Communication of a selected type over a wide area network

• US 7,437,411 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2007
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pragmatus AV LLC (Pragmatus, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avistar Communications Corporation (Avistar)
• Inventors: Lantz, Keith A., Lauwers, J. Chris, Burns, Emmett R., Burnett, Gerald J., Ludwig, Lester F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess; Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): STRANGE, AARON N
• Application Number:
  US11/623,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20070078932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-207, 709223-224, 709227-228, 715751-759
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

First and second users log in using at least one of a plurality of respective communication devices. Address information of the communication devices used by the first and second users to log in are sent to respective first and second servers, separated from each other by at least one wide area network. A user identifier for the second user is displayed in a quick dial list of user identifiers selected by the first user. The first user selects the displayed second user'"'"'s identifier to request communication with the second user. The first user also selects a communication type. In response, the first server is queried to obtain the current address information for the selected second user. The received address information is used to establish the selected communication type, over the wide area network, between the first and second users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

enabling a first user to log in using at least one of a plurality of communication devices;

initializing collaboration initiator software on the communication device used by the first user to log in;

enabling a second user to log in using at least one of a plurality of communication devices, the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in being separated from the at least one communication device used by the first user to log in by at least one wide area network;

sending information indicating an address of the first user to a first server associated with the at least one communication device used by the first user to log in;

sending information indicating an address of the second user to a second server associated with the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in, the second server being separate from the first server by the at least one wide area network;

in response to the initialization of the collaboration initiator software on the communication device used by the first user to log in, retrieving user related identifier information for the second user from at least one server;

causing display of a graphical rolodex on a display of the communication device used by the first user to log in, the graphical rolodex having a scrollable listing of user identifiers of potential participants;

causing display of a quick-dial panel on the display of the communication device used by the first user to log in, the quick-dial panel listing identifiers in the form of icons for potential participants for selection by the first user, the quick-dial panel having been previously created by the first user by selecting user identifiers of potential participants from the graphical rolodex, wherein at least one of the graphical rolodex and the quick-dial panel further includes the retrieved user identifier information for the second user;

causing display of a plurality of representations of communication types for selection by the first user, the communication types including both real time and non-real time communication types;

allowing the first user to initiate communication with the second user by selecting an identifier for the second user from at least one of the graphical rolodex and the quick-dial panel and by selecting a communication type;

establishing communication between the first and second servers to receive, at the first server, address information of the second user from the second server;

querying the first server to obtain the current address information for the second user; and

in response to selection of the second user'"'"'s identifier and to selection of a communication type representation by the first user, using the received address information to cause automatic establishing of the selected communication type or a default communication type if no communication type is selected, wherein the communication is established over the at least one wide area network, between the first and second users;

maintaining at least one directory of potential participants; and

maintaining an association between the potential participants and corresponding address information of respective communication devices used by the potential participants for logging in, wherein the association is dynamically changeable based on tracking of location of client programs at the respective communication devices so that a logged in potential participant can be located no matter where the potential participant is located.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the second user with at least one port to which the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in is connected.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the first user to specify a third user by selecting a user identifier associated with the third user in the quick-dial panel to request communication with the third user; and

if the third user is not logged in, causing the first server to automatically notify the first user that the third user has not logged in.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the communication devices to register at least one collaborative service that the respective communication device provides.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is enabled based on capabilities of at least the communication device used by the second user to log in.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time communication types include at least one of the group consisting of audio, video, and real-time text.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication device used by the first user to log in is a wireless device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the wireless device uses at least one cellular phone link for the communication.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising exchanging address information associated with the first user and the second user respectively between the first server and the second server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein communication between the first and second users is established using a wide area network gateway over the at least one wide area network to the second communication device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one user identifier in the graphical rolodex comprises at least one icon representing a corresponding potential participant.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first server is associated with a first communication network and the second server is associated with a second network.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is of the selected type if a communication type is selected by the first user from the plurality of displayed representations of communication types, and the communication is of a default communication type if a communication type is not selected by the first user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier information retrieved from the at least one server comprises a corresponding icon.

15. A machine readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions, which when executed by at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to:

enable a first user to log in using at least one of a plurality of communication devices;

initialize collaboration initiator software on the communication device used by the first user to log in;

enable a second user to log in using at least one of a plurality of communication devices, the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in being separated from the at least one communication device used by the first user to log in by at least one wide area network;

send information indicating an address of the first user to a first server associate with the at least one communication device used by the first user to log in;

send information indicating an address of the second user to a second server associated with the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in, the second server being separate from the first server by the at least one wide area network;

in response to the initialization of the collaboration initiator software on the communication device used by the first user to log in, retrieve user related identifier information for the second user from at least one server;

cause display of a graphical rolodex on a display of the communication device used by the first user to log in, the graphical rolodex having a scrollable listing of user identifiers of potential participants;

cause display of a quick-dial panel on the display of the communication device used by the first user to log in, the quick-dial panel listing identifiers in the form of icons for potential participants for selection by the first user, the quick-dial panel having been previously created by the first user by selecting user identifiers of potential participants from the graphical rolodex, wherein at least one of the graphical rolodex and the quick-dial panel further includes the retrieved user identifier information for the second user;

cause display of a plurality of representations of communication types for selection by the first user, the communication types including both real time and non-real time communication types;

allowing the first user to initiate communication by selecting at least an identifier for the second user from at least one of the graphical rolodex and the quick-dial panel and by selecting a communication type;

establish communication between the first and second servers to receive, at the first server, address information of the second user from the second server;

query the first server to obtain the current address information for the second user; and

in response to the selection of the second user'"'"'s identifier and communication type representation by the first user, the received address information to cause automatic establishing of the selected real-time communication type or a default communication type if no communication type is selected, wherein the real-time communication is established over the at least one wide area network, between the first and second users;

maintain at least one directory of potential participants; and

maintain an association between the potential participants and corresponding address information of respective communication devices used by the potential participants for logging in, wherein the association is dynamically changeable based on tracking of location of client programs at the respective communication devices so that a logged in potential participant can be located no matter where the potential participant is located.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the computer to exchange address information associated with the first user and the second user respectively between the first server and the second server.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the real-time communication types include at least one of the group consisting of audio, video, and real-time text.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein communication between the first and second users is established, using a wide area network gateway, over the at least one wide area network to the second communication device.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the identifier information retrieved from the at least one server includes a corresponding icon.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the computer to associate the second user with at least one port to which the at least one communication device used by the second user to log in is connected.