SYSTEM, METHODS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR VIRTUAL PRESENCE SERVICE

• US 20090094330A1
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huslak, Nicholas Steven, McQuaide, Arnold Chester JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

System, methods, and computer program products for a virtual presence service are provided. The virtual presence service includes configuring a virtual presence community and registering a user for the virtual presence community. Also, the virtual presence service includes providing a filter to detect triggering events corresponding to the virtual presence community and initiating group communications in response to detecting the triggering event.

Claims

1. A method of providing a virtual presence service comprising:

configuring a virtual presence community;

registering a user for the virtual presence community;

providing a filter to detect at least one triggering event corresponding to the virtual presence community; and

initiating communications in response to detecting the triggering event.

2. The method of providing the virtual presence service of claim 1, wherein the at least one triggering event is media being received by the user.

3. The method of providing the virtual presence service of claim 1, wherein configuring the virtual presence community comprises receiving a name of the virtual presence community, receiving a communication method for the virtual presence community, receiving the triggering event for the virtual presence community, and receiving a quorum for the virtual presence community.

4. The method of providing the virtual presence service of claim 1, wherein registering the user for the virtual presence community comprises at least one of:

receiving a name of at least one virtual presence community for the user to join, and receiving a communication method for contacting the user, wherein the communication method for contacting the user comprises at least one of contacting by phone, by text message, by email, and by on-screen message; and

receiving and accepting an invitation to join at least one virtual presence community.

5. The method of providing the virtual presence service of claim 1, wherein providing the filter to detect the at least one triggering event for the virtual presence community comprises:

configuring a virtual presence filter agent of the user with the filter to detect the at least one triggering event, wherein the filter monitors content consumed by the user via the virtual presence filter agent; and

configuring a virtual presence component to receive the filter to detect the at least one triggering event, wherein the filter monitors content of the user via the virtual presence component.

6. The method of providing the virtual presence service of claim 5, wherein the virtual presence component containing the virtual presence filter agent is at least one of a server, a hub, a set top box, and a network element.

7. The method of providing the virtual presence service of claim 1, wherein initiating the communication service comprises:

contacting the user with an invitation to establish or join a communications connection with the virtual presence community; and

establishing the communications connection with the user and the virtual presence community in response to the user accepting the invitation.

8. The method of providing the virtual presence service of claim 1, wherein the at least one triggering event comprises consuming the content corresponding to the virtual presence community.

9. The method of providing the virtual presence service of claim 1, wherein the at least one triggering event comprises an experience corresponding to the virtual presence community.

10. The method of providing the virtual presence service of claim 1, further comprising receiving a manual request from the user to establish communications with the virtual presence community.

11. The method of providing the virtual presence service of claim 1, wherein the filter detects the at least one triggering event by filtering metadata of content being viewed by the user.

12. A virtual presence service system, comprising:

a virtual presence server configured to maintain a virtual presence community; and

a virtual presence filter agent configured to monitor metadata relating to at least one triggering event corresponding to the virtual presence community,

wherein the virtual presence server receives triggering event information via the virtual presence filter agent in response to the virtual presence filter agent detecting the at least one triggering event; and

wherein the virtual presence server initiates communications with a user via a network.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the virtual presence server comprises a plurality of servers and devices.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the virtual presence server is configured to create the virtual presence community by receiving a name of the virtual presence community, by receiving a communication method for the virtual presence community, by receiving the triggering event, and by receiving a quorum for the virtual presence community.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the virtual presence server initiates communications by contacting the user with an invitation to establish a communications connection with available members of the virtual presence community;

and

wherein the virtual presence server establishes the communications connection with the user and the available members of the virtual presence community in response to the user accepting the invitation.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the virtual presence server is configured to receive subscriptions to the virtual presence community for the user, and wherein receiving subscriptions comprises:

receiving a name of at least one virtual presence community for the user to join; and

receiving a communication method for contacting the user, wherein the communication method for contacting comprises at least one of contacting the user by phone, by text message, by email, and by on-screen message.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one triggering event comprises at least one of:

consuming the content corresponding to the virtual presence community; and

having an experience corresponding to the virtual presence community.

18. A computer program product, tangibly embodied on a computer readable medium, for a virtual presence service, the computer program product including instructions for causing a computer to execute a method, comprising:

configuring a virtual presence community;

registering a user for the virtual presence community;

providing a filter to detect at least one triggering event corresponding to the virtual presence community; and

initiating communications in response to detecting the triggering event.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein configuring the virtual presence community comprises receiving a name of the virtual presence community, receiving a communication method for the virtual presence community, receiving the triggering event for the virtual presence community, and receiving a quorum for the virtual presence community.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein providing the filter to detect the triggering event for the virtual presence community comprises:

configuring a virtual presence filter agent of the user with the filter to detect the at least one triggering event, wherein the filter monitors content consumed by the user via the virtual presence filter agent; and

configuring a virtual presence component to receive the filter to detect the at least one triggering event, wherein the filter monitors content of the user via the virtual presence component.