TAG PRESENCE ALERTS FOR GROUPS AND MEETING

• US 20100324963A1
• Filed: 06/18/2009
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gupta, Amit, Ramanathan, Rajesh
• Application Number:
  US12/486,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20100324963A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment

Abstract

Architecture for enabling a group of contacts of a communications framework to be tagged for concurrent availability and participation in a communications session. The status of the contacts is monitored to detect availability of the contacts, and to determine when the contacts are available concurrently to participate in the communications session. A notification is sent to a tagging user of the concurrent availability of the contacts, at which time a meeting can be initiated. A context can be input that serves as a reminder as to the purpose of the communications session. The context can be presented in the notification with the availability status of the contacts. The status can be monitored by subscribing to presence information of the contacts. A contact list can be maintained to identify the contacts to be tagged and includes metadata related to each contact.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented notification system, comprising:

a tagging component for tagging contacts of a communications framework for participation in a communications session; and

a notification component for sending a notification when the tagged contacts are concurrently available to participate in the session.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a context component for indicating a context for the contacts.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a note component of the context component for entering a note to indicate the context for the contacts.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising an auto-population component for automatically populating the context of the contacts.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a presentation component for presenting the context communicated in the notification.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a status change component for indicating changes in status of each of the contacts.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a presence component for monitoring presence information of the contacts, the presence information utilized for determining when the contacts are concurrently available to participate in the session.

8. A computer-implemented notification system, comprising:

a tagging component for tagging contacts of a communications framework for participation in a communications session;

a context component for indicating a context for tagging the contacts;

a status change component for detecting an availability status of the contacts to participate in the communications session; and

a notification component for sending a notification of concurrent availability of the contacts and the context.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the notification component sends the notification based on a predetermined composition of the contacts that become available for the session.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising a contact component for maintaining a contact list and identifying contacts of the list to be tagged, the contacts include at least one of a user, a meeting of multiple users, or members of an email distribution list.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the contact list comprises metadata related to each contact, to provide information for the contacts to be tagged.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the context component passes the context of tagged user contacts and tagged meeting contacts explicitly or automatically.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising a group communications component for automatically initiating group communications with the tagged contacts via the notification.

14. A computer-implemented method of notification, comprising:

tagging contacts of a communications infrastructure;

receiving status information for each of the tagged contacts; and

sending a notification when the status information of a predetermined set of the contacts is in agreement.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising inputting context information in the notification.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising initiating a group communication with the set of contacts based on the notification.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising monitoring presence information of each of the contacts.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising associating metadata related to each of the contacts with the contacts.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising tagging a contact that is a meeting, and sending the notification prior to the meeting when the status information of the set of contacts is in agreement.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising automatically populating context in response to tagging the contacts, which contacts include at least one of a user or a meeting.