WO2014015406A1

WO2014015406A1 - System and method for enabling the connection of parties with common interest based on network addresses

Info

Publication number: WO2014015406A1
Application number: PCT/BR2013/000269
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eurípedes Luiz Da Silva SOBRINHO
Original assignee: Sobrinho Euripedes Luiz Da Silva
Priority date: 2012-07-24
Filing date: 2013-07-23
Publication date: 2014-01-30
Also published as: BR102012018414A2

Abstract

Under the present invention, a method and a system are described with the aim of enabling an improvement in the use of computer programs capable of accessing and consuming data through computer networks and through communication systems or services. This new method enables communication to start between contacts that are established according to their indication of interest in any network address of any content, or any element available for access and consumption through computer networks, including the World Wide Web.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENABLING THE CONNECTION OF PARTIES WITH COMMON INTEREST BASED ON NETWORK ADDRESSES

TECHNICAL SCOPE The present invention refers to the area of communications made through computers or devices that access content or data of any type or form from a network address. In particular, the present invention refers to - but is not limited to - network browsers and communication services, and aims to facilitate one's ability to connect or link contacts using a network address of any format or protocol as a starting point.

RATIONALE OR BACKGROUND

Any computer program that accesses data from a network may be referred to as a network client as it accesses a network - through a network address - and consumes data that transit or are transferred in this network. It then uses or presents such data to an actor, which can be a person, a machine or another computer program. We can take browsers as an example: these are computer programs (often referred to as network browsers, or just browsers) which provide an interface to type and another to point and click, both allowing users to access different types of network content.

Browsers allow users to enter a network address, and then carry out a process which includes requesting, accessing, receiving, storing, executing or interpreting information. Finally, the content requested is normally (but not exclusively) displayed on a screen.

The content requested is usually stored on a network server, which will make such content available through a network address entered in the browser. After the request, the content is transferred through a computer network. The content requested by the browser is commonly known as page, and normally includes elements of different formats and standards to be interpreted.

Such elements also have their respective network addresses, and for each element needed, the browser will repeat the process. Such cycle will repeat itself until all the content elements have been received.

A communication service is a computer program which normally enables the transfer of a text message to a recipient, and which can also transfer images or animated images, documents in different formats, audio and video files, and other types of media and formats, either in real time or not.

Instant messaging services are a good example of a communication service. They are computer programs (commonly referred to as messengers) which allow users to send and receive text messages in real time. They also provide an interface to type a message (text content) and send it to a recipient.

Communication services and network clients - or browsers - may be formed by one or more parts, commonly known as client computer programs and server computer programs. Communication takes place through a network of addressable computers that can be accessed or located through a network address which, once informed, enables communication between the parties, servers, clients or services involved in the process.

As a requirement for communication to take place, or for a message exchange, both users must have an identifier in an instant messaging service, and in particular both users must know each other. When this happens, we often referred to them as contacts. Instant messaging services were originally used only to send real time short messages with little effort, and only applied to users who knew each other. The evolution of this type of service has enabled users to send, together with the text, elements that express emotions. Later, they started offering users the ability to identify whether other known users were using the same instant messaging service at the same time. This feature is commonly known as online status, that is, whether other users that they know are connected.

Basically, when someone uses and signs in a communication service, as for example an instant messaging service, a notification saying "connected to instant messaging service" is sent only to other known users (contacts); and when the person signs out, another notification saying "offline" is sent around. Thus all parties involved are able to identify in real time who is using the service, or in other words who is online and who is offline. However, this applies only to contacts that are known to the user and are part of the user's contact list.

Both browsers and communication services - as instant messaging services, in the example we used - have become very popular. The former allow users to access, obtain and interpret content and data requested from network addresses, whereas the latter allow users to communicate in real time through instant messages, in addition to allowing them to know whether other users they know (contacts) are also using the service.

However, although the use of browsers and of different types of communication services - such as instant messaging services - has evolved significantly, those that make content available on the internet to be requested by browsers still face difficulties to identify and interact with browser users who are accessing such content through a network address in real time, or even after the access.

Browser users, on the other hand, also face difficulties to communicate directly with providers or with those interested in the content available for access in a given network address. Usually, contact is made by email or through channels that do not require a real time connection (normally known as offline). In this case, communication services are inefficient because they only allow communication between users who know each other.

Therefore, a clear problem is that users of communication services (such as instant messaging services) cannot contact providers or other parties who may be interested in the content available because they are not part of the same contact list or the same communication service.

Besides, these services rely on a user identifier

(exclusively a code or electronic mail address that serve to identify the users of such services) as a way to disseminate an "online" message. However, the users themselves do not know what the others are browsing or which contents the others are trying to access so that they can interact (if they wish or have a common interest to do so).

Considering these problems, and with a view to solving them, the present method provides an additional improvement to the experience of connecting users by using any network address as an identifier of common interest. This can happen during or after access to any available content on a network address with any format or protocol, whether or not these users know each other (or in other words, including users who are not in each other's contact lists). What will notify and link them to start a communication is the network address and not the user identifier (differently from what is currently done by different communication services, such as instant messaging services).

ABSTRACT

The techniques and mechanisms described herein aim to present a method that will allow users of communication services and computer programs that are able to access network addresses and obtain data transferred through the network (such as instant messaging services and network browsers, or any program or machine used for communication) to start a communication based on different premises. In this new method, the object or information used to notify and create the link between users would be one or more network addresses of any format or protocol, and which refer to any format or type of content accessed or informed as being of common interest.

In particular, the object of this patent consists of a system and method to enable the dissemination of an "online notification using the network address as identifier" to users who are interested in communicating and interacting with other users that use a network client - such as a browser - to access available content on a network address.

The system and method described herein use network addresses as identifiers - or as origin of identification - to enable the notification, link and beginning of a communication, whereas traditional communication services adopt user unique identifiers (which are normally codes, electronic addresses or usernames) to identify and notify the online status only of those users who know each other and who use the same communication service, such as in the case of an instant messaging service.

Such notification is disseminated among users who are interested in the network address, whether or not they are in each others' contact lists, or in other words, whether or not they know each other - differently from what the current communication services do, which only disseminate online and offline notifications using a code, an electronic mail address or a username as a user identifier, and only to users who know each other and that are part of each other's list of contacts.

Once the online notification is received (using a network address as an identifier) users may start a communication with each other or with a group of users, whether or not they are part of the same network of contacts or the same communication service.

DESCRIPTION OF IMAGES

The non-limiting and non-exhaustive features of this invention are described in relation to the following images, where reference numbers refer to similar parts for all the different visualizations unless otherwise specified.

Image 1 is a diagram that shows notification using a network address to enable communication.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION INTRODUCTION

Although the following text announces a detailed description of several different features, it is necessary to understand that the legal scope of the description is defined in the words of the claims presented at the end of this report. This detailed description must be considered only as an exemplification, as it does not describe all possible features. In fact, it would be impracticable - if not impossible - to describe all possible features. Several alternative features m ight be implemented using current technology or other technologies developed after the date when this invention is filed, and this would impact on the scope of the claims. It is also necessary to understand that, unless a term is expressly defined in this invention using the expression "As used herein, the term ' ' is to be understood as meaning..." or any similar expression, there is no intention to limit the meaning of such term, neither expressly nor by implying anything, beyond its common plan or meaning. Such term must not be interpreted as limited in scope based on any statement made in any part of this invention (except in the wording of the claims). While any term mentioned in the claims at the end of this application is consistently referred to in this request with a single meaning, this is done only for the sake of clarity so as not to confound the reader, and there is no intention to limit such term in the claims to a single meaning, by implication or any other manner. Finally, unless an element of the claims is defined in relation to the word "means" and to a function without the narrative of any structure, there is no intention that the scope of any element of the claims should be interpreted with a dubious or doubtful meaning.

Much of the inventive functionality and many of the inventive principles are better implemented with or on computer programs, or integrated circuits (IC) and computer program instructions, such as specific IC applications. We expect that those that possess sufficient technical skills - notwithstanding potential significant efforts and many motivated project choices, such as time availability, competing technology and economic considerations - when guided by the concepts and principles described herein, will be promptly capable of generating such computer and IC programs and instructions with little experience. Therefore, for the sake of being concise and minimizing any risk that may obscure the principles and the concepts in line with the present invention, any additional comments on such IC or computer program, if any, will be limited to what is deemed essential with regards to the principles and concepts of the preferred features.

RATIONALE

According to what is illustrated by the image(s) above, the method of this patent is aimed at enabling the beginning of a communication between two or more actors or clients of any communication service, having any network address of any type or format as information to notify the status of Online' or 'offline', as well as the status of 'interested', without the need for clients to be part of each other's lists of contacts. The only criterion would be the common interest in a network address or any data available on a computer network, including the World Wide Web and the network addresses in such network.

As a complement, a limitation of the communication services that use mechanisms able to notify and inform whether a certain client is online or offline is the fact that such notification mechanisms rely on a user identifier, be it a code, a username or an electronic mail address, and in particular the fact that such notification mechanism only does that among users who know each other, or who by invitation have been linked previously to start a communication.

In this method, the notification mechanism uses the network address of any type or format, and of any protocol, and allows access to a server, a service element, content, data, computer program or machine, as long as it is addressable. In particular, in this method the communication actors may (but do not need to) be part of each other's contact lists, or in other words, they may know each other previously or have previously been linked, but the method offers the possibility - for those who already know each other or that are linked - to use the same mechanism. Therefore it provides all users with a new way to start a communication based on common interest in a network address.

"SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR NOTIFYING AND ENABLING THE CONNECTION OF PARTIES WITH COMMON INTERESTS BASED ON NETWORK ADDRESSES"

Incorporating the ability to identify and notify interest from the starting point of a network address of any type or format enables communication to start based on common interest in such network address.

Considering that in some way the network address is a representation of a content or data of any type or format, actors may want to communicate due to their common interest in such contents or data. In other words, the method described herein enables an improvement in the communication and browsing experience as it is guided by common interest in a content or data represented by their network address. Thus it enables the creation of contacts based on their common interests and not based on friendship, as opposed to what happens in the current communication services in their different formats.

Therefore the actors of such communication do not need to previously know each other or be part of the same list of private contacts. In the method described in the current patent, a list of public contacts is created using a network address as a way to enable communication.

Image 1 presents a scenario where the notification of access to a network address is disseminated between actors (1 and 2) who are interested in a network address, which represents a content or data of any type or format and which is available on a network server (10) in a computer network (9), as, for example, the World Wide Web.

In image 1, the actors (1 and 2) gain access to a network address which is available for access at the server (10), such as, for example, http://endereco.com.br or http://endereco.com.br/imaaem.extensao, using the network browser clients (3 and 4).

After that, the notification service clients (5 and 6) identify the main network address and also the network addresses of the content elements which have been accessed or requested by the network browsers (3 and 4), and then inform the notification server (11).

The notification service clients (5 and 6), who are connected to the communication server (12), inform the communication service clients (7 and 8) that there are some contacts who are interested in communication based on the network addresses accessed at the network server (10).

Any of the actors (1 and 2) can start the communication - which is now based on the network address, even if they do not know each other.

Communication then takes place from the starting point of an interest in the main content network address, or in other content elements as for example images or other types of media on internet pages which, when loaded on browsers, request images and other elements that may also be available on network addresses, whether they are local or public.

Claims

1. "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR NOTIFYING AND ENABLING THE CONNECTION OF PARTIES WITH COMMON INTERESTS BASED ON NETWORK ADDRESSES". It is understood as a method implemented by a computer, accessible by a processor, which includes instructions executable by a processor, which enables the dissemination and notification of any communication service or mechanism or device which accesses content or date of any type or format through a computer network, CHARACTERIZED BY:

The use of any network address of any type or format, representing or using any protocol, as an identifier of interest and linker of contacts.

2. A process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that it allows users to manifest their interest in a network address so that an online status message can be issued to notify others whenever that address is requested and accessed.

3. A process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that it enables the beginning of a communication based on common interest in a network address.

4. A process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that it enables identification and notification based on parts of the composition of the network address.

5. A process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that it enables the creation of links between public contacts based on their interest in a network address or parts thereof.

6. A process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that it enables the creation of links between users represented by public contact so that they can start a communication even if they are not part of each other's contact lists or networks in any communication service or communication program that uses a computer network.

7. A process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that it allows the notification mechanism server to register someone's interest in any network address and therefore to monitor such address and generate an online or offline message, representing such interest in the network address.

8. A process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that addresses comprehend a uniform resource locator.

9. A process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that addresses comprehend a uniform resource name.

10. A process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that computer networks comprehend the World Wide Web, local computer networks, remote computer networks, or any computer networks or devices that are able to provide access to content or data by accessing any network address.

11. A process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that the important part of the address comprehends a domain name associated with the content location.

12. A process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that an important part of the address comprehends a protocol used to recover content from the location.

13. A process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that a network browser is a computer program that provides an interface to type, and another to point and click, which enables access to several types of content through a computer network.

14. A process in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the fact that public contacts are those that are formed based on interest in a content available for access on any network address, which can be used as a whole or in part as an indicator or information of interest to display someone's status as interested, online or offline.