METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTING AND MAINTAINING NETWORK PRESENCE INFORMATION

• US 20020035594A1
• Filed: 12/28/1998
• Published: 03/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: KUNZE, AARON, DREKE, CHRISTIAN, EDWARDS, JAMES W., HAZZARD, WALTER K.
• Granted Patent: US 6,463,471 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A method for distributing and maintaining network presence information is presented. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a user logs onto the Internet and transmits to an Internet Presence Information Server (IPIS) his/her presence information, a list of peers (individual network users) whose network presence are of interest to the user, and a request for a list of peers interested in the user'"'"'s network presence. The IPIS then responds to the user with both a list including the last known Internet Protocol (IP) address for each peer the user is interested in and a list of peers interested in the user'"'"'s Internet presence. No further communication between the user and IPIS is required after the IPIS responds to the user with these two lists. The user then attempts to directly contact the peers on the first list received from the IPIS by confirming and authenticating the received IP addresses. According to policy, the user directly contacts the peers on the second list received from the IPIS to inform those peers the user is currently signed on-line. Finally, the user periodically “pings” (directly contacts) the confirmed and authenticated IP addresses from the first list received from the IPIS to determine when those peers sign off-line.

Claims

1. A method for distributing and maintaining network presence information, comprising:

transmitting a first message to a server, said first message including user network presence information and a request for peer network presence information;

receiving a second message from said server, said second message including said requested peer network presence information; and

verifying peer network presence using said received peer network presence information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

confirming, periodically, a continued network presence of each verified peer by directly contacting each peer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first message further comprises:

a first list including each peer whose network presence is of interest to a user, and a request for a list of peers interested in said user'"'"'s network presence;

wherein said second message further comprises a second list including a last known presence entry for each peer on said first list and a third list including each peer interested in a network presence of said user; and

wherein verifying includes determining a status for each peer on said second list, said status indicating whether each peer on said second list is currently present on said network;

selectively transmitting user presence information to each peer selected from said third list.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

selectively transmitting user presence information to each peer selected from said third list.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

confirming, periodically, a continued network presence of each peer on said second list by directly contacting each peer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said user network presence information includes a network address for said user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said received peer network presence information includes a network address for each peer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein verifying peer network presence using said received peer network presence information comprises:

detecting whether an active host is using each network address; and

authenticating an identity of each detected active host, by communicating directly with each host.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said network comprises the Internet.

10. An article, comprising:

a storage medium having stored thereon instructions whose contents cause a system to distribute and maintain network presence information by;

transmitting a first message to a server, said first message including user network presence information and a request for peer network presence information;

receiving a second message from said server, said second message including said requested peer network presence information; and

verifying peer network presence using said received peer network presence information.

11. The article of claim 10, wherein said storage medium instructions further comprise:

confirming, periodically, a continued network presence of each verified peer by directly contacting each peer.

12. The article of claim 10, wherein said first message further comprises:

a first list including each peer whose network presence is of interest to a user, and a request for a list of peers interested in said user'"'"'s network presence;

wherein said second message further comprises a second list including a last known presence entry for each peer on said first list and a third list including each peer interested in a network presence of said user; and

wherein verifying includes determining a status for each peer on said second list by directly contacting each peer, said status indicating whether each peer on said second list is currently present on said network.

13. The article of claim 12, wherein said storage medium instructions further comprise:

selectively transmitting user presence information to each peer selected from said third list.

14. The article of claim 10, wherein said network presence information includes a network address for said user.

15. The article of claim 10, wherein said received peer network presence information includes a network address for each peer.

16. The article of claim 15, wherein said verifying instruction comprises:

detecting whether an active host is using each network address; and

authenticating an identity of each detected active host, by communicating directly with each host.

17. The article of claim 10, wherein said network comprises the Internet.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said first client is adapted to periodically confirm a continued network presence of each verified peer by directly contacting each peer.

18. A system for distributing and maintaining network presence information, comprising:

a network;

first and second clients adapted to be present on said network;

a server adapted to be present on said network;

said first client adapted to transmit, a first message to said server, said first message including user network presence information and a request for peer network presence information;

said server adapted to receive from said first client said first message including said user network presence information and said request for peer network presence information;

said first client adapted to receive from said server a second message, said second message including said requested peer network presence information;

said first client adapted to verify peer network presence using said received peer network presence information; and

said first client adapted to confirm, periodically, a continued presence of each peer on said second list by contacting each peer directly.

20. A server-based system for distributing and maintaining network presence information on a network, comprising:

first and second clients adapted to be present on said network;

said first client adapted to transmit, a first message to said server, said first message including user network presence information and a request for peer network presence information;

said server adapted to receive from said first client said first message including said user network presence information and said request for peer network presence information;

said first client adapted to receive from said server a second message, said second message including said requested peer network presence information;

said first client adapted to verify peer network presence using said received peer network presence information; and

said first client adapted to confirm, periodically, a continued presence of each peer on said second list by contacting each peer directly.