media at a faster rate than it was originally encoded in the time-shifted mode and then seamlessly transitioning the rendering of the voice media as it is being received when the rendering at the faster rate has caught up to and coincides with the voice media as it is being received.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the conversation is defined by an attribute, the attribute being selected from one of the following:
 (i) a name of a participant of the conversation;   (ii) a topic of the conversation;   (iii) a subject defining the conversation; or   (iv) a group identifier identifying the group of participants participating in the conversation.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 progressively receiving the voice media of the conversation at a communication server as the voice media is created by the user and transmitted by the communication device;   discovering at least a partial delivery route to a recipient of the voice media participating in the conversation; and   progressively transmitting the received voice media as the voice media is available and as the at least a partial delivery route over the network to the recipient is discovered.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the progressively transmitting further comprises progressively transmitting the received voice media as soon as the next hop on the network along the complete delivery route to the recipient is discovered. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the progressive transmission starts before the voice media is received in full at the communication server. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the progressive transmission starts before the complete discovery route to the recipient is fully discovered. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 receiving at the communication server an identifier uniquely identifying the recipient;   ascertaining at the communication server if a lookup result of the identifier indicates that the recipient receives a real-time transmission service; and   progressively transmitting using a real-time transmission protocol the received voice media as the at least partial delivery route to the recipient is discovered if the lookup result of the identifier indicates that the recipient receives the real-time transmission service.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the real-time transmission protocol comprises one of the following:
 (i) SIP;   (ii) RTP;   (iii) VoIP;   (iv) Skype;   (v) UDP;   (vi) TCP;   (vii) CTP; or   (viii) emails where media is progressively transmitted.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the identifier is one of the following:
 (i) a globally unique identifier;   (ii) a unique identifier identifying the recipient among registered users of a web community; or   (iii) an email address.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the lookup of the identifier is used to authenticate the recipient. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the lookup result is a DNS lookup result. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 receiving from the user an email address associated with an intended recipient of the voice media of the conversation at the communication server;   performing a DNS lookup of the email address for the discovery of the least a partial delivery route to the recipient; and   using a route discovered by the DNS lookup result of the email address for routing the progressively transmitted received voice media.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 maintaining a web server; and   hosting the web site on the web server.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the communication server and the server of  claim 30  are either:
 (i) the same server; or 
 (ii) different servers. 
 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the web site is one of the following:
 (i) social networking web site;   (ii) online gaming web site;   (iii) online dating web site; or   (iv) financial or stock trading web site.