Recursive identification of individuals for casual collaborative conferencing

• US 9,137,134 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Inventors: Will, Craig Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US14/137,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20140108554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 379/202.01, 379/201.11, 709/217, 709/219, 709/204
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A method for real-time communication among two or more individuals separated in space. The method includes the steps of determining that a first individual is likely to be interested in communicating with a second individual via a first communications link; retrieving information via the first communications link about one or more additional individuals from electronic memory means associated with the second individual; and establishing communication with at least one of the additional individuals based on the retrieved information.

Claims

1. A method of providing a collaborative conferencing service, the method comprising:

displaying to a user of the collaborative conferencing service, a plurality of user groups, each user group comprising a respective plurality of users participating in a respective virtual space room;

enabling the user, when participating in a particular virtual space room, to communicate only with other users in the user group participating in that virtual space room; and

enabling the user to cease participating in the particular virtual space room and begin participating in another virtual space room to communicate with other users participating in that other virtual space room.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the plurality of user groups comprises displaying, for a user group associated with a particular virtual space room, a respective image associated with each user participating in the particular virtual space room.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising displaying an image associated with the user to each other user participating in the particular virtual space room.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising enabling the user to display information from a directory associated with another user.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising enabling the user to display information from a directory associated with a second user found in a directory of a first user.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein enabling the user to display information from the directory associated with the other user comprises enabling the user to display information which is limited by permissions set by the other user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the permissions limit which users can display the information to specified users.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the permissions limit which users can display the information to specified groups of users.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the permissions limit the information which the user can display to the information associated with specified users.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the permissions limit the information which the user can display to specific records in the directory.

11. A system for providing a collaborative conferencing service, the system comprising:

a server configured to;

send to a user device of a user of the collaborative conferencing service information to enable display of a plurality of user groups, each user group comprising a respective plurality of users participating in a respective virtual space room;

enable the user, when participating in a particular virtual space room to communicate only with other users in the user group participating in that virtual space room; and

enable the user to cease participating in the particular virtual space room and begin participating in another virtual space room to communicate with other users participating in that other virtual space room.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is configured to send information to enable display of the plurality of user groups by sending information enabling display, for a user group associated with a particular virtual space room, a respective image associated with each user participating in the particular virtual space room.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the server is configured to send information to the user device to enable display of an image associated with the user to each other user participating in the particular virtual space room.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is configured to send information to the user device to enable the user to display information from a directory associated with another user.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the server is configured to send information to the user device to enable the user to display information from a directory associated with a second user found in a directory of a first user.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the server is configured to send information to enable the user to display information from the directory associated with the other user by sending information to enable the user to display information which is limited by permissions set by the other user.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the permissions limit which users can display the information to specified users.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the permissions limit which users can display the information to specified groups of users.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the permissions limit the information which the user can display to the information associated with specified users.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the permissions limit the information which the user can display to specific records in the directory.