Systems and methods for matching participants to a conversation

• US 7,120,668 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2003
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Manber, Udi, Lamarca, Anthony, Chang, Chi Chao
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US10/686,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207, 709/228, 709/219, 709/224, 709/203, 709/313, 709/318, 709/217, 709/231, 715/745, 715/856, 715/531, 715/758, 715/853, 717/101, 719/330, 370/352, 375/222, 706/11, 710/4
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Systems and methods for connecting two or more individuals to an Internet conversation based on their mutual interests, the current content they may be viewing and what they want to talk about at that time. The techniques of the present invention allow an individual who starts a conversation to maintain full control over who is able to join that conversation as well as how many are able to join at any one time. A user who desires to start or join a conversation about a particular topic or story selects an indicator, such as an icon, associated with the specific topic or story. The user is presented with an option to start or join a conversation. If the user opts to start a conversation, the user is presented with a comment page, and the user enters a comment, or comments, that preferably is intended to spark an interest in other users. The comment is then presented to other users. Those users who may desire to join in a conversation with the conversation starter respond with their own comment, which is then sent to the conversation starter. The conversation starter reviews the comment, and if the comment is subjectively acceptable, the conversation starter brings the responding user into a conversation. The responding user and conversation starter are then connected in a messaging session, such as an instant messaging session. Multiple users may be connected in a single messaging session by the conversation starter in this manner.

Claims

1. A method, in a messaging server, of connecting parties with mutual interests, comprising the steps of:

providing a media object to be displayed to a first user;

receiving a first comment from the first user;

providing the media object to be displayed to a second user along with the first comment;

receiving a reply comment from the second user wherein the first user and the second user are not connected to an instant messaging session; and

if the reply comment fits a matching criteria, automatically connecting the first and the second user in an instant messaging system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the matching criteria is in the form of an approval indication by the first user of the reply comment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the media object includes one, or a combination, of a video clip, a graphic or a text object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing the media object and the first comment to a third user and subsequent users until a predetermined display count is reached;

providing the first user with reply comments received from the third or subsequent users; and

if any of the reply comments from the third or subsequent users are accepted by the first user, connecting the users having made acceptable reply comments to the instant messaging session.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined display count is a function of a parameter settable by the first user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of media objects are associated with nodes in a hierarchical topic network and comments accepted are associated with the nodes.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

accepting an association from the first user associating the first comment with one of the nodes; and

presenting users'"'"' subsets of comments that are associated with a subset of the nodes.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising a step of limiting the subset of nodes to one parent node and the nodes that are descendants of the one parent node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of media objects are associated with a concept, and wherein comments accepted are associated with one of the concept and a specific one of the plurality of media objects.

10. A method, in a messaging server, of connecting parties with mutual interests, comprising the steps of:

providing a media object for display to a plurality of users;

receiving a first comment from a first user of the plurality users;

providing the media object and the first comment for display to a second user of the plurality of users;

receiving a reply comment from the second user;

providing the reply comment to the first user wherein the first user and the second user are not in an instant messaging session; and

automatically connecting the first and the second user in an instant messaging session if the first user indicates approval of the reply comment.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the media object includes one, or a combination, of a video clip, an audio clip, a graphic or a text object.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

providing the media object and the first comment to a third user and subsequent users until a predetermined display count is reached;

providing the first user with reply comments received from the third or subsequent users; and

if any of the reply comments from the third or subsequent users are accepted by the first user, connecting the users having made acceptable reply comments to the instant messaging session.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined display count is a function of a parameter settable by the first user.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein a plurality of media objects are associated with nodes in a hierarchical topic network and comments accepted are associated with the nodes.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

accepting an association from the first user associating the first comment with one of the nodes; and

presenting users'"'"' subsets of comments that are associated with a subset of the nodes.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising a step of limiting the subset of nodes to one parent node and the nodes that are descendants of the one parent node.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein a plurality of media objects are associated with a concept, and wherein comments accepted are associated with one of the concept and a specific one of the plurality of media objects.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the media object includes a link to the first comment.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of the second user selecting the link, wherein selection of the link provides a list of one or more comments including the first comment.

20. A method, in a messaging server, of connecting parties with mutual interests, comprising the steps of:

providing a media object for display to a plurality of users;

receiving a first comment from a first one of the plurality of users;

providing the media object and a link to the first comment for display to the plurality of users;

receiving a reply comment from the second one of the plurality of users in response to the first comment;

providing the reply comment to the first user wherein the first user and the second user are not in an instant messaging session; and

automatically connecting the first and the second user in an instant messaging session if the first user indicates approval of the reply comment.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of the second user selecting the link, wherein selection of the link provides a list of one or more comments including the first comment.

22. The method of claim 20, further including the step of providing the first comment to the second user in response to a search inquiry entered by the second user.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the search inquiry is a keyword search.