User availability aware communication system

• US 10,511,564 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2017
• Issued: 12/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Govande, Shailesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Baturay, Alicia
• Application Number:
  US15/411,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20180212920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 709206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• 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: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

This disclosure provides various techniques that may allow for user availability aware communication. For example, a first user may desire to send an electronic message to a second user, but may not have a way to intelligently select a messaging service to use. This disclosure provides, in one example of user availability aware messaging, that a particular messaging service may be selected based on activity information regarding the second user'"'"'s activity on one or more messaging services. The electronic message may be sent to the second user via the particular messaging service.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing, by a computer system, contact information for one or more users, wherein the contact information is indicative of an association with a plurality of different messaging services;

receiving, from a first user by the computer system, a request to send an electronic message to a second user;

accessing, by the computer system, user activity information collected from the plurality of different messaging services, wherein the user activity information indicates the second user'"'"'s activity on ones of the plurality of different messaging services, and wherein the user activity information specifies for a given messaging service;

a last engagement time indicative of when the second user last engaged with the given messaging service; and

a frequency value indicative of a number of times that the second user has engaged with the given messaging service within a given time period;

determining, by the computer system based on the user activity information, a score for each of the plurality of different messaging services, wherein the score for the given messaging service is determined by;

adjusting the last engagement time based on the frequency value; and

computing a difference between a time at which the electronic message is to be sent and the adjusted last engagement time;

selecting, by the computer system based on the score for each different messaging service, a particular one of the plurality of messaging services; and

sending, by the computer system, the electronic message to the second user via the particular messaging service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to send the electronic message includes an identifier associated with the second user that is particular to a first messaging service of the plurality of different messaging services.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the particular messaging service is a messaging service other than the first messaging service.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising querying, by the computer system responsive to determining that contact information for the second user is not available locally, one or more services to obtain the contact information for the second user.

5. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to processor, wherein the memory has computer instructions stored thereon that are capable of being executed by the system to cause operations comprising;

receiving a request from a first user to send an electronic message to a second user;

accessing user activity information collected from a plurality of different messaging services, wherein the user activity information indicates the second user'"'"'s activity on ones of the plurality of different messaging services, wherein accessing the user activity information includes querying the plurality of different messaging services to receive the user activity information, and wherein the user activity information specifies for a given one of the plurality of different messaging services;

a last engagement time indicative of when the second user last engaged with the given messaging service; and

a frequency value indicative of a number of times that the second user has engaged with the given messaging service within a given time period;

calculating, based on the user activity information, a metric for each of the plurality of different messaging services, wherein the metric for the given messaging service is calculated by;

adjusting the last engagement time based on the frequency value; and

computing a difference between a time at which the electronic message is to be sent and the adjusted last engagement time;

selecting, based on the metric for each different messaging service, a particular one of the plurality of messaging services; and

sending the electronic message to the second user via the particular messaging service.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the particular messaging service is selected based on the particular messaging service having the highest metric of the plurality of messaging services.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise querying one or more services for contact information for the second user responsive to determining that the contact information for the second user is not available locally.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the determining that the contact information for the contact information for the second user is not available locally is performed responsive to the first user indicating an identity of the second user.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer instructions stored thereon that are capable of being executed by a computer system to cause operations comprising:

storing contact information for one or more users, wherein the contact information is indicative of an association with a plurality of different messaging services;

receiving a request from a first user to send an electronic message to a second user;

accessing user activity information collected from the plurality of different messaging services, wherein the user activity information indicates the second user'"'"'s activity on ones of the plurality of different messaging services, and wherein the user activity information specifies for a given one of the plurality of different messaging services;

a last engagement time indicative of when the second user last engaged with the given messaging service; and

a frequency value indicative of a number of times that the second user has engaged with the given messaging service within a given time period;

determining, based on the user activity information, a score for each of the plurality of messaging services, wherein the score for the given messaging service is determined by;

adjusting the last engagement time based on the frequency value; and

computing a difference between a time at which the electronic message is to be sent and the adjusted last engagement time;

selecting, based on the determined score for messaging service, a particular one of the plurality of messaging services; and

sending the electronic message to the second user via the particular messaging service.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise determining whether contact information for the second user is available locally.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise querying one or more services to obtain the contact information for the second user responsive to determining that the contact information for the second user is not available locally.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the querying the one or more services includes sending a request for the contact information for the second user via a respective application programming interface for the one or more services.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise determining a priority rating for the electronic message based on content of the electronic message.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the selecting is further based on the priority rating for the electronic message.