Patents by Inventor Nick Swerdlow

Nick Swerdlow has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11695868
    Abstract: Video-assisted presence detection is used to enhance a user experience in telephony communications. Image data, video data, or both, from a camera are used to determine whether a user is present at their device before a call is transferred to him or her. The video-assisted presence detection can be implemented based on a privacy setting. For example, one implementation allows a system to have partial access to the camera to perform a scan to detect that there is a human present without capturing facial information, and without identifying that person. Another implementation allows the system to have partial access to the camera to scan the a face of a user, but not have access to the video feed of the camera. Another implementation allows the system to have full access to the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Zoom Video Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Patent number: 11665213
    Abstract: A meeting host or moderator can control communications among participants in virtual breakout rooms without requiring the host to join a breakout room as a participant. The host can run conferencing software to instantiate a meeting room and breakout rooms associated with the meeting room. The host can control communications in the breakout rooms, such as by transmitting and/or receiving content through one or more channels established by the conferencing software. The host can transmit and/or receive content such as a real time audio stream, a transcription of the audio stream, a screen or window being shared, chat messages, and the like, without joining the breakout room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Zoom Video Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20230132639
    Abstract: A conference participant is provided replay content during a conference responsive to the conference participant needing content and/or context of current conversations. During the conference, a replay request is received, which may be initiated by the conference participant or other participants or automated my software, such as based on an event detected using a real-time transcription of the conference. For example, the event may relate to a topic relevant to the conference participant or a request associated with a name of the conference participant. Content is obtained from a buffer for a period of time relative to or associated with the replay request. The content is annotated based on one or more annotation inputs. Device and user settings associated with the conference participant are used to determine a presentation mode for the replay content. Based on that determination, the replay content is presented to the conference participant to guide discussions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2021
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20230137043
    Abstract: Identifying users who may be interested in content of a conference while the conference is ongoing includes generating a real-time transcript of a portion of the ongoing conference. The real-time transcript may be generated using a transcription engine accessing audio of an ongoing conference implemented by a conferencing software. Responsive to detecting that a topic-of-interest associated with a user who is not a current participant of the ongoing conference is referenced within the real-time transcript, a notification indicative of the topic-of-interest and the ongoing conference may be transmitted to a device associated with the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2021
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20230132517
    Abstract: A meeting host or moderator can control communications among participants in virtual breakout rooms without requiring the host to join a breakout room as a participant. The host can run conferencing software to instantiate a meeting room and breakout rooms associated with the meeting room. The host can control communications in the breakout rooms, such as by transmitting and/or receiving content through one or more channels established by the conferencing software. The host can transmit and/or receive content such as a real time audio stream, a transcription of the audio stream, a screen or window being shared, chat messages, and the like, without joining the breakout room.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2022
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20230135715
    Abstract: A server transmits a task to client devices using push-to-talk (PTT). The server receives a response accepting the task from a device of the client devices. The server assigns the task to a user of the device. The server transmits an indication that the task was assigned to the user of the device to at least a subset of the client devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20230126032
    Abstract: A communication directed to a recipient is stored in a message box of the recipient. A forwardee is identified based on an analysis of the communication. A request is received to transmit the communication to the forwardee. The communication is forwarded to a message box of the forwardee.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20230096134
    Abstract: A conference system obtains information associated with a conference that is in progress. The conference system transmits a graphical output associated with the conference to a client device for display. Prior to the client device joining the conference, the conference system receives a message to initiate a communication with a participant device that is present in the conference. The conference system grants the client device access to an in-conference communication application associated with the conference in progress to communicate with the participant device without the client device having to join the conference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2021
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20230083350
    Abstract: A conference system transmits a first graphical output to display an indicator of a conference item on a display of a client device. Prior to the client device joining the conference, the conference system receives a request to view the conference item. The conference system transmits a second graphical output to the client device to display the conference item.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2021
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20230078792
    Abstract: A conferencing system transmits a first graphical output associated with a conference to a client device for display without requiring the client device to connect to the conference. Prior to the client device connecting to the conference, the conferencing system receives a request for participant information of the conference. The conferencing system determines the participant information based on the request. The conferencing system transmits a second graphical output to the client device to display the participant information on a display of the client device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2021
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20230077835
    Abstract: A voice message (VM) received from a phone number is associated with a shared VM inbox that is accessible to a group of users. The group of users includes a first user and a second user. The VM is assigned to the first user. The first user is determined not to have responded to the VM within a predefined response time. Responsive to the determination that the first user did not respond to the VM within the predefined response time, the VM is reassigned to the second user; a callback action associated with the VM is enabled for the second user; and the callback action is disabled for the first user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20230029512
    Abstract: A velocity of a device of a user is detected using one or more sensors of the device. If the detected velocity is within a first range, a determination is made that the user is driving. A presence update is transmitted to a server based on the detected velocity. The detected velocity may include altitude data. The server receives the presence update and updates a presence status based on the presence update. The server transmits a user interface (UI) output to a second device to update a user presence indication on a display of the second device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20230032753
    Abstract: A conference system automatically detects a topic in a discussion between two or more participants in a conference based on a real-time transcription of an audio component of the conference. The conference system determines that the discussion is a side conversation based on a determination that the topic is not related to any discussion points of the conference. The conference system determines which participants are related to the side conversation and schedules a future conference between these participants. The conference system generates one or more discussion points for the future conference based on the topic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20230033092
    Abstract: Time allotments for a list of topics are intelligently determined for a future conference and included in a schedule item for the future conference. The list of topics is detected and used to retrieve historical conference data from one or more data stores. The historical conference data indicates talk times for various participants and/or topics and is used to determine time allotments for the topics of the list of topics. The schedule item for the future conference is then updated to include those determined time allotments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2021
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20230034386
    Abstract: A shared device voicemail box can be accessed from a device that is an unauthenticated device without a user-specific security credential. The device obtains an image via a camera of the device and transmits a request to a server. The request includes a unique code based on the image. The device accesses the voicemail box based on an access grant received from the server. Using the obtained image, a non-registered user of a telephony system can access a secured voicemail box.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20230030202
    Abstract: Agent conversation item selection is automated by a server that automatically detects speech in a call and converts that speech to text. Software running on the server retrieves one or more items from a data store based on a determination that the text includes one or more keywords or a change in the subject of the call. The keywords can include phrases. The retrieved items include one or more of scripts, articles, manuals, daily bulletins regarding a system state, or any resource that can be used to assist with a customer call or interaction. The software running on the server generates a user interface (UI) output based on the retrieve items, and transmits the UI output to an agent device. Software running on the agent device receives the UI output and displays the retrieved items on a display of the agent device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20220351103
    Abstract: Agenda intelligence software determines completions of agenda items of a multi-participant communication using a transcription generated in real-time during the multi-participant communication and generates an agenda for a next multi-participant communication including incomplete agenda items. A software platform may in some cases include the agenda intelligence software, a transcription engine which generates the real-time transcription of the multi-participant communication, and a communication system which implements the multi-participant communication. The agenda generated for the next multi-participant communication may further include agenda items not previously identified for the multi-participant communication and determined using the real-time transcription of same.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20220351149
    Abstract: Agenda intelligence software determines that agenda items are incomplete after time allotments therefor have elapsed during a multi-participant communication and alters an agenda of the multi-participant accordingly, such as using a transcription generated in real-time during the multi-participant communication. A software platform may in some cases include the agenda intelligence software, a transcription engine which generates the real-time transcription of the multi-participant communication, and a communication system which implements the multi-participant communication. The agenda may be altered by rescaling time allotments for other agenda items and/or by moving one or more other agenda items to an agenda for a next multi-participant communication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Publication number: 20220345569
    Abstract: Video-assisted presence detection is used to enhance a user experience in telephony communications. Image data, video data, or both, from a camera are used to determine whether a user is present at their device before a call is transferred to him or her. The video-assisted presence detection can be implemented based on a privacy setting. For example, one implementation allows a system to have partial access to the camera to perform a scan to detect that there is a human present without capturing facial information, and without identifying that person. Another implementation allows the system to have partial access to the camera to scan the a face of a user, but not have access to the video feed of the camera. Another implementation allows the system to have full access to the camera.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2021
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow
  • Patent number: 11477324
    Abstract: A shared VM received from a telephone number is associated with a shared VM inbox that is accessible to a group of users including a first user and a second user. A request to assign a responsibility for the shared VM to the first user is received. Based on the request, a callback action usable to initiate a call to the telephone number is enabled for the first user, and the callback action is disabled for the second user and with respect to the shared VM. Based on an indication that the first user performed the callback action, a status associated with the shared VM is updated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Zoom Video Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Nick Swerdlow