Announcing new users of an electronic communications system to existing users

• US 20070250566A1
• Filed: 12/20/2004
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Appelman, Barry, Fish, Edmund
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4594 Address books, i.e. directories containing contact information about correspondents telephone directories in user terminals H04M1/27453
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading

Abstract

Announcing new users of an electronic communications system includes receiving an indication of a new user of an electronic communications system. The new user has an identifier for the electronic communications system. Existing users of the electronic communications system that are known to the new user are identified. The identified existing users are sent a message notifying the identified existing users of the identifier of the new user. The identified existing users may be enabled to add the identifier of the new user to participant lists used by the identified existing users. The new user may be enabled to add identifiers of the identified existing users to a participant list of the electronic communications system used by the new user.

Claims

1. A method for announcing new users of an electronic communications system, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a new user of an electronic communications system, wherein the new user has an identifier for the electronic communications system;

identifying existing users of the electronic communications system that are known to the new user; and

sending the identified existing users a message notifying the identified existing users of the identifier of the new user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the identified existing users to add the identifier of the new user to participant lists used by the identified existing users.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the new user to add identifiers of the identified existing users to a participant list of the electronic communications system used by the new user.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising determining the identifiers of the identified existing users.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the existing users that are known to the new user comprises identifying identifiers of the electronic communications system that correspond to the identified existing users.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the existing users that are known to the new user comprises identifying existing users that are included in a contact list maintained by the new user.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the existing users that are known to the new user comprises identifying existing users of the electronic communication system that include the new user in contact lists maintained by the existing users and that are included in a contact list maintained by the new user.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the existing users that are known to the new user comprises identifying existing users of the electronic communications system that are less than a maximum allowable number of degrees of separation away from the new user.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the existing users that are known to the new user comprises identifying existing users of the electronic communications system with which the new user has exchanged more than a threshold number of messages.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the existing users that are known to the new user comprises identifying the existing users of the electronic communications system that have exchanged messages with the new user at a frequency that exceeds a threshold frequency.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the existing users that are known to the new user comprises identifying the existing users of the electronic communications system that are subscribers to contact information of the new user or publishers of contact information to which the new user subscribes.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the existing users that are known to the new user comprises identifying the existing users of the electronic communications system that have exchanged messages with the new user in a chat room at a frequency that exceeds a threshold frequency.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the existing users that are known to the new user comprises identifying the existing users of the electronic communications system that have exchanged messages with the new user for longer than a threshold amount of time.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the existing users that are known to the new user comprises identifying the existing users of the electronic communications system for which the new user holds an amount of contact information that exceeds a threshold amount, or that hold the an amount of contact information for the new user that exceeds the threshold amount.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the existing users that are known to the new user comprises identifying the existing users of the electronic communications system that that both send messages to the new user and receive messages from the new user.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the existing users that are known to the new user comprises identifying the existing users of the electronic communications system that have a communications strengths with a different user that exceeds a threshold communications strength.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the participant list is a buddy list of an instant messaging system.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the participant list is an address book of an e-mail system.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the participant list is a social network of the user.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic communications system is an instant messaging system.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the message notifying the existing user is an instant message.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic communications system is a chat system.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic communications system is an e-mail system.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the message notifying the existing users is an e-mail message.

25. A machine-accessible medium that when accessed, results in a machine performing operations for announcing new users of an electronic communications system, comprising:

receiving an indication of a new user of an electronic communications system, wherein the new user has an identifier for the electronic communications system;

identifying existing users of the electronic communications system that are known to the new user; and

sending the existing users a message notifying the identified existing users of the identifier of the new user.

26. A system for announcing new users of an electronic communications system, the system comprising:

means for receiving an indication of a new user of an electronic communications system, wherein the new user has an identifier for the electronic communications system;

means for identifying existing users of the electronic communications system that are known to the new user; and

means for sending the identified existing users a message notifying the identified existing users of the identifier of the new user.

27. A computer program stored on a computer-readable medium or a propagated signal that, when executed, generates a graphical user interface on a display device for using a computer to manage a list of users of an electronic communications system with which electronic messages may be exchanged, the graphical user interface comprising:

a participant list display associated with a user of the participant list display that includes users of an electronic communications system, one or more of the users being included automatically in the participant list display as a result of the user receiving indications identifying the one or more users as new users of the electronic communications system.

28. The computer program of claim 27 wherein:

the participant list display includes groups that are associated with one or more of the users included in the participant list display; and

a group included in the participant list display is associated with the one or more automatically included users.

29. The computer program of claim 27 wherein the participant list display is a display of a buddy list associated with an instant messaging system.

30. The computer program of claim 27 wherein the participant list display is a display of an address book associated with an e-mail system.