Providing access to information of multiple types via coordination of distinct information services
View Patent ↗Techniques are described for providing users of client devices with coordinated access to Information and/or functionality of multiple types, such as by using multiple types of connections to multiple information services of distinct types that exchange context information related to activities of the users and/or clients. The client devices can be, for example, wireless devices with multiple distinct modes (e.g., voice and data modes) for different types of connections with different types of servers (e.g., voice servers and data servers). In some situations, coordination between different servers allows multiple distinct interaction sessions of different types with different servers to remain synchronized or otherwise coordinated over time as the user performs interactions via the different sessions. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and is not intended to be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
1. A method for accessing information of multiple types, comprising:
receiving, at a first server, an instruction to provide a first type of functionality to a client device over a first network connection, wherein the instruction was received from a second server through a computer network, the second server providing a second type of functionality to the client device over a second network connection;
receiving a context update associated with the client device from the second server; and
in response to the reception of the instruction, providing the first type of functionality from the first server to the client over the first network connection such that the client device switches from the second type of functionality over the second network connection to the first type of functionality over the first network connection, wherein the first type of functionality reflects a context of the context update.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network connection is on a publicly switched telephone network (PSTN) and the second network connection is on the computer network.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to the reception of the instruction, initiating the first network connection with the client device from the first server.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network connection is initiated by the client device.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the context update is received in a communication from the second server over the computer network.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the context update includes obtaining the context update from a central message store accessible over the computer network by the first server and the second server.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the context update comprises data on a session of the client device with the second server over the second network connection.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising updating a context stored at the first sever in association with the first network connection with the client device based on the context update received from the second server over the computer network.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first type of functionality is determined based on the instruction or the context update.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the context update includes, a user's identity, a requested function, state information, or an identifier for a message.
11. A system, comprising:
a first server computer, comprising,
a processor; and
a network interface to a computer network;
a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising instruction for:
receiving, over the computer network, an instruction to provide a first type of functionality to a client device over a first network connection, wherein the instruction was received from a second server providing a second type of functionality to the client device over a second network connection;
receiving a context update associated with the client device from the second server; and
in response to the reception of the instruction, providing the first type of functionality from the first server to the client over the first network connection such that the client device switches from the second type of functionality over the second network connection to the first type of functionality over the first network connection, wherein the first type of functionality reflects a context of the context update.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first network connection is on a publicly switched telephone network (PSTN) and the second network connection is on the computer network.
13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions include instruction for initiating the first network connection with the client device from the first server in response to the reception of the instruction.
14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first network connection is initiated by the client device.
15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the context update is received in a communication from the second server over the computer network.
16. The system of claim 11 , wherein receiving the context update includes obtaining the context update from a central message store accessible over the computer network by the first server and the second server.
17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the context update comprises data on a session of the client device with the second server over the second network connection.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the instructions include instruction for updating a context stored at the first sever in association with the first network connection with the client device based on the context update received from the second server over the computer network.
19. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first type of functionality is determined based on the instruction or the context update.
20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the context update includes, a user's identity, a requested function, state information, or an identifier for a message.