Real-time messaging method and apparatus
A system and method for the late-binding of time-based media in real-time. With late binding, the sender may create time-based media before or at the same time an active delivery route to the recipient is discovered. As soon as the route becomes available, the media is transmitted. The existing DNS and email infrastructure is possibly used for route discovery, while any real-time transmission protocol may be used for the actual delivery of the media. “Progressive” emails may also be used for the real-time delivery of time-based media.
1. A method for conducting a conversation over a network, comprising:
maintaining a messaging infrastructure on the network;
receiving, at the messaging infrastructure, email-related information from a first device used by a first user initiating the conversation, the email-related information usable by the messaging infrastructure for ascertaining one or more second users of the messaging infrastructure for participation in the conversation;
ascertaining one or more second devices, connected to and available on the network, associated with the one or more second users respectively;
receiving at the messaging infrastructure video media for a video message streamed by the first user using the first device;
notifying the one or more of the second users of the video message while the video media is streamed by the first user;
enabling any of the one or more second users to selectively render at least portions of the video media of the video message in a real-time mode as:
(a) the video media of the video message is streamed by the first device;
(b) the video media is received at and stored by the messaging infrastructure; and
(c) the video media of the video message is streamed by the video messaging infrastructure to the one or more second devices associated with the one or more second users that have elected to selectively render the video message in the real-time mode,
the selective rendering occurring without having to first set up an end-to-end connection over the network between the first device and any of the one or more second devices respectively;
enabling at least one of the one or more of the second users that have elected to selectively render the video message in the real-time mode to selectively participate in the conversation by selectively adding one or more additional messages to the conversation; and
enabling rendering of the one or more additional messages while selectively rendering the video media of the video message in the real-time mode.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising serving the video media and the one or more additional messages from storage so that the one or more additional messages and the video media of the video message can be rendered in a time-shifted mode.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising organizing the one or more additional messages into a string of messages pertaining to the conversation.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transcoding the video media of the video message from one encoding format as streamed by the first device to one or more second encoding format(s) as needed for rendering on the one or more second device(s) respectively.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adaptively adjusting a number of bits contained in video media payloads, based on bandwidth conditions on the network, when streaming the video media of the video message.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the video message is a broadcast.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the video message is a broadcast to a channel.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the email-related information defines an email domain.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the email-related information identifies the second users by email addresses respectively.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the email-related information identifies the second users within an email domain.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the email-related information identifies a group of users within an email domain, the group including the second users.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the email-related information includes one or more email addresses for one or more of the second users respectively.
13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising specifying a name for the conversation.
14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising specifying a start time and date for the conversation.
15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising assigning a conversation identifier to the conversation.
16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising assigning a message identifier to the video message.
17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing a Universal Resource Locator (URL) link to the one or more second devices; and
serving the video media of the video message to any of the one or more second devices in response to a selection of the URL link.
18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising enabling the first user to selectively add to the one or more additional messages of the conversation while the video media of the video message is being streamed.
19. The method of claim 1 , further comprising enabling the first user to selectively render the one or more additional messages of the conversation while the video media of the video message is being streamed.
20. A method for conducting a conversation over a network, comprising:
maintaining a messaging infrastructure on the network;
receiving, at the messaging infrastructure, email-related information from a first device used by a first user initiating the conversation, the email-related information usable by the messaging infrastructure for ascertaining one or more second users of the messaging infrastructure for participation in the conversation, wherein the email related information includes or identifies one or more of the following:
(i) an email domain;
(ii) the second users within an email domain;
(iii) one or more email addresses;
(iv) the second users within an email domain; or
(v) a group within an email domain;
ascertaining one or more second devices, connected to and available on the network, associated with the one or more second users respectively;
receiving at the messaging infrastructure video media for a video message streamed by the first user using the first device;
notifying the one or more second users of the video message while the video media is streamed by the first user;
enabling any of the one or more second users to selectively render at least portions of the video media of the video message in a real-time mode as:
(a) the video media of the video message is streamed by the first device;
(b) the video media is received at and stored by the messaging infrastructure; and
(c) the video media of the video message is streamed by the video messaging infrastructure to the one or more second devices associated with the one or more second users that have elected to selectively render the video message in the real-time mode,
the selective rendering occurring without having to first set up an end-to-end connection over the network between the first device and any of the one or more second devices respectively;
enabling the first user or at least one of the one or more of the second users that have elected to selectively render the video message in the real-time mode to selectively participate in the conversation by selectively adding one or more additional messages to the conversation; and
enabling the one or more of the second users that have elected to selectively render the video message in the real-time mode to simultaneously render the one or more additional messages while rendering the video media of the video message in the real-time mode.
21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising serving the video media and the one or more additional messages from storage so that the one or more additional messages and the video media of the video message can be rendered in a time-shifted mode.
22. The method of claim 20 , further comprising transcoding the video media of the video message from one encoding format to one or more second encoding format(s) as needed for rendering on the one or more second device(s) respectively.
23. The method of claim 20 , further comprising adaptively adjusting a number of bits contained in video media payloads, based on bandwidth conditions on the network, when streaming the video media of the video message.
24. The method of claim 20 , further comprising one of the following:
(i) specifying a name for the conversation;
(ii) specifying a start time and date for the conversation;
(iii) assigning a conversation identifier to the conversation;
(iv) assigning a message identifier to the video message; or
(vi) any combination of (i) through (iv).