# US 8,542,811 B2 · Recursive identification of individuals for casual collaborative conferencing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,542,811 B2 - Document ID: US8542811B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/429,142 - Filed: 2012-03-23 - Published: 2012-07-19 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 1999-08-10 - Assignees: Rockstar Consotrium US LP - Applicants: Craig Alexander Will - Inventors: Craig Alexander Will - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8542811B2 ## CPC - H04L 43/10: Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route - H04L 12/1818: {Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties} - H04L 12/1822: {Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission} - H04L 65/403: Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15) - H04L 67/535: {Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34)} - H04M 3/533: Voice mail systems - H04M 3/56: Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities (video conference systems H04N7/15) - H04L 67/131: Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality - H04M 2203/2044: Group features, e.g. closed user group - H04M 2203/4536: Voicemail combined with text-based messaging - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract A method for real-time communication among two or more individuals separated in space. The method includes the steps of determining that a first individual is likely to be interested in communicating with a second individual via a first communications link; retrieving information via the first communications link about one or more additional individuals from electronic memory means associated with the second individual; and establishing communication with at least one of the additional individuals based on the retrieved information. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of enabling communications between users in a network, the method comprising: monitoring communication between a first user and at least one other user; recording information relating to the communication between the first user and the at least one other user in a directory associated with the first user; and sending to a second user, via a communications link connected to the directory associated with the first user, information relating to the communication between the first user and the at least one other user. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising sending to the second user, via a communications link connected to the directory associated with the first user, information related to the at least one other user. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the information related to the at least one other user comprises at least one of the following: an email address, a name, a login name and a picture. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the information relating to the communications comprises a frequency of communication. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the information relating to the communications comprises a form of communication. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving permissions information from a user, the permissions information defining information relating to communication which can be accessed by others via the network. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the permissions information defines information relating to communication which can be accessed by the public. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the permissions information defines information relating to communication which can be accessed by specific persons designated by the first user. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the permissions information defines information relating to communication which can be accessed by by members of a specific group designated by the first user. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving permissions information from a user, the permissions information defining information related to the at least one user which can be accessed by others via the network. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the permissions information defines information related to the at least one user which can be accessed by the public. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the permissions information defines the information related to the at least one user which can be accessed by specific persons designated by the first user. ### Claim 13 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the permissions information defines information related to the at least one user which can be accessed by by members of a specific group designated by the first user. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the second user to communicate with the at least one other user. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving permissions information from a user, the permissions information defining available forms of communication in which the second user can communicate with the at least one other user. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the available forms of communication comprise at least one of the following: voice, interactive text, internet chat, email and video. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a conferencing application monitors the communication between the first user and the at least one other user and records the information relating to the communication between the first user and the at least one other user in the directory associated with the first user. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the conferencing application creates the directory associated with the first user.