Controlling Permissions in a Communication System
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- from a first user terminal, a first user accessing a communication system for communicating with a plurality of other users of other user terminals via a network, wherein the communication system maintains a list of contacts of the first user, the contacts being ones of the other users who have been accepted by the first user as contacts, and who are thereby granted one or more permissions in relation to communicating with the first user via the communication system, said one or more permissions not being granted to any of said other users who are not amongst the contacts;
in a conversation area of a user interface on the first terminal, providing a messaging field in which the first user can enter content to be communicated to selected ones of the other users as part of two-way conversations conducted via said communication system;
at the first user terminal, receiving a contact request from a second user of a second user terminal, the second user being one of the other users who is not yet one of the contacts of the first user, and the contact request requesting that the second user becomes one of said contacts; and
automatically accepting the contact request, thereby accepting the second user as one of said contacts of the first user, in response to the user replying to said message through the messaging field.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A communication system maintains a list of contacts of a first user, being other users who have been accepted by the first user as contacts, and who are thereby granted one or more permissions in relation to communicating with the first user via the communication system, these being permissions not being granted to any of said other users who are not contacts. At the first user'"'"'s terminal, a conversation area is presented in the UI, including a messaging field allowing the first user to send content as part of a two-way conversation. According to the present disclosure, when the first user receives a contact request from a second user who is not yet a contact, the contact request comprises a message to the first user. Further, if the first user replies to this message through the messaging field in the conversation area, the contact request is automatically accepted.
19 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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from a first user terminal, a first user accessing a communication system for communicating with a plurality of other users of other user terminals via a network, wherein the communication system maintains a list of contacts of the first user, the contacts being ones of the other users who have been accepted by the first user as contacts, and who are thereby granted one or more permissions in relation to communicating with the first user via the communication system, said one or more permissions not being granted to any of said other users who are not amongst the contacts; in a conversation area of a user interface on the first terminal, providing a messaging field in which the first user can enter content to be communicated to selected ones of the other users as part of two-way conversations conducted via said communication system; at the first user terminal, receiving a contact request from a second user of a second user terminal, the second user being one of the other users who is not yet one of the contacts of the first user, and the contact request requesting that the second user becomes one of said contacts; and automatically accepting the contact request, thereby accepting the second user as one of said contacts of the first user, in response to the user replying to said message through the messaging field. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A communication system comprising a first user terminal and a second user terminal;
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wherein the first user terminal is arranged to enable a first user to access the communication system for communicating with a plurality of other users of other user terminals via a network, wherein the communication system maintains a list of contacts of the first user, the contacts being ones of the other users who have been accepted by the first user as contacts, and who are thereby granted one or more permissions in relation to communicating with the first user via the communication system, said one or more permissions not being granted to any of said other users who are not amongst the contacts; wherein the second user terminal is arranged to enable a second user to access said communication system, the second user being one of said other users; wherein the first user terminal is arranged so as, in a conversation area of a user interface on the first terminal, to provide a messaging field in which the first user can enter content to be communicated to selected ones of the other users as part of two-way conversations conducted via said communication system; wherein the second user terminal is arranged so as, in a conversation area of a user interface on the second terminal, to provide a messaging field in which the second user can enter content to be communicated to the first user as part of a two-way conversation conducted via said communication system; wherein the second user terminal is arranged to enable the second user to send a contact request to the first user terminal, the second user being one of the other users who is not yet one of the contacts of the first user, and the contact request requesting that the second user becomes one of said contacts; wherein the first user terminal is arranged to receive said contact request; wherein the communication system is configured so that the contact request is sent automatically in response to the second user entering a message to the first user through the messaging field on the second user terminal; and wherein the communicating system is configured so that the contact request is automatically accepted, thereby accepting the second user as one of said contacts of the first user, in response to the user replying to said message through the messaging field on the first user terminal.
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Specification