Instant message user management

• US 10,326,717 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2017
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Karstens, Christopher K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blair, Douglas B
• Application Number:
  US15/827,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20180083897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for improving management of user information in instant messaging systems. Expiration criteria are defined, whereby one or more users or user groups may be considered as having “expired” from consideration by instant messaging functions such as presence determination. In particular, instant messaging activity is preferably used as an expiration criterion. Absence of inbound or outbound messages for a specified amount of time (or since a particular date/time) can therefore be used as a trigger for treating a user or group of users as expired. As a result, efficiency of an instant messaging system is improved by omitting the expired users and groups from subsequent management operations. Optionally, an expired user or group may be revived upon occurrence of certain events (such as a newly-arriving instant message from, or a change in presence status of, the user or group).

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for user management in an instant messaging (“

IM”

) system, comprising;

storing, in a data structure stored on a storage medium, information about each of a plurality of users remembered for an IM client that is operably connected to the IM system, the information stored for each of the remembered users being usable for determining whether the remembered user should be treated as expired when the IM system performs a presence detection function to determine current presence status on behalf of the IM client;

responsive to the IM system receiving a notification of a predetermined type, the notification pertaining to at least one of the remembered users, updating, in the data structure for each of the at least one of the remembered users, the stored information usable for determining whether the remembered user should be treated as expired when the IM system performs the presence detection function; and

performing the presence detection function of the IM system to determine the current presence status on behalf of the IM client, comprising;

for each of the plurality of remembered users, consulting the information stored for the remembered user in the data structure to determine whether the user is to be treated as expired;

for each of the remembered users for which the consulting determines that the user is to be treated as expired, omitting the user as a remembered user when the presence detection function determines the current presence status, but not deleting the user from the plurality of users remembered for the IM client; and

for each of the remembered users for which the consulting determines that the user is not to be treated as expired, including the user as a remembered user when the presence detection function determines the current presence status.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the notification of the predetermined type comprises a notification that the IM client has sent an outbound instant message to each of the at least one of the remembered users.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the notification of the predetermined type comprises a notification that the IM client has received an inbound instant message from each of the at least one of the remembered users.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the notification of the predetermined type comprises a notification that an IM status of each of the at least one of the remembered users has changed to a predetermined state.

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the notification of the predetermined type comprises a notification that an active IM presence has been detected for each of the at least one of the remembered users.

6. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the notification of the predetermined type comprises a notification from a status-aware system that is distinct from the IM system.

7. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the updating comprises changing at least one date stored in the data structure, the changed date being usable in computing whether each of the least one of the remembered users should be treated as expired when the IM system performs the presence detection function.

8. A system for user management in an instant messaging (“

IM”

) system, comprising;

a computer comprising a processor;

a data structure stored on a storage medium operably connected to the computer, the data structure storing information about each of a plurality of users remembered for an IM client that is operably connected to the IM system; and

instructions which are executable, using the processor, to perform functions comprising;

performing a presence detection function of the IM system to determine current presence status of remembered users on behalf of the IM client, comprising;

for each of the plurality of remembered users, consulting the information stored for the remembered user in the data structure to determine whether the user is to be treated as expired due to absence of communication with the IM client during a period of time; and

responsive to determining that the user is to be treated as expired, omitting the user as a remembered user when the presence detection function determines the current presence status for remembered users, but not deleting the user from the plurality of users remembered for the IM client, and otherwise including the user as a remembered user when the presence detection function determines the current presence status.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein:

the data structure stores, for each of the plurality of remembered users, an indication of whether the user is to be treated as expired when the IM system performs the presence detection function; and

the functions further comprise using the indication as the determination of whether the user is to be treated as expired.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein:

the data structure stores, for each of the plurality of remembered users, (i) a date of last communication between the remembered user and the IM client and (ii) a time interval; and

the functions further comprise computing, from the date of last communication and the time interval, the determination of whether the user is to be treated as expired.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the functions further comprise:

providing, on a graphical user interface of the IM client, a visual indication of users with whom the IM client communicates, the visual indication for any of the remembered users that are to be treated as expired but not deleted being different from the visual indication for ones of the remembered users that are not to be treated as expired.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the functions further comprise:

providing, on a graphical user interface of the IM client, a visual indication of users with whom the IM client communicates, the visual indication omitting each of the remembered users that are to be treated as expired but not deleted.

13. A computer program product for user management in an instant messaging (“

IM”

) system, comprising;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code configured for;

storing, in a data structure stored on a storage medium, information about each of a plurality of users remembered for an IM client that is operably connected to the IM system, the information stored for each of the remembered users being usable for determining whether the remembered user should be treated as expired when the IM system performs a presence detection function to determine current presence status on behalf of the IM client;

responsive to the IM system receiving a notification of a predetermined type, the notification pertaining to at least one of the remembered users, updating, in the data structure for each of the at least one of the remembered users, the stored information usable for determining whether the remembered user should be treated as expired when the IM system performs the presence detection function; and

performing the presence detection function of the IM system to determine the current presence status on behalf of the IM client, comprising;

for each of the plurality of remembered users, consulting the information stored for the remembered user in the data structure to determine whether the user is to be treated as expired;

for each of the remembered users for which the consulting determines that the user is to be treated as expired, omitting the user as a remembered user when the presence detection function determines the current presence status, but not deleting the user from the plurality of users remembered for the IM client; and

for each of the remembered users for which the consulting determines that the user is not to be treated as expired, including the user as a remembered user when the presence detection function determines the current presence status.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the notification of the predetermined type comprises a notification that the IM client has sent an outbound instant message to each of the at least one of the remembered users.

15. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the notification of the predetermined type comprises a notification that the IM client has received an inbound instant message from each of the at least one of the remembered users.

16. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the notification of the predetermined type comprises a notification that an IM status of each of the at least one of the remembered users has changed to a predetermined state.

17. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the notification of the predetermined type comprises a notification that an active IM presence has been detected for each of the at least one of the remembered users.

18. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the notification of the predetermined type comprises a notification from a status-aware system that is distinct from the IM system.

19. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the updating comprises changing at least one date stored in the data structure, the changed date being usable in computing whether each of the least one of the remembered users should be treated as expired when the IM system performs the presence detection function.