Patent ID: 6449344
Filing Date: 2002-09-10
Classification: H04L,H04N,Y10S

Abstract:
A communications system comprising:a communications network; a multiplicity of communications terminals which are connectable to said communications network and which can be employed concurrently by multiple seeking users and multiple sought users to communicate via said communications network, wherein each user is identified independently of a given communications terminal address by a unique identification code predefined for said user, which code is independent of which of said multiplicity of communications terminals that user is employing; a monitor operative to monitor whether or not a user is connected to said communications network; and an annunciator operative to annunciate to a seeking user, currently connected to said communications network via any of said multiplicity of communications terminals, network connection status information relating to other users who are in a list of sought users which list includes identification indicia of the sought users, which list is defined by and sent by said seeking user without using verbal requests, and for providing to said seeking user the current network address currently assigned to each of said other users for that other user's current connection to said communications network; a user communication selector enabling the seeking user to establish communication with at least one sought user on said list.