Patent ID: 9578282
Date: 2017-02-21
CPC Classifications: H04L,H04N

Claim:
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving, at a server computing device having one or more processors, a signal that a first user and a second user desire to participate in a video communication session during a particular time period via a first user computing device and a second user computing device, respectively, the particular time period beginning at a start time and ending at an end time; monitoring, at the server computing device, activity of the first user at the first user computing device during the particular time period to determine whether the first user is prepared to participate in the video communication session; monitoring, at the server computing device, activity of the second user at the second user computing device during the particular time period to determine whether the second user is prepared to participate in the video communication session; when the server computing device determines that the first user is prepared to participate in the video communication session, outputting, from the server computing device and to the second user computing device, an indication that the first user is prepared to participate in the video communication session; when the server computing device determines that the second user is prepared to participate in the video communication session, outputting, from the server computing device and to the first user computing device, an indication that the second user is prepared to participate in the video communication session; when the server computing device determines that both of the first and second users are prepared to participate in the video communication session, outputting, from the server computing device, a prompt to the first and second user computing devices recommending that the video communication session begin; receiving, at the server computing device, a first acceptance signal from the first user computing device that indicates that the first user desires to begin the video communication session; receiving, at the server computing device, a second acceptance signal from the second user computing device that indicates that the second user desires to begin the video communication session; and when the server computing device receives the first and second acceptance signals, initiating, at the server computing device, the video communication session, wherein the server computing device determines that each particular user of the first and second users is prepared to participate in the video communication session when: (i) the particular user is present at an associated particular user computing device, (ii) the particular user is not actively engaged with an application other than a video communication application with which the particular user will interact during the video communication session, and (iii) behavior of the particular user indicates an activity level of the particular user below a threshold indicative of the particular user being actively engaged with an entity other than the associated particular user computing device.