Presence model for presence service and method of providing presence information

• US 20080133742A1
• Filed: 11/27/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Synchronica PLC (Myriad Group AG)
• Original Assignee: OZ Communications Incorporated (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Southiere, Alain, Laflamme, Manuel, Pearson, Andy, Regnier, Jean, Thorkelsson, Haraldur, Le Bodic, Gwenael
• Application Number:
  US11/945,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20080133742A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• 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

Abstract

A presence server comprises a state machine to maintain current machine states for a plurality of users, and a mapper to map the current machine state for each user to a corresponding presence status.

Claims

1. A presence server comprising:

a state machine to maintain current machine states for a plurality of users and to generate state updates indicative of the current machine states of said users responsive to state transitions; and

a mapper to receive said state updates from said state machine and to map said current machine states of said users to corresponding presence statuses.

2. The presence server of claim 1 wherein each user is represented by one instance of said state machine.

3. The presence server of claim 1 wherein the machine states of the state machine include the “

Available”

state, the “

Inactive”

state, and the “

Unavailable”

state.

4. The presence server of claim 3 wherein the state machine is configured to enter the “

Available”

state when the corresponding user logs into the presence server.

5. The presence server of claim 4 wherein the state machine is configured to transition from the “

Available”

state to the “

Inactive”

state when the user is inactive for a first predetermined period of time.

6. The presence server of claim 5 wherein the state machine is configured to transition from the “

Inactive”

state to the “

Unavailable”

state when the user is inactive for a second predetermined period of time.

7. The presence server of claim 6 wherein the machine states of the state machine further include a “

Active”

state.

8. The presence server of claim 7 wherein the state machine is configured to enter the “

Active”

state when the corresponding user logs into the presence server in response to an invitation from another user.

9. The presence server of claim 7 wherein the state machine is configured to transition from the “

Inactive”

state or the “

Available”

state to the “

Active”

state responsive to the detection of user instant messaging activity.

10. The presence server of claim 9 wherein the state machine is configured to transition from the “

Active”

state to the “

Available”

state when the user is inactive for a third predetermined period of time.

11. The presence server of claim 1 wherein the state machine further generates message delivery rules responsive to state transitions.

12. The presence server of claim 11 wherein said message delivery rules include instant message rules for delivering instant messages.

13. The presence server of claim 12 wherein said instant message rules include an “

online messaging”

rule, an “

offline messaging rule” and

an alternative messaging rule.

14. The presence server of claim 13 wherein the “

online messaging”

rule directs an instant messaging application to use online messaging.

15. The presence server of claim 13 wherein the “

offline messaging”

rule directs an instant messaging application to store instant messages for subsequent online delivery.

16. The presence server of claim 13 wherein the “

alternative messaging”

rule directs an instant messaging application to use an alternative delivery method to deliver instant messages.

17. The presence server of claim 11 wherein said message delivery rules include presence update rules for reporting presence information.

18. The presence server of claim 17 wherein said presence update rules include a “

standard update”

rule, a “

reduced update”

rule, and a “

no update”

rule.

19. The presence server of claim 18 wherein the “

standard update”

rule configures the presence server to provide presence updates at a default reporting frequency.

20. The presence server of claim 18 wherein the “

reduced update”

rule configures the presence server to provide presence updates at a reporting frequency lower than the default reporting frequency.

21. The presence server of claim 18 wherein the “

no update”

rule configures the presence server to suspend presence updates.

22. A method of providing presence updates, said method comprising:

maintaining current machine states for a plurality of users and generating state updates indicative of the current machine states of said users responsive to state transitions; and

mapping current machine states of said users to corresponding presence statuses.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said current machine states of said users are maintained by a state machine.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said current machine states of said users are maintained by a dedicated state machine for each user.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the machine states of the state machine include the “

Available”

state, the “

Inactive”

state, and the “

Unavailable”

state.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the state machine is configured to enter the “

Available”

state when the corresponding user logs into the presence server.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the state machine is configured to transition from the “

Available”

state to the “

Inactive”

state when the user is inactive for a first predetermined period of time.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the state machine is configured to transition from the “

Inactive”

state to the “

Unavailable”

state when the user is inactive for a second predetermined period of time.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the machine states of the state machine further include a “

Active”

state.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the state machine is configured to enter the “

Active”

state when the corresponding user logs into the presence server in response to an invitation from another user.

31. The presence server of claim 29 wherein the state machine is configured to transition from the “

Inactive”

state or the “

Available”

state to the “

Active”

state responsive to the detection of user instant messaging activity.

32. The presence server of claim 31 wherein the state machine is configured to transition from the “

Active”

state to the “

Available”

state when the user is inactive for a third predetermined period of time.

33. The method of claim 22 further comprising generating message delivery rules responsive to said state transitions.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein said message delivery rules include instant messaging rules for delivering instant messages.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said instant message rules include an “

online messaging”

rule, an “

offline messaging rule” and

an alternative messaging rule.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the “

online messaging”

rule directs an instant messaging application to use online messaging.

37. The method of claim 35 wherein the “

offline messaging”

rule directs an instant messaging application to store instant messages for subsequent online delivery.

38. The method of claim 35 wherein the “

alternative messaging”

rule directs an instant messaging application to use an alternative delivery method to deliver instant messages.

39. The method of claim 33 wherein said message delivery rules include presence update rules for providing presence updates.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein said presence update rules include a “

standard update”

rule, a “

reduced update”

rule, and a “

no update”

rule.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the “

standard update”

rule configures the presence server to provide presence updates at a default reporting frequency.

42. The method of claim 40 wherein the “

reduced update”

rule configures the presence server to provide presence updates at a reporting frequency lower than the default reporting frequency.

43. The method of claim 40 wherein the “

no update”

rule configures the presence server to suspend presence updates.