Apparatus and method for providing information about two-way computer communication services

• US 6,751,656 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2001
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Matsukura, Ryuichi, Matsumoto, Yasuhide, Otsuka, Iwao, Obata, Akihiko, Okada, Makoto, Okuyama, Satoshi, Kohda, Youji, Matsui, Kazuki, Sasaki, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/810,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20010011299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/328, 709/329, 709/224, 719/329
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/76 Wired systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A plurality of user terminals regularly accessing Internet Relay Chat (IRC) services are also in communication with a service selecting host. The service selecting host is configured to collect data from the plurality of user terminals. The collected data includes information about the users at the user terminals and information about the user terminals activity in the accessing of the IRC services. The service selecting host compiles and sorts the collected data concerning IRC services to produce information provided to the user terminals. The information provided to the user terminals allows users at the user terminals to more easily select sorted IRC services.

Claims

1. A receiving apparatus for connection to an information service and at least one of a plurality of separate services, wherein said information service provides information about said plurality of separate services, said information service including a host for providing said information service in response to a request from said receiving apparatus, wherein a plurality of said receiving apparatuses are connected to said host via a communication network, said receiving apparatus comprising:

a channel list memory for storing a channel list including one or more normal channels related to a predetermined separate service, and one or more special channels related to selection information;

display means for displaying the channel list;

selecting means for selecting channels displayed on the channel list;

first request means for requesting the separate service related to a selected normal channel according to a selection of the normal channel;

second request means for requesting the separate service related to selection information according to a selection of the special channel;

storage means for storing said selection information and a user data set containing selected separate service data;

transmission means for transmitting said user data set and said selection information to said host at a predetermined time interval and for transmitting a request at a predetermined time interval to said host for channel list updated by user data sets sent from the plurality of receiving apparatuses to said host; and

reception means for receiving from said host, a channel list related to said information service which is selected according to a summary of selection information and user data sets transmitted from said plurality of receiving apparatuses.

2. The receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein;

said storage means is configured to store service selection information identifying at least one of said separate services accessed by said receiving apparatus; and

said receiving apparatus includes the display means for displaying said service selection information stored in said storage means.

3. A receiving apparatus for connection to an information service and at least one of a plurality of separate services, wherein said information service provides information about said plurality of separate services, said information service including a host for providing said information service in response to a request from said receiving apparatus, wherein a plurality of said receiving apparatuses are connected to said host via a communication network, said receiving apparatus comprising:

a channel list memory to store a channel list including one or more normal channels related to a predetermined separate service, and one or more special channels related to selection information;

a display device to display the channel list;

a selecting device to select channels displayed on the channel list;

a first request device to request the separate service related to a selected normal channel according to a selection of the normal channel;

a second request device to request the separate service related to selection information according to a selection of the special channel;

a storage device to store said selection information and a user data set containing selected separate service data;

a transmitting device to transmit said user data set and said selection information to said host at a predetermined time interval and to transmit a request at a predetermined time interval to said host for a channel list updated by user data sets sent from the plurality of receiving apparatuses to said host; and

a receiving device to receive from said host, a channel list related to said information service which is selected according to a summary of selection information and user data sets transmitted from said plurality of receiving apparatuses.

4. The receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein,

said storage device is configured to store service selection information identifying at least one of said separate services accessed by said receiving apparatus.

5. The receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 4,

wherein the display device displays said service selection information stored in said storage device.