Apparatus and method for managing user chat experiences with businesses
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method of managing a chat experience of a user desiring to chat with a selected one of a plurality of businesses or chat hosts, the method utilizing a chat management server running computer processes comprising:
- receiving a search signal over a first network from a mobile device, under control of the user, to indicate that the user'"'"'s mobile device is running a dedicated application with a process configured to support a managed chat session and including data characterizing criteria for a business or chat host with which the user seeks to chat;
responsive to the search signal,(i) identifying a set of businesses or chat hosts meeting the criteria,(ii) determining, for each member of the set of businesses or chat hosts, whether the member is available to engage in chat, based on member data maintained for each member including physical device status for each seat operator of the member, and(iii)transmitting, to the user'"'"'s mobile device for display, indicia for each member of the set of businesses or chat hosts, the indicia indicating whether the member is available to engage in chat;
receiving over the first network a request message originated by the user on the mobile device to enter a chat channel, the request message identifying a member of the set of businesses or chat hosts that the user has selected for engaging in chat;
responsive to the request message, subscribing the user'"'"'s mobile device to the chat channel for the selected one of the set of businesses or chat hosts, and transmitting to the mobile device, over the first network, a launch-chat command to initiate a chat session over the chat channel;
subscribing a user device for the selected business or chat host to the chat channel; and
causing messages in the chat session to be displayed through both (i) the dedicated application running on the mobile device of the user and (ii) a web browser running on the user device for the selected business or chat host.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A computer-implemented method of managing a chat experience of a user desiring to chat with a selected one of a plurality of businesses or chat hosts utilizes in various aspects a chat management server running computer processes for communicating with user devices. In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of providing a chat experience to a user having a user device and desiring to chat with a selected one of a plurality of businesses utilizes computer processes running on the user device. Corresponding embodiments similarly provide an apparatus performing any of the foregoing methods. Other corresponding embodiments similarly provide a computer readable medium storing instructions, which when loaded into a computer, perform processes corresponding to any of the foregoing methods.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method of managing a chat experience of a user desiring to chat with a selected one of a plurality of businesses or chat hosts, the method utilizing a chat management server running computer processes comprising:
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receiving a search signal over a first network from a mobile device, under control of the user, to indicate that the user'"'"'s mobile device is running a dedicated application with a process configured to support a managed chat session and including data characterizing criteria for a business or chat host with which the user seeks to chat; responsive to the search signal, (i) identifying a set of businesses or chat hosts meeting the criteria, (ii) determining, for each member of the set of businesses or chat hosts, whether the member is available to engage in chat, based on member data maintained for each member including physical device status for each seat operator of the member, and (iii)transmitting, to the user'"'"'s mobile device for display, indicia for each member of the set of businesses or chat hosts, the indicia indicating whether the member is available to engage in chat; receiving over the first network a request message originated by the user on the mobile device to enter a chat channel, the request message identifying a member of the set of businesses or chat hosts that the user has selected for engaging in chat; responsive to the request message, subscribing the user'"'"'s mobile device to the chat channel for the selected one of the set of businesses or chat hosts, and transmitting to the mobile device, over the first network, a launch-chat command to initiate a chat session over the chat channel; subscribing a user device for the selected business or chat host to the chat channel; and causing messages in the chat session to be displayed through both (i) the dedicated application running on the mobile device of the user and (ii) a web browser running on the user device for the selected business or chat host. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A computer-implemented method of managing a chat experience of a business user desiring to chat with a selected one of a plurality of other users, the method utilizing a chat management server running computer processes comprising:
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receiving a search signal over a first network from a mobile device, under control of the business user, to indicate that the business user'"'"'s mobile device is running a dedicated application with a process configured to support a managed chat session and including data characterizing criteria for another user with whom the business user seeks to chat; responsive to the search signal, (i) identifying a set of users meeting the criteria, and (ii) for each user in the set of users, determining whether the user is available to engage in chat, based on member data maintained for each user including physical device status for each seat operator of the user, and (iii)transmitting, to the mobile device, indicia for each member of the set of users for display on the business user'"'"'s mobile device, the indicia indicating whether the user is available to engage in chat; receiving over the first network a request message originated by the business user on the mobile device to enter a chat channel, the request message identifying a member of the set of users that the business user has selected for engaging in chat; responsive to the request message, subscribing the business user'"'"'s mobile device to the chat channel for the selected one of the set of users, and transmitting to the mobile device, over the first network, a launch-chat command to initiate a chat session over the chat channel; subscribing a user device for the selected user to the chat channel; and causing messages in the chat session to be displayed through both (i) the dedicated application running on the mobile device of the business user and (ii) a web browser running on the user device for the selected user. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification