System and method for a distributed social proxy

• US 20020133548A1
• Filed: 03/14/2001
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malkin, Peter K., Erickson, Thomas D., Wolf, Tracee
• Granted Patent: US 7,895,268 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A computer-implemented method is provided for representing an environment having at least one aspect. The method includes representing the aspects in an activity map comprising at least two perspectives, and representing a state of a user within the environment as a tangible link between each perspective. The state of the user includes user activity within the environment. The method further includes the step of dynamically incorporating the state of the user in the activity map. The tangible link is a tangible cue which associates perspectives represented by the activity map.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for representing an environment having at least one aspect comprising the steps of:

representing aspects in an activity map comprising at least two perspectives; and

representing a state of a user within the environment as a tangible link between each perspective.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the state of the user includes user activity within the environment.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the step of dynamically incorporating the state of the user in the activity map.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the state of the user includes one of a user location, a user status within a hierarchy, a user emotion, and a quality of user conversation.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tangible link is a tangible cue which associates perspectives represented by the activity map.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the tangible link is a tangible visual cue.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the tangible link is one of a tangible aural cue, and a tangible tactile cue.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the activity map includes a geographic perspective and a discussion perspective, the two perspectives associated by the user state within the environment.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the discussion aspect includes at least one topic, and links the activity map to a second activity map representing the topic in at least two perspectives.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each perspective is one of a representation of the user state, and a representation of user input to the environment.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the environment is a transactional environment.

13. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the environment is a transactional environment and the user is a market participant.

14. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the activity map includes at least one perspective in which an on-line transaction is conducted.

15. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the tangible link is a tangible cue which associates the perspectives.

16. The program storage device of claim 15, wherein the tangible link is a tangible visual cue.

17. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein a single perspective incorporates more than one aspect.

18. The program storage device of claim 12, wherein the aspect may be represented by more than one perspective.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein perspectives of the activity map are associated by market participant activity.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the association between perspectives is represented as a tangible link connecting perspectives.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the transactional environment is one of a business, a market place, and an auction house.

12. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for interacting with an environment having an aspect, the method steps comprising:

representing the aspect in an activity map including at least two perspectives;

representing an activity of a user within the environment; and

representing the activity of the user as a tangible link between each perspective.

19. A computer-implemented method for representing a transactional environment having aspects comprising the steps of:

representing aspects in an activity map comprising at least two associated perspectives, wherein the perspectives are associated by a market participant;

providing at least one perspective in which an on-line transaction is conducted between at least two market participants; and

representing the market participants within the activity map.