Personal Directory Services with Presence Indication

• US 20080040433A1
• Filed: 08/11/2006
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Glasgow, Jay Oliver
• Granted Patent: US 8,335,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Included are embodiments of a method for communicating data. One embodiment, among others includes receiving a request from a user to contact the at least one data provider associated with at least one listing stored in a user-defined directory and in response to receiving the request, facilitating activation of instant messaging logic, where the instant messaging logic is configured to refrain from displaying presence information associated with the user.

Claims

1. A method for communicating data, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a user to contact at least one data provider associated with at least one listing stored in a user-defined directory; and

in response to receiving the request, facilitating activation of messaging logic, wherein the messaging logic is configured to refrain from displaying presence information associated with the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving presence data from the messaging logic and displaying the received presence data with the at least one listing.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the messaging logic is configured to display data related to at least one user that includes a listing associated with the data provider in a user-defined directory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data provider is an advertiser.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing access to a passive advertisement with the listing.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing an active advertisement to at least one user that includes a listing associated with the at least one advertiser in a user-defined directory.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein providing an active advertisement includes sending an instant message to the user.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the messaging logic includes at least one of the following:

instant messaging logic and multimedia messaging logic.

9. A computer readable medium for communicating data, the computer readable medium comprising:

logic configured to receive a request from a user to contact at least one data provider associated with at least one listing stored in a user-defined directory; and

logic configured to, in response to receiving the request, facilitate activation of instant messaging logic, wherein the instant messaging logic is configured to refrain from displaying presence information associated with the user.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising logic configured to receive presence data from the instant messaging logic and logic configured to display the received presence data with the at least one listing.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instant messaging logic is configured to display data related to at least one user that includes a listing associated with the data provider in a user-defined directory.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the data provider is an advertiser.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising logic configured to provide access to a passive advertisement with the listing.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising logic configured to provide an active advertisement to at least one user that includes a listing associated with the advertiser in a user-defined directory.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising logic configured to provide an active advertisement includes sending an instant message to the user.

16. A computing device for facilitating a communication between a user and a data provider, the computing device comprising:

logic configured to send presence information to the user; and

logic configured to prevent display of presence information related to the user,

wherein the communication is facilitated by a user selection of an option, the option being associated with a listing related to a data provider, wherein the listing has been stored in a user-defined directory.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the communication includes an instant messaging session.

18. The computing device of claim 16, further comprising logic configured to receive data related to at least one user that has included a listing related to the data provider in the user-defined directory.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein logic configured to prevent display of presence information related to the user includes logic configured to prevent receipt of presence information related to the user.

20. The computing device of claim 16, wherein logic configured to prevent display of presence information related to the user includes logic configured to request a communications server to prevent communication of presence data related to the user.

21. The computing device of claim 16, further comprising logic configured to send presence data to a server associated to display of the listing.