Facilitating communications among message recipients

• US 8,990,400 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Levien, Royce A., Wood, JR., Lowell L., Malamud, Mark A., Lord, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mejia, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US11/894,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20090049502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,776 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/227, 709/248
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

A system, method, computer program product, and carrier are described for obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion and signaling a decision whether to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device.

Claims

1. A method implemented at least partially by one or more processors, comprising:

obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion, the time interval at least partially determined by one or more thresholds, the one or more thresholds based on an offset, the offset includes at least a time period between the indication of the message portion being retrieved from a storage device and the indication of the first device receiving the message portion;

signaling a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device at least partly in response to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion; and

at least one of the obtaining or signaling at least partially implemented using one or more processing devices.

2. The method of claim 1 in which obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion comprises:

obtaining the indication after an entirety of the message portion apparently arrives at the first device and at the second device.

3. The method of claim 1 in which obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion comprises:

obtaining a configuration value relating to the second device.

4. The method of claim 1 in which signaling a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device at least partly in response to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion comprises:

notifying at least the first device of the message portion being received at the second device.

5. The method of claim 1 in which signaling a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device at least partly in response to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion comprises:

causing the signal transfer in response to a user authorization.

6. The method of claim 1 in which obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion comprises:

obtaining an indication that the first device and the second device have each apparently received at least some of a common broadcast.

7. The method of claim 1 in which signaling a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device at least partly in response to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion comprises:

signaling the decision to facilitate the signal transfer responsive to an indication of when the second device received the message portion.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

facilitating the signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device base at least partially on detection of the message portion being transmitted to the first device and the second device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating a direct linkage between at least the first device and at least the second device in response to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion.

10. The method of claim, 1 further comprising:

notifying the first device of the second device and notifying the second device of the first device in response to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion.

11. A system at least partially implemented using hardware, comprising:

means for obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion, the time interval is at least partially determined by one or more thresholds, the one or more thresholds based on an offset, the offset including at least a time period between the indication of the message portion being retrieved from a storage device and the indication of the first device receiving the message portion; and

means for a signaling of a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device responsive to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion.

12. The system of claim 11 in which the means for obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion comprises:

means for obtaining an indication of when the first device apparently received the message portion.

13. The system of claim 11 in which the means for obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion comprises:

means for obtaining a configuration value relating to the second device.

14. The system of claim 11 in which the means for obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion comprises:

means for presenting at least some of the message portion at a user interface comprising either the first device or the second device.

15. The system of claim 11 in which the means for signaling a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device responsive to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion comprises:

means for contacting the second device responsive to an indication of the first device receiving the message portion from a third device.

16. The system of claim 11 in which the means for signaling a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device responsive to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion comprises:

means for notifying at least the first device of the message portion being received at the second device.

17. The system of claim 11 in which the means for signaling a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device responsive to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion comprises:

means for establishing a signal path between the first device and the second device in facilitating the signal transfer.

18. The system of claim 11 in which the means for signaling a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device responsive to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion comprises:

means for causing the signal transfer responsive to a user authorization.

19. The system of claim 11 in which the means for obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion comprises:

means for obtaining the indication apparently before the first device receives any of the message portion and before the second device receives an entirety of the message portion.

20. The system of claim 11 in which the means for obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion comprises:

means for obtaining an indication that the first device and the second device have each apparently received at least some of a common broadcast.

21. The system of claim 11 in which the means for obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion comprises:

means for obtaining an indication of the message portion being retrieved from storage as the indication of the first device receiving the message portion.

22. The system of claim 11 in which the means for signaling a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device responsive to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion comprises:

means for causing a module to decide to enable the signal transfer responsive to one or more apparent user preferences and responsive to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval.

23. The system of claim 11 in which the means for signaling a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device responsive to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion comprises:

means for signaling the decision to facilitate the signal transfer responsive to an indication of when the second device received the message portion.

24. The system of claim 11 in which the means for signaling a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device responsive to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion comprises:

means for manifesting the signal transfer as a first signal to the first device responsive to receiving a second signal from the second device.

25. The system of claim 11 in which the means for signaling a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device responsive to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion comprises:

means for facilitating at least a partial synchronization between the first device and the second device.

26. A system comprising:

electrical circuitry for obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion, the time interval at least partially determined by one or more thresholds, the one or more thresholds based on an offset, the offset including at least a time period between the indication of the message portion being retrieved from a storage device and the indication of the first device receiving the message portion; and

electrical circuitry for a signaling of a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device responsive to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion.

27. An apparatus comprising:

one or more non-transitory media configured to bear a device-detectable implementation of a method including at least

obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion, the time interval at least partially determined by one or more thresholds, the one or more thresholds based on an offset, the offset including at least a time period between the indication of the message portion being retrieved from a storage device and the indication of the first device receiving the message portion; and

signaling of a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device responsive to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion.

28. An apparatus comprising:

one or more non-transitory media bearing a device-detectable output indicating an occurrence of

obtaining an indication of a first device receiving a message portion during a time interval in which a second device received the message portion, the time interval at least partially determined by one or more thresholds, the one or more thresholds based on an offset, the offset including at least a time period between the indication of the message portion being retrieved from a storage device and the indication of the first device receiving the message portion; and

signaling a decision to facilitate a signal transfer at least between the first device and the second device responsive to the indication of the first device receiving the message portion during the time interval in which the second device received the message portion.