METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MANAGING AT LEAST ONE GROUP OF USERS, CORRESPONDING COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20090300157A1
• Filed: 02/14/2007
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Scotto, Yves, Chevalier, Nathalie, Longeanie, Arnaud
• Application Number:
  US12/279,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20090300157A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

A method is provided for managing at least one group of users who have equipment able to intercommunicate via at least one communication network. This method includes a phase of inserting a new user into the groups, the phase itself including the following steps performed by an intermediate device: receiving, from a member of the group, a first request to insert the new user into the group; and inserting the new user into the group, after receiving the first and second insertion requests.

Claims

1. Method for management of at least one group of users having apparatuses that can communicate with one another through at least one communications network, wherein the method comprises a phase of insertion of a new user into said group, this phase itself comprising the following steps performed by an intermediate device:

reception from a member of said group of a first request for insertion of the new user into said group;

reception from the new user of a second request for insertion of the new user into said group; and

insertion of the new user into said group, after reception of said first and second insertion requests.

2. Method according to claim 1 wherein said first and second insertion requests are spontaneous requests sent out independently of one another.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the first insertion request is a spontaneous request,

and, after the reception of the first insertion request, the intermediate device sends the new user a proposal of insertion,

and said second insertion request is a non-spontaneous request sent in order to respond positively to said proposal of insertion.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the insertion of the new user into said group, after reception of said first and second insertion requests, prompts an automatic insertion of said member, from whom said first insertion request must come, in at least one group of users managed by the new user.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein comprises a phase of elimination of a user from said group, comprising the following steps:

reception of a request (5001) for elimination of a user from said group, coming from a user or from a manager of said group;

elimination of said user from said group.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein an elimination of said user from the group following a request for removal prompts an automatic elimination of a sender of said elimination request from at least one group of users managed by said user.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises a phase of initialization of an exchange within said group, comprising the following steps:

transmission to one or more users belonging to said group of an invitation to an exchange;

reception of at least one response to said invitation, each response coming from a user who has received said invitation;

for each response to the invitation that is an agreement, addition of the user who has sent said response to the participants to said exchange.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein with said invitation coming from a manager of said group, addition of a user as a participant in an exchange prompts an automatic addition of said user in a list of participating users for each of whom the manager is authorised to drive at least one external device connected to or integrated in equipment available to said participating user.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises a phase of removing a user from an ongoing exchange in which said user is involved, this phase comprising the following steps:

reception of a request to remove said user from the ongoing exchange, coming from said user or from a manager of the group in which the ongoing exchange has been set up;

removal of said user from the ongoing exchange.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises a phase of ending an ongoing exchange, this phase comprising the following steps:

reception of a request for ending an ongoing exchange coming from the manager;

interruption of the ongoing exchange for all the users participating in the exchange.

11. Computer program product recorded in a computer-readable carrier, this computer program product comprising program code instructions for execution of a method of managing at least one group of users having apparatuses that can communicate with one another through at least one communications network, when said program is executed in a computer, wherein the method comprises a phase of insertion of a new user into said group, this phase itself comprising the following steps performed by an intermediate device:

reception from a member of said group of a first request for insertion of the new user into said group;

reception from the new user of a second request for insertion of the new user into said group; and

insertion of the new user into said group, after reception of said first and second insertion requests.

12. Device for management of at least one group of users having apparatuses available that can communicate with one another through at least one communications network, wherein the device comprises means of insertion of a new user into said group, wherein the means of insertion comprise:

first means of reception enabling reception, from a member of said group, of a first request for insertion of the new user into said group;

second means of reception enabling reception, from the new user, of a second request for insertion of the new user into said group; and

means to insert the new user into said group, after reception of said first and second insertion requests by said first and second reception means.