Wireless real-time communication

• US 7,444,373 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2007
• Issued: 10/28/2008
• 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 N
• Application Number:
  US11/623,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20070083593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 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

A user logs in, at a first address, using a first communication device and establishes communication with an associated server using a wireless communication link. The user enables the first user to log in, at a second address, using the first communication device and establish communication with an associated server. Another user can log in using one or more communication devices. User identifiers for a second user are displayed in a quick dial list for a first user. When the first user selects the second user'"'"'s identifier, the second user'"'"'s address information is obtained and used to establish communication between these users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

enabling a first user to log in, at a first address, using a first communication device and establish communication with an associated server using a wireless communication link;

enabling the first user to log in, at a second address, using the first communication device and establish communication with an associated server;

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

sending information indicating a current address of the second user to a server associated with the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in, wherein a server associated with the communication device used by the second user to log in is separate from a server associated with the first communication device used by the first user to log in;

causing display of a graphical rolodex on a display of the first 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 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;

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

in response, obtaining the current address information for the second user; and

using the received address information to automatically establish real-time communication between the first and second users, wherein the real-time communication is of a selected type or is a default communication type if no real-time communication type is selected.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the second user with at least one port to which the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in is connected.

3. The method of claim 1, 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 real-time communication with the third user; and

if the third user has not logged in, causing a server associated with the first communication device to automatically notify the first user that the third user has not logged in.

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

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

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the real-time communication types comprises at least one of the group consisting of audio, video, and real-time text.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the real-time communication is of the 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.

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

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first 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 server associated with the first communication device and the server associated with the communication device used by the second user to log in to receive the current address information associated with the second user from the server associated with the communication device used by the second user to log in at the server associated with the first communication device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising exchanging address information associated with the first user and the second user respectively between the server associated with the first communication device and the server associated with the communication device used by the second user to log in.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the server associated with the communication device used by the second user to log in is separate from any server associated with the first communication device used by the first user to log in by at least one wide area network, and wherein real-time communication between the first and second users is established through a wide area network gateway through the at least one wide area network to the second communication device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one user identifier in the graphical rolodex comprises at least one icon representing a corresponding potential participant.

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

16. 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, at a first address, using a first communication device and establish communication with an associated server using a wireless communication link;

enable the first user to log in, at a second address, using the first communication device and establish communication with an associated server;

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

send information indicating a current address of the second user to a server associated with the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in, wherein a server associated with the communication device used by the second user to log in is separate from a server associated with the first communication device used by the first user to log in;

cause display of a graphical rolodex on a display of the first 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 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 users, the quick-dial panel having been previously created by the first user by selecting user identifiers of potential participants from the graphical rolodex;

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

in response, obtain the current address information for the selected second user; and

use the received address information to automatically establish real-time communication between the first and second users, wherein the real-time communication is of a selected type or is a default communication type if no real-time communication type is selected.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the computer to establish communication between the server associated with the first communication device and the server associated with the communication device used by the second user to log in to receive the current address information associated with the second user from the server associated with the communication device used by the second user to log in.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the real-time communication comprises at least one of the group consisting of audio, video, and real-time text.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the server associated with the communication device used by the second user to log in is separate from any server associated with the first communication device used by the first user to log in by at least one wide area network, and wherein real-time communication between the first and second users is established through a wide area network gateway through the at least one wide area network to the second communication device.

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