Real-time wide-area communications between ports

• US 7,441,001 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2007
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pragmatus AV LLC (Pragmatus, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avistar Communications Corporation (Avistar)
• Inventors: Lantz, Keith A., Lauwers, J. Chris, Burns, Emmett R., Burnett, Gerald J., Ludwig, Lester F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess; Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Strange; Aaron
• Application Number:
  US11/624,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20070083594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-207, 709223-224, 709227-228, 715751-759
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

First and second users log in using at least one of a plurality of respective communication devices using corresponding collaboration initiation software. Address information of the communication devices used by the first and second users to log in are sent to respective first and second servers connected to respective first and second communication networks. In response to a request from the first user for communication with the second user, address information of the second communication device is retrieved from at least one of the first and second servers, which set up real-time wide area communication between ports.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

enabling a first user to log in using at least one of a plurality of communication devices using corresponding collaboration initiation software;

identifying at least one port to be used for at least one collaboration service supported by the at least one communication device used by the first user to log in;

sending first information indicating an address of the first user to a first server associated with the at least one communication device used by the first user to log in and with a first communication network connected to one or more wide area networks (WANs);

enabling a second user to log in using at least one of a plurality of communication devices using corresponding collaboration software;

identifying at least one port to be used for at least one collaboration service supported by the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in;

sending second information indicating an address of the second user to a second server associated with the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in, the second server being separate front the first server by at least one of the wide area networks and being associated with the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in and with a second communication network;

causing display of a graphical rolodex on a display of the at least one communication device used by the first user to log in, the graphical rolodex having a scrollable listing of user identifiers of potential participants;

causing display of a quick-dial panel on the display of the at least one communication device used by the first user to log in, the quick-dial panel listing identifiers in the form of icons for potentioal participants for selection by the first user, the quick-dial panel having been previously created by the first user by selecting user identifiers of potential participants from the graphical rolodex;

enabling the first user to initiate real-time communication by selecting an identifier for the second user from at least one of the graphical rolodex and the quick-dial panel;

causing the first server an the second server to exchange the first and second information;

sending, from the first user, a request for communication with the second user to the first server;

in response to the request from the first user for communication with the second user, causing retrieval of at least part of the second information associated with the second communication device from at least one of the first and second servers;

causing at least one of the first and second servers to enable set up of wide area communication between the identified ports;

using the retrieved information and the identified ports to cause automatically real-time communication between the first and second users over at least one of the wide area network, wherein the real-time communication is of a selected type or is of a default communication type if no real-time communication type is selected;

maintaining at least one directory of potential participants; and

maintaining an association between the potential participants and correspondents address information of respective communication devices used by the potential participants for logging in, wherein the association is dynamically changeable based on tracking of location of client programs at the respective communication devices so that a logged in potential participant can be located no matter where the potential participant is located.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the communication devices to register at least one collaborative service that the respective communication device provides.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is enabled based on capabilities of at least the communication device used by the second user to log in.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

enabling the first user to specify a third user by selecting a user identifier associated with the third user in the quick-dial panel to request communication with the third user; and

if the third user has not logged in, causing the first server to automatically notify the first user that the third user has not logged in.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one user identifier in the graphical rolodex comprises at least one icon representing a corresponding potential participant.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving, at the at least one communication device used by the first user to log in, identifier information from the first server, wherein the identifier information comprises a corresponding icon.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time communication comprises at least one of the group consisting of audio, video, and real-time text.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is enabled based on capabilities of the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one communication device used by the first user to log in is a wireless device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless device uses at least cellular phone links for the real-time communication.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing communication between the first server and the second server to exchange the address information.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing display of representations of a plurality of real-time communication types on the display associated with the at least one communication device used by the first user to log in.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the real-time communication is of a selected type if a communication type is selected by the first user from the plurality of displayed real-time communication types, and the real-time communication is of a default communication type if a communication type is not selected by the first user.

14. A machine readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions, which when executed by at least one computer, cause the computer to:

enable a first user to log in using at least one of a plurality of communication devices using corresponding collaboration initiation software;

identify in least one port to be used for at least one collaboration service supported by the at least one communication device used by the first user to log in;

send first information indicating an address of the first user to a first server associated with the at least one communication device used by the first user to log in and with a first communication network connected to one or more wide area networks (WANs);

enable a second user to log in using at least one of a plurality of communication devices using corresponding collaboration software;

identify at least one port to be used for at least one collaboration service supported by the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in;

send second information indicating an address of the second user to a second server associated with the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in, the second server being separate from the first server by at least one of the wide area networks and being associated with the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in and with a second communication network;

cause display of a graphical rolodex on a display of the ay least one communication device used by the first user to log in, the graphical rolodex having a scrollable listing of user identifiers of potential participants;

cause display of a quick-dial panel on the display of the at least one communication device used by the first user to log in, the quick-dial panel listing identifiers in the form of icons for potential participants for selection by the first user, the quick-dial panel having been previously created by the first user by selecting user identifiers of potential participants from the graphical rolodex;

enable first user to initiate real-time communication by selecting an identifier for the second user from at least one of the graphical rolodex and the quick-dial panel;

cause the first server and the second server to exchange the first and second information;

send, from the first user, a request for communication with the second user to the first server;

in response to the request from the first user for communication with the second user, cause retrieval of at least part of the second information associated with the second communication device from at least one of the first and second servers;

cause at least one of the first and second servers to enable set up of wide area communication between the identified ports;

use the retrieved information and the identified ports to cause automatically real-time communication between the first and second users over at least one of the wide area network, wherein the real-time communication is of a selected type or is of a default communication type if no real-time communication type is selected;

maintain at least one directory of potential participants; and

maintain an association between the potential participants and corresponding address information of respective communication devices used by the potential participants for logging in, wherein the association is dynamically changeable based on tracking of location of client programs at the respective communication devices so that a logged in potential participant can be located no matter where the potential participant is located.

15. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the real-time communication comprises at least one of the group consisting of audio, video, and real-time text.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the computer to retrieve, at the communication device used by the first user to log in, identifier information from the first server, wherein the identifier information comprises a corresponding icon.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the computer to establish communication between the first server and the second server to exchange the address information.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the communication is enabled based on capabilities of at least the communication device used by the second user to log in.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein at least one user identifier in the graphical rolodex comprises at least one icon representing a corresponding potential participant.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the computer to:

enable the first user to specify a third user by selecting a user identifier associated with the third user in the quick-dial panel to request communication with the third user; and

if the third user has not logged in, cause the first server to automatically notify the first user that the third user has not logged in.