Group communications multiplexing system
DCFirst Claim
1. Computerized human communication arbitrating and distributing system, including:
- a controller computer;
a plurality of participator computers, each said participator computer connected to an input device for receiving input information from a user and to an output device for presenting user messages, each said user having a user identity;
connections through the Internet linking the controller computer with each of the participator computers; and
controller software operating on and directing the controller computer to carry out the steps of;
arbitrating in accordance with predefined rules including a test for an authenticated user identity, which ones of the participator computers can be a member in one of a plurality of groups through the controller computer; and
distributing, in accordance with the predefined rules, the user messages in real time to the respective ones of the participator computers;
wherein;
at least some of the user messages are multimedia messages.
4 Assignments
Litigations
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A computerized human communication arbitrating and distributing system, including a controller digital computer and a plurality of participator digital computers, each of the participator computers including an input device for receiving human-input information from a human user and an output device for presenting information to the user, each said user having a user identity. A connection, such as Internet, links the controller computer with each of the participator computers. Controller software runs on the controller computer to arbitrate in accordance with predefined rules including said user identity, which ones of the participator computers can interact in one of a plurality of groups through the controller computer and to distribute real time data to the respective ones of the groups. Participator software runs on each of the participator computers to handle a user interface permitting one said user to send a multimedia information message to the controller computer, which arbitrates which of the participator computers receive the multimedia information message and conveys the multimedia information message to the selected participator computers to present the multimedia information to the respective user.
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Citations
74 Claims
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1. Computerized human communication arbitrating and distributing system, including:
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a controller computer; a plurality of participator computers, each said participator computer connected to an input device for receiving input information from a user and to an output device for presenting user messages, each said user having a user identity; connections through the Internet linking the controller computer with each of the participator computers; and controller software operating on and directing the controller computer to carry out the steps of; arbitrating in accordance with predefined rules including a test for an authenticated user identity, which ones of the participator computers can be a member in one of a plurality of groups through the controller computer; and distributing, in accordance with the predefined rules, the user messages in real time to the respective ones of the participator computers;
wherein;at least some of the user messages are multimedia messages. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method for using a computer apparatus to arbitrate and distribute human communication, the method including the steps of:
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connecting a plurality of participator computers with a controller computer through the Internet, each said participator computer for connecting to an input device to receive input information from a user and to an output device to present user messages, each said user having a user identity, the controller computer being programmed to control communication of messages between the participator computers; and storing a user identity at the controller computer, the user identity including an authorization for one of the users having a respective one of the participator computers to be invisible to an other of the participator computers while viewing the messages from the other of the participator computers. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A method for using a computer system to arbitrate and distribute human communication, the method including the steps of:
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connecting a plurality of participator computers with a controller computer through the Internet, each said participator computer for connecting to an input device to receive input information from a user and to an output device to present user messages, each said user having a user identity; programming the controller computer to control communication of the messages between the participator computers; programming the participator computers to enable sending respective ones of the messages to the communicator computer and receiving those of the messages distributed by the controller computer; arbitrating with the controller computer, in accordance with predefined rules including a test for an authenticated user identity, which ones of the participator computers can be a member in one of a plurality of groups through the controller computer; and distributing with the controller computer, in accordance with the predefined rules, the messages in real time to the respective ones of the participator computers, wherein at least some of the user messages are multimedia messages. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74)
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Specification