Promoting communicant interactions in a network communications environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11380020-B2
Application number	US-201916521501-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2019
Priority date	Apr 5, 2008
Publication date	Jul 5, 2022
Grant date	Jul 5, 2022

Abstract

In a network communications environment supporting realtime communications between respective network nodes of a user and other communicants in virtual areas each of which is associated with its own respective set of communicant members, a graphical user interface is provided in connection with the user's network node. The graphical user interface includes controls for establishing presence in respective ones of the virtual areas, managing realtime communications with other communicants in respective ones of the virtual areas, and presenting different views of communicants associated with the network communications environment. Based on user input in connection with the graphical user interface, a presence is established for the user in a selected one of the virtual areas, realtime communications are administered between the user and one or more communicants who are present in the selected virtual area, and a visualization that shows graphical representations, locations of presence, and realtime activities of communicants across respective ones of the virtual areas is displayed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
connecting to a network communications environment supporting realtime communications between respective network nodes of a user and other communicants in virtual areas each of which is associated with its own respective set of communicant members;
in connection with the user's network node, providing a graphical user interface comprising controls for establishing presence in respective ones of the virtual areas, managing realtime communications with other communicants in respective ones of the virtual areas, and presenting different views of communicants associated with the network communications environment;
based on user input in connection with the graphical user interface, establishing a presence for the user in a selected one of the virtual areas, administering realtime communications between the user and one or more communicants who are present in the selected virtual area, and displaying a visualization that shows graphical representations, locations of presence, and realtime activities of communicants across respective ones of the virtual areas; and
hosting virtual area applications by the virtual areas;
for each virtual area, managing sessions of respective network nodes in the virtual area using one of the hosted virtual area applications associated to the virtual area;
customizing an appearance of at least one of the virtual areas using one of the virtual area applications of a virtual area platform, wherein the appearance is customizable to any of many different appearances.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising assigning respective ones of the communicants into respective groups according to their respective locations of presence in the virtual areas, wherein the displaying comprises showing the graphical representations and realtime activities of the communicants in different sections of the visualization according to the respective groups into which the communicants are assigned, and each section corresponds to a respective location of presence.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the graphical representations and realtime activities of co-located communicants are grouped together in respective sections of the visualization.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein each of respective ones of the virtual areas comprises multiple respective zones, each zone supports establishment of communicant presence and realtime communications between network nodes associated with the zone, and the displaying comprises showing in the visualization visual indications of the zones in which respective ones of the communicants are present.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein within a particular one of the sections of the visualization corresponding to a particular one of the virtual areas comprising multiple zones, the displaying comprises in different sub-sections of the particular section showing the graphical representations and realtime activities of the communicants in the particular virtual area according to communicants' respective zones of presence in the particular virtual area.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the displaying comprises in one of the sub-sections of the particular section of the visualization, showing the graphical representations and realtime activities of the communicants in the zone in which the user is present.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the displaying comprises for each zone of co-presence in the particular virtual area, showing the graphical representations and realtime activities of the communicants in the zone in a respective one of the sub-sections of the particular section of the visualization.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the displaying comprises showing the graphical representations and realtime activities of the communicants who are alone in respective ones of the zones of the particular virtual area grouped together in a respective one of the sub-sections of the particular section of the visualization.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein each of respective ones of the zones of the particular virtual area is associated with a respective door object having different states that are associated with different respective rules for granting communicant access to the zone, and the displaying comprises displaying in respective ones of the sub-sections visual indications of the states of the door objects associated with the respective zones.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising in response to user input in connection with a selected one of the sub-sections, presenting a zone interface for interacting with the particular zone corresponding to the selected sub-section.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the zone interface comprises a selection of zone interaction controls that depend on whether or not the user is present in the particular zone.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein based on a determination that the user is present in the particular zone, the selection of zone interface controls comprises a door control that enables the user to change the state of the door object associated with the particular zone.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein based on a determination that the user is not present in the particular zone, the selection of zone interface controls comprises a knock control that enables the user to send a message requesting entry into the particular zone to one or more communicants who are present in the particular zone.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein based on a determination that the user is not present in the particular zone, the selection of zone interface controls comprises a navigation control, wherein if the associated door object is in the open state or the user is an owner of the particular zone the navigation control enables the user to enter the particular zone, otherwise the navigation control enables the user to send a message requesting entry into the particular zone to a communicant who is present in the particular zone.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the displaying comprises showing the graphical representations and realtime activities of the communicants who are members of a particular one of the virtual areas and are present in the network communications environment in a first section of the visualization, and showing graphical representations of the communicants who are members of the particular virtual area and are not present in the network communications environment in a second section of the visualization.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the displaying comprises showing the graphical representations and realtime activities of the communicants who are members of a particular one of the virtual areas and are present in the network communications environment in a sequence ordered by respective names associated with the communicants.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein each of respective ones of the virtual areas comprises multiple respective zones, each zone supports establishment of communicant presence and realtime communications between network nodes associated with the zone, and the displaying comprises showing visual indications of the zones in which respective ones of the communicants are present.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein for each of the communicants represented in the visualization and co-present with at least one other communicant in a respective zone of a virtual area, the displaying comprises showing an associated indication that the communicant is in a zone of copresence.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein in connection with a respective one of the indications that a partic

Assignees

• Sococo Inc

Inventors

• Leacock Matthew
• Van Wie David
• Brody Paul J

Classifications

• H04L51/043 Primary

  using or handling presence information · CPC title

• G06F2203/04803

  Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas · CPC title

• G06F40/166

  Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting · CPC title

• H04L51/52

  for supporting social networking services · CPC title

• G06F3/0481

  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 title