Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer network managing – Computer network monitoring
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-21
2004-02-10
Etienne, Ario (Department: 2157)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer network managing
Computer network monitoring
C709S206000, C709S207000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06691162
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This application relates to monitoring users of a computer network, for example, to facilitate messaging between users in an online computer services environment.
BACKGROUND
The computer system
100
illustrated in
FIG. 1
represents a typical hardware setup for executing software that allows a user to perform tasks such as communicating with other computer users, accessing various computer resources, and viewing, creating, or otherwise manipulating electronic content—that is, any combination of text, images, movies, music or other sounds, animations, 3D virtual worlds, and links to other objects. The system includes various input/output (I/O) devices (mouse
103
, keyboard
105
, display
107
) and a general purpose computer
100
having a central processor unit (CPU)
121
, an I/O unit
117
and a memory
109
that stores data and various programs such as an operating system
111
, and one or more application programs
113
. The computer system
100
also typically includes some sort of communications card or device
123
(e.g., a modem or network adapter) for exchanging data with a network
127
via a communications link
125
(e.g., a telephone line).
As shown in
FIG. 2
, a user of a computer system can access electronic content or other resources either stored locally at the user's own client system
202
,
202
a
, or
202
b
(for example, a personal or laptop computer) or remotely at one or more server systems
200
. An example of a server system is a host computer that provides subscribers with online computer services such as e-mail, e-commerce, chat rooms, Internet access, electronic newspapers and magazines, etc.
Users of a host computer's online services typically communicate with one or more central server systems
200
through client software executing on their respective client systems
202
,
202
a
, or
202
b
. In practice, a server system
200
typically will not be a monolithic entity but rather will be a network of interconnected server computers, possibly physically dispersed from each other, each dedicated to its own set of duties and/or to a particular geographical region. In such a case, the individual servers are interconnected by a network of communication links, in know on fashions. One such server system is “America Online 4.0” from America Online, incorporated of Virginia (also known as “AOL”).
One increasingly popular computer network-based activity is referred to as “instant messaging.” An instant message is a form of electronic communication between users of a computer network in which a window pops-up on the recipient's computer screen “instantly” and without the recipient's having to access an e-mail program or otherwise check for messages. An instant message appears essentially as soon as the message sender clicks the send button subject to any time or propagation delays the message may have encountered on the network. In comparison to most e-mail applications, instant messaging enables users to communicate with each other in a more dynamic, urgent and interactive manner.
FIG. 3
is a screen shot of an Instant Message (IM) window
30
as used in AOL's Instant Messenger (“AIM”) system. As shown therein, the window
30
includes a text display area
31
and text entry area
32
. Both users involved in the IM under consideration (i.e., sender and recipient) would have a similar window displayed on his or her computer monitor. When one user (PhillipsJC) types a comment
34
in text entry area
32
and clicks the Send button
33
(or, depending on the configuration, presses the “ENTER” key on the keyboard), the entered text (e.g., “Hey, did you see the game last night?”) is displayed in the text display area
31
of the window
30
such that it is visible to both users. After FRsnafu enters a comment
35
in response and clicks the Send button
33
, that comment
35
appears in the text display area
31
underneath the previous comment
34
. This exchange of comments continues indefinitely until the users decide to terminate the exchange.
Typically, instant messages can be sent to another user only when that user is presently signed on to the computer service. Users who are signed off are unavailable to receive instant messages. Accordingly, another popular innovation introduced by America Online is the “Buddy List,” which allows users to monitor when other specified users (“buddies”) are signed onto and/or off of the computer service under consideration (e.g., AOL Instant Messenger).
As shown in
FIG. 4
, the Buddy List is implemented as a window
40
that lists specified users, or buddies, who are signed on to the AIM system. In the example shown, the Buddy List for user “PhillipsJC” indicates that four of PhillipsJC's buddies
41
-
44
currently are signed on to the system and thus available to receive instant messages. The Buddy List is updated based on information received from a server to add or delete names of buddies as they sign on and off, respectively. Such Buddy List updates can be accompanied by various audible and visual indications to help notify the user that a buddy has signed on or off.
Despite the various notification mechanisms, a user nevertheless may fail to notice that a buddy with whom IM communication is desired has signed on to the system. For example, if the user is on the telephone or away from his or her office, one of that user's buddies may sign on and then off again unnoticed by the user. Alternatively, or in addition, even when a user notices that a buddy has signed on to the system, the user nevertheless may be unable to send the buddy an IM because the user may be otherwise engaged (e.g., in a meeting).
Other reasons exist why a user might not notice that a buddy has signed on and/or miss an opportunity to send an IM to the buddy. For example, the user might have so many buddies on his buddy list that they cannot all fit on the display screen, or in a display window, at the same time. Moreover, the buddy list window might be obscured by other windows or objects and thus the user might not be able to notice when the buddy has signed on. In any of these and possibly other situations, the buddy may sign off of the system before the user is able to send an IM, thus missing the window of opportunity.
Accordingly, the present inventor recognized that it would be desirable to provide users with mechanisms for monitoring signons by buddies and/or communicating with the buddies immediately and automatically upon their signing on to the system.
SUMMARY
Implementations may include various combinations of the following features.
In one aspect, a computer-implemented method of communicating with a user includes detecting that a previously unavailable user is available to receive messages, and automatically sending a predetermined message (e.g., an instant message) to the user upon detecting that the user has become available. Alternatively, or in addition, notification may be provided to a monitoring user that the previously unavailable user has become available and/or that the predetermined message was sent. The method may further include instantiating an instant messaging window on a computer screen of the monitoring user upon detecting that the previously unavailable user has become available. Optionally, the notified monitoring user may have previously specified the predetermined message. Moreover, a command specified by the monitoring user (e.g., an operating system command, a script, or an executable file) may be executed upon detecting the user's availability.
Prior to the detection, a request may have been received from the monitoring user to monitor availability of the previously unavailable user. The received request may be queued until the previously unavailable user becomes available. The automatic sending of the predetermined message may include instantiating a window on the user's computer screen displaying the predetermined message. The operations of detecting and the automatic message sending may be repeated each time the user newly becomes a
America Online Inc.
Etienne Ario
Jacobs LaShonda
LandOfFree
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