Peer-to-peer identity-based activity sharing

• US 20050004985A1
• Filed: 02/17/2004
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Stochosky, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/781,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20050004985A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1093 Some peer nodes performing special functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system and method to allow a user of instant messaging chat modules in a network to share identity-based activity of the certain user and/or related information with contacts. For example, the user'"'"'s instant messenger contacts may view recent active content, ongoing and recent online activity, etc., of another user. A sender peer includes an application module to activate a media content file from a content repository, or perform online activities through an activity server. The sender peer also includes a chat module, which detects identity-based activity and sends related indications to a recipient peer. The recipient peer includes a chat module to display identity-based activity based on the indications and an application module to activate related content files. A content enhancement server provides supplemental content information for display at the recipient peer and content previews. The content enhancement server also enables a transaction related to the content file such as a purchase of an MP3 copy of the content.

Claims

1. A peer for sharing identity-based activity with a plurality of peers, comprising:

a content daemon to detect and store identity-based activity; and

an instant messaging module, communicatively coupled to the content daemon, to send an indication of recent identity-based activity to at least one of the plurality of peers, the recent identity-based activity related to a user logged-in to the instant messaging module.

2. The peer of claim 1 wherein identity-based activity comprises content customized by the user that is accessible to the plurality of peers.

3. The peer of claim 2, wherein the customized content comprises a current online auction posted by the user.

4. The peer of claim 1, wherein identity-based activity comprises instances of active content by a user logged-in to the instant messaging module.

5. The peer of claim 4, wherein recently active content comprises multimedia files played back in the peer.

6. The peer of claim 1, further comprises an application module to view identity-based content, and wherein the content daemon detects and stores identity-based activity in the application module.

7. The peer of claim 1, wherein the content daemon detects and stores identity-based activity by communicating with an activity server that hosts the identity-based activity.

8. The peer of claim 1, wherein the content daemon detects and stores identity-based activity after logging-in the user to the instant messaging module, and wherein the instant messaging module sends an update to the recent identity-based activity.

9. The peer of claim 1, wherein the indication comprises a unique identifier related to the identity-based activity.

10. The peer of claim 1, wherein the content daemon is part of an operating system running on the peer.

11. The peer of claim 1, wherein the instant messaging module further outputs a received indication of recent identity-based activity of another user.

12. The peer of claim 1, further comprising a content transaction module to enable a transaction related to the identity-based activity.

13. The peer of claim 1, wherein the peer is communicatively coupled to the plurality of peers through a network.

14. A method of sharing identity-based activity with a plurality of peers, comprising:

detecting identity-based activity;

storing the identity-based activity; and

sending an indication of recent identity-based activity to at least one of the plurality of peers, the recent identity-based activity related to a user logged-in to an instant messaging module.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein identity-based activity comprises content customized by the user that is accessible to the plurality of peers.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the customized content comprises a current online auction posted by the user.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein identity-based activity comprises instances of active content by a user logged-in to the instant messaging module.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein recently active content comprises multimedia files played back in the peer.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

viewing identity-based content; and

detecting and storing identity-based activity.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprises:

detecting and storing identity-based activity independent of viewing identity-based activity.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the indication comprises a unique identifier related to the identity-based activity.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the detecting comprises detecting identity-based activity of an application module in an operating system.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the instant messaging module further outputs a received indication of recent identity-based activity of another user.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

enabling a transaction related to the identity-based activity.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

communicating with the plurality of peers through a network.

26. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium having computer program instructions and data embodied thereon for sharing identity-based activity with a plurality of peers, comprising;

detecting identity-based activity;

storing the identity-based activity; and

sending an indication of recent identity-based activity to at least one of the plurality of peers, the recent identity-based activity related to a user logged-in to an instant messaging module.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein identity-based activity comprises content customized by the user that is accessible to the plurality of peers.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the customized content comprises a current online auction posted by the user.

29. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein identity-based activity comprises instances of active content by a user logged-in to the instant messaging module.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein recently active content comprises multimedia files played back in the peer.

31. The computer program product of claim 26, further comprising:

viewing identity-based content; and

detecting and storing identity-based activity.

32. The computer program product of claim 26, further comprising:

detecting and storing identity-based activity independent of viewing identity-based activity.

33. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the indication comprises a unique identifier related to the identity-based activity.

34. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the detecting comprises detecting identity-based activity of an application module in an operating system.

35. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the instant messaging module further outputs a received indication of recent identity-based activity of another user.

36. The computer program product of claim 26, further comprising:

enabling a transaction related to the identity-based activity.

37. The computer program product of claim 26, further comprising:

communicating with the plurality of peers through a network.