Method and system for providing a user directory

• US 7,996,464 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2005
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BCS Software LLC (d/b/a Bluebonnet Consulting Services & Software)
• Original Assignee: Complatform LLC
• Inventors: Wang, Jinsheng, Wang, Lu
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin; Kyung H
• Application Number:
  US11/118,267
• Time in Patent Office: 2,294 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/227, 715/758
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2521 Translation architectures other than single NAT servers

Abstract

Techniques for providing a graphic environment to facilitate communication with one or more users in a directory. The directory includes a plurality of registered users and a corresponding status thereof. At least one of the registered users in the directory is associated with an iconic image that is automatically enlarged when the user selected. In one implementation, an icon may appear as a thumbnail photo of the user. When enlarged, an iconic image is shown as a photo of sufficient resolution of the user for easy recognition.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user directory for communication within a system, the method comprising:

causing a client machine to display the user directory including a plurality of registered users with the system when a user logs into the system via the client machine, the registered users being represented respectively by identifiers and icons, wherein the user directory is received from a server machine in the system, wherein the server machine is provided to transport messages exchanged between or among some of the registered users and the user;

allowing the user to browse the user directory being displayed on the client machine to view a status of each of the registered users, wherein the status is periodically updated; and

causing the client machine further to display an image when a registered user in the user directory is selected by the user who desires to send internal mail to the registered user, wherein the image is an enlarged version of an icon associated with the registered user, the enlarged version of the icon is in a larger dimension than an original dimension of the icon and has no substantial changes to content in the icon, wherein the internal mail includes a recipient area and a message area, the recipient area is automatically filled to indicate a recipient being the registered user, delivery of the internal email is conducted without relying upon an email address commonly known to include an @ sign, and a user name or a domain name in the email address.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the image is of sufficient resolution, allowing easier recognition of the registered user in the image than in the icon.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the photo image is provided by the registered user and mainly covers a facial part of the registered user for the user to recognize who the user is sending the internal mail to.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the identifiers are not displayed but used to uniquely identify the registered users within the system to facilitate the communication between or among the registered users and the user.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein each of the identifiers is not an email address that is commonly in a form of [e-mail], the each of the identifiers is used to deliver messages being exchanged in the system.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said causing a client machine to display the user directory comprises:

displaying what group each of the registered users is affiliated with.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein some of the registered users are online so that the communication is conducted between the user and the some of the registered users.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the communication includes one or more of internal mail, message exchanging, and file sharing.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the system is a collaborative communication system, the communication is only conducted between the user and any other one of the registered users of the collaborative communication system, no external communication from other than the registered users takes place with any of the registered users within the collaborative communication system.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the internal mail further includes a subject area to indicate what texts in the message area are related to.

11. A method for providing a user directory for communication within a system, the method comprising:

causing a client machine to display the user directory including a plurality of registered users with the system respectively represented by identifiers and icons, each of the registered users associated with one of the icons, wherein the registered users are shown in a first group and a second group, the first group indicating an online status and grouping some of the registered users that are online, and the second group indicating an offline status and grouping some of the registered users that are offline, any of the registered users in the second group is automatically moved to the first group when the any of the registered users logs into the system; and

causing the client machine further to display an image when one of the registered users in the user directory is selected by a user associated with the client machine, wherein the image is an enlarged version of an icon associated with the one of the registered users, and has no substantial changes to content in the icon, and wherein the user sends internal mail to the one of the registered users, the internal mail includes a recipient area and a message area, the recipient area is automatically filled to indicate a recipient being the one of the registered users, delivery of the internal email is conducted using an identifier of the one of the registered users, wherein the identifier is not an email address commonly known to include an @ sign, and a user name or a domain name in the email address.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the communication includes message exchanging between the user and one registered user in the user directory, the message exchanging is conducted without relying upon an email address commonly known to include an @ sign, and a user name or a domain name in the email address.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the system is a collaborative communication system that blocks a communication request from outside of the collaborative communication system.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising causing the client machine further to display a file list to indicate that a file has been uploaded for access.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the file is only accessible by a user when the user is also shown in a group that includes the file list, where the group is formed by one or more of the registered users and only accessible by some of the registered users being members of the group.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the internal mail further includes a subject area to indicate what texts in the message area are related to.

17. A software product stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium for providing a user directory for communication within a system, the software product comprising:

program code for causing a client machine to display the user directory including a plurality of registered users with the system when a user logs into the system via the client machine, the registered users being represented respectively by identifiers and icons, each of the icons associated with one of the registered users, wherein the user directory is received from a server machine in the system, and is displayed and browsable by the user on the client machine to view a status update of each of the registered users;

program code for causing the client machine further to display an image when a registered user in the user directory is selected by the user, wherein the image is an enlarged version of an icon associated with the registered user, the enlarged version of the icon is in a larger dimension than an original dimension of the icon and has no substantial changes to content in the icon, wherein the user sends an internal mail to the registered user, the internal mail includes a recipient area and a message area, the recipient area is automatically filled to indicate a recipient being the registered user; and

program code for delivering the internal email to the registered user using an identifier of the registered user, wherein the identifier is not an email address commonly known to include an @ sign, and a user name or a domain name in the email address.

18. The software product as recited in claim 17, wherein the icon is a photo image of the user, and the image is an enlarged version of the photo image for easier recognition of the registered user in the image than in the icon.

19. The software product as recited in claim 17, wherein each of the identifiers is not displayed but used to uniquely identify the registered users within the system, and each of the identifiers is not an email address that is commonly known to include an @ sign, and a user name or a domain name in the email address, the identifiers are used to deliver various messages being exchanged in the system.

20. The software product as recited in claim 19, wherein the system is a collaborative communication system, direct communication is allowed only between or among the registered users and the user, and is conducted through a server in the system.

21. The software product as recited in claim 20, further comprising:

displaying what group each of the registered users is affiliated with.

22. The software product as recited in claim 17, wherein the internal mail further includes a subject area to indicate what texts in the message area are related to.