Method and computer program product for establishing real-time communications between networked computers

• US 20060010201A1
• Filed: 08/17/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PalTalk Holdings Incorporated (Paltalk, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PalTalk Holdings Incorporated (Paltalk, Inc.)
• Inventors: Riedel, Andrew D., Roskowski, Steven G., Sahai, Shankar
• Granted Patent: US 8,671,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• 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

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product is provided for establishing real-time communications between computer users connected by a communications network. An invitation is created by a first computer. An invitation is data that proposes a communication session. An invitation can indicate the status or availability of the sending user or of some other resource. Creation of the invitation is followed by the transfer of the invitation from the first computer to at least one second computer. The invitation can be transferred electronically through the network, or physically, by the transfer of a magnetic medium bearing the invitation. The invitation contains parameters to configure an invitation communicator application for communications between the first and second computers. The second computer accepts the invitation and invokes an invitation communicator application to allow communication.

Claims

1. A method for communicating presence information about a first user associated with a first computer to a second computer, the method comprising:

(a) determining, by the first computer, presence information associated with the first user based on interaction by the first user with the first computer;

(b) sending, by the first computer, the presence information to the second computer for the purpose of establishing a real-time communication session between said first and second computers; and

(c) periodically repeating steps (a) and (b) to update the presence information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the presence information on the second computer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said sending step comprises:

sending to the second computer an e-mail containing the presence information.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said sending step comprises:

sending to the second computer a cookie containing the presence information.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said sending step comprises:

sending to the second computer a GIF file containing the presence information.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said sending step comprises:

executing a script on the second computer to cause the second computer to retrieve the presence information from the first computer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said sending step comprises:

executing a script on the second computer to cause the second computer to retrieve the presence information from the first computer, said script being selected from the group consisting of a hyper text markup language (HTML) script, a dynamic hyper text markup language (DHTML) script, a common gateway interface (CGI) script, a server side include (SSI) script, a Java script and an Active X control.

8. A system for communicating presence information about a first user associated with a first computer to a second computer, the system comprising:

a first computer program executing on the first computer, said first computer program determining presence information associated with the first user based on interaction by the first user with the first computer;

means for transferring the presence information to the second computer for the purpose of establishing a real-time communication session between said first and second computers; and

a second computer program executing on the second computer, said second computer program receiving and providing the presence information to a user of the second computer.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said transferring means comprises:

an e-mail program that sends the presence information to the second computer in the form of an e-mail.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said first computer program comprises an invitation development module;

and said second computer program comprises an invitation displayer module.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said first computer program places the presence information in an HTML page available via the Internet;

and said second computer program comprises a Web browser.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein said second computer program comprises:

a script executing on the second computer to cause the second computer to retrieve the presence information from the first computer, said script being selected from the group consisting of a hyper text markup language (HTML) script, a dynamic hyper text markup language (DHTML) script, a common gateway interface (CGI) script, a server side include (SSI) script, a Java script and an Active X control.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having control logic stored therein for communicating presence information about a first user associated with a first computer to a second computer, the computer control logic comprising:

means for execution on the first computer to determine presence information associated with the first user based on interaction by the first user with the first computer;

means for making the presence information available to the second computer for the purpose of establishing a real-time communication session between said first and second computers; and

means for execution on the second computer to receive and provide the presence information to a user of the second computer.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein said second computer program comprises:

a script executing on the second computer to cause the second computer to retrieve the presence information from the first computer, said script being selected from the group consisting of a hyper text markup language (HTML) script, a dynamic hyper text markup language (DHTML) script, a common gateway interface (CGI) script, a server side include (SSI) script, a Java script and an Active X control.

15. A computer-based method for providing to a second computer presence information about a first user associated with a first computer, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining, by the first computer, the presence, information about the first user;

(b) transmitting, by the first computer, the presence information to the second computer for the purpose of establishing a real-time communication session between said first and second computers; and

(c) periodically repeating steps (a) and (b) to update the presence information.

16. A computer-based method for accessing, by a second computer, presence information about a first user associated with a first computer, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining, by the first computer, the presence information about the first user;

(b) accessing, by computer code on the second computer, the presence information for the purpose of establishing a real-time communication session between said first and second computers; and

(c) periodically repeating steps (a) and (b) to update the presence information.

17. The computer-based method of claim 16, further comprising:

(d) displaying, by the second computer, the presence information.

18. The computer-based method of claim 16, wherein the presence information includes at least one of:

whether the first user is currently present at the computer of the first user;

whether the first user is currently occupied;

whether the first user is currently communicating with another user;

whether the computer of the first user has been idle for a period of time;

whether the first user is currently logged onto a network; and

whether the first user prefers not to receive communications.

19. The computer-based method of claim 16, wherein step (b) comprises:

accessing, by computer code on the second computer, the presence information, wherein the presence information is located on a web site accessible via the internet.

20. The computer-based method of claim 19, further comprising a step before step (a) of:

transmitting, by the first computer, the presence information to a web site accessible via the internet.

21. The computer-based method of claim 16, wherein said computer code includes at least one of:

Dynamic Hyper Text Markup Language (DHTML) code;

a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script;

a Server Side Include (SSI) script;

a cookie;

Java code;

a Java Script;

an Active X control; and

a GIF file.

22. The computer-based method of claim 21, further comprising a step before step (a) of:

receiving, by the second computer, said computer code from the first computer via at least one of;

a file;

an email;

a voice message; and

a text message.

23. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having control logic stored therein for causing a second computer to access presence information about a first user associated with a first computer for the purpose of establishing a real-time communication session between said first and second computers, the computer control logic comprising:

first computer readable program code means for causing the second computer to access the presence information about the first user, wherein said first computer readable program code means includes at least one of;

Dynamic Hyper Text Markup Language (DHTML) code, a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script, a Server Side Include (SSI) script, a cookie, Java code, a Java Script, an Active X control, and a GIF file; and

second computer readable program code means for causing the computer to periodically execute said first computer readable program code means.