Recursive identification of individuals for casual collaborative conferencing

• US 7,860,229 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2009
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Will, Craig Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US12/605,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 379/202.01, 379/201.11, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• 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: 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: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A method for real-time communication among two or more individuals separated in space. The method includes the steps of determining that a first individual is likely to be interested in communicating with a second individual via a first communications link; retrieving information via the first communications link about one or more additional individuals from electronic memory means associated with the second individual; and establishing communication with at least one of the additional individuals based on the retrieved information.

Claims

1. A communication system for enabling communications between users in a network, the system comprising:

a server connected to the network, the server including memory for storing at least one directory for a first user, the directory including information identifying a plurality of other users; and

wherein the server is operable for, in response to receiving from a second user an identification of the first user, sending to the second user, via a communications link connected to the server, information about the first user and information identifying the plurality of other users stored within the directory of the first user.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the server is further operable for monitoring communication between the first user and the plurality of other users and adds information about the plurality of other users that communicate with the first user to the directory of the first user.

3. The system in accordance with claim 2 wherein the server is further operable to, in response to receiving from the second user the identification of the first user, send to the second user, via a communications link connected to the server, the added information about the plurality of other users that communicate with the first user.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the information identifying the plurality of other users within the directory of the first user is organized in a personal directory and received from the first user via the network.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the server is further operable to receive permissions information from the first user, the permissions information defining how much information in the directory can be accessed by others via the network.

6. The system in accordance with claim 5 wherein the permissions information allows the directory associated with the first user to be accessed by the public.

7. The system in accordance with claim 5 wherein the permissions information allows the directory associated with the first user to be accessed by specific persons or group of persons designated by the first user.

8. The system in accordance with claim 5 wherein the permission information makes public a plurality of individual records, each record containing information corresponding to each of the plurality of other users.

9. The system in accordance with claim 5 wherein the permission information makes public a plurality of individual records, each record containing information corresponding to specific information about the first user.

10. The system in accordance with claim 5 wherein the permission information makes available, to specific persons or group of persons, a plurality of individual records, each record containing information corresponding to each of the plurality of other users.

11. A communication system enabling identification of individual users in a network, the system comprising:

a server connected to the network and operable for communication with a second user, the server including memory for storing at least one directory for a first user, the directory including information identifying a plurality of other users; and

wherein the server is configured to enable recursive identification of individual users identified as one of the plurality of other users in response to receiving from a second user an identification of the first user.

12. The system in accordance with claim 11 wherein the server is further operable for sending to the second user, via a communications link connected to the server, information identifying the plurality of other users stored within the directory of the first user.

13. The system in accordance with claim 11 wherein the information identifying the plurality of other users within the directory of the first user is organized in a personal directory stored in the memory and is received from the first user via the network.

14. The system in accordance with claim 11 wherein the server is further operable for monitoring communication between the first user and the plurality of other users and adding information about the plurality of other users that communicate with the first user to the directory of the first user.

15. The system in accordance with claim 14 wherein the server is further operable to, in response to receiving from the second user the identification of the first user, send to the second user, via a communications link connected to the server, the added information about the plurality of other users that communicate with the first user.

16. The system in accordance with claim 11 wherein the server is further operable to receive permissions information from the first user, the permissions information defining how much information in the directory can be accessed by others via the network.

17. The system in accordance with claim 16 wherein the permissions information allows the directory associated with the first user to be accessed by the public.

18. The system in accordance with claim 16 wherein the permissions information allows the directory associated with the first user to be accessed by specific persons or group of persons designated by the first user.

19. The system in accordance with claim 16 wherein the permission information makes public a plurality of individual records, each record containing information corresponding to each of the plurality of other users.

20. The system in accordance with claim 16 wherein the permission information makes public a plurality of individual records, each record containing information corresponding to specific information about the first user.

21. The system in accordance with claim 16 wherein the permission information makes available, to specific persons or group of persons, a plurality of individual records, each record containing information corresponding to each of the plurality of other users.

22. A communication system for enabling access of information about one or more users in a network, the system comprising:

a server connected to the network, the server including memory for storing at least one directory associated with a first user, the directory including information identifying a plurality of other users;

wherein the server is operable for, in response to receiving from a second user an identification of the first user, sending to the second user, via a communications link connected to the server, information identifying the plurality of other users stored within the directory of the first user; and

wherein the server is operable for receiving from the first user permissions information defining how much information in the directory can be accessed by others via the network.

23. The system in accordance with claim 22 wherein the permissions information allows the directory associated with the first user to be, at least one of the following:

accessed by the public and accessed by one or more specific persons or group of persons designated by the first user.

24. The system in accordance with claim 22 wherein the server is further operable for monitoring communication between the first user and the plurality of other users and adds information about the plurality of other users that communicate with the first user to the directory of the first user.

26. The system in accordance with claim 24 wherein the server is further operable for monitoring communication between the first user and the plurality of other users and adds information about the plurality of other users that communicate with the first user to the memory.

27. The system in accordance with claim 26 wherein the server is further operable to, in response to receiving from the second user the identification of the first user, send to the second user, via a communications link connected to the server, the added information about the plurality of other users that communicate with the first user.

25. A communication system for enabling communications between users in a network, the system comprising:

a server connected to the network, the server including memory for storing information identifying a plurality of other users, the information associated to a first user; and

wherein the server is operable for, in response to receiving from a second user an identification of the first user, sending to the second user, via a communications link connected to the server, information about the first user and the stored information identifying the plurality of other users.

28. The system in accordance with claim 25 wherein the information identifying the plurality of other users within the memory is organized in a personal directory associated with the first user and received from the first user via the network.

29. The system in accordance with claim 25 wherein the server is further operable to receive permissions information from the first user, the permissions information defining how much information in the memory can be accessed by others via the network.

30. The system in accordance with claim 29 wherein the permissions information allows information in the memory to be accessed by the public.

31. The system in accordance with claim 29 wherein the permissions information allows information in the memory be accessed by specific persons or group of persons designated by the first user.

32. The system in accordance with claim 29 wherein the permission information makes public a plurality of individual records, each record containing information corresponding to each of the plurality of other users.

33. The system in accordance with claim 29 wherein the permission information makes public a plurality of individual records, each record containing information corresponding to specific information about the first user.

34. The system in accordance with claim 29 wherein the permission information makes available, to specific persons or group of persons, a plurality of individual records, each record containing information corresponding to each of the plurality of other users.