Locating communicants in a multi-location virtual communications environment
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method in a network communications environment comprising a network service implemented by at least one server network node and supporting realtime communications between co-present ones of a user and one or more other communicants in virtual locations that define different respective communications contexts in the network communications environment, the method comprising by the network service:
- transmitting computer software to a client network node associated with the user, wherein the computer software is associated with a realtime communications platform, and a view of an instance of a communicant search interface is rendered by executing the computer software on the client network node;
establishing a presence for the user in the rendered instance of the communicant search interface;
responsive to an input of the user from the client network node in connection with the communicant search interface, ascertaining a communicant sorting criterion and generating a sorted listing of ones of the communicants based on the ascertained communicant sorting criterion;
sending to the client network node associated with the user a contact list associated with an array of respective graphical representations of the ones of the communicants who are present in respective ones of the virtual locations and sorted according to the communicant sorting criterion and, adjacent the respective graphical representation of each of the communicants in the sorted listing who currently is co-present with one or more other communicants in a respective one of the virtual locations, providing a respective toggle control that, in response to the user'"'"'s input, selectively opens and closes a respective co-presence capsule that, when opened, appears in-line with the array of graphical representations and contains the respective graphical representations of the communicant in the sorted listing, the one or more other communicants who are co-present in the respective virtual location, and a respective set of one or more descriptive and ordered links configured to navigate the user'"'"'s presence to the respective virtual location; and
responsive to user selection of one of the links, establishing a presence for the user and configuring the client network node to communicate in the respective virtual location associated with the selected link;
wherein the respective virtual location is associated with a respective prop that is associated with respective functionality to interact with other communicants in the virtual location and a respective display name that is displayed in connection with the respective set of one or more descriptive and ordered links;
wherein the respective virtual location is associated with application sharing functionality and file sharing functionality that are activated by ones of the user and the other communicants in the respective virtual location through respective props to share applications and files respectively between their respective client network nodes over respective application sharing and file sharing channels.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a network communications environment supporting realtime communications between respective network nodes of a user and other communicants in virtual areas each of which is associated with its own respective set of communicant members, a graphical user interface is provided in connection with the user'"'"'s network node. The graphical user interface includes controls for establishing presence in respective ones of the virtual areas, managing realtime communications with other communicants in respective ones of the virtual areas, and presenting different views of communicants associated with the network communications environment. Based on user input in connection with the graphical user interface, a presence is established for the user in a selected one of the virtual areas, realtime communications are administered between the user and one or more communicants who are present in the selected virtual area, and a visualization that shows graphical representations, locations of presence, and realtime activities of communicants across respective ones of the virtual areas is displayed.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method in a network communications environment comprising a network service implemented by at least one server network node and supporting realtime communications between co-present ones of a user and one or more other communicants in virtual locations that define different respective communications contexts in the network communications environment, the method comprising by the network service:
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transmitting computer software to a client network node associated with the user, wherein the computer software is associated with a realtime communications platform, and a view of an instance of a communicant search interface is rendered by executing the computer software on the client network node; establishing a presence for the user in the rendered instance of the communicant search interface; responsive to an input of the user from the client network node in connection with the communicant search interface, ascertaining a communicant sorting criterion and generating a sorted listing of ones of the communicants based on the ascertained communicant sorting criterion; sending to the client network node associated with the user a contact list associated with an array of respective graphical representations of the ones of the communicants who are present in respective ones of the virtual locations and sorted according to the communicant sorting criterion and, adjacent the respective graphical representation of each of the communicants in the sorted listing who currently is co-present with one or more other communicants in a respective one of the virtual locations, providing a respective toggle control that, in response to the user'"'"'s input, selectively opens and closes a respective co-presence capsule that, when opened, appears in-line with the array of graphical representations and contains the respective graphical representations of the communicant in the sorted listing, the one or more other communicants who are co-present in the respective virtual location, and a respective set of one or more descriptive and ordered links configured to navigate the user'"'"'s presence to the respective virtual location; and responsive to user selection of one of the links, establishing a presence for the user and configuring the client network node to communicate in the respective virtual location associated with the selected link; wherein the respective virtual location is associated with a respective prop that is associated with respective functionality to interact with other communicants in the virtual location and a respective display name that is displayed in connection with the respective set of one or more descriptive and ordered links; wherein the respective virtual location is associated with application sharing functionality and file sharing functionality that are activated by ones of the user and the other communicants in the respective virtual location through respective props to share applications and files respectively between their respective client network nodes over respective application sharing and file sharing channels. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A computer-implemented method in a network communications environment comprising a network service implemented by at least one server network node and supporting realtime communications between co-present ones of a user and one or more other communicants in virtual locations that define different respective communication contexts in the network communications environment, the method comprising by a client network node associated with the user:
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by an application being executed on the client network node, receiving from the network service a specification of a communicant search interface associated with a realtime communications platform, and rendering a view of an instance of the communicant search interface; receiving from the network service a contact list comprising a linear array of respective graphical representations of the ones of the communicants sorted according to a selected sorting criterion and, adjacent the respective graphical representation of each of the communicants in a listing sorted by the selected sorting criterion who currently is co-present with one or more other communicants in a respective one of the virtual locations, providing a respective toggle control that, in response to the user'"'"'s input, selectively opens and closes a respective co-presence capsule that, when opened, appears in-line with the linear array of graphical representations and contains the respective graphical representations of the communicant in the listing sorted by the selected sorting criterion, the one or more other communicants who are co-present in the respective virtual location, and a respective set of one or more descriptive and ordered links configured to navigate the user'"'"'s presence to the respective virtual location; and responsive to user selection of one of the links, transmitting the selection to the network service to establish a presence for the user and configure the client network node for communicating in the respective virtual location associated with the selected link; wherein the respective virtual location is associated with a respective prop that is associated with respective functionality to interact with other communicants in the virtual location and a respective display name that is displayed in connection with the respective set of one or more descriptive and ordered links; wherein the respective virtual location is associated with application sharing functionality and file sharing functionality that are activated by ones of the user and the other communicants in the respective virtual location through respective props to share applications and files respectively between their respective client network nodes over respective application sharing and file sharing channels. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. A computer-implemented method in a network communications environment comprising a network service implemented by at least one server network node and supporting realtime communications between co-present ones of a user and one or more other communicants in virtual locations that define different respective communications contexts in the network communications environment, the method comprising by the network service:
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transmitting computer software to a client network node associated with the user, wherein the computer software is associated with a realtime communications platform, and a view of an instance of a communicant search interface is rendered by executing the computer software on the client network node; establishing a presence for the user in the rendered instance of the communicant search interface; responsive to an input of the user from the client network node in connection with the communicant search interface, ascertaining a communicant sorting criterion and generating a sorted listing of ones of the communicants based on the ascertained communicant sorting criterion; sending to the client network node associated with the user a contact list comprising a linear array of respective graphical representations of the ones of the communicants sorted according to the communicant sorting criterion; and providing an interface element that, in response to the user'"'"'s input in the communicant search interface, highlights a graphical representation of a designated one of the other communicants to locate the designated other communicant in a respective one of the virtual locations; wherein the respective virtual location is associated with a respective prop that is associated with respective functionality to interact with other communicants in the virtual location and a respective display name that is displayed in connection with the respective set of one or more descriptive and ordered links; wherein the respective virtual location is associated with application sharing functionality and file sharing functionality that are activated by ones of the user and the other communicants in the respective virtual location through respective props to share applications and files respectively between their respective client network nodes over respective application sharing and file sharing channels. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification