PROMOTING COMMUNICANT INTERACTIONS IN A NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS ENVIRONMENT

• US 20110302509A1
• Filed: 08/15/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sococo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Social Communications Company
• Inventors: Leacock, Matthew, Van Wie, David, Brody, Paul J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,930,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/756
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms

Abstract

In a network communication environment in which communicants operating from respective client network nodes connect to different server applications, communicants who are related to a target communicant are ascertained, statuses of the related communicants with respect to the different server applications are determined, and indications of the related communicants and the determined statuses of the related communicants are transmitted to the target communicant. Graphical representations of the related communicants and graphical indications of the statuses of the related communicants with respect to connections to the different server applications may be displayed on a display. A contact list including a respective graphical representation of each of one or more of the communicants also may be displayed in association with visual cues representing the ascertained types of current interaction activities respectively engaged in by the one or more communicants. A single universal user identifier may be used to identify each communicant.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in a network communication environment in which communicants operating from respective client network nodes connect to different server applications that are hosted by one or more server network nodes,

ascertaining ones of the communicants who are related to a target one of the communicants,

determining statuses of the related communicants with respect to the different server applications,

transmitting to the target communicant indications of the related communicants and the determined statuses of the related communicants.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple of the different server applications respectively enable synchronous conferencing between respective ones of the communicants.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a given one of the server applications has multiple zones with respect to each of which respective ones of the communicants are able to be associated, and the transmitting comprises transmitting indications of which of the zones of the given server application respective ones of the related communicants are associated.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining comprises, for each of the related communicants, determining each of the zones with respect to which the related communicant is co-present with at least one other communicant, and the transmitting comprises transmitting indications of the determined memberships of the related communicants.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the zones is associated with a respective graphical representation of an element of a physical environment.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the zones is associated with a respective graphical representation of a physical space of an office environment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises, for each of the related communicants, determining each of the server applications of which the related communicant has a membership, and the transmitting comprises transmitting indications of the determined memberships of the related communicants.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the ascertaining comprises identifying ones of the communicants with whom the target communicant has interacted in association with respective ones of the server applications as respective ones of the related communicants.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifying comprises identifying ones of the communicants with whom the target communicant has communicated through realtime communication facilities provided in association with respective ones of the server applications as respective ones of the related communicants.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the realtime communication facilities comprise at least one of an audio communications facility, a video communications facility, a realtime text chat communications facility, and a file sharing communications facility.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the ascertaining comprises identifying ones of the communicants who the target communicant has claimed as a contact as respective ones of the related communicants.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting indications of ones of the related communicants who currently are connected to the network communication environment and respective indications of ones of the related communicants who currently are unconnected to the network communication environment.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the determining comprises, for each of the related communicants, determining each of the server applications with which the related communicant has a presence; and

the transmitting comprises transmitting indications of which of the server applications the related communicants respectively have presence.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a given one of the server applications has multiple zones with respect to each of which respective ones of the communicants are able to establish respective presences;

further comprising, for each of the related communicants, determining each of zones of the given server application with which the related communicant has a presence; and

wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting indications of which of the zones of the given server application the related communicants respectively have presence.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising sorting the related communicants, and wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting an indication of the sorting.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the sorting comprises grouping the related communicants into server application groups according to associations between the related communicants and the server applications.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the grouping comprises

within each server application group, sorting the respective ones of the related communicants by status of connection to the respective server applications.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the grouping comprises

within each server application group, sorting the respective ones of the related communicants by frequency of interaction with the target communicant in the network communication environment.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein:

a given one of the server applications has multiple zones with respect to each of which respective ones of the communicants are able to establish respective presences; and

the grouping comprises grouping the respective ones of the related communicants associated with the given server application into zone groups according to associations between the related communicants and the zones of the given server application.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the grouping comprises grouping the respective ones of the related communicants associated with the given server application according to the ones of the zones in which at least two of the communicants are co-present.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the sorting comprises sorting the zone groups according to which of the zones of the given server application the target communicant has presence.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the sorting comprises grouping the related communicants according to their respective connection statuses with respective ones of the server applications.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the sorting comprises grouping together ones of the related communicants who are unconnected to all of the server applications.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining realtime activity states of respective ones of the related communicants, and wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting indications of the determined realtime activity states.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the determining comprises determining realtime communication activities of respective ones of the related communicants.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the realtime communication activities comprise at least one of an audio communications activity, a video communications activity, a realtime text chat activity, and a file sharing activity.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining communication channels available for communicating with respective ones of the related communicants in association with respective ones of the server applications, and wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting indications of the determined communication channels in association with the respective ones of the related communicants and the respective ones of the server applications.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the determining comprises comparing realtime communication capabilities of respective ones of the related communicants and realtime communication facilities enabled by respective ones of the server applications.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the realtime communication channels comprise at least one of an audio communications channel, a video communications channel, a realtime text chat channel, and a file sharing channel.

30. Apparatus operational in a network communication environment in which communicants operating from respective client network nodes connect to different server applications that are hosted by one or more server network nodes, the apparatus comprising:

a computer-readable memory storing computer-readable instructions; and

a data processor coupled to the memory, operable to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions operable to perform operations comprising

ascertaining ones of the communicants who are related to a target one of the communicants,

determining statuses of the related communicants with respect to the different server applications,

transmitting to the target communicant indications of the related communicants and the determined statuses of the related communicants.

31. At least one computer-readable memory device having computer-readable program code embodied therein, wherein when executed by a computer in a network communication environment in which communicants operating from respective client network nodes connect to different server applications that are hosted by one or more server network nodes, the computer-readable program code causes the computer to perform operations comprising:

ascertaining ones of the communicants who are related to a target one of the communicants,

determining statuses of the related communicants with respect to the different server applications,

transmitting to the target communicant indications of the related communicants and the determined statuses of the related communicants.

32. A method, comprising:

in a network communication environment in which communicants operating from respective client network nodes connect to different server applications that are hosted by one or more server network nodes,

by a given one of the client network nodes from which a given one of the communicants is operating,

connecting to a target one of the server applications,

receiving indications of ones of the communicants who are related to the given communicant and statuses of the related communicants with respect to associations with the different server applications, and

on a display displaying graphical representations of the related communicants and graphical indications of the statuses of the related communicants with respect to connections to the different server applications.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein:

the received indications comprise indications of which of the server applications the related communicants respectively have presence; and

the displaying comprises displaying the graphical representations of the related communicants in association with the respective ones of the server applications with which the related communicants have presence.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein:

a given one of the server applications has multiple zones with respect to each of which respective ones of the communicants are able to establish respective presences;

the received indications comprise, for each of the related communicants, a respective indication of each of zones of the given server application with which the related communicant has a presence; and

the displaying comprises displaying the graphical representations of the related communicants in association with the respective ones of the zones of the given server application with which the related communicants have presence.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the displaying comprises displaying the zones as respective graphical representations of elements of a physical environment.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the displaying comprises displaying the zones as respective graphical representations of physical spaces associated with an office environment.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein:

the received indications comprise indications of the server applications with which respective ones of the related communicants are associated; and

the displaying comprises displaying the graphical representations of the related communicants grouped into server application groups according to associations between the related communicants and the server applications.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the displaying comprises, within each server application group, displaying the graphical representations of the respective ones of the related communicants sorted by status of connection to the respective server applications.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the displaying comprises, within each server application group, displaying the graphical representations of the respective ones of the related communicants sorted by frequency of interaction with the given communicant in the network communication environment.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein:

a given one of the server applications has multiple zones with respect to each of which respective ones of the communicants are able to establish respective presences; and

the displaying comprises displaying the graphical representations of the respective ones of the related communicants associated with the given server application grouped into zone groups according to associations between the related communicants and the zones of the given server application.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the displaying comprises displaying the graphical representations of the respective ones of the related communicants associated with the given server application grouped according to the ones of the zones in which at least two of the related communicants are co-present.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the displaying comprises displaying the zone groups sorted according to which of the zones of the given server application the given communicant has presence.

43. The method of claim 38, wherein the displaying comprises displaying the graphical representations of the related communicants grouped according to their respective connection statuses with respective ones of the server applications.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the displaying comprises displaying grouped together the graphical representations of ones of the related communicants who are unconnected to all of the server applications.

45. The method of claim 32, wherein:

the received indications comprise indications of realtime activity states of respective ones of the related communicants; and

the displaying comprises displaying graphical indications of the realtime activity states in association with respective ones of the graphical representations of the related communicants.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the realtime communication activities comprise at least one of an audio communications activity, a video communications activity, a realtime text chat activity, and a file sharing activity.

47. The method of claim 32, wherein:

the received indications comprise indications of communication channels available for communicating with respective ones of the related communicants in association with respective ones of the server applications; and

the displaying comprises displaying graphical indications of the communication channels in association with the graphical representations of the respective ones of the related communicants.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the realtime communication channels comprise at least one of an audio communications channel, a video communications channel, a realtime text chat channel, and a file sharing channel.

49. The method of claim 32, wherein:

the received indications comprise indications of ones of the related communicants who are connected to the network communication environment and indications of ones of the related communicants who are unconnected to the network communication environment; and

the displaying comprises displaying an online connection status indicator in association with the graphical representations of ones of the related communicants who are connected to the network communication environment, and displaying an offline connection status indicator in association with the graphical representations of ones of the related communicants who are unconnected to the network communication environment.

50. Apparatus operational in a network communication environment in which communicants operating from respective client network nodes connect to different server applications that are hosted by one or more server network nodes, comprising:

a computer-readable memory storing computer-readable instructions; and

a data processor coupled to the memory, operable to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions operable to perform operations comprising

connecting to a target one of the server applications,

receiving indications of ones of the communicants who are related to the given communicant and statuses of the related communicants with respect to associations with the different server applications, and

on a display displaying graphical representations of the related communicants and graphical indications of the statuses of the related communicants with respect to connections to the different server applications.

51. At least one computer-readable memory device having computer-readable program code embodied therein, wherein when executed by a computer in a network communication environment in which communicants operating from respective client network nodes connect to different server applications that are hosted by one or more server network nodes, the computer-readable program code causes the computer perform operations comprising:

connecting to a target one of the server applications,

receiving indications of ones of the communicants who are related to the given communicant and statuses of the related communicants with respect to associations with the different server applications, and

on a display displaying graphical representations of the related communicants and graphical indications of the statuses of the related communicants with respect to connections to the different server applications.

52. A method, comprising:

in a network communication environment in which communicants operating from respective client network nodes connect to different server applications that are hosted by one or more server network nodes,

receiving indications of different types of realtime communication activities respectively engaged in by respective ones of the communicants in the network communication environment, and

on a display, displaying a contact list comprising a respective graphical representation of each of one or more of the communicants, wherein the displaying comprises depicting in association with the one or more graphical representations visual cues representing the ascertained types of current interaction activities respectively engaged in by the one or more communicants.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the receiving comprises receiving a realtime data stream comprising content derived from a communication activity of a respective one of the communicants and a respective indication in the form of content type identifier identifying a type of the received realtime data stream, and further comprising determining the respective type of the realtime communication activity from the respective content type identifier.

54. The method of claim 53, further comprising generating a human perceptible output from the received realtime data stream.

55. The method of claim 52, wherein the receiving comprising receiving an indication of a realtime chat activity engaged in by a given one of the communicants in the network communication environment, and the displaying comprises displaying a visual cue indicative of the realtime chat activity in association with the graphical representation of the given communicant.

56. The method of claim 52, wherein the receiving comprising receiving an indication of a realtime file sharing activity engaged in by a given one of the communicants in the network communication environment, and the displaying comprises displaying a visual cue indicative of the realtime file sharing activity in association with the graphical representation of the given communicant.

57. The method of claim 52, wherein the receiving comprising receiving an indication of a realtime application sharing activity engaged in by a given one of the communicants in the network communication environment, and the displaying comprises displaying a visual cue indicative of the realtime application sharing activity in association with the graphical representation of the given communicant.

58. The method of claim 52, wherein the receiving comprising receiving an indication of a realtime voice activity engaged in by a given one of the communicants in the network communication environment, and the displaying comprises displaying a visual cue indicative of the realtime voice activity in association with the graphical representation of the given communicant.

59. A method, comprising

in a network communication environment in which communicants operating from respective client network nodes connect to different server applications that are hosted by one or more server network nodes,

for each of one or more of the communicants,

determining a respective set of multiple identities claimed by the communicant, wherein each of the identities is associated with a respective communications handle for communicating with the communicant in connection with a respective network service,

associating each set of multiple identities with a single respective universal user identifier for identifying the communicant in the network communication environment, and

identifying sets of one or more contacts of the communicant associated with respective ones of the user accounts;

ascertaining ones of the communicants who are related to a target one of the communicants, wherein the ascertaining comprises matching respective ones of the communicants to respective ones of the contacts of the target communicant based on the respective communications handles associated with the respective identities claimed by the communicants; and

transmitting to the target communicant indications of the related communicants identified by their respective universal identifiers.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein ones of the connection handles are handles for communicating with respective ones of the communicants via realtime communications services.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein the realtime communications services comprise a least one of an instant messaging service, an audio conferencing service, a video conferencing service, and a file sharing service.

62. The method of claim 59, wherein ones of the connection handles are handles for communicating with respective ones of the communicants via electronic mail services.

63. The method of claim 59, wherein ones of the connection handles are handles for communicating with respective ones of the communicants via social networking services.

64. The method of claim 59, further comprising determining connection statuses of the related communicants with respect to connections to the server applications, and transmitting to the target communicant a specification of the related communicants and the determined connection statuses of the related communicants.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein in response to a determination that a given one of the related communicants has disconnected from a given one of the server applications,

determining to which of the network services the given related communicant is connected, and

transmitting to the target communicant an indication that the given related communicant is disconnected from the given server application and an indication of that the given related communicant is available for communication via one or more of the network services to which the given related communicant is determined to be connected.

66. A method, comprising:

in a network communication environment in which communicants operating from respective client network nodes connect to a virtual area that has multiple zones with respect to each of which respective ones of the communicants are able to be associated,

ascertaining ones of the communicants who are related to a target one of the communicants,

determining each of the zones in which at least one of the related communicant is co-present with at least one other communicant, and

on a display, displaying graphical representations of the related communicants grouped into zone groups according to associations between the related communicants and the zones, wherein the zone groups comprise a separate respective zone group for each of the determined zones.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein the virtual area is a visual area associated with a spatial visualization and the zones correspond to respective sections of the spatial visualization.

68. The method of claim 66, wherein the virtual area represents a software application and the zones correspond to respective sections of the software application.

69. The method of claim 66, wherein the virtual area represents a computer data file and the zones correspond to respective sections of the computer data file.