User initiated invite for automatic conference participation by invitee

• US 8,081,958 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2007
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slack Technologies LLC (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Söderström, Gustav, Hayashi, Nathanael Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fahnert, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US11/944,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20080132215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/416, 455516-519, 455/445, 455/463, 455/435.1, 455/458, 4555591-5562, 455/432.1, 455/433, 455/435, 370/230, 370/230.1, 370/331, 370/260, 370/312, 37920201-20701
• US Class Current: 455/416
• 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 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5009 Adding a party to an existing conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

A mobile device, system, and method are directed towards enabling a user, virtually on the fly, to invite another user to participate in an on-line conferencing session, by providing a link that automatically enables the other user to participate in the conferencing session. In one embodiment, the conferencing session is a text messaging conference session, such as one that might employ instant messaging, or the like. In one embodiment, a user may request a conferencing session to be established, by sending a request to a server device. The request may, include an identifier of an invitee with whom the first user wishes to communicate. The server determines a unique link for the invitee and session, and sends the invitee an invite message with their unique link. Selecting the unique link enables the invitee to automatically access and to participate in the conferencing session with the first user.

Claims

1. A network device for managing communications over a network, comprising:

a transceiver to send and receive data over the network; and

a processor that is operative to perform actions, including;

receiving, from a first client device, a request to generate an invitation to a second client device, to join a session;

generating a unique identifier based on an identifier associated with the second client device and the session, wherein the unique identifier is unique to the second client device and the session;

sending an invite message to the second client device, wherein the invite message appears to be from the first client device and includes a link based on the unique identifier;

receiving a request to join the session from the second client device, wherein the request includes the unique identifier; and

if the unique identifier is valid for the session and the second client device, enabling the second client device to automatically, without additional user actions, participate in the session, wherein if the unique identifier is valid for the session and the second client device further comprises;

receiving an identifier associated with the second client device;

using the unique identifier to compare to the received identifier associated with the second client device and session identifier; and

if the unique identifier is based on the received identifier associated with the second client device and session identifier, then determining that the second client device is valid to participate in the session.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein receiving the request is based on a user of the second client device selecting the link included within the invite message.

3. The network device of claim 1, wherein the invite message is sent to the second client device using at least one of SMS, SMS+, IM, email, MMS, or EMS.

4. The network device of claim 1, wherein the session further includes access to at least one of a service or content, and wherein the session further comprises a text messaging session.

5. The network device of claim 1, wherein enabling the second client device to automatically participate in the session further comprises providing to the second client device, a history log of conversations between members of the session.

6. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor that is operative to perform actions, further comprising:

providing an interface from which a user of the second client device is enabled to invite at least one other user to join the session; and

generating a unique identifier for each of the at least one other user; and

sending an invite message to each of the at least one other user, wherein each invite message includes the unique identifier associated with the respective at least one other user, the invite message including a link that when selected automatically enables the respective at least one other user to participate in the session.

7. A system that is operative to enable a communication session over a network, comprising:

a first client device that is configured to perform actions, including;

requesting the communication session to be established;

sending a request to invite another user to join the session; and

a server device that is configured to perform actions, including;

receiving the request to invite the other user;

generating a unique identifier based on an identifier associated with a second client device, wherein the unique identifier is unique to the other user and the session;

sending an invite message to the second client device, wherein the invite message appears to be from the first client device and includes a link that includes the unique identifier;

receiving a request to join the session from the second client device, wherein the request includes the unique identifier; and

if the unique identifier is valid for the second client device and the session, enabling the second client device to automatically participate in the session, wherein if the unique identifier is valid for the second client device and the session further comprises;

receiving an identifier associated with the second client device;

using the unique identifier to compare to the received identifier associated with the second client device and session identifier; and

if the unique identifier is based on the received identifier associated with the second client device and session identifier, then determining that the second client device is valid to participate in the session.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the communication session includes at least one of a text messaging session, a service, or a mechanism to access to content.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein each member joining the session is enabled to invite another user to join the session.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the invite message is sent to the second client device as at least one of SMS message, an IM message, or an RSS alert.

11. A non-transitory processor readable medium that includes data, wherein the execution of the data enables a user to invite another user to communicate over a network by enabling actions, including:

receiving, from a first user, a request to invite a second user to join at least one of a session or a service;

generating a unique identifier based on an identifier based on the at least one of the session or the service, and the second user, wherein the unique identifier is unique to the second user and the at least one of the session or the service;

sending an invite message to the second user, wherein the invite message appears to be from the first user and includes a link having the unique identifier, wherein the link is configured to be selectable by the second user;

receiving a request to join the session based on the second user selecting the link, wherein the request includes the unique identifier and a device identifier; and

if the received unique identifier is valid for the session or service and the second user, enabling the second user to automatically, without additional user actions, participate in the session, wherein if the received unique identifier is valid for the session or service and the second user further comprises;

using the received unique identifier to compare to the received device identifier and session identifier; and

if the received unique identifier is based on the received device identifier and session identifier, then determining that the second user is valid to participate in the session.

12. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first user or the second user are enabled to leave and rejoin the session using a respective unique identifier.

13. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 11, wherein the service includes at least one of a video service, or a photo service, wherein the session includes a text messaging session.

14. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 11, wherein the invite message is sent using text messaging.

15. A method of managing a communication over a network, comprising:

sending by a first client device, a request to generate an invitation to second client device, to join a conferencing session;

generating a unique identifier based on a device identifier of the second client device and the conferencing session, wherein the unique identifier is unique to the second client device and the conferencing session;

sending an invite message to the second client device, wherein the invite message appears to be from the first client device and includes a link that includes the unique identifier;

receiving a request to join the conferencing session from the second client device, wherein the request includes the unique identifier and the device identifier; and

if the unique identifier is valid for the conferencing session and the second client device, enabling the second client device to automatically participate in the conferencing session, wherein if the unique identifier is valid for the conferencing session and the second client device further comprises;

using the unique identifier to compare to the received device identifier and session identifier; and

if the unique identifier is based on the received device identifier and session identifier, then determining that the second client device is valid to participate in the conferencing session.

16. The method of claim 15, further enabling the second client device to participate in a service or to access content based on the invite.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein a user of the first client device or the second client device is enabled to invite at least one other user to join the conferencing session.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein each user of the first client device or the second client device is enabled to leave and rejoin the conferencing session using a respective unique identifier.

19. A non-transitory processor readable medium configured to include program instructions for performing the method of claim 15.