METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR EMBEDDED GROUP COMMUNICATION

• US 20080034040A1
• Filed: 08/06/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meebo Incorporated (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Shen, Jian, Wherry, Elaine, Jen, Sandy, Sternberg, Seth
• Application Number:
  US11/834,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20080034040A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method and system for embedded group communications are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprises providing software code to be embedded in a website. The website is loaded including the embedded software code. A configuration file is fetched from a configuration server in response to loading the embedded software code. The embedded software code renders a group chat room.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

providing software code to be embedded in a first website;

loading the first website including the software code;

fetching a first configuration file from a configuration server in response to the software code;

rendering a first group chat user interface on said first website;

providing the software code to be embedded in a second website;

loading the second website including the software code;

fetching a second configuration file from the configuration server in response to the software code; and

rendering a second group communications user interface on the second website.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the software code to be embedded in a third website, the software code being provided by the second website;

loading the third website including the software code;

fetching a third configuration file from the configuration server in response to the software code; and

rendering a third group communications user interface on the third website.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising allowing real-time communications between the first group communications user interface, the second group communications user interface, the third group communications user interface, and a first server having a Jabber module.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising

sending first instructions from the first server to a second server, the first instructions establishing an anonymous group chat configuration for a first user using the first group communications user interface;

sending second instructions from the first server to the second server, the second instructions establishing an anonymous group chat configuration for a second user using the second group communications user interface; and

sending third instructions from the first server to the second server, the third instructions establishing an anonymous group chat configuration for the third user using the third group communications user interface.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising determining if the first user is using the first group communications user interface.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising prompting the first user to respond to a request from the second user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein status information for the first user is dynamically updated.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the first user interface indicates a first location of the second user interface on a network.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein a log of all the communications is maintained.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising providing a bot to automatically respond to the second user when the first user is not available.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the first software code includes a media player that plays media files from the network.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

deciphering a second location on the network of a media file;

providing the second location of the media file to the media player;

fetching the media file from the second location with the media player; and

playing the media player the media file on the first group communications user interface.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the media player plays an advertisement.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein advertising software code allows advertisers to bid for time slots during which the advertisement is played.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein advertising software code allows advertisers to bid for advertising space in a plurality of group chat interfaces having a particular topic.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

calculating a number of times an advertisement has been displayed.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising, synchronously playing the media file in the first group chat user interface and the second group chat user interface.

18. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, said plurality of instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to perform:

providing software code to be embedded in a first website;

loading the first website including the software code;

fetching a first configuration file from a configuration server in response to the software code;

rendering a first group chat user interface on said first website;

providing the software code to be embedded in a second website;

loading the second website including the software code;

fetching a second configuration file from the configuration server in response to the software code; and

rendering a second group communications user interface on the second website.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, having stored thereon-additional instructions, said plurality of instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to perform:

providing the software code to be embedded in a third website, the software code being provided by the second website;

loading the third website including the software code;

fetching a third configuration file from the configuration server in response to the software code; and

rendering a third group communications user interface on the third website.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, having stored thereon-additional instructions, said additional instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to allowing real-time communications between the first group communications user interface, the second group communications user interface, the third group communications user interface, and a first server having a Jabber module.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, having stored thereon-additional instructions, said additional instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to further perform:

sending first instructions from the first server to a second server, the first instructions establishing an anonymous group chat configuration for a first user using the first group communications user interface;

sending second instructions from the first server to the second server, the second instructions establishing an anonymous group chat configuration for a second user using the second group communications user interface; and

sending third instructions from the first server to the second server, the third instructions establishing an anonymous group chat configuration for the third user using the third group communications user interface.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, having stored thereon-additional instructions, said additional instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to further perform:

determining if the first user is using the first group communications user interface.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, having stored thereon-additional instructions, said additional instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to further perform:

prompting the first user to respond to a request from the second user.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein status information for the first user is dynamically updated.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the first user interface indicates a first location of the second user interface on a network.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein a log of all the communications is maintained.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, having stored thereon-additional instructions, said additional instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to further perform:

providing a bot to automatically respond to the second user when the first user is not available.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the first software code includes a media player that plays media files from the network.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, having stored thereon-additional instructions, said additional instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to further perform:

deciphering a second location on the network of a media file;

providing the second location of the media file to the media player;

fetching the media file from the second location with the media player; and

playing the media player the media file on the first group communications user interface.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the media player plays an advertisement.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein advertising software code allows advertisers to bid for time slots during which the advertisement is played.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein advertising software code allows advertisers to bid for advertising space in a plurality of group chat interfaces having a particular topic.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, further comprising:

calculating a number of times an advertisement has been displayed.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, having stored thereon-additional instructions, said additional instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to further perform:

synchronously playing the media file in the first group chat user interface and the second group chat user interface.