INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

• US 20110173282A1
• Filed: 03/25/2011
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CVON
• Original Assignee: CVON
• Inventors: Aaltonen, Janne, Ahopelto, Timo
• Granted Patent: US 8,935,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

An interactive system and method for controlling access to a plurality of communications sessions involving a plurality of users including controlling access to a plurality of communications sessions, each of said communications sessions being for access by a plurality of users, wherein data identifying said plurality of communications sessions have been stored in association with data indicative of one or more characteristics thereof. The method includes receiving a request to initiate communications among members of a group of users, wherein said request includes data identifying the group of users, responsive to receiving said request, selecting a communications session on the basis of data identifying the group and at least some of said stored data indicative of characteristics of a given communications session, and transmitting messages to at least some members of the group. Each message has a message body including data providing access to the selected communications session and a destination address determined from data indicative of a given member of the group.

Claims

1. A method of coordinating a communications session involving a plurality of users, the method comprising:

receiving data indicative of a group of users,

responsive to identifying members of the group, transmitting messages to at least some members of the group, the or each message having a message body comprising data providing access to a communications session and a destination address determined from data indicative of a given member of the group,

wherein the communications session accessible via a said transmitted message involves participants other than the group members.

2. A method according to claim 1, including receiving a request to initiate communications, said request comprising said data indicative of the group of users.

3. A method according to claim 2, in which the request includes a group identifier, and the method includes accessing a storage system so as to identify group members corresponding thereto.

4. A method according to claim 2, in which the request includes one or more keywords, and the method includes accessing a storage system so as to identify users having preference data corresponding to said keywords, whereby to identify members of the group.

5. A method according to claim 2, in which said request to initiate communications is received from a terminal associated with a member of the group, and the method includes identifying the group members on the basis of an identifier associated with said terminal.

6. A method according to claim 2, in which the said request to initiate communications is received from an information source, and the method includes identifying the group members on the basis of an identifier associated with said information source.

7. A method according to claim 1, including selecting said communications session from a list of predetermined communications sessions.

8. A method according to claim 7, including selecting said communications session on the basis of priority information associated with said predetermined communications sessions.

9. A method according to claim 7, including identifying preference data associated with said identified members of the group and matching said identified preference data with preference data associated with said predetermined communications sessions, whereby to select the communications session.

10. A method according to claim 7, including identifying preference data associated with said identified members of the group and matching said identified preference data with preference data associated with said members of a group previously notified of the communications session, whereby to select the communications session.

11. A method according to claim 7, including creating a plurality of messages for transmission to said at least some of the group members, in which each said created message contains a selectable link to the selected active communications session.

12. A method according to claim 11, including identifying content accompanying the data indicative of said group of users, and appending said identified content to each said created message.

13. A method according to claim 11, including accessing an information source so as to retrieve information relating to said at least some of the group members, and appending the retrieved information to each said created message.

14. A method according to claim 1, in which the data indicative of a group of users is received via at least one of the short messaging service (SMS), and the Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD) messaging service.

15. A method according to claim 1, in which the messages are transmitted to at least some members of the group via at least one of the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Push messaging service, the Short Messaging Service (SMS), and the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).

16. A system for coordinating a communications session involving a plurality of users, the system comprising:

an interface arranged to receive data indicative of a group of users;

a processing system arranged to transmit messages to at least some members of the group, the or each message having a message body comprising data providing access to a communications session and a destination address determined from data indicative of a given member of the group,

wherein the communications session accessible via a said transmitted message involves participants other than the group members.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein said data indicative of a group of users comprising a group identifier and the processing system is arranged to access a storage system so as to identify group members corresponding to said group identifier.

18. A system according to claim 16, wherein the data indicative of a group of users is received via a data message containing one or more keywords, and the processing system is arranged to access a storage system so as to identify users having preference data corresponding to said keywords, whereby to identify members of the group.

19. A system according to claim 16, wherein the processing system is arranged to derive an identifier associated with an origin of the data message and to identify the group members on the basis of said identifier.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein the processing system is arranged to identify preference data associated with said identified members of the group and to match said identified preference data with preference data associated with said members of a group previously notified of the active communications session, whereby to select the active communications session.

21. A system according to claim 18, wherein the processing system is arranged to create a message body comprising a selectable link to a publicly accessible network location corresponding to the selected communications session and to transmit a plurality of messages comprising said message body to said at least some of the group members.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein the system is further arranged to identify content accompanying the data indicative of said group of users, and to append said identified content to said message body.

23. A system according to claim 21, wherein the system is further arranged to access an information source so as to retrieve information relating to said at least some of the group members and to append the retrieved information to said message body.

24. A computer program, executing on hardware, resident on non-transitory computer-readable media arranged to coordinate a communications system involving a plurality of users, the computer program being arranged to:

receive data indicative of a group of users; and

responsive to identifying members of the group, transmitting messages to at least some of the members of the group, each message having a message body comprising data providing access to a communications system and a destination address determined from data indicative of a given member of the group;

wherein the communications session accessible via said transmitted message involves participants other than the group members.

25. The computer program as defined by claim 24, wherein the computer program is further arranged to receive a request to initiate communications, said request comprising said data indicative of the group of users.

26. The computer program as defined by claim 24, wherein the computer program is further arranged to access a storage system so as to identify group members corresponding to a group identifier.

27. The computer program as defined by claim 24, wherein the computer program is further arranged to access a storage system so as to identify users having preference data corresponding to keywords, whereby to identify members of the group.

28. The computer program as defined by claim 24, wherein a request to initiate communications is received from a terminal associated with a member of the group, and wherein the computer program is further arranged to identify the group members on the basis of an identifier associated with said terminal.

29. The computer program as defined by claim 24, wherein a request to initiate communications is received from an information source, and wherein the computer program is further arranged to identify the group members on the basis of an identifier associated with said information source.

30. The computer program as defined by claim 24, wherein the computer program is further arranged to select said communications session from a list of predetermined communications sessions.

31. The computer program as defined by claim 24, wherein the computer program is further arranged to select said communications session on the basis of priority information associated with said predetermined communications sessions.

32. The computer program as defined by claim 24, wherein the computer program is further arranged to identify preference data associated with said identified members of the group and match said identified preference data with preference data associated with said predetermined communications sessions, whereby to select the communications session.

33. The computer program as defined by claim 24, wherein the computer program is further arranged to identify preference data associated with said identified members of the group and match said identified preference data with preference data associated with said members of a group previously notified of the communications session, whereby to select the communications session.

34. The computer program as defined by claim 24, wherein the computer program is further arranged to create a plurality of messages for transmission to said at least some of the group members, in which each said created message contains a selectable link to the selected active communications session.

35. The computer program as defined by claim 24, wherein the computer program is further arranged to identify content accompanying the data indicative of said group of users, and appending said identified content to each said created message.

36. The computer program as defined by claim 24, wherein the computer program is further arranged to access an information source so as to retrieve information relating to said at least some of the group members, and appending the retrieved information to each said created message.

37. The computer program as defined by claim 24, wherein the computer program is further arranged such that the data indicative of a group of users is received via at least one of the short messaging service (SMS), and the Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD) messaging service.

38. The computer program as defined by claim 24, wherein the computer program is further arranged such that the messages are transmitted to at least some members of the group via at least one of the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Push messaging service, the Short Messaging Service (SMS), and the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).