Context based virtual area creation

• US 9,602,447 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2016
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sococo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sococo, Inc.
• Inventors: Moyers, Josh
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US15/070,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20160197862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• 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 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]

Abstract

Examples of systems and methods for context based virtual area creation are described. Some examples provide a quick and easy way for users to wrap virtual areas around contexts of interest. Examples of such contexts may be defined in terms of one or more of content, people, and real-world location. The virtual areas support realtime communications between communicants (e.g., one or more of text chat, voice, video, application sharing, and file sharing) and provide a persistent historical repository for interactions in the virtual area. Summaries of activities and other events in virtual areas typically are published in realtime so that other communicants can readily obtain a quick summary of the activities occurring in a particular context and decide whether or not to join or otherwise participate in those activities.

Claims

1. A method in a network communications environment comprising a network service implemented by one or more server network nodes and supporting realtime communications between client network nodes of ones of a user and one or more other communicants in virtual areas that define respective communication contexts in the network communications environment, the method comprising by the network service:

in connection with a graphical user interface presented on the client network node of the user, receiving from the client network node of the user a request to associate a content item with a new virtual area;

based on the request, creating a new virtual area and associating the content item with the new virtual area; and

administering one or more of the supported realtime communications between the client network nodes of respective ones of the communicants who are co-present in the new virtual area in connection with the content item, wherein the administering comprises enabling the client network nodes of the co-present ones of the communicants to jointly share the content item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is received from a browser component of the client network node of the user based on input by the user in connection with an interface control associated with the network service and indicating selection of a content item in a document being displayed in the graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving from the browser component of the client network node of the user a uniform resource identifier of the document.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

based on the uniform resource identifier of the document, automatically ascertaining content items of one or more particular content types that are associated with the document; and

transmitting, to the client network node of the user, instructions for presenting user-selectable graphical representations of the ascertained content items in the graphical user interface.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating a second document comprising the user-selectable graphical representations of respective ones of the ascertained content items;

serving the second document to the client network node of the user for display by the browser component in the graphical user interface; and

from the client network node of the user, receiving a uniform resource identifier of the selected content item corresponding to one of the ascertained content items that is selected by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is received from a browser component of the client network node of the user in response to selection of an interface control associated with the network service by the user while the document browser component is rendering a document comprising a graphical representation of the content item.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the creating, sending the client network node a link to the new virtual area; and

establishing a presence of the user in the new virtual area based on a request received in connection with a selection of the link by the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the content item comprises image-based content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the content item comprises audio content.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the content item comprises text-based conversation content.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in connection with the graphical user interface, receiving a name of the new virtual area from the client network node of the user; and

associating the name with the new virtual area.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual area is associated with a graphical user interface for rendering the content item on the client network nodes of the communicants who are present in the virtual area, and at least one mode of realtime communication that is supported by the client network nodes of co-present ones of the communicants in the virtual area.

13. A method in a network communications environment comprising a network service implemented by one or more server network nodes and supporting realtime communications between client network nodes of ones of a user and one or more other communicants in virtual areas that define respective communication contexts in the network communications environment, the method comprising by the network service:

in connection with a graphical user interface presented on the client network node of the user,

receiving from the client network node of the user a request to associate a content item with a virtual area,

responsive to the request sending to the client network node of the user a list of one or more existing virtual areas, and

receiving from the client network node of the user an indication of a selected one of the existing virtual areas in the list;

based on the request and the indication of the selected existing virtual area, associating the content item with the selected existing virtual area; and

administering one or more of the supported realtime communications between the client network nodes of respective ones of the communicants who are co-present in the selected existing virtual area in connection with the content item, wherein the administering comprises enabling the client network nodes of the co-present ones of the communicants to jointly share the content item.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, based on the request, sending the user a link to establish a presence of the user in the selected existing virtual area.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the request is received from a browser component of the client network node of the user based on input of the user in connection with an interface control associated with the network service without the user being present in the virtual area.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving from the client network node of the user a uniform resource identifier of the document.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

based on the uniform resource identifier of the document, automatically ascertaining content items of one or more particular content types that are associated with the document; and

transmitting, to the client network node of the user, instructions for presenting user-selectable graphical representations of the ascertained content items in the graphical user interface.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving from the client network node of the user a text-based note to associate with the content item, associating the note with the content item, and in graphical user interfaces displayed on the client network nodes of the ones of the communicants who are present in the new virtual area presenting a graphical representation of the content item in association with the note.

19. A method in a network communications environment comprising a network service implemented by one or more server network nodes and supporting realtime communications between client network nodes of ones of a user and one or more other communicants in virtual areas that define respective communication contexts in the network communications environment, the method comprising by the client network node of the user:

presenting a graphical user interface comprising an interface element and displaying a document comprising a graphical representation of a content item;

receiving input by the user selecting the graphical representation of the content item in the graphical user interface;

based on user input in connection with the interface element, sending to the network service a request to create a new virtual area and to associate the selected content item with the new virtual area;

sending to the network service a request to establish a presence of the user in the new virtual area;

responsive to the request, receiving from the network service instructions to display a graphical representation of the new virtual area and an interface for rendering the content item on the client network node of the user; and

responsive to instructions received from the network service, establishing one or more of the supported realtime communications with the client network node of a respective one of the other communicants who is co-present with the user in the virtual area and jointly sharing the content item.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising, by the client network node of the user, transmitting to the network service a uniform resource identifier of the document.