Systems and methods for managing incoming calls in the metaverse
A system ( 100 ) for managing incoming calls in a user's mobile device ( 3 ) while using a user's virtual reality, VR, device ( 1 ), comprising a user's mobile device ( 3 ) comprising a SIM card associated to a Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Number, MSISDN, the SIM card associated to a mobile carrier from an IP Multimedia. Subsystem, IMS, network ( 6 ), a user's virtual reality, VR, device ( 1 ) comprising computing means ( 2 ) to perform a pairing process between the mobile device ( 3 ) and the user's VR device ( 1 ) and managing incoming calls, an authentication module ( 4 ) configured to authenticate the user's mobile device ( 3 ), wherein authenticate means that the VR user (A) is in possession of the user's mobile device ( 3 ) comprising the SIM card; and a Web Real Time Communications Gateway, WebRTC GW ( 5 ) connected to the IMS network ( 6 ) of the mobile carrier and configured to translate IMS signaling into WebRTC signaling.
1 . A system ( 100 ) for managing incoming calls in a user's mobile device ( 3 ) while using a user's virtual reality (VR), device ( 1 ), comprising:
the user's mobile device ( 3 ) comprising a SIM card associated to a Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Number (MSISDN), the SIM card associated to a mobile carrier provided with an IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, network ( 6 );
the user's VR, device ( 1 ) comprising computer ( 2 ) to perform a pairing process between the mobile device ( 3 ) and the user's VR device ( 1 ) and managing incoming calls;
an authenticator ( 4 ) to authenticate the user's mobile device ( 3 ), wherein authenticate means that a VR user (A) is in possession of the user's mobile device ( 3 ) comprising the SIM card; and
a Web Real Time Communications Gateway, WebRTC GW, ( 5 ) connected to the IMS network ( 6 ) of the mobile carrier and to translate IMS signaling into WebRTC signaling,
wherein, in a first stage, the system is to perform pairing between the user's mobile device ( 3 ) and the user's VR device ( 1 ) by:
the computer ( 2 ) in the user's VR device ( 1 ) being to:
request the VR user (A) to enter the MSISDN associated to the SIM card of the user's mobile device ( 3 );
request the authenticator ( 4 ) to authenticate the VR user (A) by challenging the VR user (A) to probe the possession of the SIM card associated to the MSISDN;
upon successful authentication of the user, the computer ( 2 ) being to:
retrieve user's authentication credentials from the authenticator module ( 4 ); and
register the user's authentication credentials in the WebRTC GW ( 5 );
upon registering the user's authentication credentials in the WebRTC GW, the WebRTC GW ( 5 ) being to:
verify said credentials in the authenticator ( 4 ); and
register the user's VR device ( 1 ) with the IMS network ( 6 ) to complete pairing,
wherein, in a second stage, upon completing pairing between the user's mobile device ( 3 ) and the user's VR device ( 1 ), the system is to manage the flow of an incoming call from a caller (B) received at the MSISDN of the user's mobile device ( 3 ) by performing the following steps:
the WebRTC GW ( 5 ) is to:
receive an incoming call request associated with the incoming call incoming call from the caller (B); and
notify the user's VR device ( 1 ) via the computer ( 2 ),
the user's VR device ( 1 ) is to:
inform the VR user (A) about the incoming call; and
accept or rejecting the incoming call based on a user's action by establishing or rejecting a connection between the user's VR device ( 1 ) and the caller (B) via the WebRTC GW ( 5 ), and
the WebRTC GW ( 5 ) is to:
upon establishing the connection, notify the VR user (A) or the caller (B) that the connection is finished upon rejecting the connection by any of the parties.
2 . Then system ( 100 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the incoming call is an audio call or a video call.
3 . The system ( 100 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the incoming call is a video call with an incoming video stream and the user's VR device ( 1 ) is to provide a VR stereoscopic projection ( 2 a ) to the user, the computer ( 2 ) in the user's VR device ( 1 ) is to:
prompt the VR user (A) to select a first output video stream to be transmitted to the caller (B) via the WebRTC GW ( 5 ), wherein the first output video stream is part of the VR stereoscopic projection ( 2 a ).
4 . The system ( 100 ) according to claim 1 , further comprising a recording device, wherein the incoming call is a video call with an incoming video stream and the user's VR device ( 1 ) is to provide a VR stereoscopic projection ( 2 a ) to the user, the computer ( 2 ) in the user's VR device ( 1 ) is to:
prompt the VR user (A) to select a second output video stream to be transmitted to the caller (B) via the WebRTC GW ( 5 ), wherein the second output video stream is provided from a recording device.
5 . The system ( 100 ) according to claim 4 , wherein the recording device is an external camera ( 6 a ) to record the user.
6 . The system ( 100 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the user's VR device ( 1 ) further comprises a hand-tracking sensor ( 4 a ) to track the gestures performed by the VR user (A) with his hands.
7 . The system ( 100 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the user's VR device ( 1 ) further comprises a user's microphone ( 3 a ) to register the speech of the user.
8 . The system ( 100 ) according to claim 7 , wherein the incoming call is a video call with an incoming video stream and the user's VR device ( 1 ) is to provide a VR stereoscopic projection ( 2 a ) to the user, the computer ( 2 ) in the user's VR device ( 1 ) is to:
generate a user's avatar based on:
gestures performed by the VR user (A) with his hands obtained from the hand-tracking sensor ( 4 a );
video obtained from the external camera ( 6 a ); and/or
audio obtained from the user's microphone ( 3 a ); and
prompt the VR user (A) to transmit the user's avatar as third output video stream to the caller (B) via the WebRTC GW ( 5 ).
9 . The system ( 100 ) according to claim 3 , wherein the computer ( 2 ) in the user's VR device ( 1 ) is to:
project the incoming video stream in replacement of the VR stereoscopic projection ( 2 a ); or
project the incoming video stream in combination with the VR stereoscopic projection ( 2 a ).
10 . The system ( 100 ) according to claim 9 , wherein the user's avatar is static or dynamic.
11 . The system ( 100 ) according to claim 1 , wherein challenging the VR user (A) to probe the possession of the SIM card to authenticate the user's mobile device ( 3 ) comprises the reception of a PIN number received via SMS at the MSISDN associated with the SIM card in the user's mobile device ( 3 ).
12 . A method for managing incoming calls in a user's mobile device ( 3 ) while using a user's virtual reality (VR) device ( 1 ), the method performed by a system ( 100 ) comprising:
the user's mobile device ( 3 ) comprising a SIM card associated to a Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Number (MSISDN), the SIM card associated to a mobile carrier provided with an IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, network ( 6 ),
the user's VR, device ( 1 ) comprising computing means ( 2 ) to perform a pairing process between the mobile device ( 3 ) and the user's VR device ( 1 ) and managing incoming calls,
an authentication module ( 4 ) configured to authenticate the user's mobile device ( 3 ), wherein authenticate means that the VR user (A) is in possession of the user's mobile device ( 3 ) comprising the SIM card and
a Web Real Time Communications Gateway, WebRTC GW ( 5 ) connected to the IMS network ( 6 ) of the mobile carrier and configured to translate IMS signaling into WebRTC signaling,
wherein, in a first stage, the method comprises:
performing pairing between the user's mobile device ( 3 ) and the user's VR device ( 1 ) by carrying out the following steps:
requesting the VR user (A) to enter the MSISDN associated to the SIM card of the user's mobile device ( 3 ) by the computing means ( 2 ) in the user's VR device ( 1 );
verifying the MSISDN by challenging the VR user (A) to probe the possession of the SIM card to authenticate the user's mobile device ( 3 ) by the computing means ( 2 ) in the user's VR device ( 1 );
upon successful authentication of the user:
retrieving user's authentication credentials by the computing means ( 2 ) in the user's VR device ( 1 ); and
registering the user's authentication credentials by the computing means ( 2 ) in the WebRTC GW ( 5 );
upon registering the user's authentication credentials,
verifying said credentials by the WebRTC GW ( 5 ) in the authentication module ( 4 ); and
registering the user's VR device ( 1 ) with the IMS network ( 6 ) by the WebRTC GW ( 5 ) to complete pairing,
wherein, in a second stage, upon completing pairing between the user's mobile device ( 3 ) and the user's VR device ( 1 ), the method comprises managing the flow of an incoming call from a caller (B) received at the MSISDN of the user's mobile device ( 3 ) by performing the following steps:
receiving an incoming call request associated with the incoming call from the caller (B) via the WebRTC GW ( 5 ):
notifying with the WebRTC GW ( 5 ) the user's VR device ( 1 ):
informing the VR user (A) about the incoming call with the user's VR device ( 1 ):
accepting or rejecting with the user's VR device ( 1 ) the incoming call based on a user's action by establishing or rejecting a connection between the user's VR device ( 1 ) and the caller (B);
upon establishing the connection notifying a VR user (A) or the caller (B) by the WebRTC GW ( 5 ) that the connection is finished upon rejecting the connection by any of the parties.
13 . The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
receiving the incoming call firstly in the mobile device ( 3 ) based on the user's selection or based on heuristics generated by the computing means ( 2 ); or
receiving the incoming call firstly in the VR device ( 1 ) based on the user's selection or based on heuristics generated by the computing means ( 2 ).
14 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the incoming call is a video call with an incoming video stream and the user's VR device ( 1 ) is configured to provide a VR stereoscopic projection ( 2 a ) to the user, the method further comprises:
prompting the VR user (A) to select a first output video stream to be transmitted to the caller (B) via the WebRTC GW ( 5 ) by the computing means ( 2 ) in the user's VR device ( 1 ), wherein the first output video stream is part of the VR stereoscopic projection ( 2 a ); or
prompting the VR user (A) to select a second output video stream to be transmitted to the caller (B) via the WebRTC GW ( 5 ) by the computing means ( 2 ) in the user's VR device ( 1 ), wherein the second output video stream is provided from a recording device; or
generating by the computing means ( 2 ) in the user's VR device ( 1 ) a user's avatar based on:
gestures performed by the VR user (A) with his hands obtained from a hand-tracking sensor ( 4 a );
video obtained from the recording device; and/or
audio obtained from a user's microphone ( 3 a ); and
prompting the VR user (A) to transmit the user's avatar as third output video stream to the caller (B) via the WebRTC GW ( 5 ) by the computing means ( 2 ) in the user's VR device ( 1 ).
15 . The method according to claim 14 , further comprising:
projecting the incoming video stream in replacement of the VR stereoscopic projection ( 2 a ) by the computing means ( 2 ) in the user's VR device ( 1 ); or
projecting the incoming video stream in combination with the VR stereoscopic projection ( 2 a ) by the computing means ( 2 ) in the user's VR device ( 1 ).