Integrated experience of vogue system and method for shared integrated online social interaction

• US 7,895,524 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2006
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ranganath, Rama, Mesgar, Eugene, Saretto, Cesare John, Zarahovsky, Eugene, Ferguson, Heather, Sanders, Erica, Murarka, Neel Ishwar, Vert, John, Zaner, Melora, Stone, Linda, Glatzer, Asta, Mulcahy, Kathleen, Savage, Tammy
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow; Dennis-Doon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Muhebbullah; Sajeda
• Application Number:
  US11/379,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/753, 715758-759, 715/764, 715/733, 709/204
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A novel application and user interface for facilitating group interactions over a network integrates messaging, file sharing, media playing, journaling, profiles, and gaming into a cohesive environment. The groups facilitated by the invention are persistent and mobile in that a user does not have to recollect and reconfigure the group each time he or she wants to interact with the group online and, while online, the group may be taken from one activity to another without having to disband and reconnect at the second activity. The application is modular so as to be extensible to include other activities and functionalities. In an embodiment, the group interaction application utilizes a peer-to-peer network environment to facilitate network communications between group members.

Claims

1. A system embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium executed on a processor for enabling group interaction, comprising:

a display component that generates an interface that facilitates interaction between a first user and at least one other user, the interface capable of presenting a display including;

a first group space corresponding to a first group of which both the first user and the at least one other user are members,

a second customizable group space corresponding to a second group of which both the first user and at least one other party different from the at least one other user are members,

a group bar that displays a first selectable group icon corresponding to the first group space, a second selectable group icon corresponding to the second group space, what the first group and the second group are doing from an observation of the first selectable group icon and the second selectable group icon, and a mood, a mode, and a status of the first user, wherein a group icon identifies a group respectively associated with a group space, wherein the group space is a central place for interacting with the group, and wherein the mood identifies how the first user feels;

a first personal space associated with the first user, the first personal space being a place for the first user to express themselves by way of a journal such that the journal provides a written record of the first user'"'"'s thoughts, wherein the first personal space is only viewable by a group member authorized by the first user to view the first personal space;

a communication component that facilitates a communication session between the first user and the at least one other user;

wherein the communication session includes at least two of an audio activity, a chat activity and a scrapbook activity; and

a memory cube component that allows the first user to select and save a history of an activity of the communication session, wherein selecting the memory cube function to save the history of an activity of the communication session is accompanied by an animation representing folding the history of the communication session into a cube, and a prompt to the user for a save location for the cube.

2. The system of claim 1, the display further including a second personal space associated with an owner different from the first user, and viewable only by permission of the owner.

3. The system of claim 2, the group bar further comprises a control component that displays window controls within the interface.

4. The system of claim 3, the window controls further comprise at least one of a minimize control and a close control.

5. The system of claim 1, the group bar further comprises a first section that displays a character or graphic and name associated with the first user.

6. The system of claim 1, the group bar further comprises a second section that displays a character or graphic and name pair of at least one other user belonging to a group of which the first user is a member.

7. The system of claim 1, the group bar further comprises a third section that displays a character or graphic and name pair associated with at least one other user.

8. The system of claim 1, the group bar further comprises an availability component that allows the first user to define a current mode of the first user or status of the first user.

9. The system of claim 1, the display component further comprises a user status component that determines and displays a current status of the at least one other user.

10. A system embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium executed on a processor for enabling group interaction, comprising:

means for generating a user interface that allows a first user and at least one other user to interact, the user interface capable of presenting a display including a first group space corresponding to a first group of which both the first user and the at least one other user are members, a second group space corresponding to a second group of which both the first user and at least one other party different from the at least one other user are members, and a group bar that displays a first selectable group icon corresponding to the first group space, a second selectable group icon corresponding to the second group space, what the first group and the second group are doing from an observation of the first selectable group icon and the second selectable group icon, and a mood, a mode, and a status of the first user, wherein a group icon identifies a group respectively associated with a group space, wherein the group space is a central place for interacting with the group;

means for facilitating communications between the first user and the at least one other user utilizing a communication session, wherein the communication session includes at least two of an audio activity, a chat activity and a scrapbook activity;

means for allowing the first user to express themselves in a personal space by way of a journal such that the journal provides a written record of the first user'"'"'s thoughts, wherein the personal space is only viewable by group members authorized by the first user; and

means for allowing the first user to select and save a history of an activity of the communication session utilizing a memory cube function, wherein selecting the memory cube function allows the user to save the history of an activity of the communication session, and wherein selecting the memory cube function is accompanied by an animation representing folding the history of the communication session into a cube, and a prompt to the user for a save location for the cube.

11. A method for enabling a group interaction, comprising

using one or more processors to perform the following computer executable acts:

displaying to a first user, via a first user display, a group bar having thereon a first user icon that represents the first user, a friend icon that represents a friend, and a first group icon associated with a first group wherein the first group comprises the first user and at least one other user, wherein the first group icon identifies a group associated with a group space, wherein the group space is a central place for interacting with the group, wherein the group bar displays a mood, a mode, and a status of the first user and the friend, wherein the mood identifies how the first user and the friend feel, and wherein the group bar displays what the friend and the first group are doing from an observation of the friend icon and the first group icon in the group bar;

receiving from the first user a selection of the first group icon;

in response to a receipt of the selection of the first group icon, sending a communication over the network to a computing device used by the at least one other user to initiate a communication session between the first user and the at least one other user, wherein the communication session includes at least two of an audio activity, a chat activity and a scrapbook activity;

in a display including the group bar, presenting the group space to the first user in response to receipt of the selection of the first group icon, the group space is uniquely associated with the first group;

displaying to the first user, via the first user display, a first personal space associated with the first user, the first personal space being a place for the first user to express themselves by way of a journal such that the journal provides a written record of the first user'"'"'s thoughts, wherein the first personal space is only viewable by group members authorized by the first user; and

allowing the first user to select and save a history of an activity of the communication session utilizing a memory cube function, wherein selecting the memory cube function allows the first user to save the history of an activity of the communication session and wherein selecting the memory cube function is accompanied by an animation representing folding the history of the communication session into a cube, and a prompt to the user for a save location for the cube.

12. The method of claim 11, the group bar has thereon a second group icon associated with a second group comprising the first user and at least one other user who is not a member of the first group wherein the group bar displays what the second group is doing from the observation of the second group icon in the group bar.

13. The method of claim 11, the communication session further comprises displaying messages sent between members of the group.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising identifying the sender of a message by displaying at least one of a name of the sender and a character associated with the sender.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying the group space containing a list of users.

16. The method of claim 15, the list of users comprising at least one of user names and characters associated with users.

17. The method of claim 16, the list of users further comprises displaying users that are currently available, currently unavailable, or some combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying the group space for displaying customizable multimedia content selected by a user of the group, the multimedia content comprising at least one of audio, video, and graphical content.

19. A system embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium executed on a processor comprising:

a display component that generates an interface to facilitate interaction by a user with multiple groups, the interface capable of presenting a display including;

a first group space associated with a first group represented by a first group icon;

a second group space associated with a second group represented by a second group icon; and

a group bar containing selectable icons of each of the first group space and the second group space, wherein selection of a group icon of one of the first group or second group enables a group activity to be performed with a corresponding group via a selected group space in an interactive group session, wherein the group bar displays what the first group and the second group are doing from an observation of the first group icon and the second group icon;

a first personal space associated with the user, the first personal space being a place for the user to express himself by way of a journal such that the journal provides a written record of the user'"'"'s thoughts, wherein the first personal space is only viewable by a member of a group if the member is authorized by the user to view the first personal space;

a communication component that facilitates a communication session between the user and one or more other users of the multiple groups, wherein the communication session includes at least two of an audio activity, a chat activity and a scrapbook activity; and

a memory cube component that allows the user to select and save a history of an activity of the communication session, the memory cube component including a memory cube function that is selected by the user, wherein selecting the memory cube function allows the user to save the history of an activity of the communication session and wherein selecting the memory cube function is accompanied by an animation representing folding the history of the communication session into a cube, and a prompt to the user for a save location for the cube.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the group bar further contains selectable icons of the user and one or more other users, and displays a mood, a mode, and a status of the user and the one or more other users, wherein the mood identifies how the user and the one or more other users feel.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the group bar selectably displays a group activity associated with a group space and a status of another user.

22. The system of claim 19, the display further including a second personal space viewable only by permission of an owner thereof.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one of the first and second group spaces includes a selectable function to save a history of a group activity.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein selecting the function to save the history of the group activity is accompanied by an animation representing folding the history of the group activity into a cube, and a prompt to the user for a save location for the cube.