Hybrid communications and interest management system and method
First Claim
1. A method for managing interests and/or communications of a client associated with a subject user among multiple users in a shared network environment for efficiently using available data transmission capabilities and/or providing to a user associated with the client efficient communications access to interesting other users and information, the method comprising operations of:
- establishing a connection and a context with an interactivity server over a computer network;
negotiating an interest expression with the interactivity server based on information relating to the subject user and based on available bandwidth and network traffic; and
enabling, based on said interest expression, transmission to the client of interesting entities, and filtering of uninteresting entities.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method, software program and computer network allow multiple users to communicate in a shared virtual environment while efficiently using available data transmission capabilities for providing to each user efficient communications access to interesting entities such as other users and generalized information. The network preferably includes a host interactivity server and multiple client computers. The method includes establishing a connection and a context between the server and each client computer and negotiating an interest expression of a client based on information relating to a subject user, and based on available bandwidth and network traffic. Transmission is, based the interest expression, then permitted to the client of interesting entities, while uninteresting entities are filtered. Transmission is then also permitted to other users having an interest in the subject user information relating to the subject user, while the information relating to the subject user is filtered from being transmitted to other users not having an interest in the subject user. Dynamic interest update information of the subject user is used to negotiate an updated interest expression. Previously interesting entities may then become uninteresting, and previously uninteresting other entities may become interesting, and likewise the client to other users, depending on the updated interest expression. Updated information relating to other entities can have a similar effect with respect to those other entities.
55 Citations
103 Claims
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1. A method for managing interests and/or communications of a client associated with a subject user among multiple users in a shared network environment for efficiently using available data transmission capabilities and/or providing to a user associated with the client efficient communications access to interesting other users and information, the method comprising operations of:
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establishing a connection and a context with an interactivity server over a computer network;
negotiating an interest expression with the interactivity server based on information relating to the subject user and based on available bandwidth and network traffic; and
enabling, based on said interest expression, transmission to the client of interesting entities, and filtering of uninteresting entities. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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16. A method for managing interests and/or communications of a client associated with a subject user among multiple users in a shared network environment for efficiently using available data transmission capabilities and/or providing to a user associated with the client efficient communications access to interesting other users and information, the method comprising operations of:
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establishing a connection and a context with a host over a computer network;
negotiating an interest expression with the host based on information relating to the subject user and based on available bandwidth and network traffic; and
enabling, based on said interest expression, transmission to the client of interesting entities, and filtering of uninteresting entities.
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22. A method for managing communications among multiple clients in a shared network environment using an interactivity server for efficiently using available data transmission capabilities for providing to users within said environment connected to the interactivity server efficient communications access to interesting other users and information, the method comprising operations of:
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establishing a connection and a context with a client over a computer network;
negotiating an interest expression with said client based on information relating to a subject user associated with said client, and based on available bandwidth and network traffic; and
permitting, based on said interest expression, transmission to the client of entities, while filtering uninteresting entities. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 56, 57)
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37. A client software program running on a computer associated with a subject user connected to a network including other computers associated with multiple other users of a shared virtual environment for efficiently using available data transmission capabilities for providing to the subject user efficient communications access to interesting other entitites, the program providing instructions to one or more processors of the client computer to perform operations of:
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establishing a connection and a context with an interactivity server over a computer network;
negotiating an interest expression with the interactivity server based on information relating to the subject user, and based on available bandwidth and network traffic; and
enabling, based on said interest expression, transmission to the client of interesting entities, and filtering of uninteresting entities. - View Dependent Claims (39)
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52. A software program for managing interests and/or communications of a client associated with a subject user among multiple users in a shared network environment for efficiently using available data transmission capabilities and/or providing to a user associated with the client efficient communications access to interesting other users and information, the program providing instructions to one or more processors of the client computer to perform operations of:
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establishing a connection and a context with a host over a computer network;
negotiating an interest expression with the host based on information relating to the subject user and based on available bandwidth and network traffic; and
enabling, based on said interest expression, transmission to the client of interesting entities, and filtering of uninteresting entities. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 59)
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58. A server software program running on an interactivity server computer connected to a network including other computers associated with multiple users of a shared virtual environment for efficiently using available data transmission capabilities for providing to each user efficient communications access to interesting other entities, the program providing instructions to one or more processors of the server computer to perform operations of:
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establishing a connection and a context with a client over a computer network;
negotiating an interest expression with said client based on information relating to a subject user associated with said client, and based on available bandwidth and network traffic; and
permitting, based on said interest expression, transmission to the client of interesting entities, while filtering uninteresting entities. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72)
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73. A computer network running software for allowing multiple users to communicate in a shared virtual environment while efficiently using available data transmission capabilities for providing to each user efficient communications access to interesting other entities, comprising:
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an interactivity server; and
a plurality of client computers each connected to each other and said interactivity server, wherein said software provides instructions for processors of said interactivity server and each client computer to perform operations of;
establishing a connection and a context between said server and said each client computer;
negotiating an interest expression of said each client based on information relating to a subject user associated with said each client, and based on available bandwidth and network traffic;
permitting transmission to said each client of interesting entities, while filtering uninteresting entities. - View Dependent Claims (74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87)
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88. A computer network running software for allowing multiple users to communicate in a shared virtual environment while efficiently using available data transmission capabilities for providing to each user efficient communications access to interesting other entities, comprising:
a plurality of client computers each connected within the network, wherein said software provides instructions for at least one processor of each client computer to perform operations of;
establishing a connection and a context between a host and said each client computer;
negotiating an interest expression of said each client based on information relating to a subject user associated with said each client, and based on available bandwidth and network traffic;
enabling transmission to said each client of interesting entities, while filtering uninteresting entities. - View Dependent Claims (89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103)
Specification