Method and computer program product for establishing real-time communications between networked computers

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product is provided for establishing real-time communications between computer users connected by a communications network. An invitation is created by a first computer. An invitation is data that proposes a communication session. An invitation can indicate the status or availability of the sending user or of some other resource. Creation of the invitation is followed by the transfer of the invitation from the first computer to at least one second computer. The invitation can be transferred electronically through the network, or physically, by the transfer of a magnetic medium bearing the invitation. The invitation contains parameters to configure an invitation communicator application for communications between the first and second computers. The second computer accepts the invitation and invokes an invitation communicator application to allow communication.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for communicating presence information about a first user at a first computer to a second user at a second computer, the method comprising:
 receiving by the second computer via e-mail an invitation containing presence information of the first user at the first computer, wherein said invitation proposes real-time communication session between said first computer and said second computer, wherein said invitation contains data capable of invoking an invitation communicator application for facilitating said real-time communication session between said first computer and said second computer and data for displaying an interface to said invitation communicator application;   determining by the second computer whether said invitation containing data is able to be displayed within the e-mail on said second computer, wherein said second computer receives a link that when activated causes said second computer to access and download a control module for displaying said invitation within the e-mail on said second computer when said second computer determines that said invitation containing data is unable to be displayed within the e-mail on said second computer; and   invoking an invitation communicator application in said second computer and displaying said presence information of the first user and the interface to said invitation communicator application within said e-mail on said second computer when said invitation is able to be displayed on said second computer or wherein said invitation contains data for downloading said invitation communicator application from an online source, wherein said invitation provides parameters to configure said invitation communicator application, wherein the invitation communicator application establishes the real-time communication session between the first computer and the second computer, and wherein the second user of said second computer participates in said real-time communication session through interaction with said interface to said invitation communicator application within said e-mail on said second computer.   
     
     
         2 . A method for communicating presence information about a first user at a first computer to a second user at a second computer, the method comprising:
 receiving by the second computer via e-mail an invitation containing presence information of the first user at the first computer, wherein said invitation proposes real-time communication session between said first computer and said second computer, wherein said invitation contains data capable of invoking an invitation communicator application for facilitating said real-time communication session between said first computer and said second computer and data for displaying an interface to said invitation communicator application;   determining by the second computer whether said invitation containing data is able to be displayed within the e-mail on said second computer, and downloading a control module for displaying said invitation within the e-mail on said second computer when said second computer determines that said invitation containing data is unable to be displayed within the e-mail on said second computer; and   invoking an invitation communicator application in said second computer and displaying said presence information of the first user and the interface to said invitation communicator application within said e-mail on said second computer, wherein said invitation provides parameters to configure said invitation communicator application, wherein the invitation communicator application establishes the real-time communication session between the first computer and the second computer, and wherein the second user of said second computer participates in said real-time communication session through interaction with said interface to said invitation communicator application within said e-mail on said second computer.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 sending to the second computer a cookie containing the presence information.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 sending to the second computer a GIF file containing the presence information.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 executing a script on the second computer to cause the second computer to retrieve the presence information from the first computer.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said script being selected from the group consisting of a hyper text markup language (HTML) script, a dynamic hyper text markup language (DHTML) script, a common gateway interface (CGI) script, a server side include (SSI) script, a Java script and an Active X control. 
     
     
         7 . A computer-based method for providing to a second user at a second computer presence information about a first user at a first computer, comprising the steps of:
 receiving by the second computer via e-mail an invitation containing presence information about the first user at the first computer, wherein said invitation proposes real-time communication session between said first computer and said second computer, wherein said invitation contains data capable of invoking an invitation communicator application for facilitating the real-time communication session between said first computer and said second computer and data for displaying an interface to said invitation communicator application;   determining, by the second computer, whether the invitation containing the presence information is able to be displayed within the e-mail on the second computer and when the second computer determines that the invitation containing the presence information is unable to be displayed within the e-mail on the second computer, downloading a control module for displaying said invitation within the e-mail; and   displaying said presence information of the first user and the interface to said invitation communicator application within said e-mail on said second computer, wherein the second user of said second computer participates in said real-time communication session through interaction with said interface to said invitation communicator application within said e-mail on said second computer.   
     
     
         8 . A system for communicating presence information, the system comprising:
 means for determining presence information associated with a first user based on interaction by the first user with the first computer;   means for transferring an invitation containing the presence information to a second computer via an e-mail, wherein said invitation proposes said real-time communication session between said first computer and said second computer, and further wherein said invitation contains data capable of facilitating real-time communication between said first computer and said second computer and data for displaying an interface to said invitation communicator application;   means for determining whether said invitation containing data is able to be displayed within the e-mail on said second computer, and means for download a control module for displaying said invitation within the e-mail on said second computer when said second computer determines that said invitation containing data is unable to be displayed within the e-mail on said second computer   means for establishing said real-time communication session between said first and second computers by invoking an invitation communicator application in said second computer, wherein said invitation provides parameters to configure said invitation communicator application;   means for displaying said presence information of the first user and the interface to said invitation communicator application within said e-mail on said second computer, wherein a second user of said second computer participates in said real-time communication session through interaction with said interface to said invitation communicator application within said e-mail on said second computer.