The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 19, 2007
Filed:
Aug. 28, 2002
Melora Zaner, Seattle, WA (US);
Kathleen Mulcahy, Seattle, WA (US);
Erica Sanders, Seattle, WA (US);
Cesare John Saretto, Seattle, WA (US);
Eugene Zarakhovsky, Seattle, WA (US);
Eugene Mesgar, Seattle, WA (US);
Neel Ishwar Murarka, Seattle, WA (US);
Heather Ferguson, Centralia, WA (US);
Asta Glatzer, Redmond, WA (US);
Rama Ranganath, Seattle, WA (US);
Tammy Savage, Seattle, WA (US);
John Vert, Seattle, WA (US);
Linda Stone, Seattle, WA (US);
Melora Zaner, Seattle, WA (US);
Kathleen Mulcahy, Seattle, WA (US);
Erica Sanders, Seattle, WA (US);
Cesare John Saretto, Seattle, WA (US);
Eugene Zarakhovsky, Seattle, WA (US);
Eugene Mesgar, Seattle, WA (US);
Neel Ishwar Murarka, Seattle, WA (US);
Heather Ferguson, Centralia, WA (US);
Asta Glatzer, Redmond, WA (US);
Rama Ranganath, Seattle, WA (US);
Tammy Savage, Seattle, WA (US);
John Vert, Seattle, WA (US);
Linda Stone, Seattle, WA (US);
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA (US);
Abstract
A novel application and user interface for facilitating group interactions over a network integrates messaging, file sharing, media playing, journaling, profiles, and gaming into a cohesive environment. The groups facilitated by the invention are persistent and mobile in that a user does not have to recollect and reconfigure the group each time he or she wants to interact with the group online and, while online, the group may be taken from one activity to another without having to disband and reconnect at the second activity. The application is modular so as to be extensible to include other activities and functionalities. In an embodiment, the group interaction application utilizes a peer-to-peer network environment to facilitate network communications between group members.