Protecting privacy in group communications
First Claim
1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:
- enabling a first user to appear to a second user as being generally unavailable, irrespective of actual availability data of the first user, while exposing the actual availability data of the first user to a third user;
while said enabling is in effect, allowing the third user to establish a group that includes both the first user and the second user; and
automatically and temporarily interrupting said enabling by communicating the actual availability data about the first user to the second user while the first user and the second user are both participating in the group and for a period of time thereafter determined by a delay generation algorithm, and afterwards communicating to the second user that the first user is unavailable.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems for protecting the privacy of a user of a communication system that include enabling a first user to block a second user so that the first user generally appears to the second user to be unavailable. The method includes allowing a third user to establish a group that includes the first user and the second user. The group may be any sort of group that involves communication among three or more users. For example, the group may be an instant message group, voice chat, conference call, video conference, or any other suitable group communication. The method also enables a blocked user to be temporarily unblocked so as to prevent his blocking decision to be revealed to the blocked user.
48 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:
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enabling a first user to appear to a second user as being generally unavailable, irrespective of actual availability data of the first user, while exposing the actual availability data of the first user to a third user; while said enabling is in effect, allowing the third user to establish a group that includes both the first user and the second user; and automatically and temporarily interrupting said enabling by communicating the actual availability data about the first user to the second user while the first user and the second user are both participating in the group and for a period of time thereafter determined by a delay generation algorithm, and afterwards communicating to the second user that the first user is unavailable. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A computer-based apparatus, comprising:
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a blocking subsystem that controls a computer processor to enable a first user to appear to a second user as being generally unavailable, irrespective of actual availability data of the first user, while exposing the actual availability data of the first user to a third user; a group communication subsystem that controls the processor to enable the third user to establish a group that includes both the first user and the second user, while said blocking subsystem is making the first user appear to the second user as being generally unavailable; and a presence communication subsystem that controls the processor to automatically and temporarily interrupt said blocking subsystem from making the first user appear to the second user as being generally unavailable, by communicating the actual availability data about the first user to the second user when the first user and the second user are both participating in the group and for a period of time thereafter determined by a delay generation algorithm, and afterwards communicating to the second user that the first user is unavailable. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification