Devereux Research Ab LLC

Convoq, Inc.

Insightful Corporation

Banyan Systems, Inc.

Beyond, Inc.

Beyond Corporated

Rateze Remote Mgmt LLC

Charles J Digate

Christopher F Herot

Alexis M Kopikis

Tonytip Ketudat

Daniel J Teven

Eugene H Lee

Kevin C Gross

Mark Jeffrey Waks

Carol A Harris

Rajeev Tipnis

Gary Todd Higginson

A system and method for immediate and delayed real-time communication activities using availability data from and communications through an external instant messaging system, that operates to obtain aggregated user online presence information through its own client software, through interception of client-server communications between an external instant messaging client and server, and through other available interfaces to user account information on such external instant messaging systems. The system operates to gather user online presence information in part by intercepting communications between an instant messaging client and the Internet. The aggregate presence data, as well as other information describing the availability of a user, is used to intelligently route real-time communications, such as instant messages and phone calls. The disclosed system further implements a technique for waiting for changes in a user's availability status, and for performing actions on a user's behalf in response to such changes in availability status.

System and method for immediate and delayed real-time communication activities using availability data from and communications through an external instant messaging system

A real-time communications system that is capable of convening an on-line meeting or teleconference involving text, audio, video, and/or data between multiple users of mobile and non-mobile devices. A mobile telephone is operative to receive an invitation to join an on-line meeting with at least one user of another mobile or non-mobile device. If the mobile telephone network can provide an indication of whether the mobile telephone is powered-on and within the coverage area of the mobile telephone network, a real-time messaging server employs this information to determine the on-line presence of the mobile telephone user before transmitting the meeting invitation. Otherwise, the real-time messaging server assumes that the mobile telephone user is present and on-line. The mobile telephone user may indicate his or her desire to join the on-line meeting by transmitting an SMS message to the real-time messaging server in response to the meeting invitation, after which the real-time messaging system may convene the on-line meeting between the multiple users.

Presence-enabled mobile access

System and method for immediate and delayed real-time communication activities using availability data from communication through an external instant messaging system

A real-time messaging system and method for a plurality of users that obviates the need to install specialized, dedicated software on user computers, and renders the need to become a subscriber of the system unnecessary. The real-time messaging system is a rules-based system that applies a set of rules and user attributes to the availability status of the users to facilitate effective real-time communications between the users. The system allows each user to indicate his or her on-line presence via a hyperlink embedded in and displayable on a web page, an e-mail message, or other hyperlink-supporting document. Each hyperlink is associated with a URL that points to a document such as a web page configured to initiate an on-line meeting or teleconference. A user who wishes to participate in an on-line meeting or teleconference selects a hyperlink corresponding to a particular user or user group, thereby initiating the desired on-line meeting or teleconference.

Initiating an on-line meeting via a web page link

A rules-based real-time messaging system for groups of users, in which an availability status may be maintained in association with each user. Clients are communicably coupled to a real-time messaging server, which maintains indications of the online/offline presence status of each user, as well as other user attributes. Rules and a rules engine are maintained in the real-time messaging server for controlling the delivery of messages to users, and for controlling how the availability of users is provided to other users. Based on the specific rules stored on the real-time messaging server, the rules engine determines the state of various relevant conditions, such as the availability status of users of the system, and also detects the occurrence of various real-time events, such as a user logging-on to or logging-off from the system, in order to control the delivery of various types of messages and/or performance of resulting actions.

Rules based real-time communication system

A rules-based real-time messaging system for groups of users, in which an availability status is maintained in association with each user. Clients are communicably coupled to a real-time messaging server, which maintains indications of the online/offline presence of each user, as well as other user attributes. Rules and a rules engine are maintained in the real-time messaging server for controlling the delivery of messages to the users, and for controlling how the availability of users is provided to other users. Based on the specific rules stored on the real-time messaging server, the rules engine determines the state of various relevant conditions such as the availability of users of the system, and detects the occurrence of various real-time events such as a user logging-on to or logging-off from the system for controlling the delivery of various types of messages and/or the performance of resulting actions.

An automated system and method for providing a contest to multiple, geographically dispersed contest participants is disclosed, in which the participants are interconnected by a computer network such as the internet, and in which a contest participant's individual chance of winning the contest is increased in response to the performance of certain actions associated with the contest. The actions provide a contest sponsor with information about the participant, or expose the participant to predefined advertising information. The disclosed system provides feedback to participants regarding their current chances of winning the contest, in response to performance of one or more of the actions associated with the contest.

Contest server

A flexible, event driven and conditional rule based mail messaging system which can be transparently implemented for use in electronic mail applications. A rule mechanism is implemented having a 'When-If-Then' event-driven, conditional, action-invoking paradigm or 'triplet' which permits definition of a repertoire of events considered to be significant events upon which to trigger actions in the electronic mail messaging system. Each particular event may be associated with a specific mail message and/or rules to promote efficient mapping of messages, events and rules so that only rules associated with a specific event are invoked upon occurrence of the event. Only relevant rules, i.e. those associated with a satisfied event, need be further processed. A graphical user interface to a structured rule editor facilitates synthesis of rules by a user via a substantially transparent rule engine.

Event-driven rule-based messaging system

A flexible, event driven and conditional rule based mail messaging system which can be transparently implemented for use in electronic mail applications. A rule mechanism is implemented having a 'When-If-Then' event-driven, conditional, action-invoking paradigm or 'triplet' which permits definition of a repertoire of events considered to be significant events upon which to trigger actions in the electronic mail messaging system. Each particular event may be associated with a specific mail message and/or rules to promote efficient mapping of messages, events and rules so that only rules associated with a specific event are invoked upon occurrence of the event. Only relevant rules, i.e. those associated with a satisfied event, need be further processed. A graphical user interface to a structured rule editor facilitates synthesis of rules by a user via a substantially transparent rule engine. A modular architecture for the structured rule editors effects an extensible and portable facility invoking selected rule scripting language to implement various functions in the context of various electronic mail messaging environments.

Growing community of inventors

Winchester, MA, United States of America

Charles J Digate