Collaborative application with indicator of concurrent users

• US 7,103,846 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2000
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schneider, Haim, Haverstock, Paul, Houri, Avshalom, Dempsey, Michael A., Rimer, Jacob, Shafrir, Avner
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Larry O.
• Application Number:
  US09/583,734
• Time in Patent Office: 2,288 Days
• Field of Search: 345/733, 345/738, 345/739, 345/750, 345/751, 345/752, 345/753, 345754-759, 715751-753, 715758-759, 715760-764, 709200-205, 709/207, 709/217, 709/229, 709/228, 709/230, 709/248, 709/249
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A system, method, and processor readable medium containing processor readable program code embodied therein are provided that enable network users to view one or more network user'"'"'s status and to establish communications with the one or more network users using a user indicator in an electronic document (e.g., electronic mail message, hypertext markup language document). The user indicator may be a network user'"'"'s login identification presented as a hypertext link to one or more communication options. The system may include an identification module for identifying the one or more network users. The identification module may identify a network user'"'"'s login identification (e.g., the network user'"'"'s name, employee number) and provide the network user'"'"'s status using the user indicator. A status module, responsive to the identification module, provides the status of the network users. The status module may provide a visual indication of a network user'"'"'s status using, for example, color coding, formatting, symbols, etc. A communication module for establishing a communication link with the one or more network users using the user indicator may also be provided. The communication module may be used to establish a variety of communications with one or more of the network users. For example, a user may chat, telephone, transmit an electronic mail message, share one or more application programs, whiteboard presentations, facsimile, or page to one or more of the network users by selecting the user indicator using a conventional computer mouse or keyboard.

Claims

1. A system for enabling network users to determine a real-time status of one or more target network users and to establish communications with the one or more target network users using a user indicator that is presented using two or more types of applications, the system comprising:

user indicator presentation means for enabling presentation of at least one user indicator within two or more types of electronic documents, wherein the electronic document types are capable of being generated using the two or more types of applications and wherein each user indicator is associated with the one or more target network users;

status presenting means for presenting status indicators associated with corresponding user indicators to provide the real-time status of the one or more target network users; and

communication means for enabling the network users to initiate communications with the one or more target network users upon selection of the desired user indicator.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising preference presentation means for presenting the network users preference for receiving communications.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising updating means for updating the real-time status of the one or more target network users.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising conference communication means for enabling the network users to establish conference communications with the one or more target network users.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the conference communication means enable the network users to share at least one application.

6. A method for enabling network users to determine a real-time status of one or more target network users and to establish communications with the one or more target network users using a user indicator, the system comprising the steps of:

generating two or more types of electronic documents using two or more types of applications;

presenting one or more user indicators within the two or more types of electronic documents, each user indicator being associated with at least one network user;

presenting the real-time status of the one or more target network users associated with the one or more user indicators via the two or more types of applications, the real-time status including an availability of the one or more target network users to engage in a communication; and

establishing a communication link with the one or more target network users based on the indicated availability of the one or more target network users.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of enabling the one or more target network users to establish one or more communication preferences.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of updating the real-time status of the one or more target network users.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of enabling the network users to share at least one application.

10. A system for enabling network users to determine a real-time status of one or more target network users and to establish communications with the one or more target network users using a user indicator, the system comprising:

a user indicator presentation module for presenting at least one user indicator within two or more types of electronic documents, wherein the electronic document types are capable of being generated using two or more types of applications and wherein each user indicator is associated with at least one target network user;

a status determining module that determines the real-time status of the one or more target network users including an availability of the one or more target network users to engage in a communication; and

a communication module that establishes a communication link with the one or more target network users based on the determined availability of the one or more target network users presented by the two or more types of applications.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a communication options preference presentation module that presents the network users preference for receiving communications.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising a status updating module that updates the real-time status of the one or more target network users.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a conference communication module that enables the network users to establish conference communications with the one or more target network users.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the conference communication module enables the network users to share at least one application.

15. A processor readable medium having processor readable code embodied therein for enabling at least one network user to obtain a real-time status of one or more target network users and establish a communication link using the real-time status of one or more target network users comprising:

processor readable code that causes a processor to enable the at least one network user to generate two or more types of electronic documents using two or more types of applications;

processor readable code that causes the processor to present at least one user indicator within the two or more types of electronic documents, each user indicator being associated with the one or more target network users;

processor readable code that causes the processor to provide the real-time status of the one or more target network users including an availability of the one or more target network users to engage in a communication; and

processor readable code that causes the processor to establish a communication link with the one or more target network users, based on the indicated availability of the one or more target network users presented by the two or more types of applications.

16. The medium of claim 15, further comprising processor readable code that causes the processor to present a preference of the at least one network user to receive communications.

17. The medium of claim 16, further comprising processor readable code that causes the processor to enable the one or more target network users to prioritize the preferences.

18. The medium of claim 15, further comprising processor readable program code that causes the processor to update the real-time status of the one or more target network users.

19. The medium of claim 15, further comprising processor readable code that causes the processor to enable the at least one network user to establish conference communications with the one or more target network users.

20. The medium of claim 15, wherein the processor readable code enables the at least one network user to share at least one application upon establishing conference communications.

21. A system for enabling network users to determine a real-time status of one or more target network users and to establish communications with the one or more target network users using a user indicator, the system comprising:

a user indicator presentation module associated with a first type of application for presenting at least one user indicator within two or more types of electronic documents, wherein the electronic document types are capable of being generated using two or more types of applications and wherein each user indicator is associated with at least one target network user;

a status determining module associated with a second type of application that determines the real-time status of the one or more target network users including an availability of the one or more target network users to engage in a communication, wherein the first application type and the second application type are different application types; and

a communication module that establishes a communication link with the one or more target network users based on the determined availability of the one or more target network users presented by the two or more types of applications.

22. A system for enabling network users to determine a real-time status of one or more target network users and to establish communications with the one or more target network users using a user indicator, the system comprising:

a user indicator presentation module for presenting at least one user indicator within two or more types of electronic documents, wherein electronic document types are capable of being generated using two or more types of non-HTML applications, each user indicator being associated with at least one target network user;

a status determining module that determines the real-time status of the one or more target network users including an availability of the one or more target network users to engage in a communication; and

a communication module that establishes a communication link with the one or more target network users based on the determined availability of the one or more target network users presented by the two or more types of non-HTML applications.

23. A system for enabling network users to determine a real-time status of a plurality of target network users and to establish communications with one or more of the plurality of target network users using two or more user indicators presented in two or more types of documents generated by two or more types of applications, the system comprising:

a user directory that includes user information that corresponds to the plurality of target network users, wherein the user information includes user indicators;

documents generated by the two or more types of applications, wherein each document includes at least two user depictions associated with at least two target network users;

an identification determining module that references the user directory to access at least two user indicators that correspond to the at least two target network users associated with the at least two user depictions included in the documents;

a user indicator presentation module that presents the at least two user indicators within the documents, wherein the user indicator presentation module is capable of presenting the at least two user indicators within the two or more types of electronic documents that are capable of being generated using the two or more types of applications;

a status determining module that determines real-time statuses of the at least two target network users including an availability of the at least two target network users to engage in a communication; and

a communication module that establishes a communication link with one or more of the at least two target network users based on the determined availability of the at least two target network users presented by the two or more types of applications.