Patent Publication Number: US-8990329-B1

Title: Access control list for a multi-user communication session

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. Application No. 61/682,276, entitled “Access Control List for a Multi-User Communication Session” filed Aug. 12, 2012, the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Conferencing software frequently does not support email and scheduling functions. As a result, various approaches have been developed to integrate conferencing software with email and scheduling applications. The most common approach is to generate a calendar invite that links to the conference and includes a personal identification number (PIN) for accessing the conference. This presents multiple problems. First, the email can be forwarded to other people who were not invited to the conference. Second, the PIN is one more cumbersome step that discourages users from adopting the technology. Third, if invitees want to invite additional participants to the conference, the interplay between the conferencing software and the email and scheduling application can be cumbersome. 
     SUMMARY 
     In some embodiments, the specification describes a computer-implemented method comprising: receiving a first request from a first user to join a multi-user communication session that is associated with a social network, the first user being a member of the social network, responsive to receiving the first request, retrieving an invitee list from an event in a calendar application, converting the invitee list into an access control list and storing the access control list in a cache, determining whether the first user is on the access control list, responsive to the first user being on the access control list, starting the multi-user communication session, receiving a second request from a second user to join the multi-user communication session, identifying the second user as being on the access control list, adding the second user to the multi-user communication session, ending the multi-user communication session, and discarding the access control list. 
     In some embodiments, the operations further include extracting identifiers of the users from the access control list, comparing a user profile of the first user to the identifiers to identify a match, and responsive to determining the match, confirming that the first user is on the access control list. The operations further include responsive to receiving a request from the calendaring application, transmitting identifying information associated with a group in the social network, wherein the multi-user communication session is associated with the group in the social network. The operations further include receiving a request from the first user to add a third user to the multi-communication session, adding the third user to the access control list, and adding the third user to the multi-user communication session. The operations further include saving the access control list to a cache and discarding the access control list from the cache at an end of the multi-user communication session. 
     In some embodiments, the features further include the access control list being created anew responsive to the event recurring in the calendar application. The features further include the invitee list comprising at least one of a name, an email identifier and a social network profile identifier of one or more invitees. The features further include, responsive to the first user not being in the access control list, further comprising denying the first user access to the multi-user communication session. 
     The specification describes a conference application that advantageously works with a calendar application stored on a separate server to conduct a multi-user communication session without the use of PINs. The conference application also smoothly adds new users to multi-user communication session seamlessly instead of risking complications by involving a calendar application. Lastly, because the conference application generates an access control list for each event, the conference application avoids problems with recurring events that have a changing list of invitees. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The specification is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals are used to refer to similar elements. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a system for adding one or more invitees from an event in a calendar application to an access control list of a multi-user communication session. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a conference application. 
         FIG. 3A  is an example graphic representation of a user interface for adding one or more invitees to an event in a calendar application. 
         FIG. 3B  is an example graphic representation of a user interface where a multi-user communication session for the one or more invitees is started based on the access control list of the multi-user communication session. 
         FIG. 3C  is an example graphic representation of a user interface where a non-invitee is denied access to the multi-user communication session based on access control list of the multi-user communication session. 
         FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of an example of a method for providing access permission for a user to join the multi-user communication session based on the access control list. 
         FIG. 5  is a flow diagram of another example of a method for providing access permission for a user to join the multi-user communication session based on the access control list. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In one embodiment, the system includes a social network engine, a session management module, a conference server module and a user interface engine. The social network engine generates a social network and manages user interactions within the social network. The session management module generates a multi-user communication session for the social network and instructs the user interface engine to generate graphical data for displaying the multi-user communication session. In one embodiment, the session management module generates a multi-user communication session responsive to receiving a request from a user to initiate the multi-user communication session. The session management module generates a multi-user communication session by interacting with audio and video capture user devices to obtain a real-time audio-video synchronous communication data stream of the user. For example, the session management module interfaces with a software driver stored on the user device that controls the functionality of a microphone and a video camera (e.g., a webcam or forward facing camera) included in the user device. In another embodiment, the session management module receives a request from a first user to join the multi-user communication session. The request includes at least one of a name, an email identifier and a social network profile identifier associated with the first user. In another embodiment, the session management module permits other users into the multi-user communication session based on the access control list associated with the multi-user communication session. 
     The conference server module retrieves an invitee list from a calendar application. For example, the conference server module interfaces with an online calendar application that manages day to day activities of a user. In one embodiment, the conference server module determines whether the multi-user communication session has started before retrieving the invitee list. The conference server module determines the access control list for the multi-user communication session responsive to retrieving the invitee list and stores the access control list in a cache. In one embodiment, the conference server module updates the access control list for the multi-user communication session using the invitee list. The invitee list comprises at least one of a name, an email identifier and a social network profile identifier of one or more invitees. In one embodiment, the conference server module converts the invitee list into the access control list by matching the identifying information (e.g. an email address) to user profile information for the social network. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a block diagram of a system  100  for adding one or more invitees from a scheduled event in a calendar application to an access control list of a multi-user communication session. The illustrated description of the system  100  includes user devices  115   a  . . .  115   n  that are accessed by users  125   a  . . .  125   n , a social network server  101  and a calendar server  107 . In the illustrated embodiment, these entities of the system  100  are communicatively coupled via a network  105 . In  FIG. 1  and the remaining figures, a letter after a reference number, for example “ 115   a ” is a reference to the element having that particular reference number. A reference number in the text without a following letter, for example “ 115 ,” is a general reference to any or all instances of the element bearing that reference number. 
     The network  105  may be a conventional type network, wired or wireless, and may have any number of configurations for example a star configuration, token ring configuration or other configurations known to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, the network  105  may comprise a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) (e.g., the Internet), and/or any other interconnected data path across which multiple devices may communicate. In one embodiment, the network  105  may be a peer-to-peer network. The network  105  may also be coupled to or includes portions of a telecommunications network for sending data in a variety of different communication protocols. In another embodiment, the network  105  includes Bluetooth communication networks or a cellular communications network for sending and receiving data for example via SMS/MMS, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), direct data connection, WAP, e-mail, etc. While only one network  105  is illustrated, persons with ordinary skill in the art will recognize that any number of networks may be coupled to the above mentioned entities. 
     In one embodiment, a conference application  103   a  may be operable on the social network server  101 , which is coupled to the network  105  via signal line  104 . The social network server  101  can be a hardware server that includes a processor, a memory and network communication capabilities. The social network server  101  sends and receives data to and from one or more of the user devices  115   a ,  115   n  and the calendar server  107  via the network  105 . The social network server  101  also includes a social network application (not pictured) that can be part of the conference application  103  or a standalone application. A social network can be any type of social structure where the users are connected by a common feature. The common feature includes relationships/connections, e.g., friendship, family, work, an interest, etc. The common features are provided by one or more social networking systems, such as those included in the architecture  100 , including explicitly defined relationships and relationships implied by social connections with other online users, where the relationships form a social graph. In some examples, the social graph can reflect a mapping of these users and how they are related. Furthermore, it should be understood that the social network server  101  may be representative of one social network and that there may be multiple social networks coupled to the network  105 , each having its own server, application and social graph. For example, a first social network may be more directed to business networking, a second may be more directed to or centered on academics, a third may be more directed to local business, a fourth is directed to dating and others are of general interest or a specific focus. 
     The user devices  115   a ,  115   n  in  FIG. 1  are used by way of example. Although only two user devices  115  are illustrated, persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that any numbers of user devices  115  are available to any number of users  125 . The users  125   a ,  125   n  interact with the client devices  115   a ,  115   n  via signal lines  112   a ,  112   n  respectively. In one embodiment, the conference application  103   b  may be stored on the user device  115   a  which is connected to the network  105  via signal line  108 . In another embodiment, the conference application  103   b  can be a thin-client application that includes part of the conference application  103  on the user device  115   a  and part of the conference application  103  on the social network server  101  to add one or more invitees from a calendar event to an access control list of a multi-user communication session. The user devices  115  can be any computing device that includes a memory and a processor. For example, the user devices  115  can be a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, a mobile email device, a portable game player, a portable music player, a television with one or more processors embedded therein or coupled thereto or any other electronic device capable of accessing the network  105 , etc. 
     In one embodiment, the user device  115   a  includes a browser  177 . The browser  177  can be code and routines stored in the memory and executed by the processor of the user device  115 . The browser  177  includes any browser application that can retrieve pages hosted by a server (for example, the calendar server  107 , the social network server  101 , a third-party server (not shown), etc.) and can present the pages on a display device (not shown) on the user device  115   a . In another embodiment, the browser  177  retrieves and presents pages hosted by the user device  115 . The term page used herein encompasses its plain and ordinary meaning including, but not limited to, any document or information resource that comprises textual elements, non-textual elements (for example, static images, animated images, audio, video, etc.), interactive elements (for example, games, buttons, hyperlinks, etc.), scripts (for example, JavaScript, code implementing Ajax techniques, etc.), metadata, etc. In another embodiment, the page is a web page in any file format (for example, HTML, HTML5, XHTML, XML, etc.) known to a person with ordinary skill in the art. 
     In one embodiment, the calendar server  107  can be any computing device such as a hardware server including a processor, a memory and network communication capabilities. The calendar server  107  sends and receives data to and from the one or more of the user devices  115   a ,  115   n  and the social network server  101  via the network  105 . The calendar server  107  also includes a calendar application  151 . 
     The calendar application  151  can be code and routines stored in the memory and executed by the processor of the calendar server  107  for providing users with an electronic version of a calendar. The calendar application  151  maintains calendar data for users of the calendar server  107  on a calendar data storage (not pictured). In one embodiment, the calendar application  151  processes user requests to view, add and drop events on one or more dates on the electronic version of the calendar. For example, an event for celebrating birthday of a friend at 7 PM on Sunday, an event for a business meeting with colleagues from 12 PM to 1 PM, etc. The event can be public or private. 
     The private event includes one or more second users as invitees invited by a first user creating the event on his or her calendar. The first user can invite the one or more second users by using at least one of a name (e.g. full name, nickname, etc.), an email identifier and a social network profile identifier (e.g. a handle on the social network) of the one or more second users. The one or more second users can accept or decline the invitation to the private event that is then reflected on the personal calendar of the one or more second users. In one embodiment, the one or more second users can invite one or more third users to the event created by the first user. In another embodiment, the calendar application  151  also includes an option for calendar sharing where the first user can share his or her calendar with the one or more second users by specifying the one or more second users with whom the calendar can be shared. A level of permission can be assigned for each of the one or more second users gaining access to the shared calendar. For example, users can be assigned read-only permission or full-edit control over the shared calendar. In some embodiments, private events are visible on the calendar to event invitees and invisible to users that are not invited to the event. 
     In one embodiment, the calendar application  151  transmits a request to the conference application  103  to generate an event for users associated with a group in the social network generated by the conference application  103 . For example, if a user wants to have a videoconference with a family group to make an announcement to family members, the user can specify in the calendar application  151  to invite members of the family group. In some embodiments, the calendar application  151  queries the conference application  103  for identifying information for the members of the family group, for example, through the use of an application programming interface (API). 
     In another embodiment, once a user creates an event using the calendar application  151 , the calendar application  151  transmits the event details to the conference application  103 . Once the event is about to begin or responsive to a user trying to join the multi-user communication session, the conference application  103  transmits a request to the calendar application  151  for the invitee list. This advantageously avoids a situation where the calendar application  151  has to transmit updates to the conference application  103  each time a change is made to the invitee list. 
     The conference application  103  can be code and routines for managing a multi-user communication session. The conference application  103  receives a request from one or more users to join the multi-user communication session associated with a calendar event. The conference application  103  retrieves an invitee list associated with the calendar event and converts the invitee list into an access control list for the multi-user communication session. The one or more users are checked against the access control list and provided with access permission to the multi-user communication session responsive to being present in the access control list. The conference application  103  discards the access control list for the multi-user communication session once the multi-user communication session has ended. The conference application  103  is described in further detail below with reference to  FIG. 2 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the conference application  103  is shown in more detail.  FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a computing device  200  that includes a processor  235 , a memory  237 , a communication unit  241  and a storage device  243  according to some examples. The components of the computing device  200  are communicatively coupled by a bus  220 . Optionally, the computing device  200  can be a social network server  101 . In one embodiment, the computing device  200  may be a user device  115   a.    
     The processor  235  includes an arithmetic logic unit, a microprocessor, a general-purpose controller or some other processor array to perform computations and provide electronic display signals to a display device. The processor  235  is coupled to the bus  220  via signal line  236  for communication with the other components. Processor  235  may process data signals and may comprise various computing architectures including a complex instruction set computer (CISC) architecture, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architecture, or an architecture implementing a combination of instruction sets. Although only a single processor is shown in  FIG. 2 , multiple processors may be included. The processing capability may be limited to supporting the display of images and the capture and transmission of images. The processing capability might be enough to perform more complex tasks, including various types of feature extraction and sampling. It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that other processors, operating systems, sensors, displays and physical configurations are possible. 
     The memory  237  stores instructions and/or data that may be executed by processor  235 . The memory  237  is coupled to the bus  220  via signal line  238  for communication with the other components. The instructions and/or data may include code for performing any and/or all of the techniques described herein. The memory  237  may be a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device, a static random access memory (SRAM) device, flash memory or some other memory device known in the art. In one embodiment, the memory  237  also includes a non-volatile memory or similar permanent storage device and media for example a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a CD-ROM device, a DVD-ROM device, a DVD-RAM device, a DVD-RW device, a flash memory device, or some other mass storage device known in the art for storing information on a more permanent basis. 
     The communication unit  241  transmits and receives data to and from at least one of the user device  115 , the calendar server  107  and the social network server  101  depending upon where the conference application  103  is stored. The communication unit  241  is coupled to the bus  220  via signal line  242 . In one embodiment, the communication unit  241  includes a port for direct physical connection to the network  105  or to another communication channel. For example, the communication unit  241  includes a USB, SD, CAT-5 or similar port for wired communication with the user device  115 . In another embodiment, the communication unit  241  includes a wireless transceiver for exchanging data with the user device  115  or any other communication channel using one or more wireless communication methods, such as IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, BLUETOOTH® or another suitable wireless communication method. 
     In yet another embodiment, the communication unit  241  includes a cellular communications transceiver for sending and receiving data over a cellular communications network such as via short messaging service (SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), direct data connection, WAP, e-mail or another suitable type of electronic communication. In yet another embodiment, the communication unit  241  includes a wired port and a wireless transceiver. The communication unit  241  also provides other conventional connections to the network for distribution of files and/or media objects using standard network protocols such as TCP/IP, HTTP, HTTPS and SMTP as will be understood to those skilled in the art. 
     The storage device  243  can be a non-transitory memory that temporarily stores data used by the conference application  103 , for example, a cache. The storage device  243  may be a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device, a static random access memory (SRAM) device, flash memory or some other memory device known in the art. In one embodiment, the storage device  243  also includes a non-volatile memory or similar permanent storage device and media such as a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a CD-ROM device, a DVD-ROM device, a DVD-RAM device, a DVD-RW device, a flash memory device, or some other mass storage device known in the art for storing information on a more permanent basis. In the illustrated embodiment, the storage device  243  is communicatively coupled by the bus  220  for communication with the other components of the computing device  200  via signal line  240 . Although only one storage device is shown in  FIG. 2 , multiple storage devices may be included. In another embodiment, the storage device  243  may not be included in the computing device  200  and can be communicatively coupled to the computing device  200  via the network  105 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the storage device  243  stores access control list  245 . The access control list  245  can be data determined by the conference server module  205  for specifying the lists of users with permission to join the multi-user communication session. In one embodiment, each entry in the access control list  245  can specify a user and an associated permission. The user can be specified by at least one of a name, an email identifier and a social network profile identifier. For example, an entry (Alice, grant) in the access control list  245  can indicate that user Alice has permission to join the multi-user communication session. In a second example, an entry (1234567, grant) in the access control list  245  can indicate the user with a social network profile identifier “1234567” has permission to join the multi-user communication session on the social network. In yet another embodiment, the access control list  245  can be used by the session management module  207  for determining access permission for one or more users to join the multi-user communication session. 
     In one embodiment, the conference application  103  includes a controller  201 , a social network engine  203 , a conference server module  205 , a session management module  207  and a user interface engine  209 . 
     The controller  201  can be code and routines for handling communications between the conference application  103  and other components of the computing device  200 . In one embodiment, the controller  201  can be a set of instructions executable by the processor  235  to provide the functionality described below for handling communications between the conference application  103  and other components of the computing device  200 . In another embodiment, the controller  201  can be stored in the memory  237  of the computing device  200  and can be accessible and executable by the processor  235 . In either embodiment, the controller  201  may be adapted for cooperation and communication with the processor  235  and other components of the computing device  200  via signal line  222 . 
     The controller  201  may send and receive information via the communication unit  241 , to and from one or more of a user device  115 , a social network server  101  and a calendar server  107 . In one embodiment, the controller  201  identifies the type of data being received and transmits the data to the appropriate module or engine of the conference application  103 . For example, the controller  201  receives information from the social network server  101  for rendering a user interface of the social network and transmits the information to the user interface engine  209 . In another embodiment, the controller  201  receives user inputs and user actions submitted by the user  125  from the user device  115 . The controller  201  sends the user actions and the user inputs to the appropriate module or engine of the conference application  103 . For example, the controller  201  receives a request to join a multi-user communication session and forwards the request to the session management module  207 . 
     In one embodiment, the controller  201  receives information from other components of the conference application  103  and transmits the information to the appropriate component in the system  100  via the communication unit  241 . For example, the controller  201  receives graphical data for generating a user interface from the user interface engine  209 . The controller  201  transmits the graphical data to a display device (not shown) that is part of the user device  115 . In another embodiment, the controller  201  receives a conference initiation notification from the session management module  207 . 
     In another embodiment, the controller  201  receives data from components of the conference application  103  and stores the data in the storage device  243 . For example, the controller  201  receives data including the access control list determined by the conference server module  205  and stores the data in the storage device  243 . In yet another embodiment, the controller  201  retrieves data from the storage device  243  and sends the data to components of the conference application  103 . For example, the controller  201  retrieves data including the access control list from the storage device  243  and sends the data to the session management module  207 . 
     The social network engine  203  can be code and routines for generating and managing a social network. In one embodiment, the social network engine  203  can a set of instructions executable by the processor  235  to provide the functionality described below for generating and managing a social network. In another embodiment, the social network engine  203  can be stored in the memory  237  of the computing device  200  and can be accessible and executable by the processor  235 . In either embodiment, the social network engine  203  can be adapted for cooperation and communication with the processor  235 , the controller  201 , the user interface engine  209  and other components of the conference application  103 . 
     The social network engine  203  manages the social network by handling registration of users, publication of content (e.g. posts, comments, photos, links, check-ins, etc.), hosting multi-user communication sessions, managing of groups, managing different sharing levels, updating the social graph, etc. The social network engine  203  registers a user by receiving information such as a username and password and generates a user profile that is associated with the user and stored as part of the social graph. In one embodiment, the social network engine  203  requests that the user provide the email address that the user has associated with the calendar application  151  so that the user can be properly identified in the social network as being associated with invitee lists generated by the calendar application  151 . In another embodiment, the user profile includes additional information about the user including interests (e.g. soccer, reading, food), activities (e.g. searching history, indications of approval, posts, comments) and demographics (e.g. age, ethnicity, location). 
     The social network engine  203  receives social network content from the controller  201 . The social network content includes, for example, a description of activities performed by the user  125  and the user&#39;s friends, conversations, events, etc. The social network engine  203  transmits instructions to the user interface engine  209  to generate graphical data for displaying a user interface that includes the social network content. 
     In one embodiment, the social network engine  203  communicates with the calendar server  107  to access the calendar data of one or more users. The social network engine  203  generates a notification to alert the one or more users on the social network of the oncoming multi-user communication session corresponding to a shared calendar event. For example, a selectable visual reminder or a textual reminder is generated on a social network profile of the users associated with shared calendar event. 
     In another embodiment, the social network engine  203  receives instructions from the session management module  207  for hosting the multi-user communication session at the social network server  101 . For example, the social network engine  203  receives a unique Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with the multi-user communication session that is generated by the session management module  207  and incorporates the URL at the social network server  101 . The social network engine  203  retrieves profile information including a profile photo and a name for providing presence awareness of the one or more users participating in the multi-user communication session. The profile information is retrieved responsive to receiving at least one of an email identifier, a name and a social network profile identifier of the one or more users associated with the multi-user communication session. 
     The conference server module  205  can be code and routines for determining an access control list for the multi-user communication session. In one embodiment, the conference server module  205  can be a set of instructions executable by the processor  235  to provide the functionality described below for generating and managing a social network. In another embodiment, the conference server module  205  can be stored in the memory  237  of the computing device  200  and can be accessible and executable by the processor  235 . In either embodiment, the conference server module  205  can be adapted for cooperation and communication with the processor  235 , the controller  201 , the social network engine  203 , the session management module  207  and other components of the conference application  103 . 
     In one embodiment, the conference server module  205  communicates with the calendar server  107  to retrieve a calendar invitee list for one or more events created by the calendar application  151 . For example, the conference server module  205  interfaces with an integrated calendar application in the social network that manages day to day activities of a user. The conference server module  205  converts the calendar invitee list into the access control list for the multi-user communication session associated with the one or more events. The calendar invitee list comprises at least one of a name, an email identifier and a social network profile identifier of the one or more invitees. In one embodiment, the conference server module  205  extracts the identifying information (e.g. an email address) from the calendar invitee list and matches the identifying information to user profile information for the social network. For example, a user Alice can have an email address alice@xyz.com associated with her profile information on the social network. If a match is found in the social network, the conference server module  205  generates a corresponding entry in the access control list for the multi-user communication session. The conference server module  205  stores the access control list in the storage device  243 . 
     In one embodiment, the conference server module  205  determines the access control list anew for recurring events in the calendar application  151  which may include different invitees. For example, an access control list for a weekly business meeting event is determined every week. The conference server module  205  discards the access control list once the multi-user communication session associated with the event has ended. Because the conference server module  205  generates an access control list for each event, the conference application  103  avoids problems with recurring events that have a changing list of invitees. 
     In one embodiment, the conference server module  205  receives information from the session management module  207  instructing that the multi-user communication session has ended. The conference server module  205  discards the access control list in the storage device  243  responsive to receiving the information from the session management module  207 . 
     In another embodiment, the calendar application  151  requests information from the conference server module  205  to generate the invitee list. The conference server module  205  receives a request from the calendar application  151  via the controller  201  for information about a group on the social network. For example, a user wants to setup a skiing event with his ski group on the social network. The social network engine  203  provides the calendar application  151  with contact information for the members of the group (e.g. names, email addresses, unique identifiers, etc.). 
     The session management module  207  can be code and routines for generating a multi-user communication session and instructing the user interface engine  209  to generate graphical data for displaying the multi-user communication session. In one embodiment, the session management module  207  can be a set of instructions executable by the processor  235  to provide the functionality described below for generating a multi-user communication session. In another embodiment, the session management module  207  can be stored in the memory  237  of the computing device  200  and can be accessible and executable by the processor  235 . In either embodiment, the session management module  207  can be adapted for cooperation and communication with the processor  235 , the conference server module  205 , the social network engine  203  and other components of the conference application  103 . 
     In one embodiment, the session management module  207  generates a multi-user communication session responsive to receiving a user request for starting the multi-user communication session at the social network. The multi-user communication session comprises at least one of a video conference, an audio conference and instant messaging. In one embodiment, the session management module  207  generates a multi-user communication session by interacting with audio and video capture devices of the user device  115  to obtain a real-time audio-video synchronous communication data stream of the user  125 . For example, the session management module  207  interfaces with a software driver stored on the user device  115  that controls the functionality of a microphone and a video camera (e.g., a webcam or forward facing camera) included in the user device  115 . The audio-video data stream captured by a user device  115  may be encoded using various audio and video codecs and then encapsulated into a container before transmitting to the user interface engine  209 . In another embodiment, the session management module  207  generates a multi-user communication session that allows users participating in the session to share documents, a scratchpad and computing device screenshots with one another. 
     The session management module  207  receives a request from one or more users to join the multi-user communication session at the social network. In one embodiment, the multi-user communication session corresponds to a shared calendar event. The session management module  207  receives the access control list associated with the multi-user communication session from the conference server module  205  or retrieves the access control list from the storage device  243  and determines whether the one or more users are present on the access control list. The session management module  207  compares the user profile information of the one or more users against the retrieved access control list and confirms that the one or more users are present on the access control list responsive to determining a match. The session management module  207  then provides access permission for the one or more users found present in the access control list to join and starts the multi-user communication session. For example, a user Alice with a social network profile identifier “1234567” requests to join the multi-user communication session at the social network. If a corresponding matching entry (1234567, grant) is found in the access control list, then the user Alice is granted permission by the session management module  207  to join the multi-user communication session. In one embodiment, the session management module  207  generates a unique Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with the multi-user communication session to send to the social network engine  203  to host the multi-user communication session at the social network server  101 . 
     The session management module  207  receives a request from a permitted user in the multi-user communication session to add one or more users that are absent on the invitee list into the multi-user communication session. In one embodiment, the request includes the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with the multi-user communication session. For example, the user Alice, who is a member of the multi-user communication session, can request to add another user, for example, by clicking an add button being displayed in the user interface. The session management module  207  updates the access control list to include the one or more users added to the multi-user communication session. The session management module  207  then provides access permission for the one or more users found present in the updated access control list to join the multi-user communication session. In one embodiment, the session management module  207  sends a URL for joining the multi-user communication session to the user. In another embodiment, the session management module  207  sends another type of notification to the user to invite the user to join the session, for example, a notification in the social network or a message with an invitation. 
     The user interface engine  209  can be code and routines including routines for generating graphical data for providing user interfaces to users. In one embodiment, the user interface engine  209  can be a set of instructions executable by the processor  235  to provide the functionality described below for generating graphical data for providing user interfaces that includes information from the social network, the calendar and the multi-user communication session. In another embodiment, the user interface engine  209  can be stored in the memory  237  of the computing device  200  and is accessible and executable by the processor  235 . In either embodiment, the user interface engine  209  can be adapted for cooperation and communication with the processor  235  and other components of the conference application  103 . 
     In one embodiment, the user interface engine  209  receives instructions from the calendar server  107  to generate graphical data that depicts an electronic calendar or a user interface for establishing an event. An example of a user interface for establishing an event is illustrated below as  FIG. 3A . In another embodiment, the user interface engine  209  generates graphical data for social network content based at least in part on instructions from the social network engine  203 . For example, the user interface engine  209  generates graphical data for displaying posts, comments, photos, videos, etc. The user interface engine  209  sends the graphical data to an application (e.g., a browser) in the user device  115  via the communication unit  241  causing the application to display the data in a user interface. 
     In one embodiment, the user interface engine  209  receives instructions from the session management module  207  to generate graphical data for displaying a multi-user communication session. In another embodiment, the user interface engine  209  receives a user action corresponding to the multi-user communication session. The term user action used herein encompasses its plain and ordinary meaning including, but not limited, to any action performed by the user  125  using the user interface provided to the user  125 . The user action includes muting the volume on the video conference, enlarging the video conference to full-screen, switching to another video conference in the browser window, hiding the display of the video conference, etc. The user interface engine  209  updates the graphical data in response to the received user actions. Examples of user interfaces including graphical data that displays video conferences are explained in further detail with reference to  FIGS. 3B-3C . 
     Turning now to  FIG. 3A , one example of a graphical representation of a user interface  300  for adding one or more invitees to an event in an electronic calendar is illustrated. The user interface  300  displays an events page  306  under the calendar link  304  in a social network associated with the user Sara  302 . Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other implementations are possible where the calendar application  151  is not integrated with the social network. The user Sara  302  enters the title of the event by typing the title into the title field  308 . The user Sara  302  also inputs the date and time for the event under the date and time fields  310 . The user Sara  302  indicates whether the event is a video call by checking the video call radio button  312  under event details. The user Sara  302  then invites one or more users to the event by entering a name in the name field  314  and clicking the add button  316 . In another example, the user Sara  302  can enter an email identifier associated with the one or more users for the purpose of inviting to the event. Once the user Sara  302  is done inviting, the user interface  300  displays the list  318  of invitees added by the user Sara  302  for easy reference. When a user requests to join the conference, the conference application  103  sends a request to the calendar application  151  for the invitee list. 
       FIG. 3B  illustrates an example graphical representation of a user interface  325  for displaying a multi-user communication session based on the event from the electronic calendar. The user interface  325  displays a multi-user communication session window  330  with a title  332  of the multi-user communication session extracted from the calendar event. The window  330  displays a message  334  indicating that the multi-user communication session is populated with users from the invitee list of the calendar event. The window  330  displays a list  336  of users currently permitted into the multi-user communication session based on the access control list. The list  336  includes a name and a miniaturized video stream of the users. The enlarged video stream  338  is a video stream corresponding to a user currently talking in the multi-user communication session. In addition, the user Sara  302  can invite users who are absent on the invitee list of the calendar event and thus absent on the access control list of the multi-user communication session by clicking on the invite button  340  in the window  330 . 
       FIG. 3C  illustrates an example of a graphical representation of a user interface  350  for displaying a multi-user communication session to a user absent on the access control list. The user Jim  352  requests to join the multi-user communication session  332  by clicking on the join button  356 . For example, if an invitee forwarded a URL for the multi-user communication session but did not formally add Jim to the invitee list or the access control list, Jim cannot join. Since the user Jim  352  is not present on the access control list, the multi-user communication session window  330  displays a message  358  indicating that the user Jim  352  is not authorized to join the multi-user communication session  332 . In addition, the multi-user communication session  332  blacks out the enlarged video feed  338  to denote that the user Jim  352  is not in the multi-user communication session. The people tab  360  is empty to denote that the user Jim  352  is not in the multi-user communication session and Jim cannot learn information about the participants in the multi-user communication session to maintain privacy. 
       FIG. 4  is a flow diagram  400  of an example of a method for providing access permission for a user to join the multi-user communication session based on the access control list. The conference application  103  includes a conference server module  205  and a session management module  207 . The session management module  207  receives  402  a request from a user to join the multi-user communication session. The multi-user communication session is associated with a corresponding calendar event that includes an invitee list. For example, the calendar event can be a business meeting with colleagues. The conference server module  205  determines  404  an access control list for the multi-user communication session based on an invitee list provided by the calendar application  151 . The access control list has one or more entries specifying permission for the one or more users who were invited in the calendar event. The session management module  207  retrieves the access control list from the storage device  243 . The session management module  207  provides  406  access permission for the user to join the multi-user communication session based on the access control list. 
       FIG. 5  is a flow diagram  500  of an example of another method for providing access permission for a user to join the multi-user communication session based on the access control list. The conference application  103  includes a social network engine  203 , a conference server module  205 , a session management module  207  and a user interface engine  209 . The session management module  207  receives  502  a first request from a first user to join a multi-user communication session. The multi-user communication session can be an oncoming multi-user communication session associated with a calendar event at a social network generated by the social network engine  203 . The conference server module  205  retrieves  504  invitee list from a calendar application  151 . For example, the conference server module  205  queries the calendar application  151  to transmit the invitee list. The invitee list comprises at least one of a name, an email identifier and a social network profile identifier of the one or more invitees. The conference server module  205  converts  506  the invitee list into an access control for the multi-user communication session and stores the access control list in a cache. The conference server module  205  extracts the identifying information (e.g. an email address) from the calendar invitee list and matches the identifying information to user profile information for the social network. If a match is found in the social network, the conference server module  205  generates a corresponding entry in the access control list for the multi-user communication session. The session management module  207  determines  510  whether the first user is in the access control list. If the first user is not present on the access control list, the session management module  207  denies  512  access for the first user. If the first user is present on the access control list, the session management module  207  starts  514  the multi-user communication session. The session management module  207  receives  516  a second request from a second user to join the multi-user communication session. The session management module  207  retrieves  518  the access control list from the cache and identifies the second user as being on the access control list. For example, a user Alice with a social network profile identifier “1234567” requests to join the multi-user communication session at the social network. If a corresponding matching entry (1234567, grant) is found in the access control list, then the user Alice is granted permission by the session management module  207  to join the multi-user communication session. The conference server module  205  ends  520  the multi-user communication session and discards the access control list. In some embodiments, the conference server module  205  discards the access control list within a few minutes of ending the session. In other embodiments, the conference server module  205  discards the access control list after a day or two. The conference server module  205  receives information from the session management module  207  instructing that the multi-user communication session has ended. 
     In the above description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the specification. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the technology can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the description. For example, the present embodiment is described in one embodiment below primarily with reference to user interfaces and particular hardware. However, the present embodiment applies to any type of computing device that can receive data and commands, and any peripheral devices providing services. 
     Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the description. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. 
     Some portions of the detailed descriptions that follow are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers or the like. 
     It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or “determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system&#39;s registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices. 
     The present embodiment of the specification also relates to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, flash memories including USB keys with non-volatile memory or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, each coupled to a computer system bus. 
     The specification can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements. In a preferred embodiment, the specification is implemented in software, which includes but is not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc. 
     Furthermore, the description can take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. For the purposes of this description, a computer-usable or computer readable medium can be any apparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. 
     A data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code will include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The memory elements can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution. 
     Input/output or I/O devices (including but not limited to keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers. 
     Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modem and Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters. 
     Finally, the algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will appear from the description below. In addition, the specification is not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the specification as described herein. 
     The foregoing description of the embodiments of the specification has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the specification to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the disclosure be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims of this application. As will be understood by those familiar with the art, the specification may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Likewise, the particular naming and division of the modules, routines, features, attributes, methodologies and other aspects are not mandatory or significant, and the mechanisms that implement the specification or its features may have different names, divisions and/or formats. Furthermore, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art, the modules, routines, features, attributes, methodologies and other aspects of the disclosure can be implemented as software, hardware, firmware or any combination of the three. Also, wherever a component, an example of which is a module, of the specification is implemented as software, the component can be implemented as a standalone program, as part of a larger program, as a plurality of separate programs, as a statically or dynamically linked library, as a kernel loadable module, as a device driver, and/or in every and any other way known now or in the future to those of ordinary skill in the art of computer programming. Additionally, the disclosure is in no way limited to implementation in any specific programming language, or for any specific operating system or environment. Accordingly, the disclosure is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the specification, which is set forth in the following claims.