Method And Computer Program Product For Establishing Real-Time Communications Between Networked Computers

• US 20110208819A1
• Filed: 11/29/2010
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PalTalk Holdings Incorporated (Paltalk, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PalTalk Holdings Incorporated (Paltalk, Inc.)
• Inventors: Riedel, Andrew D., Roskowski, Steven G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,929,984 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• 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 system, method, and computer program product is provided for establishing real-time communications between computer users connected by a communications network. An invitation is created by a first computer. An invitation is data that proposes a communication session. An invitation can indicate the status or availability of the sending user or of some other resource. Creation of the invitation is followed by the transfer of the invitation from the first computer to at least one second computer. The invitation can be transferred electronically through the network, or physically, by the transfer of a magnetic medium bearing the invitation. The invitation contains parameters to configure an invitation communicator application for communications between the first and second computers. The second computer accepts the invitation and invokes an invitation communicator application to allow communication.

Claims

1. A system for establishing real-time communications between computer users, the system comprising:

a first user computer adapted to generate and send an invitation over a communication link, wherein said first user computer determines a context to facilitate communication between said first user computer and at least one second user computer of said computer users, and wherein said invitation comprises data adapted to invoke an invitation communicator application in at least one second user computer, wherein said invitation communicator application facilitates real-time communication between said first user computer and said at least one second user computer;

wherein said at least one second user computer receives said invitation over said communication link,

wherein said at least one second user computer determines whether said invitation is able to be displayed on said at least one second user computer, wherein said at least one second user computer receiving a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) regarding accessing and downloading an invitation control module for access to said invitation when said at least one second user computer determines that said invitation is unable to be displayed on said at least one second user computer,

wherein said at least one second user computer provides a visual display of said invitation when said at least one second user computer determines that said invitation is able to be displayed,

wherein said invitation downloads and embeds an invitation control module at said at least one second user computer, and

wherein said invitation control module is embedded into said invitation when said at least one second user computer does not have a current version of said invitation control module thereby making said invitation accessible to said second computer, and

wherein said invitation control module provides a visual display of said received invitation, and

wherein said URL is received through said communications link for access to said invitation if said invitation control module is not embedded in said invitation, and

wherein said invitation facilitates download of said invitation communicator application on said at least one second user computer,

wherein said invitation automatically downloads and accesses said invitation communicator application upon selecting said invitation,

wherein said invitation communicator application facilitates a real-time peer-to-peer communication session between said first computer and said at least one second computer and provides a visual display of said communication,

wherein said determining a context comprises selecting a random number as a channel name.