# US 8,751,580 B2 · Real-time communication and information collaboration system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,751,580 B2 - Document ID: US8751580B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/803,868 - Filed: 2010-07-07 - Published: 2013-08-01 - Granted: 2014-06-10 - Earliest claimed: 2010-07-07 - Applicants: Thomas Owen - Inventors: Thomas Owen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8751580B2 ## CPC - 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 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 12/66: Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways - H04L 51/04: Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A method and apparatus for real-time communication and collaboration including visual modelling and creation of virtual collaboration regions in which users come together and see the media other users have to decide how they will communicate via use of compatible communication devices or common or connected software platforms. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A real-time communication and Information collaboration system including: one or more user accounts, the one or more user accounts being associated with respective one or more users, the user's account being administered by the user to control aspects of client collaboration formation; one or more client devices for participating in the client collaboration, such that client device interaction is controlled in an agent collaboration though an active affiliation that appears in the client collaboration as a participant, whereby an active affiliation is associated with the user's account and provides one or more connections and one or more affiliations; an agent device wherein agent collaboration aware client devices connect to the agent device, and one or more agent devices participate in one or more agent collaborations wherein the agent collaboration is a virtual environment in which the one or more users participate in client collaborations with the one or more client devices providing a physical environment which is implemented as a network of one or more agent collaboration agent devices; and wherein media profiles facilitate communication between the agent collaboration and the client devices such that each client device interfaces with at least one media profile before connecting to an agent collaboration through a user's account and each media profile identifies a known set of interaction parameters forming a medium, composed of one or more enabling constraints to allow the agent collaboration whereby the media profile allows a collaboration's media-specific behaviour to be reflected in the agent device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A real-time communication and information collaboration system according to claim 1, the system further including a modeling and visual representation of client collaborations in an agent collaboration by providing a client collaboration chip which is an icon that represents the user's account on an agent collaboration view with one or more users registering interest in one or more other users' accounts by importing client collaboration chips into one's view of the agent collaboration and wherein each client collaboration is governed by a collaboration mode which identifies which of the one or more users are privy to its activity, and whether or not any of the one or more users are able to participate. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A system according to claim 2, wherein the system further includes a plurality of servers configured to be interconnected with each other to define the agent collaboration in which client collaborations can form via a networked connection to each other. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) A real-time communication and information collaboration system according to claim 2, wherein the account profile is adapted to maintain record of details including, but not limited to, user details, account details, access and security permissions, details of associated communication devices and/or media profiles and any other suitable information. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A real-time communication and information collaboration system according to claim 1, wherein a representation of another's user's accounts is locatable and importable by one of the one or more users for collaboration with that another user. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A real-time communication and information collaboration system according to claim 1, wherein the system provides centralizing and abstracting the collaboration of the one or more users to form impromptu collaborations through any media the one or more users choose to use. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A real-time communication and information collaboration system according to claim 1, wherein the system determines similarities in managing collaborations from the media profiles, and provides an opportunity to display an identical and intuitive interface to the one or more users, the interface not dependent on the medium being used. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A real-time communication and collaboration system according to claim 1, wherein agent collaborations are modelled inside themselves as client collaborations. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A real-time communication and information collaboration system according to claim 1, wherein each of the one or more users has a client collaboration account and the user account is associated with at least one account profile.