Method and system for sensing and communicating the use of communication modes by remote users

• US 7,519,912 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2004
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wilson, Richard, Gruen, Daniel M., Moody, Paul B., Feinberg, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABDUL-ALI, OMAR R
• Application Number:
  US10/762,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20050165584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: 379/210, 379/93.24, 709/205, 702/186, 715/752, 715/753
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/302 where the computing system component is a software system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information

Abstract

A system to monitor and report the use of communication software applications in a computing environment including an instant messaging system, that provides local users with information describing detected uses of communication software applications by remote users. The monitored communication applications may include, for example, electronic mail, voice over IP applications, on-line meetings, and other specific types of communication applications, as well as instant messaging activities. The system potentially stores specific information regarding each use of the monitored communication applications, and sends the communication application information to one or more server process that stores the information in association with a user identifier provided with the information. The stored communication application information is then broadcast by the server process to client processes that have registered with the server process to receive communication application information associated with that user identifier.

Claims

1. A method of providing information describing detected uses of communication software applications by remote computer system users to local computer system users, comprising:

obtaining, by an awareness client application process executing on a local computer system, from an associated awareness server application process executing on a server computer system, an online status of said remote computer system user;

presenting, by said awareness client application process, an awareness object associated with said remote computer system user, wherein said awareness object includes an indication of said remote computer system user, wherein said awareness object further includes an indication of said online status of said remote computer system user;

obtaining, by said awareness client application process on said local computer system, responsive to said presenting said awareness object associated with said remote computer system user, communication mode activity information regarding said remote computer system user, wherein said communication mode activity information describes a use of each one of a plurality of different communication software applications by said remote computer system user, said plurality of different communication software applications including an electronic mail application, an internet protocol phone application, an electronic meeting application, and said awareness server application, wherein said communication mode activity information includes indications of actions performed by said remote computer system user, wherein said actions include printing and saving at least one electronic mail message and at least one attachment to said electronic mail message;

detecting a selection of said awareness object associated with said remote computer user by said local computer system user; and

presenting, by said awareness client application process, said communication mode activity information regarding said remote computer system user in a display for said local computer system, wherein said presenting includes displaying a plurality of icons, each one of said plurality of icons representing a corresponding one of said plurality of different communication software applications, and displaying only communication mode activity information associated with one of said communication software applications responsive to detecting said local computer system user hovering a cursor over one of said plurality of icons corresponding to said one of said communication software applications.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises a time at which said electronic mail application was used by said remote computer user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises a filename identifying said at least one attachment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises a time duration for which each of said communication software applications was used by said remote computer system user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises an identity of another user with whom said remote computer system user communicated using said electronic mail application.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said communication mode activity information further comprises an indication of whether said remote computer system user initiated a communication session.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an interface to said user of said local computer system, wherein said interface enables said user of said local computer system to indicate whether communication mode activity information regarding said user of said local computer system is to be shared with other users.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an interface to said user of said local computer system, wherein said interface enables said user of said local computer system to specify communication mode activity information regarding said user of said local computer system that is to be shared with other users.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an interface to said user of said local computer system, wherein said interface enables said user of said local computer system to specify one or more other users with which communication mode activity information regarding said local user is to be shared.