Shared Groups Rostering System

• US 20090106416A1
• Filed: 10/06/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hussain, Muhammad Mohsin, Cohen, Neil, Tornabene, Catherine, Crowe, Todd, Panzer, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,103,729 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties

Abstract

Information about all current members of a group is stored. Instructions are received from at least one current member to invite at least one prospective member to join the group and the invitation to join the group is sent to the prospective member. In the event that an affirmative response is received, the prospective member is added to the current members of the group and automatically updated services are provided to current members of the group.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, for an instant messaging identity, a passively dynamic group of instant messaging participants that has a membership that includes at least one instant messaging participant not explicitly selected for inclusion in the passively dynamic group by the instant messaging identity;

causing a display, to the instant messaging identity, of an instant messaging participant list that is configured to reflect online presence information for other instant messaging identities included in the instant messaging participant list and that is configured to enable the instant messaging identity to initiate instant messaging sessions with the other instant messaging identities included in the instant messaging participant list by selecting the other instant messaging identities from the instant messaging participant list, the displayed instant messaging participant list including a representation of the passively dynamic group of instant messaging participants that reflects the membership of the passively dynamic group of instant messaging participants;

determining that a change, which was not inspired by the instant messaging identity, in the membership of the passively dynamic group of instant messaging participants has occurred; and

automatically triggering, without involvement from the instant messaging identity, an updating of the displayed instant messaging participant list to reflect the change in the membership of the passively dynamic group of instant messaging participants.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

determining that a change in the membership of the passively dynamic group of instant messaging participants has occurred includes determining that a new member has been added to the passively dynamic group of instant messaging participants; and

automatically triggering the updating of the displayed instant messaging participant list to reflect the change in membership of the passively dynamic group of instant messaging participants includes automatically adding a representation of the new member to the displayed representation of the dynamic group of instant messaging participants on the displayed instant messaging participant list for the instant messaging identity.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

determining that a change in membership of the passively dynamic group of instant messaging participants has occurred includes determining that an old member has been removed from the dynamic group of instant messaging participants; and

automatically triggering the updating of the displayed instant messaging participant list to reflect the change in membership of the passively dynamic group of instant messaging participants includes automatically deleting a displayed representation of the old member from the representation of the dynamic group of instant messaging participants on the displayed instant messaging participant list.