Method and system for group communications

• US 8,819,120 B1
• Filed: 11/18/2010
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• 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: Back Micro Solutions LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Wang, Jinsheng, Wang, Lu
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Kyung H
• Application Number:
  US12/948,761
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/203
• 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

A group communication system is disclosed. The group communication system integrates a number of electronic communication tools to meet various communication needs among registered users. The group communication system allows a group of users to participate in communications including internal mail, message exchanging and accessing files. When a member of a group shares a file with another member or members of the group, instead of sending a copy of the file directly to the members, the file is retained in a file store remotely located. Each of the members in the group gets notified of the availability of the file for sharing, thus avoiding distributing copies of the file to the members regardless they need it or not.

Claims

1. A method for sharing data via a server, comprising:

receiving by the server a request from a first client machine to establish a connection with a second client machine;

forwarding the request by the server to the second client machine;

permitting the first client machine to communicate with the second client machine via the server in response to the second client machine granting the request;

in response to the first client machine uploading a file to a file list coupled to a store that is remotely located to the first and second client machines;

notifying the second client machine by the server of the file, and

establishing a level of access to the file list coupled to the store, wherein the store is independent of a file path and unnavigable to by a user; and

establishing a connection between the file list and the store by a secured channel to download the file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a first user is a member of a group, and the request is to invite a second user to join the group, and the group is closed to other users that have not been invited by a member of the group, no mutual communication is allowed between a member of the group and any of the other users.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the file is distributed to all members in the group without sending a copy of the file to each of the all members in the group at the same time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the notifying the second client machine s includes sending an alerting message to the second client machine that the file is available to access.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the notifying the second client machine includes displaying an instant message on the second client machine that the file is available to access.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the file list is separate from a window configured for message exchanging between the first and second client machines.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the indication includes an audio type that is heard in response to a second user logging into the system.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the indication includes an alerting message that attracts attention from the second client machine in response to a second user logging into the system via the second client machine.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is delivered to the second client machine without using an email address of a second user.

10. The method of claim 9, further providing a directory of all members in a group, each of the members being identified with an identifier that is not in a form of an email address.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the members are allowed to perform various communications including internal mail, message exchanging and file sharing, the communications are conducted based on the identifier of each of the members without using an email address.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of access to the file list comprises a private classification and wherein the secured channel is in response to the private classification of the file list.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the secured channel comprises encryption utilizing an encryption key.

12. A method for sharing data via a server, the method comprising:

displaying, by a server, a user interface including a list of users registered with the system, each of the users being identified with an identifier that is not in form of an email address;

establishing a group with some of the users as members of the group;

updating the user interface to include the group so that each of the members knows what group the each of the members is associated with and who else is in the group;

facilitating private communications only between or among the members, no one else other than the members is able to conduct the private communications, which include at least file sharing, internal mail and message exchanging, wherein the private communications are conducted over a network via the server based on the identifier of each of the members in the group, and

wherein the file sharing is conducted with operations of;

accepting in a file list coupled to a store a file from a first member in the group;

in response to the first member uploading the file to the store;

notifying a second member by the server of the file, and

establishing a level of access to the file list coupled to the store, wherein the store is independent of a file path and unnavigable to by a user; and

establishing a connection between the file list and the store by a secured channel to download the accessible file.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the file is distributed to the members in the group without sending a copy of the file to each of the members in the group at the same time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the accepting in the store the file from a first member in the group includes placing the file into the store by accepting the file from the first member.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the notifying the second member includes causing to display the file list to show an availability of the file after the file is received in the store from the first member.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the file sharing without distributing copies of files at the same time to the members in the group maximizes usage of a limited bandwidth of the network.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifier is not an email address that includes an “

@”

sign and domain information.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the internal mail allows one member to send an electronic message to another member without an email address of the another member, wherein the electronic message includes at least a recipient area, a subject area and a message area, the recipient area is not provided for an email address but for an identifier of a recipient to receive the electronic message, the subject area includes a topic to indicate what texts in the message area are related to.

19. A system for sharing data, comprising:

a client machine, including a memory for storage of program instructions, configured to display a user interface delivered from a server, the user interface including a list of users registered with the system, each of the users being identified with an identifier, wherein the server is configured to;

establish a group with some of the users as members of the group;

update the user interface to include the group so that each of the members knows what group the each of the members is associated with and who else is in the group;

facilitate private communications for the members, no one else other than the members is able to conduct the private communications including at least file sharing, internal mail and message exchanging, wherein the private communications are conducted over a network via the server based on the identifier of each of the members in the group, and wherein the file sharing is conducted with operations of;

accepting in a file list coupled to a store a file from a first member in the group;

in response to the first member uploading the file to the store;

notifying a second member by the server of the file, and

establishing a level of access to the file list coupled to the store, wherein the store is independent of a file path and unnavigable to by a user; and

establishing a connection between the file list and the store by a secured channel to download the accessible file.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the user interface is caused to include the file list to show an availability of the file after the file is received in the store.