System and method of wireless instant messaging

• US 20040116137A1
• Filed: 09/22/2003
• Published: 06/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Bells, Matthew, Haigh, David M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,379,732 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• 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 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system and method of instant messaging is provided. A plurality of messaging clients capable of transmitting instant messages to one another are each configured to share presence information with one another via a network. A determination is made, with respect to each of the messaging clients, as to whether the messaging client is in a state in which it is receptive to receiving presence information from the other messaging clients, and if so, then the presence information is provided to the messaging client. The presence information may be provided directly between the messaging clients, or it may be provided through one or more centralized proxy servers that store and propagate the presence information. A special state is provided, referred to herein as the unknown state, which when entered by a particular messaging client will cause the system to cease further transmissions of presence information to that client and/or transmissions about that client. Upon changing to a communicative state, the system resumes providing presence information to/about the messaging client.

Claims

1. A method of instant messaging, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of messaging clients capable of transmitting instant messages to one another;

each of the plurality of messaging clients configured to share presence information with one another via a network; and

for each of the plurality of messaging clients, determining whether the messaging client is in a state in which it is receptive to receiving presence information from the other messaging clients, and if so, then receiving presence information for each of the other messaging clients via the network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

for each of the plurality of messaging clients, setting a communication timer to a predetermined value that, when expired, will put the messaging client into an unknown state in which it is not receptive to receiving presence information from each of the other messaging clients.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

for each of the plurality of messaging clients, detecting a trigger signal indicating that the messaging client should be put into an unknown state in which it is not receptive to receiving presence information from each of the other messaging clients.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting presence information directly from each of the plurality of messaging clients to the other messaging clients without using an intermediate server.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting presence information from each of the plurality of messaging clients to an intermediate server system and storing the presence information in a data store at the intermediate server;

the intermediate server system processing the presence information in the data store to determine whether or not to propagate presence information for the plurality of messaging clients to each of the individual messaging clients represented by the presence information in the data store.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

each of the plurality of messaging clients having a buddy list of other messaging clients with which the messaging client is interested in communicating with;

when the messaging client is in a state in which it is receptive to receiving presence information, then obtaining presence information for each of the other messaging clients on the buddy list.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a wide area wireless network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence information is communicated between the plurality of messaging clients via a proxy server coupled to the network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the proxy server maintains a presence information database storing current presence information for each of the plurality of messaging clients.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

the proxy server propagating presence information to each of the plurality of messaging clients unless the presence information database indicates that a particular messaging client is in a state indicating that it is not receptive to receiving presence information.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting instant messages between two of the messaging clients having presence information regarding one another.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein the trigger signal is generated when an instant messaging application is turned off.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining that at least one of the messaging clients is no longer capable of communicating via the network; and

not providing presence information for the other messaging clients to the at least one of the messaging clients via the network until it is determined that the at least one of the messaging clients is capable of communicating via the network.

14. An instant messaging system, comprising:

a plurality of messaging clients capable of transmitting instant messages to one another, wherein each of the plurality of messaging clients is configured to share presence information with one another via a network; and

means for determining whether each messaging client is in a state in which it is receptive to receiving presence information from the other messaging clients, and if so, then for transmitting presence information for each of the other messaging clients via the network.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a communication timer for each of the messaging clients set to a predetermined value that, when expired, will put the messaging client into an unknown state in which it is not receptive to receiving presence information from each of the other messaging clients.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the messaging clients further comprise:

means for detecting a trigger signal indicating that the messaging client should be put into an unknown state in which it is not receptive to receiving presence information from each of the other messaging clients.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the messaging clients further comprise:

means for transmitting presence information directly from each of the plurality of messaging clients to the other messaging clients without using an intermediate server.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

an intermediate server system for receiving and storing presence information in a data store for each of the plurality of messaging clients;

the intermediate server system processing the presence information in the data store to determine whether or not to propagate presence information for the plurality of messaging clients to each of the individual messaging clients represented by the presence information in the data store.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

each of the plurality of messaging clients having a buddy list of other messaging clients with which the messaging client is interested in communicating with; and

wherein when the messaging client is in a state in which it is receptive to receiving presence information, then obtaining presence information for each of the other messaging clients on the buddy list.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the network is a wide area wireless network.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the presence information is communicated between the plurality of messaging clients via a proxy server coupled to the network.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the proxy server maintains a presence information database storing current presence information for each of the plurality of messaging clients.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the proxy server propagates presence information to each of the plurality of messaging clients unless the presence information database indicates that a particular messaging client is in a state indicating that it is not receptive to receiving presence information.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the presence information transmitted to the messaging client is associated with other messaging clients whose state is known.