Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer conferencing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-27
2004-03-30
Dharia, Rupal (Department: 2141)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer conferencing
C709S205000, C709S217000, C709S218000, C709S219000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06714965
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for initiating and conducting communications between users via a network or the Internet. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a technique for initiating and conducting communications between users geographically located apart from one another such that the users may acquire and utilize each other's profiles.
B. Description of Related Art
There are services available whereby a “mailing list” may be used to provide information to a plurality of users where the users are part of a group. Using such a service, communications with the plural users in the group can be readily established. In this “mailing list” service, electronic mail addresses of the plurality of users are registered on a server computer. One electronic mail address may be configured to designate mail for each respective user in the group, and when an electronic mail is sent to the designated address, the electronic mail is transmitted to all of the registered users.
There are also local businesses whereby a snapshot may be taken of a person with backgrounds where the backgrounds have something related to the local environment. Such snapshot businesses operate without a network or use of the internet. For instance, there are photo shops and photo-machines that provide what is referred to as a “Print Club” service. Such “Print Club” services are typically installed in a shopping center or shopping mall. Such a “Print Club” service may include a machine that photographs a person to make a commemorative picture whereby the background may indicate the location of the individual at the time the snapshot was taken. The machine immediately prints out a sheet of small stick-on photographs so that people, especially teenagers, can exchange the photographs with others or attach it to a page in a notebook. There are also application software programs that are available for use on a personal computer, and are capable of manipulating a photograph to add a background thereto. Moreover, recent developments have been made in digital camera technology where by background may be inserted into a digitized photograph.
As another apparatus capable of providing a similar service via a network is, for example, a “Houkago Club” (after-school club) service. Similar to the above-described “Print Club” service providing apparatus, the “Houkago Club” service includes an apparatus that is installed in a central part of town or in a shopping center. The service photographs a person and a commemorative picture is made. Thereafter the commemorative picture is printed as a seal. In addition, the “Houkago Club” service provides an apparatus that may transfer digitized data based upon the commemorative picture to a server connected to the Internet so that the picture can be opened on a WWW (World Wide Web) page.
As mentioned above, the following services are available, for example, the service capable of handling a plurality of users as one group, and also the service capable of effectively establishing the communications with the plural users who are grouped together. However, in the above-explained conventional services, it is difficult for the users to freely select another party or user to join the group or make up a new group easily. In certain known services, since the email addresses are manually grouped, the names are given to the user groups and all users belonging to the groups may contact one another. However, in this known service, the electronic mail addresses of the grouped users are manually registered by the users. Also, since these mail addresses must be grouped together somehow via some communication means, a cumbersome procedure is required in order for the users to be identified. Therefore, the users cannot be grouped together in a flexible manner. In addition, while the users are grouped, no access restriction can be made in the user information, so that no special care is taken to secure the user information.
On the other hand, as the Internet rapidly progresses, opportunities where one person may become acquainted with other persons via communications on the Internet are likewise increasing. As communications develop between respect to various persons, it is possible for those persons to communicate over the Internet using text characters, electronic mail equivalent to letter communication made on the Internet, and also chat services are available. As well, there are services in which users may assume the role of a graphic character and manipulate the graphic character in a virtual world and further communicate with others using gestures and expressions of emotions by manipulations of the graphic character, via the Internet.
However, even though a person can get acquaint with other persons using such services, if the person interrupts his or her communication with the service, there may be no further connection between the person and other persons. In other words, a person may interact with another person in one of the above services but is not able to continue with that interaction outside the service. That is, while such services may be used to establish and develop friendships between one person and another person or persons, there is currently no easy way to continue the friendship and contact between the persons outside the services and the confines of the network or Internet.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide a group contact system and a recording medium for recording thereon, a program used to progress communications established between users who meet with other users via a network, the program utilizing their profiles and communication information of respective users.
The present invention has been developed to solve the above described problems. Specifically, the present invention includes means for extending communications and exhanges of some individual information between respective users accessing a service on a network such as the Internet. Therefore, when a user is in communication with another user in, for instance, a chat on the Internet, it is possible with the present invention to extend those communications by creating a record or card based upon selected users who are participating in the chat. The card may have any of a variety of information selected by each user, including an image or photograph representing that user. The card can therefore include a snapshot that includes any one or all of the selected users and therefore even after a chat on the Internet is finished, each selected user can utilize the series of information in the group information to establish new communications outside of the communication service. The snapshot may further be in the form of a “commemorative picture” of users who constitute a group. Furthermore, since the user information is distributed based upon the information each user wishes to divulge, human relationships can be made in a safe manner.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is a group contact system that includes a plurality of first information terminals and a second information terminal. The first information terminals mutually communicate in real time via a communication service over a network. The second information terminal manages information of users on the network. Each of the first information terminals includes means for selecting members of a group by a selecting user for designating at least one other user as a designated user to form the group of designated users with the selecting user. Corresponding group information includes identification of the designated users in the group. Each of the designated users and the selecting user communicate over the network using corresponding ones of the first communication terminals. The second information terminal includes a user information storing means for storing individual information of each user. The user information includes information identifying each user and a corresponding one of the first informa
Kakuta Jun
Matsui Kazuki
Sugano Hiroyasu
Dharia Rupal
Fujitsu Limited
Nguyen Q
Staas & Halsey
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