Routing instant messages using configurable, pluggable delivery managers

• US 20050125499A1
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Published: 06/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trend Micro Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Matsa, Moshe M.E., Vincent, Christopher R., Quiaot, Julius Q.
• Granted Patent: US 7,412,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• 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 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Configurable, pluggable delivery managers are responsible for routing instant messages to intended recipients. A delivery manager is selected for a particular message, and that delivery manager defines, at runtime, a delivery policy to be used to route the instant message to an intended recipient of the message. The delivery policy is based upon a configuration of the delivery manager, a user configuration of the intended recipient, and one or more available delivery mechanisms. The delivery manager routes the instant message using the delivery policy.

Claims

1. A method of routing instant messages, said method comprising:

selecting a delivery manager to route an instant message to an intended recipient of the instant message, said delivery manager being pluggable;

configuring, at runtime, said delivery manager, wherein the configuring comprises selecting a configuration for said delivery manager from a set of one or more configurations, said selecting using content of the instant message to make the selection;

querying, by the delivery manager, a user configuration of the intended recipient to determine one or more delivery mechanisms supported by the intended recipient;

determining, by the delivery manager, one or more available delivery mechanisms;

identifying, by the delivery manager, one or more delivery mechanisms that are common to a result of the querying and the determining to yield one or more possible delivery mechanisms;

selecting, from the one or more possible delivery mechanisms, at least one delivery mechanism supported by the delivery manager; and

routing the instant message to the intended recipient using the at least one delivery mechanism.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one delivery mechanism supported by the delivery manager is included within the configuration of the delivery manager.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said routing comprises dispatching, by the delivery manager, the instant message to one or more delivery mechanisms of the at least one delivery mechanism in accordance with a policy specified by said configuration of the delivery manager.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one available delivery mechanism of said one or more available delivery mechanisms is pluggable.

5. A system of routing instant messages, said system comprising:

a computer system to include instructions to execute a method, said method comprising;

selecting a delivery manager to route an instant message to an intended recipient of the instant message, said delivery manager being pluggable;

configuring, at runtime, said delivery manager, wherein said configuring comprises selecting a configuration for said delivery manager from a set of one or more configurations, the selecting using content of the instant message to make the selection;

querying, by the delivery manager, a user configuration of the intended recipient to determine one or more delivery mechanisms supported by the intended recipient;

determining, by the delivery manager, one or more available delivery mechanisms;

identifying, by the delivery manager, one or more delivery mechanisms that are common to a result of the querying and the determining to yield one or more possible delivery mechanisms;

selecting, from the one or more possible delivery mechanisms, at least one delivery mechanism supported by the delivery manager; and

routing the instant message to the intended recipient using the at least one delivery mechanism.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said at least one delivery mechanism supported by the delivery manager is included within the configuration of the delivery manager.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said routing comprises dispatching, by the delivery manager, the instant message to one or more delivery mechanisms of the at least one delivery mechanism in accordance with a policy specified by said configuration of the delivery manager.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein at least one available delivery mechanism of said one or more available delivery mechanisms is pluggable.

9. At least one program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of routing instant messages, said method comprising:

selecting a delivery manager to route an instant message to an intended recipient of the instant message, said delivery manager being pluggable;

configuring, at runtime, said delivery manager, wherein the configuring comprises selecting a configuration for said delivery manager from a set of one or more configurations, said selecting using content of the instant message to make the selection;

querying, by the delivery manager, a user configuration of the intended recipient to determine one or more delivery mechanisms supported by the intended recipient;

determining, by the delivery manager, one or more available delivery mechanisms;

identifying, by the delivery manager, one or more delivery mechanisms that are common to a result of the querying and the determining to yield one or more possible delivery mechanisms;

selecting, from the one or more possible delivery mechanisms, at least one delivery mechanism supported by the delivery manager; and

routing the instant message to the intended recipient using the at least one delivery mechanism.

10. The at least one program storage device of claim 9, wherein said at least one delivery mechanism supported by the delivery manager is included within the configuration of the delivery manager.

11. The at least one program storage device of claim 9, wherein said routing comprises dispatching, by the delivery manager, the instant message to one or more delivery mechanisms of the at least one delivery mechanism in accordance with a policy specified by said configuration of the delivery manager.

12. The at least one program storage device of claim 9, wherein at least one available delivery mechanism of said one or more available delivery mechanisms is pluggable.