Self-described rendering of data

• US 9,473,431 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2014
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Holmes, John S., Spivey, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abyaneh, Ali
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEJIA, FELICIANO S
• Application Number:
  US14/154,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20140129659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/466, 715/753, 715/758, 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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]

Abstract

Systems and methods that may be used in instant messaging (IM) environments to allow users in IM environments to share information and render shared information are described herein. In at least one embodiment, a system can receive an indication to publish a geographical location of a client and based on the indication to publish, a system can provide the geographical location of the client and instruction code for rendering an indication of the geographical location of the client within a map. In some embodiments, the geographical location of the client can be presented to one or more users, or contacts, in instant messaging environments.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first client device and a second client device, the first client device comprising;

one or more processors; and

a memory that stores one or more modules that are executable by the one or more processors to cause the first client device to perform operations comprising;

accessing an instant messaging environment associated with one or more contacts;

providing a data package to the second client device, the second client device corresponding to a contact of the one or more contacts and the data package including;

data associated with a geographical location of the first client device; and

rendering data associated with instructional code for causing a representation of the geographical location of the first client device within a map presented via the second client device; and

causing the representation of the geographical location of the first client device to be presented to the contact via the second client device.

2. The system of claim 1, the operations further comprising obtaining the geographical location of the first client device in accordance with an indication to publish the representation of the geographical location of the first client device.

3. The system of claim 1, the operations further comprising calling one or more application programming interfaces to obtain the instructional code.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the representation of the geographical location of the first client device comprises a graphic at a position at which the first client device is geographically located.

5. The system of claim 1, the operations further comprising determining the contact based at least in part on a designation of the contact by a user of the first client device.

6. The system of claim 1, the operations further comprising determining the contact based on fulfillment of at least one predetermined criteria.

7. The system of claim 1, the operations further comprising determining that the rendering data indicates a network location of the instructional code.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the network location of the instructional code is associated with a URL, a domain name, or an Internet Protocol address.

9. A method, implemented at least in part by a first client device, the method comprising:

initiating an instant messaging session with a contact;

obtaining, from a second client device associated with the contact, descriptive data indicating a location of the second client device and instructional code for rendering the location of the second client device within a map; and

rendering an indication of the location of the second client device within the map on a user interface associated with the first client device based at least in part on the instructional code.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the descriptive data and the instructional code are provided within a data package.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the indication of the location of the second client device within the map comprises a graphic at a position at which the second client device is geographically located.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the contact provides an indication to provide the location of the second client device.

13. A method, implemented at least in part by a first computing device, the method comprising:

receiving an indication to provide a geographical location associated with a first user corresponding to the first computing device to a second computing device corresponding to a second user, the first user and the second user being associated with an instant messaging system;

obtaining data associated with the geographical location of the first computing device;

providing to the second computing device, based at least partly on the indication to provide the geographical location, the data associated with the geographical location of the first computing device and instructional code for causing a map including a representation of the geographical location of the first computing device to be rendered via the second computing device; and

causing the map including the representation of the geographical location to be rendered via the second computing device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data associated with the geographical location of the first computing device is obtained in accordance with the indication to provide the geographical location.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising obtaining the instructional code based at least in part on an indication to provide the geographical location.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the instructional code is obtained by calling one or more application programming interfaces.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the representation of the geographical location of the first computing device within the map comprises a graphic at a position at which the first computing device is geographically located.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing the data associated with the geographical location to the second computing device based at least in part on a selection by the first user.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing the data associated with the geographical location to the second computing device based at least in part on fulfillment of at least one predetermined criteria.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising causing a user interface that provides functionality for the second user to determine the geographical location associated with the first computing device and additional information associated with the first user to be presented to the second user.