Communication link system based on user indicator

• US 7,143,356 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2000
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schneider, Haim, Houri, Avshalom, Haverstock, Paul, Dempsey, Michael A., Rimer, Jacob, Shafrir, Avner
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US09/583,736
• Time in Patent Office: 2,372 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: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4053 without floor control

Abstract

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

Claims

1. A system for enabling network users to establish at least one communication with one or more target network users, the one or more target network users being associated with a user indicator that is presented with two or more types of electronic documents, the system comprising:

user indicator presentation means for presenting one or more user indicators within the 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 one or more target network users;

communication selection means for providing a status indication of a plurality of communication modes associated with the one or more user indicators and enabling selection of at least one communication mode from the plurality of communication modes based on the status indication; and

communication means for activating at least one communication mode associated with the user indicators presented in the two or more types of applications.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising communication preventing means for enabling the network users to prevent the target network users from establishing communications with the network users.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising urgent communication request means for enabling the one or more target network users to override the communication preventing means and to send an urgent communication request.

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

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising communication options presenting means for presenting communication options to network users in an order preferred by the corresponding target network users.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising conference communication means for enabling the network users to establish conference communications.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the conference communication means enable the network users to share at least one application.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the status indication of the plurality of communication modes comprises a plurality of status indicators that correspond to the plurality of communication modes.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein activating at least one communication mode includes selecting at least one of the plurality of status indicators to initiate activation.

10. A method for enabling network users to establish at least one communication with one or more target network users, the one or more target network users being associated with a user indicator that is presented within two or more types of electronic documents, the method comprising the steps of:

generating the 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, wherein each user indicator is associated with the one or more target network users;

providing a status indication of a plurality of communication modes associated with the one or more user indicators;

selecting at least one communication mode from the plurality of communication modes based on the status indication; and

providing a communication link to the one or more target network users associated with the one or more user indicators presented in the two or more types of applications.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of establishing communication between the network users and the one or more target network users upon selection of user indicators and activating the at least one communication mode associated with the selected user indicators.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of establishing communication comprises establishing a conference communication.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of establishing conference communication comprises sharing at least one application among network users.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of enabling the network users to prevent the one or more target network users from establishing communication with the network users based on the system users request for privacy.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of establishing an urgent communication request that overrides the network users request for privacy.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of presenting one or more communication option preferences that correspond to the network users preference for receiving communications.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the status indication of the plurality of communication modes comprises a plurality of status indicators that correspond to the plurality of communication modes.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein selecting at least one communication mode includes selecting at least one of the plurality of status indicators.

19. A system for enabling network users to establish at least one communication with one or more target network users, the one or more target network users being associated with a user indicator that is presented within two or more types of electronic documents, the system comprising:

a user indicator presentation module that presents one or more user indicators within the 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 one or more target network users;

a status determination module that determines a status of a plurality of communication modes associated with the one or more user indicators;

a communication selection module that enables the network users to select at least one communication mode from a plurality of communication modes based on the status determination; and

a communication module that enables the network users to activate at least one communication mode associated with user indicators presented in the two or more types of applications.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a communication preventing module that enables the network users to prevent the target network users from establishing communications with the network users.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising an urgent communication request module that enables the one or more target network users to override the communication preventing module and to send an urgent communication request.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a communication options preference presentation module that presents the network users preference for receiving communications.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising a communication options presenting module that presents communication options to network users in an order preferred by the corresponding target network users.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising a conference communication module that enables the network users to establish conference communications.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the conference communication module enables the network users to share at least one application.

26. A processor readable medium having processor readable code embodied therein for enabling at least one network user to establish at least one communication with one or more target network users, the one or more target network users being associated with a user indicator that is presented with two or more types of electronic documents, the medium comprising:

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

processor readable code that causes the processor to identify the one or more user indicators within the two or more types of electronic documents;

processor readable code that causes the processor to determine a status of a plurality of communication modes associated with the one or more user indicators;

processor readable code that causes the processor to select at least one communication mode from the plurality of communication modes based on the status determination; and

processor readable code that causes the processor to provide at least one communication link to one or more communication options associated with the one or more user indicators presented in the two or more types of applications.

27. The medium of claim 26, further comprising processor readable code that causes the processor to establish communication between the network users and the one or more target network users upon selection of user indicators and activating the at least one communication mode associated with the selected user indicators.

28. The medium of claim 26, further comprising processor readable code that causes the processor to prevent the one or more target network users from establishing a communication with network users.

29. The medium of claim 28, further comprising processor readable code that causes the processor to enable the one or more target network users to send an urgent communication request.

30. The medium of claim 26, further comprising processor readable code that causes the processor to enable the one or more network users to identify a preference for receiving at least one communication.

31. The medium of claim 30, further comprising processor readable code that causes the processor to present the at least one communication mode in an order preferred by the at least one network user.

32. The medium of claim 26, further comprising processor readable code that causes the processor to enable the one or more network users to establish conference communications.

33. The medium of claim 32, wherein the processor readable code enables the one or more network users to share at least one application upon establishing conference communications.

34. A system for enabling network users to establish at least one communication with one or more target network users, the one or more target network users being associated with a user indicator that is presented within two or more types of electronic documents, the system comprising:

a user indicator presentation module that presents one or more user indicators within the two or more types of electronic document, 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 one or more target network users;

a status determination module associated with a first application type that determines a status of a plurality of communication modes associated with the one or more user indicators;

a communication selection module associated with a second application type that enables the network users to select at least one communication mode from a plurality of communication modes based on the status determination, wherein the first application type and the second application type are different application types; and

a communication module that enables the network users to activate at least one communication mode associated with user indicators presented in the two or more types of applications.

35. A system for enabling network users to establish at least one communication with one or more target network users, the one or more target network users being associated with a user indicator that is presented within two or more types of electronic documents, the system comprising:

a user indicator presentation module that presents one or more user indicators within the two or more types of electronic documents, wherein the electronic document types are capable of being generated using two or more types of non-HTML applications, and wherein each user indicator is associated with one or more target network users;

a status determination module that determines a status of a plurality of communication modes associated with the one or more user indicators;

a communication selection module that enables the network users to select at least one communication mode from a plurality of communication modes based on the status determination; and

a communication module that enables the network users to activate at least one communication mode associated with user indicators presented in the two or more types of applications.

36. A communication system, comprising:

a user indicator presentation module that presents one or more user indicators 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, wherein each user indicator is associated with one or more target network users, and wherein the one or more target network users comprises all network users capable of accessing the communication system;

a status determination module associated with a first application type that determines a status of a plurality of communication modes associated with the one or more user indicators;

a communication selection module associated with a second application type that enables network users to select at least one communication mode from a plurality of communication modes based on the status determination, wherein the first application type and the second application type are different application types; and

a communication module that enables the network users to activate at least one communication mode associated with user indicators presented in the two or more types of applications.

37. A communication system, comprising:

a user indicator presentation module that presents one or more user indicators 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, wherein each user indicator is associated with one or more target network users, and wherein the one or more target network users comprises all network users capable of accessing the communication system;

a status determination module that determines a status of a plurality of communication modes associated with the one or more user indicators;

a communication selection module that enables network users to select at least one communication mode from a plurality of communication modes based on the status determination; and

a communication module that enables the network users to activate at least one communication mode associated with user indicators presented in the two or more types of applications.

38. A system for enabling network users to establish at least one communication with one or more of a plurality of target network users, the one or more of the plurality target network users being associated with one of a plurality of user indicators that are presented within two or more types of electronic documents generated by two or more types of applications, the system comprising:

documents generated by the two or more applications, wherein each document includes at least two user depictions associated with at least two 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 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 determination module that determines statuses of a plurality of communication modes associated with the at least two user indicators;

a communication selection module that enables the network users to select at least one communication mode from the plurality of communication modes based on the status determination; and

a communication module that enables the network users to activate at least one communication mode associated with one or more of the at least two user indicators presented in the documents.