Application-specific group listing

• US 8,209,376 B1
• Filed: 05/06/2004
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Stochosky, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US10/840,783
• Time in Patent Office: 2,973 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/207, 379/88.22, 463/43
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system for providing active contents between applications activated by a plurality of computer systems are provided. A list of one or more remote users is created. A determination is made whether a first application and a second application are being executed by the at least one or more remote users. The list is updated in response to determining a change in a status of the second application being executed by the one or more remote users using at least one communications feature associated with the first application.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

creating a list of one or more remote users;

determining whether a first application and a second application are being executed by the at least one or more remote users, wherein the list of one or more users is based specifically on the second application;

updating the list in response to determining a change in a status of said second application being executed by the one or more remote users using at least one communications feature associated with said first application; and

storing the list in a storage device in response to updating the list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether said first application is being executed further comprises determining whether an instant messaging application is being executed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether said second application is being executed further comprises determining whether at least one of a word processing application, a graphics application, a photo-editing application, a game application, a database application, a presentation application, a organizer application, and a drawing application, is being executed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein creating a list of one or more remote users further comprises creating a buddy list of one or more remote users logged onto a computer network.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein creating a buddy list of one or more remote users logged onto a computer network further comprises creating a buddy list of one or more remote users logged onto a sever centric system.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein creating a buddy list of one or more remote users logged onto a computer network further comprises creating a buddy list of one or more remote users logged onto a peer to peer system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether said first and second applications are being executed further comprises providing communications between said second application associated with a first user and said second application associated with a second user through said first application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining whether said first and second applications are being executed further comprises informing said first user of a status associated with said second application associated with said second user.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein providing communications between said second application associated with said first user and said second application associated with said second user through said first application further comprises providing said communications through an instant messaging program.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein updating said list in response to determining said change in said status of one of said second application being executed by the one or more remote users further comprises updating a buddy list associated with an instant messaging program.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the list in response to determining said change in said status of said second application being executed by the one or more remote users further comprises indicating at least one of an activation, deactivation, exit, and termination of said application, on said buddy list.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if an activation of said first application by said first user is to be published;

informing said second user of said activation of said first application by said first user in response to said determination that said activation of said application is to be published;

monitoring for data relating to said activation of said second application by said second user, said second application being similar to said first application;

updating said list based upon said activation of at least one of said first and second applications by at least one of said first user and said second user; and

providing communications between said first user and said second user in the context of said first and second applications through an instant messaging program.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining if said activation of said first application by said first user is to be published further comprises determining if said activation is to be published based upon a predetermined setting in said instant messaging program.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein determining if said activation of said first application by said first user is to be published further comprises determining if said activation is to be published based upon a predetermined setting within said application.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein providing communications between said first user and said second user in the context of said application through an instant messaging program further comprising providing communications relating to an active content relating to said application, between said first and second users.

16. A system, comprising:

a first terminal capable of activating a first application;

a second terminal capable of activating a second application;

a network system adapted to operatively interconnect said first terminal to said second terminal;

an application interface adapted to create a list of users relating to said first and second terminals, said application interface being capable of determining whether at least one of said first and second applications is being executed by at least one of said first and second terminals, and updating the list in response to determining a change in a status of at least one of said first and second applications being executed by at least one of said first and second terminals, and wherein the list of users is based specifically on the second application.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said first terminal comprises a first computer system and said second terminal comprises a second computer system.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said network system is a server/client system.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein said network system is a peer to peer system.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein said network system is an Internet system.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein said network system is an Intranet system.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein said application interface may reside in at least one of said first and second terminals.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said application interface comprises a chat module for providing communications between said first and second terminals in the context of said first and second applications.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said application interface is adapted to interface with at least one of said first and second terminals to provide flow of active content relating to at least one of said first and second applications, between said first and second terminals.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said list of users is a buddy list that provides an indication of the status of an operation related to at least one of said first and second applications.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein said active content comprises a data file that comprises at least one of a text file, an audio file, a video file, a graphics file, a file comprising the status of said first application, a file comprising the status of said second application, and a numeric content file.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein said application interface further comprises an application programming interface for programming said communication interface between at least one of said first and second applications and said chat module.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein a user of said first terminal is capable of registering for interest for becoming a part of said list of users.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein said user of said first terminal is capable of registering for interest for becoming a part of said list of users that contain a predetermined list of users.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein said user of said first terminal is capable of registering for interest for becoming a part of said list of users that contain a predetermined list of users that are active in a particular application.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein said user of said first terminal is capable performing a polling function to determine a status change of said list of users.

32. A chat module, comprising:

a communications device adapted to provide for log in of a first remote terminal into a network system and provide for communications with a second remote terminal operatively coupled to said network system;

a graphical user interface (GUI) module adapted to operatively couple to said communications device, said GUI module is adapted to receive a command to provide active content relating to at least one of a first application being executed by said first remote terminal and a second application being executed by said second remote terminal; and

wherein, said chat module being capable of creating a list of users relating to said first and second remote terminals, determining whether at least one of said first and second applications are being executed by at least one of said first and second remote terminals, updating the list in response to determining a change in a status of at least one of said first and second applications being executed by at least one of said first and second remote terminals, and wherein the list of users is based specifically on the second application.

33. The chat module of claim 32, further comprising a server/client unit to send and receive active content information for output and input from said first remote terminal to said second remote terminal.

34. The chat module of claim 32, further comprising a server/client unit to send and receive active content information for output and input from said second remote terminal to said first remote terminal.

35. The chat module of claim 34, wherein said active content comprises a data file that comprises at least one of a text file, an audio file, a video file, a graphics file, a file comprising the status of said first application, a file comprising the status of said second application, and a numeric content file.

36. The chat module of claim 35, wherein said list of users is a buddy list that provides an indication of the status of an operation related to at least one of said first and second applications.

37. An apparatus, comprising:

means for creating a list of one or more remote users;

means for determining whether a first application and a second application are being executed by the at least one or more remote users, wherein the list of one or more users is based specifically on the second application; and

means for updating the list in response to determining a change in a status of said second application being executed by the one or more remote users using at least one communications feature associated with said first application.

38. A computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs a method, comprising:

creating a list of one or more remote users;

determining whether a first application and a second application are being executed by the at least one or more remote users, wherein the list of one or more users is based specifically on the second application; and

updating the list in response to determining a change in a status of said second application being executed by the one or more remote users using at least one communications feature associated with said first application.

39. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method of claim 38, wherein determining whether said first application is being executed further comprises determining whether an instant messaging application is being executed.

40. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method of claim 38, wherein determining whether said second application is being executed further comprises determining whether at least one of a word processing application, a graphics application, a photo-editing application, a game application, a database application, a presentation application, a organizer application, and a drawing application, is being executed.

41. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method of claim 38, wherein creating a list of one or more remote users further comprises creating a buddy list of one or more remote users logged onto a computer network.

42. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method of claim 41, wherein creating a buddy list of one or more remote users logged onto a computer network further comprises creating a buddy list of one or more remote users logged onto a sever centric system.

43. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method of claim 41, wherein creating a buddy list of one or more remote users logged onto a computer network further comprises creating a buddy list of one or more remote users logged onto a peer to peer system.

44. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method of claim 38, wherein determining whether said first and second applications are being executed further comprises providing communications between said second application associated with a first user and said second application associated with a second user through said first application.

45. The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method of claim 38, further comprising:

determining if an activation of said first application by said first user is to be published;

informing said second user of said activation of said first application by said first user in response to a determination that said activation of said application is to be published;

monitoring for data relating to an activation of a second application by said second user, said second application being similar to said first application;

updating said list based upon said activation of at least one of said first and second applications by at least one of said first user and said second user; and

providing communications between said first user and said second user in the context of said first and second applications through said instant messaging program.