Personal directory services with presence indication

• US 8,335,825 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2006
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Glasgow, Jay O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Kenny
• Assistant Examiner(s): Taha, Shaq
• Application Number:
  US11/464,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,321 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/207, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Included are embodiments of a method for communicating data. One embodiment, among others includes receiving a request from a user to contact the at least one data provider associated with at least one listing stored in a user-defined directory and in response to receiving the request, facilitating activation of instant messaging logic, where the instant messaging logic is configured to refrain from displaying presence information associated with the user.

Claims

1. A method for communicating data, the method comprising:

providing, via a listing server, to a user device associated with a user, a listing of an advertiser, wherein the listing of the advertiser comprises a user interface control operative to request an instant messaging connection with the advertiser, such that the request comprises an indication not to display the user'"'"'s presence to the advertiser;

receiving, via a messaging server, the request from the user device;

in response to receiving the request;

transmitting, via the messaging server, to the user device, advertiser presence data for the advertiser, and

initiating, via the messaging server, an instant messaging connection between the user device and the advertiser, such that the user'"'"'s presence information is not provided to the advertiser; and

providing, via the messaging server, to the user device, an active advertisement associated with the advertiser, wherein the active advertisement is provided to the user device via an instant message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing access to a passive advertisement with the listing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the messaging server and the listing server are implemented on the same computing device.

3. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

providing, to a user device associated with a user, a listing of an advertiser, wherein the listing of the advertiser comprises a user interface control operative to request an instant messaging connection with the advertiser, such that the request comprises an indication not to display the user'"'"'s presence to the advertiser;

receiving, the request from the user device;

in response to receiving the request;

transmitting to the user device, advertiser presence data for the advertiser, and

initiating, via the messaging server, an instant messaging connection between the user device and the advertiser, such that the user'"'"'s presence information is not provided to the advertiser; and

providing an active advertisement associated with the advertiser, wherein the active advertisement is provided to the user via an instant message to the user device.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 3, the program further causing the computer to provide access to a passive advertisement with the listing.

5. A computing device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to at least the memory to;

provide, to a user device associated with a user, a listing of an advertiser, wherein the listing of the advertiser comprises a user interface control operative to request an instant messaging connection with the advertiser, such that the request comprises an indication not to display the user'"'"'s presence to the advertiser;

receive the request from the user device;

in response to receiving the request;

transmit advertiser presence data for the advertiser, and

initiate an instant messaging connection between the user device and the advertiser, such that the user'"'"'s presence information is not provided to the advertiser; and

provide, to the user device, an active advertisement associated with the advertiser, wherein the active advertisement is provided to the user device via an instant message.