Patent ID: 9003302
Filing Date: 2015-04-07
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of establishing an anonymous sidebar during an ongoing session in which session participants communicate with each other through a central server, the method comprising, during the ongoing session: at the central server, identifying a subset of the participants that subscribe to anonymous sidebar service, at least in part by referring to profile data indicating which participants subscribe to anonymous sidebar service, wherein each participant of the subset has a private handle representing the participant; transmitting from the central server to each of the participants of the subset a specification stating the private handle of one or more other participants of the subset; receiving at the central server, from a given one of the participants of the subset, a user selection of one or more private handles from the transmitted specification; and responsive to the received user selection, the central server establishing an anonymous sidebar between the given participant and each of the one or more participants represented by the one or more user-selected private handles, while maintaining the ongoing session between at least other participants.