INTEGRATED WEB PORTAL FOR FACILITATING COMMUNICATIONS WITH AN INTENDED PARTY

• US 20090164639A1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Sylvain, Dany
• Granted Patent: US 8,756,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Described are a system and method for presenting, to a first user, information about a second user to enable the first user to select an appropriate communication means for communicating with the second user. A service node receives from a web browser executing at a communication device used by the first user a request for a web page associated with the second user. The service node collects information related to a current status of activity of the second user, determines one or more options for establishing communications with the second user, and transmits to the first user the web page having the current activity of the second user and the one or more communications options.

Claims

1. A method for presenting to a first user information about a second user to enable the first user to select an appropriate communication means for communicating with the second user, the method comprising:

receiving, by a service node over a network from a web browser executing at a computing device used by the first user, a request for a web page associated with the second user;

collecting, by the service node over the network, information related to a current status of activity of the second user;

determining, by the service node, one or more options for establishing communications with the second user; and

transmitting, by the service node over the network to the first user, the web page having the current activity of the second user and the one or more communications options.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of collecting information by the service node occurs in response to receiving the request from the web browser of the communication device of the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of the one or more communication options is based on the current activity status of the second user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of presenting the one or more communication options in the web page in a ranked order according to preferences established by the second user.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of dynamically updating, by the service node, the current activity status of the second user and the one or more communication options in real-time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the current availability status indicates at least one of an availability of the second user by telephone, whether the second user is actively online, a location of the user, and a calendar-based scheduling item of the second user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a plurality of URLs (uniform resource locators) associated with establishing communications with the second user, each URL providing a different level of access to information that may be collected about the second user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the service node, a request from a web browser executing on the computing device of the first user to establish communications with the second user in accordance with a communication option selected by the first user from the web page; and

establishing, by the service node, communications between the computing or communication devices of the first user and a communication device of the second user in accordance with the selected communication option.

9. A service node comprising:

a web server component receiving from a web browser executing at a computing device used by a first user a request for a web page associated with a second user;

an information collector in communication over a network with one or more servers to obtain information related to a current status of activity of the second user; and

logic for determining one or more options for establishing communications with the second user,

wherein the web server component transmits to the first user the web page having the current activity of the second user and the one or more communications options.

10. The service node of claim 9, wherein the information collector collects information in response to receiving the request from the web browser of the computing device of the first user.

11. The service node of claim 9, wherein the logic determines the one or more communication options based on the current activity status of the second user.

12. The service node of claim 9, wherein the logic presents the one or more communication options in the web page in a ranked order according to preferences established by the second user.

13. The service node of claim 12, wherein the web server transmits a dynamically updated web page to the first user when a change occurs in the current activity status of the second user and the one or more communication options.

14. The service node of claim 9, wherein the current availability status indicates at least one of an availability of the second user by telephone, whether the second user is actively online, a location of the user, and a calendar-based scheduling item of the second user.

15. The service node of claim 9, wherein the web server component associates a plurality of URLs (uniform resource locators) with establishing communications with the second user, each URL providing a different level of access to information that may be collected about the second user.

16. The service node of claim 9, wherein the web server component receives a request from the web browser executing on the computing device of the first user to establish communications with the second user in accordance with a communication option selected by the first user from the web page;

and further comprising logic for establishing communications between the computing device of the first user and a communication device of the second user in accordance with the selected communication option.

17. A communications network for presenting to a first user of a computing device information about a second user to enable the first user to select an appropriate communication means for communicating with the second user comprising:

one or more server systems maintaining information about a second user; and

a service node in communication with the computing device of the first user and with the one or more server systems, the service node comprising;

a web server component receiving from a web browser executing at the computing device used by the first user a request for a web page associated with the second user;

an information collector in communication with the one or more server systems to obtain information related to a current status of activity of the second user; and

logic for determining one or more options for establishing communications with the second user,

wherein the web server component transmits to the first user the web page having the current activity of the second user and the one or more determined communications options.

18. The communications network of claim 17, wherein the information collector collects information in response to receiving the request from the web browser of the computing device of the first user.

19. The communications network of claim 17, wherein the logic determines the one or more communication options based on the current activity status of the second user.

20. The communications network of claim 17, wherein the logic presents the one or more communication options in the web page in a ranked order according to preferences established by the second user.