Online Social and Professional Networking and Collaboration Services with Enhanced Communications Capabilities
First Claim
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1. In a social or business collaboration or networking service, a method for enabling communication comprising:
- storing contact information provided by a plurality of members comprising a predefined group;
transmitting information relating to the group to each of the plurality of members requesting information for a display in a user interface, the information including an indication of the availability of each of plurality of users without displaying the contact information provided by the plurality of users;
receiving through a user input into the interface a request by first one of the plurality members to contact a second one of the plurality of members; and
looking up the contact information provided by the second one of the plurality of members and attempting to establish a connection between the first of the plurality of members and the second one of the plurality of members.
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Abstract
A virtual collaboration social or work unit or sphere of trust allows participants to contact others within the sphere, using a method designated by the participant being contacted without the participants needing to be aware of the underlying communications infrastructure or method of contact, and without any of the participants having to sharing connectivity information. In a preferred embodiment, the infrastructure can be any method of contact available to the users, including but not limited to, the public Internet, instant messaging, public or private telephony systems, or wireless communication technologies.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. In a social or business collaboration or networking service, a method for enabling communication comprising:
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storing contact information provided by a plurality of members comprising a predefined group; transmitting information relating to the group to each of the plurality of members requesting information for a display in a user interface, the information including an indication of the availability of each of plurality of users without displaying the contact information provided by the plurality of users; receiving through a user input into the interface a request by first one of the plurality members to contact a second one of the plurality of members; and looking up the contact information provided by the second one of the plurality of members and attempting to establish a connection between the first of the plurality of members and the second one of the plurality of members.
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2. A computer-implemented method for providing a group collaboration service over a computer network, comprising:
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storing in at least one database contact information a plurality of members comprising a predefined group, each of the plurality of members separately supplying the contact information for that member, the contact information for the plurality of members being stored in a manner that does not permit a member of the group to see contact information supplied by any other member of the group; transmitting information over at least one network to at least one remote computing device that at least one of the members of the group is using, the information including an indication relating to the availability of users for being contacted without displaying the contact information provided by the plurality of users; receiving a request to contact a first member of the group to a second member of the group; and looking up the contact information provided by the first and second member; and initiating establishment a communication connection between the first member and the second member using the stored contact information of the first member and the second member. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. Apparatus for providing virtual meeting room services over a network, each virtual meeting room having a plurality of members, the apparatus comprising:
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means for storing in at least one database contact information a plurality of members comprising a predefined group, each of the plurality of members separately supplying the contact information for that member, the contact information for the plurality of members being stored in a manner that does not permit a member of the group to see contact information supplied by any other member of the group; means for transmitting information over at least one network to at least one remote computing device that at least one of the members of the group is using, the information including an indication relating to the availability of users for being contacted without displaying the contact information provided by the plurality of users; means for receiving a request to set up a communication connection between a first member and a second member of the group; and means for looking up the contact information provided by the first and second member and initiating establishment a communication connection between the first member and the second member using the stored contact information of the first member and the second member. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A computer readable memory for providing virtual meeting room services over a network, each virtual meeting room having a plurality of members, the apparatus comprising:
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a computer database for storing contact information for the plurality of members of the group, the contact information including information indicating availability for each of the members of the group for communication with other members of the group; and at least one programmable computer adapted for generating virtual meeting room data for use by remote clients in generating a graphical representation of a virtual meeting room;
the at least one computer further adapted for facilitating sharing of information between to members of the group using to exclusion of others with no privileges relating the group, the information including indications of the availability of each member of the group to accept communication connections from other members of the group;
the at least one computer further adapted for setting up a communication connection between two or more of the members of the group using the contact information stored in the computer database in response to receiving a request for a communication connection from one of the members of the group through the virtual meeting room representation on one of the remote client.
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Specification