PREDICTING AVAILABILITY OF INSTANT MESSAGING USERS

• US 20080162632A1
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wrp IP Management, LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: O'Sullivan, Patrick J., Chakra, Al, Muller, Michael, Callanan, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 8,898,230 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to instant messaging and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for probabilistic prediction of availability in an instant messaging system. In one embodiment of the invention, a probabilistic prediction method for instant messaging can be provided. The method can include collecting statistics for when different collaborators in an instant messaging system become available and unavailable. Thereafter, a particular one of the different collaborators can be selected and a probabilistic likelihood can be computed that the particular one of the collaborators will become available by a specified time. Finally, the computed probabilistic likelihood can be rendered in association with the particular one of the different collaborators.

Claims

1. A probabilistic prediction method for instant messaging, the method comprising:

collecting statistics for when different collaborators in an instant messaging system become available and unavailable;

selecting a particular one of the different collaborators;

computing a probabilistic likelihood that the particular one of the collaborators will become available by a specified time; and

,

rendering the computed probabilistic likelihood in association with the particular one of the different collaborators.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying a different time of availability;

re-computing a probabilistic likelihood that the particular one of the collaborators will become available by the different time; and

,

rendering the computed probabilistic likelihood in association with the particular one of the different collaborators.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying a range of time during which the particular one of the collaborators is to become available;

re-computing a probabilistic likelihood that the particular one of the collaborators will become available during the specified range time; and

,

rendering the computed probabilistic likelihood in association with the particular one of the different collaborators.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a high likelihood that at least one of the different collaborators shortly will change instant messaging state; and

,

applying a distinctive visual characteristic to a display of the at least one of the different collaborators.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising revising the statistics whenever any of the different collaborators transition from available to unavailable and from unavailable to available.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a particular one of the different collaborators, comprises performing a mouse over proximate to the particular one of the different collaborators.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a particular one of the different collaborators, comprises performing a mouse selection of the particular one of the different collaborators.

8. An instant messaging data processing system, comprising:

an instant messaging server configured for communicative coupling to a plurality of instant messaging clients over a computer communications network;

a data store of instant messaging statistics indicating when different collaborators in the instant messaging system become available and unavailable; and

,

probabilistic prediction logic coupled to each of the instant messaging server and the data store, the logic comprising program code enabled to select a particular one of the different collaborators, to compute a probabilistic likelihood that the particular one of the collaborators will become available by a specified time, and to render in a probabilistic pop-up the computed probabilistic likelihood in association with the particular one of the different collaborators.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the probabilistic pop-up further comprises an activatable specified time control displaying the specified time, the activatable specified time control causing a rendering of a time entry pop-up responsive to activation.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the program code of the probabilistic prediction logic further is enabled to detect a high likelihood that at least one of the different collaborators shortly will become available, and to apply a distinctive visual characteristic to a display of the at least one of the different collaborators.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium embodying computer usable program code for probabilistic prediction for instant messaging, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for collecting statistics for when different collaborators in an instant messaging system become available and unavailable;

computer usable program code for selecting a particular one of the different collaborators;

computer usable program code for computing a probabilistic likelihood that the particular one of the collaborators will become available by a specified time; and

,

computer usable program code for rendering the computed probabilistic likelihood in association with the particular one of the different collaborators.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for specifying a different time of availability;

computer usable program code for re-computing a probabilistic likelihood that the particular one of the collaborators will become available by the different time; and

,

computer usable program code for rendering the computed probabilistic likelihood in association with the particular one of the different collaborators.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for specifying a range of time during which the particular one of the collaborators is to become available;

computer usable program code for re-computing a probabilistic likelihood that the particular one of the collaborators will become available during the specified range time; and

,

computer usable program code for rendering the computed probabilistic likelihood in association with the particular one of the different collaborators.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for detecting a high likelihood that at least one of the different collaborators shortly will change instant messaging state; and

,

computer usable program code for applying a distinctive visual characteristic to a display of the at least one of the different collaborators.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising computer usable program code for revising the statistics whenever any of the different collaborators transition from available to unavailable and from unavailable to available.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code for selecting a particular one of the different collaborators, comprises computer usable program code for performing a mouse over proximate to the particular one of the different collaborators.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code for selecting a particular one of the different collaborators, comprises computer usable program code for performing a mouse selection of the particular one of the different collaborators.