Method and system for sensing and communicating the use of communication modes by remote users

• US 20050165584A1
• Filed: 01/22/2004
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boody, Paul B., Gruen, Daniel M., Wilson, Richard, Feinberg, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 7,519,912 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/302 where the computing system component is a software system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information

Abstract

A system to monitor and report the use of communication software applications in a computing environment including an instant messaging system, that provides local users with information describing detected uses of communication software applications by remote users. The monitored communication applications may include, for example, electronic mail, voice over IP applications, on-line meetings, and other specific types of communication applications, as well as instant messaging activities. The system potentially stores specific information regarding each use of the monitored communication applications, and sends the communication application information to one or more server process that stores the information in association with a user identifier provided with the information. The stored communication application information is then broadcast by the server process to client processes that have registered with the server process to receive communication application information associated with that user identifier.

Claims

1. A method of providing information describing detected uses of communication software applications by remote computer system users to local computer system users, comprising:

obtaining, by an awareness client application process executing on a local computer system, from an associated awareness server application process executing on a server computer system, an online status of said remote computer system user;

presenting, by said awareness client application process, an awareness object associated with said remote computer system user, wherein said awareness object includes an indication of said remote computer system user, wherein said awareness object further includes an indication of said online status of said remote computer system user;

obtaining, by said awareness client application process on said local computer system, responsive to said presenting said awareness object associated with said remote computer system user, communication mode activity information regarding said remote computer system user, wherein said communication mode activity information includes the identity of at least one communication application used by said remote computer system user;

detecting a selection of said awareness object associated with said remote computer user by said local computer system user; and

presenting, by said awareness client application process, said communication mode activity information regarding said remote computer system user in a display for said local computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises a time at which said at least one communication application was used by said remote computer user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises at least one resource used when said at least one communication application was used by said remote user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said at least one resource comprises a file used by said at least one communication application.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises a time duration for which said at least one communication application was used by said remote computer system user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises an identity of another user with whom said remote computer system user communicated.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises an indication of whether said remote computer system user initiated a communication session.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an interface to user of said local computer system, wherein said interface enables said user of said local computer system to indicate whether communication mode activity information regarding said user of said local computer system is to be shared with other users.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an interface to said user of said local computer system, wherein said interface enables said user of said local computer system to specify communication mode activity information regarding said user of said local computer system that is to be shared with other users.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an interface to said user of said local computer system, wherein said interface enables said user of said local computer system to specify one or more other users with which communication mode activity information regarding said local user is to be shared.

11. A system of providing information describing detected uses of communication software applications by remote computer system users to local computer system users, comprising:

means for obtaining, by an awareness client application process executing on a local computer system, from an associated awareness server application process executing on a server computer system, an online status of said remote computer system user;

means for presenting, by said awareness client application process, an awareness object associated with said remote computer system user, wherein said awareness object includes an indication of said remote computer system user, wherein said awareness object further includes an indication of said online status of said remote computer system user;

means for obtaining, by said awareness client application process on said local computer system, responsive to said presenting said awareness object associated with said remote computer system user, communication mode activity information regarding said remote computer system user, wherein said communication mode activity information includes the identity of at least one communication application used by said remote computer system user;

means for detecting a selection of said awareness object associated with said remote computer user by said local computer system user; and

means for presenting, by said awareness client application process, said communication mode activity information regarding said remote computer system user in a display for said local computer system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises a time at which said at least one communication application was used by said remote computer user.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises at least one resource used when said at least one communication application was used by said remote user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said at least one resource comprises a file used by said at least one communication application.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises a time duration for which said at least one communication application was used by said remote computer system user.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises an identity of another user with whom said remote computer system user communicated.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises an indication of whether said remote computer system user initiated a communication session.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

means for presenting an interface to user of said local computer system, wherein said interface enables said user of said local computer system to indicate whether communication mode activity information regarding said user of said local computer system is to be shared with other users.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

means for presenting an interface to said user of said local computer system, wherein said interface enables said user of said local computer system to specify communication mode activity information regarding said user of said local computer system that is to be shared with other users.

20. The system of claim 11, fuirther comprising:

means for presenting an interface to said user of said local computer system, wherein said interface enables said user of said local computer system to specify one or more other users with which communication mode activity information regarding said local user is to be shared.

21. A computer program product, wherein said computer program product includes a computer readable medium, said computer readable medium having a computer program for providing information describing detected uses of communication software by remote computer system users to local computer users stored thereon, said computer program comprising:

program code for obtaining, by an awareness client application process executing on a local computer system, from an associated awareness server application process executing on a server computer system, an online status of said remote computer system user;

program code for presenting, by said awareness client application process, an awareness object associated with said remote computer system user, wherein said awareness object includes an indication of said remote computer system user, wherein said awareness object further includes an indication of said online status of said remote computer system user;

program code for obtaining, by said awareness client application process on said local computer system, responsive to said presenting said awareness object associated with said remote computer system user, communication mode activity information regarding said remote computer system user, wherein said communication mode activity information includes the identity of at least one communication application used by said remote computer system user;

program code for detecting a selection of said awareness object associated with said remote computer user by said local computer system user; and

program code for presenting, by said awareness client application process, said communication mode activity information regarding said remote computer system user in a display for said local computer system.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein said communication mode activity information frrther comprises a time at which said at least one communication application was used by said remote computer user.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises at least one resource used when said at least one communication application was used by said remote user.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein said at least one resource comprises a file used by said at least one communication application.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises a time duration for which said at least one communication application was used by said remote computer system user.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises an identity of another user with whom said remote computer system user communicated.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises an indication of whether said remote computer system user initiated a communication session.

28. The computer program product of claim 21, said computer program further comprising:

program code for presenting an interface to user of said local computer system, wherein said interface enables said user of said local computer system to indicate whether communication mode activity information regarding said user of said local computer system is to be shared with other users.

29. The computer program product of claim 21, said computer program further comprising:

program code for presenting an interface to said user of said local computer system, wherein said interface enables said user of said local computer system to specify communication mode activity information regarding said user of said local computer system that is to be shared with other users.

30. The computer program product of claim 21, said computer program further comprising:

program code for presenting an interface to said user of said local computer system, wherein said interface enables said user of said local computer system to specify one or more other users with which communication mode activity information regarding said local user is to be shared.

31. A system for providing information describing detected uses of communication software applications by remote computer system users to local computer system users, said computer program comprising:

program code, stored in a computer readable memory communicably coupled to at least one processor in a local computer system, operable to obtain, by an awareness client application process executing on said local computer system, from an associated awareness server application process executing on a server computer system, an online status of said remote computer system user;

program code, stored in said computer readable memory, operable to present, by said awareness client application process, an awareness object associated with said remote computer system user, wherein said awareness object includes an indication of said remote computer system user, wherein said awareness object further includes an indication of said online status of said remote computer system user;

program code, stored in said computer readable memory, operable to obtain, by said awareness client application process on said local computer system, responsive to said presenting said awareness object associated with said remote computer system user, communication mode activity information regarding said remote computer system user, wherein said communication mode activity information includes the identity of at least one communication application used by said remote computer system user;

program code, stored in said computer readable memory, operable to detect a selection of said awareness object associated with said remote computer user by said local computer system user; and

program code, stored in said computer readable memory, operable to present, by said awareness client application process, said communication mode activity information regarding said remote computer system user in a display for said local computer system.

32. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave, said computer data signal including at least one computer program for providing information describing detected uses of communication software by remote computer system users to local computer users, said computer program comprising:

program code for obtaining, by an awareness client application process executing on a local computer system, from an associated awareness server application process executing on a server computer system, an online status of said remote computer system user;

program code for presenting, by said awareness client application process, an awareness object associated with said remote computer system user, wherein said awareness object includes an indication of said remote computer system user, wherein said awareness object further includes an indication of said online status of said remote computer system user;

program code for obtaining, by said awareness client application process on said local computer system, responsive to said presenting said awareness object associated with said remote computer system user, communication mode activity information regarding said remote computer system user, wherein said communication mode activity information includes the identity of at least one communication application used by said remote computer system user;

program code for detecting a selection of said awareness object associated with said remote computer user by said local computer system user; and

program code for presenting, by said awareness client application process, said communication mode activity information regarding said remote computer system user in a display for said local computer system.