Patents Assigned to Social Communications Company
  • Publication number: 20130024785
    Abstract: Apparatus transmits an identifier for association with a virtual area by an administering network service, generates output data from human perceptible stimulus in a physical space, transmits the output data in connection with the virtual area, receives input data associated with the virtual area, and generates human perceptible stimulus in the physical space from the input data. A persistent association is created between the apparatus and a virtual area. A respective presence is established in the virtual area for a communicant operating a client network node connected to the virtual area. A respective connection between each active pair of complementary sources and sinks of the client network node and the apparatus are administered in association with the virtual area. A client network node displays a graphical user interface, establishes the administered connections, and presents interaction controls associated with the object for interacting with communicants in the physical space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventor: David Van Wie
  • Publication number: 20120324001
    Abstract: Other communicants in a network communications environment who have relationship ties with a user that satisfy a particular relationship predicate and who are present in a zone of a respective other virtual area that is assigned to the other communicant are determined. Indications of presence of the determined other communicants in the zones of the other virtual areas is transmitted to the user. Each virtual area is associated with a respective communicant who is present in the virtual area and has a relationship tie with the user that satisfies a relationship predicate. Responsive to user input referencing a selected virtual area, a request to establish a presence for the user in the selected virtual area is transmitted. Responsive to user input referencing a particular communicant, a request to establish a network communications link between the respective network nodes operated by the user and the particular communicant is transmitted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: Matthew Leacock, David Van Wie, Paul J. Brody
  • Publication number: 20120254858
    Abstract: Examples that are described herein provide systems and methods for creating virtual areas for realtime communications. Some examples provide a quick and easy process for creating a virtual area for a set of communicants and provisioning those communicants for realtime communications in the virtual area. Some examples provide a quick and easy way for a user to wrap a realtime communications framework around a network service. Through seamless integration of realtime communications (e.g., realtime audio, video, chat, screen sharing, and file transfer) in persistent virtual areas, these examples are able to enhance and improve communicants' experiences with a network service relative to traditional browser based methods of collaborating on network service based projects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: Josh Moyers, Matthew Leacock, Paul J. Brody, David Van Wie, Seth Miller
  • Publication number: 20120246582
    Abstract: In a network communications environment supporting realtime communications between respective network nodes of a user and other communicants in virtual areas associated with respective sets of communicant members, a graphical user interface (GUI) is provided in connection with the user's network node. The GUI includes controls for establishing presence in respective ones of the virtual areas, managing realtime communications with other communicants in respective ones of the virtual areas, and presenting different views of communicants associated with the network communications environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: Matthew Leacock, David Van Wie, Paul J. Brody
  • Publication number: 20120226987
    Abstract: A graphical user interface is displayed. The graphical user interface includes at least one communication control for managing communications with other network nodes and at least one browser control for navigating to different network resource addresses. Human perceptible realtime output is generated from realtime communication data relating to a realtime communication session with at least one other client network node. In the process of generating of at least some of the human perceptible realtime output, operation of the client network node is managed based on at least one performance target. In the graphical user interface, a graphical representation of a network resource identified in connection with the browser control is displayed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2012
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: David Van Wie, Joseph Altmaier
  • Publication number: 20120215900
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods relating to persistent network resource and virtual area associations for realtime collaboration include managing and displaying an object associated with a virtual area that supports establishment of respective presences of communicants operating respective client network nodes. Examples of the object include an object that has one or more user-modifiable property fields and an object that is associated with screen sharing functionality of the client network node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: Josh Moyers, Mattew Leacock, Paul J. Brody, David Van Wie, Robert J. Butler
  • Publication number: 20120216131
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods relating to persistent network resource and virtual area associations for realtime collaboration include managing and displaying an object associated with a virtual area that supports establishment of respective presences of communicants operating respective client network nodes. Examples of the object include an object that has one or more user-modifiable property fields and an object that is associated with screen sharing functionality of the client network node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: Josh Moyers, Matthew Leacock, Paul J. Brody, David Van Wie, Robert J. Butler
  • Publication number: 20120207290
    Abstract: A telephony interface for realtime network communications in virtual communication environments allows telephony communicants to interact with other communicants in an immersive communication environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: Josh Moyers, David Van Wie
  • Publication number: 20120179672
    Abstract: Improved systems and methods for navigating and interacting in virtual communication environments. At least some of these systems and methods provide a framework that includes one or more virtual areas and supports realtime communications between the communicants. At least some of these systems and methods provide an interface that includes navigation controls that enable a user to navigate virtual areas and interaction controls that enable the user to interact with other communicants in the one or more virtual areas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: David Van Wie, Paul J. Brody
  • Publication number: 20120159354
    Abstract: Switching real-time data stream connections between network nodes sharing a virtual area is described. In one aspect, the switching involves storing a virtual area specification. The virtual area specification includes a description of one or more switching rules each defining a respective connection between sources of a respective real-time data stream type and sinks of the real-time data stream type in terms of positions in the virtual area. Real-time data stream connections are established between network nodes associated with respective objects each of which is associated with at least one of a source and a sink of one or more of the real-time data stream types. The real-time data stream connections are established based on the one or more switching rules, the respective sources and sinks associated with the objects, and respective positions of the objects in the virtual area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: David Van Wie, Paul J. Brody
  • Patent number: 8191001
    Abstract: Improved systems and methods for navigating and interacting in virtual communication environments are described. At least some of these systems and methods provide a framework that includes one or more virtual areas and supports realtime communications between the communicants. At least some of these systems and methods provide an interface that includes navigation controls that enable a user to navigate virtual areas and interaction controls that enable the user to interact with other communicants in the one or more virtual areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: David Van Wie, Paul J. Brody
  • Publication number: 20120066306
    Abstract: A user's presence is established in a particular zone of a virtual area that is assigned to the user. An indication of the user's presence in the particular zone is transmitted to each communicant who has a respective relationship tie with the user that satisfies a governance rule that is associated with the particular zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2011
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: Matthew Leacock, David Van Wie, Paul J. Brody
  • Publication number: 20110302509
    Abstract: In a network communication environment in which communicants operating from respective client network nodes connect to different server applications, communicants who are related to a target communicant are ascertained, statuses of the related communicants with respect to the different server applications are determined, and indications of the related communicants and the determined statuses of the related communicants are transmitted to the target communicant. Graphical representations of the related communicants and graphical indications of the statuses of the related communicants with respect to connections to the different server applications may be displayed on a display. A contact list including a respective graphical representation of each of one or more of the communicants also may be displayed in association with visual cues representing the ascertained types of current interaction activities respectively engaged in by the one or more communicants.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2011
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: Matthew Leacock, David Van Wie, Paul J. Brody
  • Publication number: 20110274104
    Abstract: A persistent virtual area that supports establishment of respective presences of communicants operating respective network nodes connected to the virtual area even after all network nodes have disconnected from the virtual area is maintained. A presence in the virtual area is established for a user of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) terminal device. Transmission of data associated with the virtual area to the PSTN terminal device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2011
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: Eric Cozzi, David Van Wie, Paul J. Brody, Matthew Leacock
  • Publication number: 20110185286
    Abstract: A web browser interface for visualizing realtime network communications in spatial communication environments allows communicants to interact with other communicants in an immersive spatial communication environment without having to install any specialized communication software and without requiring special proxies or firewall additions or exceptions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Publication date: July 28, 2011
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: Josh Moyers, David Van Wie
  • Publication number: 20100318662
    Abstract: In one aspect, one or more real-time data stream connections that deliver a set of real-time data streams to a given network node are determined based at least in part on bandwidth capabilities of the given network node. In another aspect, for each of one or more recipient network nodes, a respective link over which to transmit a respective transmission set of one or more real-time data streams is determined. For each of the links, the respective link bandwidth is apportioned to between one or more channels that are respectively allocated to the one or more real-time data streams in the respective transmission set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2010
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: David Van Wie, Paul J. Brody
  • Patent number: 7844724
    Abstract: In one aspect, one or more real-time data stream connections that deliver a set of real-time data streams to a given network node are determined based at least in part on bandwidth capabilities of the given network node. In another aspect, for each of one or more recipient network nodes, a respective link over which to transmit a respective transmission set of one or more real-time data streams is determined. For each of the links, the respective link bandwidth is apportioned between one or more channels that are respectively allocated to the one or more real-time data streams in the respective transmission set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: David Van Wie, Paul J. Brody
  • Publication number: 20100274848
    Abstract: A stream transport protocol supports realtime network communications between communicants operating on respective network nodes. The stream transport protocol supports remote management of client communication sessions, including provisioning of each pair of client network nodes with a respective session definition defining a respective peer-to-peer session over a network connection between the constituent client network nodes of the pair. The stream transport protocol has relatively low computational resource requirements so that realtime communications performance can be achieved using a wide range of computing devices and network connections that currently are available.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Publication date: October 28, 2010
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: Joseph Altmaier, Robert J. Butler, David Van Wie
  • Publication number: 20100268843
    Abstract: Switching real-time data stream connections between network nodes sharing a virtual area is described. In one aspect, the switching involves storing a virtual area specification. The virtual area specification includes a description of one or more switching rules each defining a respective connection between sources of a respective real-time data stream type and sinks of the real-time data stream type in terms of positions in the virtual area. Real-time data stream connections are established between network nodes associated with respective objects each of which is associated with at least one of a source and a sink of one or more of the real-time data stream types. The real-time data stream connections are established based on the one or more switching rules, the respective sources and sinks associated with the objects, and respective positions of the objects in the virtual area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: David Van Wie, Paul J. Brody
  • Publication number: 20100257450
    Abstract: Ones of the windows associated with a software process are identified in a screen layout on a local display of a sharer network node. On the sharer network node, an image of the identified windows as they are arranged in the screen layout and free of obscuration by any other windows in the screen layout is generated. The image is transmitted from the sharer network node to a viewer network node. Also, commands derived from input device events on sharer and viewer network nodes are received. The received commands are processed into a command sequence, which is passed to a shared process executing on the sharer network node. Windows associated with the shared process are presented on the sharer network node in accordance with the received command sequence. An image of the presented windows is generated and transmitted from the sharer network node to the viewer network node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2009
    Publication date: October 7, 2010
    Applicant: Social Communications Company
    Inventors: Alex Say Go, Viadimir Petter