MULTIPLE PROFILES FOR A USER IN A SYNCHRONOUS CONFERENCING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20090177974A1
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HCL Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lu, Fang, Janakiraman, Janani, Cox, Susan M., Ravi, Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 8,332,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/747
• 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

A method, system, and computer program product for managing multiple profiles in a synchronous conferencing system. A synchronous conferencing account is provided for a first user of the synchronous conferencing system. The synchronous conferencing account includes a plurality of user profiles for the first user. The user profiles identify the first user differently. Each user profile is associated with one or more data fields identifying the first user. The data fields may include any or all of a name, a nickname, a login name, and an avatar. A request from a second user of the synchronous conferencing system to communicate with the first user is received. The request includes an identification of the second user. One of the user profiles is selected based on the identification of the second user. The data fields associated with the selected user profile are transmitted to the second user.

Claims

1. A method for managing multiple profiles in a synchronous conferencing system, the method comprising:

providing a synchronous conferencing account for a first user of the synchronous conferencing system, the synchronous conferencing account including a plurality of user profiles for the first user, at least two of the plurality of user profiles identifying the first user differently;

associating each of the plurality of user profiles with one or more data fields identifying the first user;

receiving a request from a second user of the synchronous conferencing system to communicate with the first user, the request including an identification of the second user;

selecting one of the plurality of user profiles of the first user based on the identification of the second user; and

transmitting the one or more data fields identifying the first user associated with the selected user profile to the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronous conferencing account includes one or more mappings, each of the one or more mappings associating one or more specific identifications of other users of the synchronous conferencing system with one of the plurality of user profiles.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the plurality of user profiles is a default profile for other users of the synchronous conferencing system not specifically identified in the one or more mappings.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting one of the plurality of user profiles includes:

comparing the identification of the second user to the specific identifications of other users of the synchronous conferencing system included in the one or more mappings;

selecting the user profile associated with the mapping for which the identification of the second user matches the specific identifications of other users of the synchronous conferencing system; and

selecting the default profile if the identification of the second user does not match the specific identifications of other users of the synchronous conferencing system included in any of the one or more mappings.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more data fields identifying the first user include at least one element selected from the group of a name, a nickname, a login name, and an avatar.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the plurality of user profiles includes a first user profile and a second user profile;

a first value included in the first user profile is not included in the second user profile, the first value does not indicate an absence of data; and

a second value included in the second user profile is not included in the first user profile, the second value does not indicate an absence of data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating according to an Internet Relay Chat protocol.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronous conferencing system is an Internet based chat room.

9. A system for managing multiple profiles in a synchronous conferencing system, the system comprising:

a microprocessor configured to execute program code embodied in computer readable memory;

a synchronous conferencing account for a first user of a synchronous conferencing system, the synchronous conferencing account including a plurality of user profiles for the first user, each of the plurality of user profiles associated with one or more data fields identifying the first user, at least two of the plurality of user profiles identifying the first user differently;

a receiving unit configured to receive a request from a second user of the synchronous conferencing system to communicate with the first user, the request including an identification of the second user;

a selecting unit configured to select one of the plurality of user profiles of the first user based on the identification of the second user; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the one or more data fields identifying the first user associated with the selected user profile to the second user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the synchronous conferencing account includes one or more mappings, each of the one or more mappings associating one or more specific identifications of other users of the synchronous conferencing system with one of the plurality of user profiles.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein one of the plurality of user profiles is a default profile for other users of the synchronous conferencing system not specifically identified in the one or more mappings.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the selecting unit is further configured to:

compare the identification of the second user to the specific identifications of other users of the synchronous conferencing system included in the one or more mappings;

select the user profile associated with the mapping for which the identification of the second user matches the specific identifications of other users of the synchronous conferencing system; and

select the default profile if the identification of the second user does not match the specific identifications of other users of the synchronous conferencing system included in any of the one or more mappings.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more data fields identifying the first user include at least one element selected from the group of a name, a nickname, a login name, and an avatar.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

wherein the plurality of user profiles includes a first user profile and a second user profile;

a first value included in the first user profile is not included in the second user profile, the first value does not indicate an absence of data; and

a second value included in the second user profile is not included in the first user profile, the second value does not indicate an absence of data.

15. A computer program product embodied in computer readable memory comprising:

computer readable program codes coupled to the computer readable memory for managing multiple profiles in a synchronous conferencing system, the computer readable program codes configured to cause the program to;

provide a synchronous conferencing account for a first user of the synchronous conferencing system, the synchronous conferencing account including a plurality of user profiles for the first user, at least two of the plurality of user profiles identifying the first user differently;

associate each of the plurality of user profiles with one or more data fields identifying the first user;

receive a request from a second user of the synchronous conferencing system to communicate with the first user, the request including an identification of the second user;

select one of the plurality of user profiles of the first user based on the identification of the second user; and

transmit the one or more data fields identifying the first user associated with the selected user profile to the second user.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the synchronous conferencing account includes one or more mappings, each of the one or more mappings associating one or more specific identifications of other users of the synchronous conferencing system with one of the plurality of user profiles.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein one of the plurality of user profiles is a default profile for other users of the synchronous conferencing system not specifically identified in the one or more mappings.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein selecting one of the plurality of user profiles includes:

comparing the identification of the second user to the specific identifications of other users of the synchronous conferencing system included in the one or more mappings;

selecting the user profile associated with the mapping for which the identification of the second user matches the specific identifications of other users of the synchronous conferencing system; and

selecting the default profile if the identification of the second user does not match the specific identifications of other users of the synchronous conferencing system included in any of the one or more mappings.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the one or more data fields identifying the first user include at least one element selected from the group of a name, a nickname, a login name, and an avatar.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

wherein the plurality of user profiles includes a first user profile and a second user profile;

a first value included in the first user profile is not included in the second user profile, the first value does not indicate an absence of data; and

a second value included in the second user profile is not included in the first user profile, the second value does not indicate an absence of data.