Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090059922 | Systems and Methods for Multicast Communication - Embodiments of multicast messaging systems and methods are disclosed for facilitating the multicasting of messages and/or other content to a group of users such that users may send messages to a group. One embodiment includes a method of transmitting multicast messages, including receiving a first multicast message and an indication of a first message group from a first sending user, identifying a first set of recipients related to the first message group, and transmitting the first message to the identified recipients. Another embodiment includes a computer system configured to receive a multicast message designating a group and then to communicate the multicast message to intended recipients. | 03-05-2009 |
20090213001 | Dynamic Location of a Subordinate User - Providing location information to a supervisory user includes providing a parental control, using a computer automatically to determine a location of a subordinate user, and storing location information indicative of the location of the subordinate user in a database. A request of the supervisory user to locate the subordinate user is received and a user interface informs the supervisory user of the location of the subordinate user based on the stored location information. At least one of the storing and/or the informing are based on the parental control. | 08-27-2009 |
20090248816 | Passive Personalization of Buddy Lists - Personalizing communications for a first communication platform includes accessing status information for communication sessions by a communication identity that leverage a first communication platform other than an instant messaging platform. A participant list associated with the communication identity and the first communication platform is passively configured to persistently reflect a list of participant identities from communication sessions in which the communication identity recently participated using the communication platform. | 10-01-2009 |
20130031638 | DYNAMIC LOCATION OF A SUBORDINATE USER - Providing location information to a supervisory user includes providing a parental control, using a computer automatically to determine a location of a subordinate user, and storing location information indicative of the location of the subordinate user in a database. A request of the supervisory user to locate the subordinate user is received and a user interface informs the supervisory user of the location of the subordinate user based on the stored location information. At least one of the storing and/or the informing are based on the parental control. | 01-31-2013 |
20130073966 | DYNAMIC LOCATION OF A SUBORDINATE USER - Providing location information to a supervisory user includes providing a parental control, using a computer automatically to determine a location of a subordinate user, and storing location information indicative of the location of the subordinate user in a database. A request of the supervisory user to locate the subordinate user is received and a user interface informs the supervisory user of the location of the subordinate user based on the stored location information. At least one of the storing and/or the informing are based on the parental control. | 03-21-2013 |
20130073967 | DYNAMIC LOCATION OF A SUBORDINATE USER - Providing location information to a supervisory user includes providing a parental control, using a computer automatically to determine a location of a subordinate user, and storing location information indicative of the location of the subordinate user in a database. A request of the supervisory user to locate the subordinate user is received and a user interface informs the supervisory user of the location of the subordinate user based on the stored location information. At least one of the storing and/or the informing are based on the parental control. | 03-21-2013 |
20130073968 | DYNAMIC LOCATION OF A SUBORDINATE USER - Providing location information to a supervisory user includes providing a parental control, using a computer automatically to determine a location of a subordinate user, and storing location information indicative of the location of the subordinate user in a database. A request of the supervisory user to locate the subordinate user is received and a user interface informs the supervisory user of the location of the subordinate user based on the stored location information. At least one of the storing and/or the informing are based on the parental control. | 03-21-2013 |
20140215597 | Transparent Reconnection - In the event of an unintentional interruption, a token issued by a host system to a client system is used to reestablish communications without disrupting applications on the client system. If the host system provided an Internet Protocol address to the client system to be used during the interrupted communications session, the host system reserves the communications address during an interruption in communications for a period sufficient to permit reestablishment of communications using the reserved address. | 07-31-2014 |
20140317211 | MESSAGING STAMP AUTHORITY - Electronic messages may be processed using a stamp authority by receiving an electronic message, identifying a stamp associated the message, determining if the stamp is valid, and, if the stamp is determined to be valid, distinguishing the message from messages with which a valid stamp is not identified. | 10-23-2014 |
20140324980 | SHARING SOCIAL NETWORK INFORMATION - Social network information may be shared across online service providers. Thus, one online service provider M that maintains a membership separate from a second online service provider N may nevertheless use the social network maintained by the second online service provider N to tailor content and/or services based on such social network information. | 10-30-2014 |
20140344380 | MESSAGING STAMP AUTHORITY - Electronic messages may be processed using a stamp authority by receiving an electronic message, identifying a stamp associated the message, determining if the stamp is valid, and, if the stamp is determined to be valid, distinguishing the message from messages with which a valid stamp is not identified. | 11-20-2014 |
20150039696 | PASSIVELY POPULATING A PARTICIPANT LIST WITH KNOWN CONTACTS - Passively populating a list of participants of an electronic communications system includes maintaining a participant list of users of an electronic communications system to be used by a user of the electronic communications system. Existing users of the electronic communications system that are known to the user are identified, and communications strengths between the user and each of the identified existing users are determined. The identified existing users with the highest communications strengths are designated for addition to the participant list. An existing group or a newly created group within the participant list to which each of the designated users should be added may be identified. | 02-05-2015 |
20150081828 | DEGREES OF SEPARATION FOR HANDLING COMMUNICATIONS - A sender's degrees of separation from a recipient may be used to aid in spam filtering or to otherwise handle a communication. The “degrees of separation” represent a metric used to quantify whether/how the recipient is linked to the sender through intermediary people or other entities. For example, a recipient may know a first user (first degree of separation) and the first user may know a second user (second degree of separation) who knows the sender of an e-mail. In this case, the sender is separated from the recipient by two degrees of separation (by two other contacts). A level of “trust” or “legitimacy” about a sender's communication can be inferred by looking at whether the sender is linked to an intended recipient. Typically, user contact lists (e.g., address book, buddy list, and/or white list) are evaluated to determine the number of degrees (or hops) are required to link or relate two users. | 03-19-2015 |