Patent Publication Number: US-2003236823-A1

Title: Information sharing groups, server and client group applications, and methods therefor

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONS  
       [0001] The present inventions relate generally to information sharing groups, and more particularly to the creation and deletion of information sharing groups, for example those hosted by Internet service providers and on other communications servers. The inventions relate also to server and client group applications, including those run on wireless communications handsets, group properties, and methods therefor.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS  
       [0002] It is known generally to create and host information sharing groups including chat rooms, news groups and other discussion forums, on communications servers, for example on Internet service provider (ISP) servers including those of America On-Line and others. The groups may be created by service providers and server hosts or by users, for example by ISP subscribers and members.  
       [0003] Server-based information sharing groups are created generally in a create group transaction conducted at a create group user interface after logging onto a host server. Upon creation of a new group, a unique identification is assigned to the group, usually by a server application. The group creator generally specifies group one or more properties, for example in a set group property transaction. Known group properties include, for example, group name and group topic, both of which are usually assigned or designated by the group creator. The group properties may also specify attributes of group membership, for example whether group membership is “private” or “public” and “open” or “restricted”, limits on group membership size, etc. Other known group properties include whether the group supports private messaging, and whether the group is searchable. Some properties are specified by the group server, whereas others may be specified by the group creator. Other group properties assume default values if not set by the creator. Presently, information sharing groups must be deleted manually, either by the server or by the group creator.  
       [0004] The various aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon careful consideration of the following Detailed Description of the Invention with the accompanying drawings described below. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0005]FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary communications architecture having group-hosting servers accessible by wireless and other clients.  
     [0006]FIG. 2 is a more detailed schematic block diagram of an exemplary group server architecture having group service functionality.  
     [0007]FIG. 3 is an exemplary group creation and deletion process flow diagram.  
     [0008]FIG. 4 is an exemplary group property selection process flow diagram.  
     [0009]FIG. 5 is an exemplary group configuration file having group property data fields.  
     [0010]FIG. 6 is a schematic application generated information-sharing group property primitive. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONS  
     [0011] In FIG. 1, exemplary communications architecture  100  comprises at least one wireless server  110  including one or more service functionality elements  112 , at least one of which is a group service element discussed more fully below. In systems having multiple servers  110 , the servers communicate through corresponding service access points  114  using a server-server protocol (SSP).  
     [0012]FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary server  200  comprising a plurality of service elements  210  including presence service functionality  212 , instant messaging (IM) functionality  214 , information-sharing group functionality  216 , and content sharing functionality  218 . In the present inventions, the server provides at least group service functionality, although in other embodiments the server may provide other service functionality, including combinations of the service elements illustrated in the exemplary embodiment. The server  200  may be a wireless server, as illustrated in FIG. 1, or it may be a non-wireless server accessible. The server is accessible generally by wireless and wire-line clients.  
     [0013] In FIG. 1, the exemplary wireless server  110  provides service access to various wireless clients  122  communicating with a client-server protocol (CSP), and wireless clients  124  communicating with a command line interface (CLI) protocol. Other clients, including wireless clients and browser-based clients  126  among others, may access the wireless server  110  via a proprietary gateway  130 , coupled to a proprietary server  132 , having a corresponding access point  134 , which communicates with the service access point  114  of the wireless server  110  via a server-server protocol (SSP). Browser based clients may be wireless or wireline, including for example Internet service provider (ISP) subscribers.  
     [0014] In FIG. 2, the server access point  220  comprises a client-server protocol (CSP) access element  222  for communicating with directly with clients, for example the wireless clients  122  running group applications in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the wireless clients  122  comprise embedded group application software written, for example, in C-programming language. In other embodiments, the wireless clients  122  comprise JAVA based group application software in J 2 ME.  
     [0015] In FIG. 2, the server access point  220  comprises a command-line protocol (CLP) access element  224  for communicating with directly with command line interface legacy wireless clients, for example 2-way short messaging service (SMS) devices and other legacy devices.  
     [0016] In FIG. 1, the exemplary wireless server  110  also communicates with a mobile core network  140  via a server mobile core network protocol (SMCNP). In FIG. 2, the server access point  220  comprises an SMCNP access element  226  for communicating with the mobile core network  140 . The server access point  220  comprises an SSP access element  228  for communicating with the other servers, for example the proprietary server gateway  130  in FIG. 1, using a server-server protocol.  
     [0017] In FIG. 2, the service access point  220  includes client authentication and authorization functionality  232 , service discovery and agreement functionality  234 , user profile management functionality  236 , and service relay functionality  238 . In some embodiments, the service access point  220  is located physically with the server service elements, but more generally the service access point  220  may be a gateway separated physically from the service elements server.  
     [0018] The information-sharing group service element provided by the server includes, the provision of news and discussion groups, chat rooms, and generally any other group type. The groups may be created generally either by the server or by a client.  
     [0019] In the process flow diagram  300  of FIG. 3, at block  310 , a group is created either by the service provider or by a client, for example by subscribers wireless and others having authorized access to the server. In some embodiments, for example, the group is created by a client logged onto the server in a create group transaction wherein group properties are specified by the group creator. User interfaces and applications enabling group creation are well known generally. In other applications, group properties for a previously established group are revised or updated. Upon creating or updating the group, the new or updated group is established on the server. In some embodiment, the group is created at a client or the properties of a previously created group are changed at a client and communicated to the server, whereupon the group is established or it properties are revised on the server.  
     [0020] In one embodiment, after establishing an information-sharing group on the communications server, which includes the creation of a new group or changing one or more properties of a previously created group, the information-sharing group is automatically deleted from the server upon expiration of a specified time period associated with the information-sharing group, as illustrated at block  320  in FIG. 3.  
     [0021] In one embodiment, the creator specifies whether the group will be deleted automatically, for example by selecting or setting an auto-delete group property or otherwise associating with the group an instruction to automatically delete the group, either upon creation of the group or by updating the group properties afterwards. In FIG. 3, at block  330 , a determination is made whether the group is to be deleted automatically. If auto-delete has not been specified for the group, at block  332 , the server maintains the information-sharing group without automatically deleting the group. In FIG. 3, if the group has been designated for automatic deletion, it will be deleted, at block  320 , upon expiration of the time period associated therewith.  
     [0022] In one embodiment, the user specifies the time period associated with the information-sharing group, for example by specifying setting a group validity time period property, indicating how long the associated group exists before being automatically deleted. In embodiments where it is specified that the information-sharing group will be deleted automatically, the group validity time period may be set by the group creator, or alternatively the group validity time period may assume a default value, is not selected by the creator.  
     [0023]FIG. 4 is a partial information-sharing group creation or property update process flow chart  400 . At block  410 , whether or not the group will be deleted automatically is specified, and at block  420  the group validity time period is selected. At block  430 , a default group validity time period is set if a value is not specified by the group creator/editor. At block  440  other group properties may be specified.  
     [0024]FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary group configuration file  500 , which may be stored for example in a communications server, specifying group properties. The group configuration file may be used by, and in some embodiments constitutes a part of, a server-based group application program.  
     [0025] The group configuration file is associated with a particular group, for example by relating the group configuration data file to the unique group identification information of the group with which the data is associated. The group configuration file comprises generally group property data fields for storing group property data segments and other information for the corresponding group. In some embodiments, the group configuration file includes group configuration information for more than one group.  
     [0026] In FIG. 5, the group configuration file comprises an information-sharing group auto-delete property data field  510 , which may be set TRUE or NOT TRUE. The group validity time data field thus stores information specifying whether the information-sharing group with which the group configuration file is associated will be deleted automatically from the communications server after a specified time period. When set TRUE, the information-sharing group with which the group configuration file is associated will be deleted automatically after the specified time period.  
     [0027] The group configuration file of FIG. 5 also comprises a group validity time period data field  520 . The group validity time period data field stores group validity time period information specifying the time period during which the information-sharing group exists before being deleted automatically from the communications server. In some embodiments, the group creator selects the time period during which the information-sharing group exists prior to deletion from the communications server. Alternatively, the group validity time period assumes a default value in the absence of a selection by the group creator. The group configuration file may also include data fields for other properties and information associated with the corresponding information-sharing group.  
     [0028]FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic application generated information-sharing group property primitive  600  for specifying properties of an information-sharing group. The exemplary group property primitive comprises generally a group identification  610  identifying a group with which the primitive is associated, and an information-sharing group auto-delete data segment  620  specifying a time period during which an information-sharing group identified by the unique identification data segment exists before being deleted automatically.  
     [0029] In some embodiments, the application generated information-sharing group property primitive  600  also comprises a validity time period data segment  630  specifying a time period during which the information-sharing group identified by the group identification exists before being deleted automatically. In embodiments, where this validity time period data segment is not included, as default time period may be applied.  
     [0030] In FIG. 6, the exemplary application generated information-sharing group property primitive includes a protocol identification data segment  640  identifying the group protocol. In some embodiments, the protocol identification data segment includes protocol version data. The exemplary application generated information-sharing group property primitive  600  also includes a protocol transaction type data segment  650 , for example identifying the transaction as a property setting transaction. The exemplary application generated information-sharing group property primitive also comprises a session identification data segment  660 , including for example, login information, user-identification, password, etc. The application generated information-sharing group property primitive may also include other property data fields.  
     [0031] In one embodiment, the application generated information-sharing group property primitive is a client application generated information-sharing group property primitive that is generated by a client application, for example from a group application running on a wireless communications client device. In other embodiments, the primitive may be generated by a server application.  
     [0032] In embodiments where the auto-delete and the validity time period properties are generated by an client application generated group property primitive, the group property primitive including an information-sharing group auto-delete data segment and any information-sharing group validity time period data segment are transmitted from the client, for example from a wireless communications device, to the communications server on which the information-sharing group is hosted.  
     [0033] In FIG. 3, at block  340 , the group is maintained until the specified or default group validity time period expires, whereupon the group is deleted or removed automatically from the server. In some embodiments, at block  350 , the group is deleted after expiration of the validity time period only if no users or members are actively participating in the information-sharing group. Thus if the group is active upon expiration of the group time period, the group will not be deleted until the last member leaves the group.  
     [0034] While the present inventions and what is considered presently to be the best modes thereof have been described in a manner that establishes possession thereof by the inventors and that enables those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the inventions, it will be understood and appreciated that there are many equivalents to the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein and that myriad modifications and variations may be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventions, which are to be limited not by the exemplary embodiments but by the appended claims.