System and method for providing enhanced persistent communications

• US 8,572,171 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TAO Technologies LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: TAO Technologies LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Greenspan, Steven L., Nardi, Bonnie A., Whittaker, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU HA T
• Application Number:
  US12/238,662
• Time in Patent Office: 1,859 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709204-206, 709/227, 709/228, 370/352, 370/431
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system and method for providing persistent communications between users is disclosed whereby users can communicate in a real time fashion and/or in an offline or asynchronous manner within a persistent communications session without having to initiate a new session each time a user logs off or onto the communications session.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

via a session manager, providing access to a communication session on a persistent basis, wherein the communication session is configured to provide an online communication between at least one message sender at a first user terminal and at least one message recipient at a second user terminal, wherein the communication session comprises a plurality of frames, the plurality of frames comprising a message frame, an attachment frame, and a doodling frame, and wherein the session manager is communicatively coupled to a repository and configured to;

maintain the communication session when the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient are not online;

continue the communication session without restarting when at least one of the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient come back online; and

upon the at least one of the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient coming back online, provide the at least one of the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient with a representation of messages previously transmitted between the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient over the communication session prior to at least one of the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient going offline.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating the communications session.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at least one communications from the at least one message sender.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at least one replies from the at least one message recipient.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein an alert is provided to the at least one message recipient when a message is received from the at least one message sender.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the session manager is adapted to allow the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient to independently access the communication session without the communication session restarting.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the session manager is adapted to maintain the communication session in a static condition when no communications are received, the session manager adapted to update the communication session on a real-time basis when communications are received and the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient are online.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication session does not comprise any voice communication.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication session does not comprise a text to speech application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the message frame, the attachment frame, and the doodling frame are adjoining frames that are simultaneously, actively displayed via at least one of the first or second user terminals.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the doodling frame is adapted to receive scribbling.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein communications are received in a first format and stored in a second format.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the session manager is further configured to obtain and cause storage of each instant messaging alias and each client IP address of a plurality of clients authorized to communicate via the communication session.

14. A method comprising:

via a session manager, providing access to a communication session on a persistent basis, wherein the communications session is configured to provide access to received messages from a plurality of clients, wherein the communications session comprises a plurality of frames, the plurality of frames comprising a message frame, an attachment frame, and a doodling frame, and wherein the session manager is communicatively coupled to a repository;

maintaining, via the session manager, the communication session after the plurality of clients go offline;

continuing the communication session without restarting when at least one of the plurality of clients comes back online; and

upon the at least one of the plurality of clients coming back online, providing at least one of the plurality of clients with a representation of messages previously transmitted over the communication session prior to at least one of the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient going offline.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising causing simultaneous real time and offline communications of the communication session to be stored in the repository.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising causing the communications session to be accessible in a real time and an offline manner by the plurality of clients.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising automatically updating the repository in a real time fashion upon a receipt of messages from the plurality of clients.

18. A method comprising:

via a session manager, providing access to a communication session on a persistent basis, wherein the communication session is configured to provide an online communication originating from at least one message sender and destined for at least one message recipient, and wherein the session manager is communicatively coupled to a repository and configured to;

maintain the communication session when the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient are not online;

continue the communication session without restarting when at least one of the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient come back online; and

upon the at least one of the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient coming back online, provide the at least one of the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient with a representation of messages previously transmitted over the communication session prior to at least one of the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient going offline.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the communication session comprises a plurality of frames, the plurality of frames comprising a message frame, an attachment frame, and a doodling frame.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a session manager configured to;

provide access to a communication session on a persistent basis, wherein the communication session is configured to provide an online communication between at least one message sender at a first user terminal and at least one message recipient at a second user terminal;

maintain the communication session when the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient are not online;

continue the communication session without restarting when at least one of the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient come back online; and

upon the at least one of the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient coming back online, provide the at least one of the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient with a representation of messages previously transmitted over the communication session prior to at least one of the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient going offline.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the session manager is further configured to obtain and cause storage of each instant messaging alias and each client IP address of a plurality of clients authorized to communicate via the communication session.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the communication session comprises a plurality of frames, the plurality of frames comprising a message frame, an attachment frame, and a doodling frame.

23. A tangible computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:

instructions to provide access to a communication session on a persistent basis, wherein the communication session is configured to provide an online communication between at least one message sender at a first user terminal and at least one message recipient at a second user terminal;

instructions to maintain the communication session after the plurality of clients go offline;

instructions to continue the communication session without restarting when at least one of the plurality of clients comes back online; and

instructions to, upon the at least one of the plurality of clients coming back online, provide at least one of the plurality of clients with a representation of messages previously transmitted over the communication session prior to at least one of the at least one message sender and the at least one message recipient going offline.

24. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 23, further comprising instructions to obtain and cause storage of each instant messaging alias and each client IP address of a plurality of clients authorized to communicate via the communication session.

25. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the communication session comprises a plurality of frames, the plurality of frames comprising a message frame, an attachment frame, and a doodling frame.