657 results about "Message passing system" patented technology

A messaging system includes a web server computer and at least two video game systems. Each game system is configured to connect to the web server computer via the Internet and to communicate status data indicative of an activity engaged in by a user thereof. The web server computer generates a session file indicative of user status and the status of each of two or persons on a buddy list of the user.

The subject invention provides a unique system and method that facilitates providing content-targeted advertising to a user based at least in part on the content of a user action. The user action can be performed in connection with an outbound messaging system, a real-time messaging system such as a chat or instant messaging, a game environment, and/or calendaring system. The system and method analyze at the least the content of an outbound message and then present a content-targeted advertisement based on the content of the message. The same can be done with respect to calendar entries. However, outbound and inbound calendar entries, invitations, and responses to invitations can be analyzed for content and have content-targeted advertisements presented to the sender or receiver of such items. User privacy can be maintained and/or increased by allowing a user to opt out of content-targeting advertisements. Reasons for being targeted can also be provided to the user.

Instant messaging systems and methods are disclosed. The systems and methods allow users to play competitive and collaborative games using an instant messaging client application. The client application may create a user interface screen that includes an instant messaging region or window for exchanging instant messages and a game region or window for playing games.

Embodiments of a distributed instant messaging system that uses a distributed index in peer-to-peer networks. A distributed index may be used to implement an instant messaging system in a group of participating peers. The distributed index may be used, for example, to route messages between participating peers, in identifying and authenticating peers wishing to participate, in notifying peers of newly joined peers, and in notifying joining peers of participating peers. In one embodiment, zones of the distributed index may be moved to joining peers. In one embodiment, zones of the distributed index stored on departing peers may be moved to participating peers. One embodiment may be implemented in peer-to-peer networks implemented according to a peer-to-peer platform including one or more peer-to-peer platform protocols for enabling peer nodes to discover each other, communicate with each other, and cooperate with each other to form peer groups and share network resources.

The present disclosed system is directed toward a communication and management system that dynamically targets network devices for content deployment, such as application programs, device drivers, configuration files, and registry subhives. Moreover, the present system targets users of network devices for promotions, such as advertisements offered by Internet e-commerce sites. Promotions are generally icons or graphic images with links to host web servers overlaying a video display, but also includes audio and video clips or data streams. Network devices and their users are targeted through user profiles. User profiles are created when network devices register with the system server and are continually updated with information provided by user activity and event logs that are periodically uploaded from each device, a scalable messaging system provides for data transmission between the system server and among the network devices such that it is neutral as to the specific hardware platforms on which it is implemented.

A location-based messaging system and its methods of operation disclosed, including methods for sending geographic location information for a target address from a computing device to a receiving device that will enable the receiving device to display a map and/or directions from a geographic location of the receiving device to the geographic location of the target address. Methods for processing and distributing location-based data, methods for receiving and responding to location-based data, and methods for virally distributing location-based applications are also disclosed.

Watermarks and related machine-readable coding techniques are used to embed data within the information content on object surfaces. These techniques may be used as a substitute for (or in combination with) standard machine-readable coding methods such as bar codes, magnetic stripes, etc. As such, the coding techniques extend to many applications, such as linking objects with network resources, retail point of sale applications, object tracking and counting, production control, object sorting, etc. Object message data, including information about the object, machine instructions, or an index, may be hidden in the surface media of the object. An object messaging system includes an embedder and reader. The embedder converts an object message to an object reference, and encodes this reference in a watermarked signal applied to the object. The reader detects the presence of a watermark and decodes the watermark signal to extract the object reference.

An instant messaging system and a method of instant messaging between a plurality of clients having IM applications of the same or different types. The IM system includes a plurality of clients having IM client applications of the following types: a PC-based instant messaging client application program (101, 301); a GSM device (104, 303) forming part of a GSM network; an internet browser-based client application 201, 305; and an email-based client application (208, 307). An IM system host (141, 211, 316) including an IM server (143, 217, 311) is selectively connected to each of the clients via the direct electronic links or the internet (117, 213, 309) and provides a prescribed range of functionality to the clients. This functionality includes sending an IM, receiving an IM and identifying which members of a group of clients that a client is a member, or prospective member, of are online. Each client type has a unique identifier to enable access thereto via the internet (117, 213, 309) and each client has a single account on the IM host/server for all of its client types that can access the IM server (143, 217, 311). The account is identified by a unique identification number (“UIN”) common to all of the client types of that client and each unique identifier of each client type of a client is matched to the UIN of the particular client.

A messaging system (1) has a provisioning server (2), an application server (3), a notification server (4), a mail server (7), and a voice/video server (8) which act as clients toward an LDAP directory server (5). A proxy (“DAP”, 6) performs high speed write operations on a subset of attributes which it determines to be dynamic attributes. LDAP client requests that do not involve dynamic attributes are forwarded to the directory server (5) in a conventional manner. The proxy (6) also joins the results of requests that have both high-speed dynamic attributes as well as “static” attributes that are stored in a directory server (5). “Intelligent” services that involve maintaining dynamic attributes for large number of subscribers in a distributed environment can be deployed.

Intelligent message processing is provided for person to person (P2P) messaging by intercepting the message and processing the message before directing the message to the recipient. The messaging system then acts as a person to application (P2A) and application to person (A2P) system, wherein any P2P message can be intercepted and processed as necessary. Such functionality allows any desired processing of the message, such as to allow for transformation, charging, content filtering, screening, parsing, and any other such processing. Further, such an approach allows the message to be received from the sender and directed to the recipient on different channels. A messaging enabler allows the message to be processed using application logic and/or Web services, for example.

A unified messaging system, method and user interface is provided for a handheld mobile communication device. The method may include the following steps: (a) providing a unified event listing display comprising: a plurality of summary descriptors, each summary descriptor having one or more information elements to identify the event associated with the summary descriptor; (b) selecting one of the plurality of summary descriptors; (c) displaying a voice mail interface associated with the selected summary descriptor, wherein a plurality of voice mail actions are displayed on the interface; (d) selecting one of the plurality of voice mail actions; (e) communicating a voice mail command associated with the selected voice mail action to a unified messaging server via a wireless data communication network; (f) receiving the voice mail command at the unified messaging server; (g) executing an action associated with the received voice mail command at the unified messaging server; (h) establishing a circuit-switched communication connection to the mobile device from a PBX system associated with the unified messaging server; and (i) performing an action corresponding to the received voice mail command through the established circuit-switched communication connection.

A method, system, and program for specifying monitored user participation in a messaging session is provided. A time status for a messaging system element is determined. The time status corresponds to a type of participation by at least one user in a messaging session. An output attribute is assigned to the messaging system element according to the time status, such that output of the messaging system element is specified to depict time status for the messaging session. A client messaging system, receiving the messaging system element with the output attribute, graphically displays the messaging system element in order to graphically reflect user participation in a messaging session.

Systems, methods and media for updating an instant messaging system on a network are disclosed. More particularly, hardware and/or software for updating status indicators such as ‘away’ messages of an instant messaging system are disclosed. Embodiments include determining that a change in status of the user has occurred and automatically transmitting an indication of the change in status to instant messenger system manager via a network. Embodiments include determining that a change in status of the user has occurred based on receiving an indication that the user's status has changed, such as from user input on a keyboard, mouse, etc. Other embodiments include determining that a change in status has occurred based on determining that the user's status has changed based on an electronic calendar, expiration of a time period, etc.

A system for making computing applications aware of business events. The system can consist of an enterprise integration layer that automatically publishes business events and a messaging system that automatically subscribes to business events and makes the computing applications aware of the business events. The enterprise integration layer can include a set of client access interfaces, a business object server, and a set of adapters. The interfaces transform data from the format of a front-office application to a common data format. The business object server performs object assembly and disassembly, caching and synchronization, and service invocation functions. The adapters transform business objects into data requests compatible with a back-office system. The enterprise integration layer can also include an enterprise object model to standardize business objects, a rules engine to define and store rules regarding data and events, and a business event repository to contain definitions of business events.

A method for collecting, organizing, presenting, and using data relative to the scene of an emergency situation is disclosed. The method uses a Responder Assets Management System (RAMS) composed of four modules including information, logistics, operations, and planning. The information module makes general information immediately available to responders. The logistics module assists in managing equipment resources during a contingency and includes an equipment manager interface for managing equipment used to respond to an emergency situation. The operations module supports daily operations responsibilities and scales to handle significant emergencies and includes at least one of a situational awareness interface, a response options generator (ROG) interface, an operations manager interface, a messenger interface and a status board interface. The situational awareness interface is designed for emergency and crisis response managers to provide enhanced, community-wide situational awareness using full immersion, spherical images, Geographic Information System (GIS) maps, site and floor plans, and a database interface to provide virtual walk-through, pre-incident plans, for contingency planning, training visualization, and operational support. The ROG interface provides automated response and resource estimates to decision-makers in command posts and on-site in developing a response to significant, unplanned events. The operations manager interface is used by a remote headquarters to monitor an on-going operation. The messenger interface is a pre-formatted, topic oriented messaging system that supports both informational messages and messages that automatically update system data and displays. The status board interface is a situation display of key situational awareness data. The planning module assists users in planning for critical events.

A distributed computing environment and associated method for monitoring a queue-based messaging system. The queue-based messaging system controls the exchange of messages between a server process and client process applications. A messaging application residing at the server computer platform and forming part of the queue-based messaging system manages a plurality of trigger-initiated local queues, each associated with one of the plurality of client process applications and having queue depth, trigger enable, get enable and put enable attributes. A monitoring tool residing on the server computer platform acquires a value for the queue depth, trigger enable, put enable and get enable attributes for a plurality of trigger-initiated local queues and generally simultaneously displays, on a user interface coupled to the server computer platform, the value for the queue depth, trigger enable, put enable and get enable attributes for each one of the plurality of trigger-initiated local queues.

A method, an apparatus, a system, and a computer program product are presented for managing availability status values in an instant messaging application. A user of the instant messaging application is able to select a “do not disturb” status that is to be associated with the user, thereby preventing most users from being able to initiate an instant messaging session with the user. In addition, the user of the instant messaging application can selectively authorize a subset of users to have the privilege of being able to start instant messaging sessions with the user while maintaining an indication to all other users that the user is in a “do not disturb” status.

An apparatus, program product and/or method identify relevant shared entities and/or display shared entities in an instant messaging system. In particular, entities such as files, images, videos, e-mails, links, bookmarks, databases, transcripts of other instant messages, etc. that are shared between users participating in an instant message session may be identified and highlighted to indicate that the shared entities are related to the instant message session. Furthermore, a link to an entity may be sent to a user when the entity is referenced in an instant message of the instant message session. Additionally, a display representation of entities that are shared with a user may be displayed in the user's buddy list to indicate that the shared entity is accessible to the user and whom shared the entity with the user. Furthermore, a transcript may be associated with an entity.

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.

The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, and devices for sending and receiving payments using an integrated payment and messaging system. In particular, the integrated payment and messaging system allows users to send and receive electronic payments as well as exchange messages. Additional implementations involve facilitating payment transaction by inferring payment events. Still further implementations involve facilitating payment transactions between groups of users. In addition to the foregoing, one or more implementations allow a user to initiate payment transactions without first providing a payment credential.

In a messaging system interfaced through the Internet, a method for processing a message from a sender and intended for delivery to at least one recipient, which sender is interfaced to the Internet through a sender server and which recipient is interfaced to the Internet through a recipient server, where the message includes at least recipient information and message body, is disclosed. The method includes testing the recipient information by establishing a temporary test connection through the Internet from the sender server to the recipient server, before relying on the recipient information for sending the message, so as to provide an indication of deliverability of the message to the recipient without using an SMTP VRFY command.

A system and method for providing pluggable authentication and access control in computer systems and services are described. The authentication and access control process may be categorized into three components: an authentication protocol, a user repository and an access control model. In one embodiment, the authentication and access control mechanism may be implemented as three pluggable modules: an authentication protocol handler module for the authenticator side, an authentication protocol handler for the side to be authenticated, and an access control context module on the authenticator side. The pluggable modules may be exchangeable to support a variety of authentication types, user repositories, and access control models. The authentication protocol handlers provide symmetrical methods to handle requests and responses in the authentication process that reflect the symmetrical nature of the authentication process.

A digital media resource messaging system provides a convenient digital media resource viewing, managing, organizing, and editing platform that facilitates enhanced resource exchange by storing and forwarding digital media resources via a server between multiple resource-sharing partners designated by the user. In one embodiment, the digital media resource messaging system includes services to view, manage, organize, edit, and exchange digital images and video sequences.