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.

Shared virtual area communication environment based apparatus and methods

A method includes displaying information associated with a first application on a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device. A gesture is detected on the touch-sensitive display, which gesture indicates a request to display information associated with a second application. At least part of the information associated with the second application is displayed without opening the second application.

Electronic device and method of displaying information in response to a gesture

A method comprises detecting, by a portable electronic device having a display, a gesture, selecting a category of selectable items based on the gesture. The method further comprises identifying one or more selectable items within the selected category to be displayed, and displaying the one or more selectable items.

Electronic device and method of controlling a display

A device, system, and method are directed towards sending a status of a user in a social network to a recipient. In one embodiment, a status of the user is received over a channel. The channel may include an application protocol. The recipient is selected based on a membership in the social network, a preference of the recipient, or a media format of the status. Another channel is selected based on information about a mode of communication between the recipient and the user and/or another member related to the user in the social network. The status may be modified based on social network information, preferences of a recipient, receiving device information, channel information, or the like. The status is forwarded to the recipient over the other channel. Forwarding may comprise unicasting, multicasting, and/or delaying sending the status until the other channel is available.

Provisioning my status information to others in my social network

A spatial layout of zones of a virtual area in a network communication environment is displayed. A user can have a respective presence in each of one or more of the zones. Navigation controls and interaction controls are presented. The navigation controls enable the user to specify where to establish a presence in the virtual area. The interaction controls enable the user to manage interactions with one or more other communicants in the network communication environment. A respective presence of the user is established in each of one or more of the zones on response to input received via the navigation controls. Respective graphical representations of the communicants are depicted in each of the zones where the communicants respectively have presence.

Interfacing with a spatial virtual communication environment

A system, interface and method provide for agenda based meeting management that enables an agenda to be determined and utilized for managing one or more meetings that may include locally located participants, remote participants or both. Various embodiments enable meeting management to be conducted in an independent manner or in a composited manner with a conferencing or other meeting or support application or application data. Embodiments further provide for responding to user modification of a meeting or agenda item or group scheduling by automatically re-scheduling the meeting uncompleted agenda items or both according to the user modification. A management UI embodiment further provides a progress bar including a progress indicator and agenda indicia that may be disposed proximate to the progress indicator with spacing of the indicia being proportional to current agenda item scheduling. A more specific embodiment enables the progress bar to be used for tracking, controlling or modifying agenda portions.

Agenda based meeting management system, interface and method

A customizable mechanism is provided for determining and reporting the overall reachability of a user based on the current statuses of a variety of network elements associated with the user, such as devices or applications that a user may use to communicate with others. The system can evaluate customizable reachability rules to determine an overall reachability status for the user. The system provides for distribution of reachability status and presence statuses of network elements to authorized subscribers.

Providing an aggregate reachability status

A method for displaying communication events is provided. The method includes collecting past, present, and future communication events from two or more communication services, where a communication device performs the collecting; combining the past, present, and future communication events into a communication events list, where the communication device performs the combining; and displaying the communication events list, such that past, present, and future communication events may be viewed, where the communication events list is displayed on the communication device.

Service communication list

Methods and apparatus for allowing parties to temporarily and automatically bypass an established 'do not disturb' (DND) are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method includes applying a DND with respect to a telephone apparatus associated with a telephone number for a first party, and obtaining a first indication of a first new attempt by the first party to establish contact with a second party. The method also includes maintaining a second indication which indicates that a first attempted call from the second party to the telephone number is a response to the first new attempt. It is determined if the first attempted call from second party to establish contact with the first party occurs. If the first attempted call is made, the method includes routing the first attempted call from the second party to the telephone apparatus such that the DND is effectively bypassed.

Intelligent do not disturb rule

In one embodiment, an identification (ID) of a person involved in a current communication is utilized to access a communication log to determine an active time interval of a previous communication with the same person. The active time interval is utilized to identify the context material of the previous communication and access to the context material is provided during the current communication.

David Butt

Papers

Agenda based meeting management system, interface and method

Providing an aggregate reachability status

Service communication list

Intelligent do not disturb rule

Creation of context for communications based on previous interactions