Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to buddy list management and provide a method, system and computer program product for automatically adding new instant messenger buddies from conversational collaborators in an IP telephony session. In one embodiment of the invention, a buddy list augmentation method can be provided. The method can include receiving telephony call data for an IP telephony call with a collaborator, locating a screen name for the collaborator, and adding the located screen name to a buddy list for an instant messaging system. Optionally, the method further can include applying any or all of filtering, limiting and pruning rules to the screen name to determine whether or not to add the located screen name to the buddy list.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to hierarchical tree file browsers and provide a method, system and computer program product for selectably flattening a hierarchical tree object structure in a hierarchical tree object browser. In one embodiment of the invention, a method of flattening an object hierarchy in an object browser can be provided. The method can include selecting a node in an object hierarchy in an object browser and, responsive to selecting the node, displaying content for the selected node and content for at least one node below the selected node in the object browser.

Abstract: The invention provides a method, system, and program product for organizing the contributions of each of a plurality of participants to an electronic communication. In one embodiment, the invention includes providing a list of participants to an electronic communication; accessing contents of the electronic communication; correlating at least one portion of the contents to each of the participants; and adding at least one link to the correlated contents to the list of participants, wherein the list of participants includes at least one participant whose identifying information has been predefined.

Abstract: Interface mechanism for quickly accessing recently used artifacts in a computer desktop environment. The interface mechanism integrates across a multitude of tools available in a computer desktop environment to present a list of recently used computer artifacts that can be automatically sorted or filtered in useful ways. Examples of computer-based artifacts that the interface can present include objects that relate to people, events, URLs, email messages, attachments, shared objects or shared activities. Filtering and sorting operations enable the interface mechanism to provide a list of the computer artifacts in a manner that is useful to the user. Also, the interface mechanism permits to perform frequently desired operations beyond opening a file or application such as dragging and dropping items for copying and pasting into the user's current context.

Abstract: A system and method for evaluating an information aggregate. A metrics database stores document indicia including document attributes and associated person. A query engine responsive to a user request and the metrics database aggregates documents having same, unique attributes in a plurality of information aggregates, and determines the intersections of said information aggregates. A visualization engine displays these intersections selectively with reference to people, documents, usage patterns or categories.

Abstract: A system and method for determining a social network. A metrics database stores virtual object indicia including document attributes, activities, and associated persons. A query engine responsive to a user request and the metrics database infers individual connections to the virtual object by individuals executing the activities. A visualization engine visualizes membership in the social network as including these individuals and the activities connecting them. The query engine further collects a plurality of documents having non-unique values on a first shared attribute into an aggregate, and the visualization engine further filters the social network to include only individuals having membership in the aggregate.

Abstract: A method and a system for managing communications over a network. The method can include receiving from a first user at least one user identifier associated with a second user and receiving at least one session identifier. The session identifier can correlate to a chat session on the network. Responsive to the second user posting a chat in the chat session while the first user is not currently participating in the chat session, a user notification can be generated to alert the first user that the second user has posted the chat, and to identify the chat session. The user notification can be presented to the first user via a client communicatively linked to the network.

Abstract: A system and method for synchronizing profile data based on one or more changes in affinity to knowledge data in a system. The profile data may include at least an affinity of a person to knowledge data. In some embodiments, metadata information associated with stored content belonging to one or more topical categories of knowledge data may be provided. The metadata information may represent a history of the person's activities with the stored content. The affinity of the person to the one or more topical categories of knowledge data may be determined based at least in part on the metadata information. One or more changes in the affinity of the person to the one or more topical categories of knowledge data may be determined. The profile data may be synchronized to indicate the determined one or more changes.

Abstract: A method and structure for identifying potential relationships between users of a computer network is disclosed. The invention extracts relationship information from databases in the computer network in order to establish multiple relationship chains of the users from the relationship information. More specifically, the invention evaluates network information and network communications between the users to produce metrics and processes the metrics to produce contact information. The contact information indicates whether a personal relationship exists between two users. In addition, the invention can produce relationship values representing strengths of social relationships between users of the computer network based on such relationship information.

Abstract: System and method for evaluating an information aggregate by analyzing categories into which each document of the aggregate is placed. A metrics database stores for each document indicia including associated categories. A query engine is responsive to a user request and the metrics database for aggregating documents having same, unique attributes in an information aggregate and identifying categories associated with documents comprising the information aggregate; and a visualization engine visualizes the category or set of categories, such as by list or distribution frequency, and changes in time over conceptual or physical space.

Abstract: A computer- and software-based apparatus and method is disclosed for managing and presenting information as a domain of data objects which can be grouped according to their category or “object type,” and which can be associated with other data objects, of same or differing object types, according to a myriad of relationship types. The system and method present the network of objects using a computer-generated graphical user interface (GUI) which may comprise a series of tables or trees or other means for representing a set. The invention provides for display of a primary object set comprising a plurality of primary data objects sharing a common object type. On the same or a related GUI display, a plurality of other object sets, known as “secondary object sets,” are displayed in order to present data objects related to the data objects of the primary object set.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to analysis of electronic data. More particularly, the invention provides a computerized method for grouping data objects to improve data analysis, the method comprising identifying application data objects having similar content, comprising decomposing a plurality of application data objects created by more than one application program and clustering the application data objects to identify elements in the application data objects having similar content, the identifying comprising parsing each decomposed application data object of the plurality of application data objects into one or more tokens and representing each application data object as a vector comprising a combination of some or all of the one or more tokens; labeling some or all of the application data objects according to identified elements; and aggregating related application data objects.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to protecting privacy in a common item discovery system. More particularly, the invention provides a method for protecting privacy in a common item discovery system, the method comprising identifying an item instance in common between two or more parties and filtering, according to privacy preferences associated with each party, indication of the identified item instance as common to the parties.

Abstract: Under the present invention, a data item is obtained from a private data source. Upon reception, a relationship of the data item to an entity is identified. Then, approval to publish the data item is obtained from a data item approver. Once the data item has been approved for publication, approval to publish the relationship is obtained from a relationship approver. Once approval is obtained from both the data item approver and the relationship approver, the data item and the relationship will be published.

Abstract: A method and structure for identifying potential relationships between users of a computer network is disclosed. The invention extracts relationship information from databases in the computer network in order to establish multiple relationship chains of the users from the relationship information. More specifically, the invention evaluates network information and network communications between the users to produce metrics and processes the metrics to produce contact information. The contact information indicates whether a personal relationship exists between two users. In addition, the invention can produce relationship values representing strengths of social relationships between users of the computer network based on such relationship information.

Abstract: The invention provides method of displaying strengths of social relationships between users of a computerized network. The invention evaluates network information, such as network communications, between one user of the network and other users of the network to produce metrics. The invention then normalizes the metrics from the perspective of the viewing user to produce relationship values representing strengths of social relationships between the viewing user and the other users. The invention classifies the relationship values into different groups, and optionally assigns context commands to each of the groups. The invention places each of the other users in one of the groups (according to their relationship value) and then displays a listing of the other users and their associated group identifications.

Abstract: A request corresponding to a target user is received from a querying user. The request can specifically identify the target user, or it could include a search criteria that results in identification of one or more target users. In any event, once the request is received, entries of data items (e.g., user profiles) associated with the target user(s) and the querying user (or some other user) are accessed. Based on the data items in the querying user's profile (or the other user's profile), the data items in the target user's profiles are filtered so that the querying user is not presented with an overload of information. Once the target user's profile has been filtered, it will be presented to the querying user.

Abstract: Under the present invention, a collection of user profiles is provided. Each user profile includes one or more attributes that are associated with a set of data items. When a particular user profile is selected by a querying user, the data items therein are compared to the data items of the other user profiles. Any of the other user profiles that have data items that match those in the selected user profile will be identified as a similar user profile. A list of similar user profiles can then be generated and provided to the querying user.

Abstract: Information in a database collection of knowledge resources is evaluated by collecting a plurality of documents having non-unique values on a shared attribute into an information aggregate; assigning to each document an usefulness value; and calculating and visualizing the knowledge capital of the aggregate as a sum of the usefulness values for all documents in the aggregate.

Abstract: A navigator for repositioning and magnifying a computer display view is provided. Under the present invention, the navigator includes a container and an indicator. By moving the indicator around within the container, a computer display view will exhibit a corresponding change. For example, if the indicator is moved vertically, the computer display view will be magnified. If the indicator is moved horizontally, the computer display view will be repositioned horizontally.