METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ASSOCIATING A TAG WITH A STATUS VALUE OF A PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATED WITH A PRESENCE CLIENT

• US 20080183816A1
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Scenera Technologies LLC (Scenera Research LLC)
• Original Assignee: Scenera Technologies LLC (Scenera Research LLC)
• Inventors: Morris, Robert P.
• Application Number:
  US11/669,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20080183816A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

Methods and systems are described for associating a tag with a status value of a principal. One method includes receiving, from a client of a presence service associated with a first principal, a first status value associated with the first principal and sending, via the presence service, a first message including the first status value to a presence client of the presence service associated with a second principal. A tag associated with the first status value of the first principal is received from the client associated with the second principal. The tag is distinct from the first status value. An association between the received tag and the first status value is stored. Thereafter, when a status of the first principal is updated to the first status value, a second message that includes the tag is provided to the client associated with the second principal so that the tag is presented to the second principal.

Claims

1. A method for associating a tag with a status value of a principal, the method comprising:

receiving, from a client of a presence service associated with a first principal, a first status value associated with the first principal;

sending, via the presence service, a first message including the first status value associated with the first principal to a client of the presence service associated with a second principal;

receiving from the client associated with the second principal a tag associated with the first status value of the first principal, wherein the tag is distinct from the first status value;

storing an association between the received tag and the first status value of the first principal; and

providing based on the association a second message including the tag to the client associated with the second principal when a status of the first principal is updated to the first status value such that the tag is presented to the second principal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of receiving the tag and providing the second message comprises using the presence service and a presence protocol to at least one of receive the tag and provide the second message.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein storing the association includes storing association information in at least one element of a tuple, wherein the tuple is associated with at least one of the second principal, the first principal, the first status value, and the tag.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the tuple is a presence tuple associated with at least one of the second principal and the first principal.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the first message includes:

providing in one of the first message and a third message associated with the first message a plurality of possible tags, wherein the tag associated with the first status value of the first principal is selected from the plurality of possible tags.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the tag includes receiving metadata for the tag, wherein the metadata comprises at least one condition that determines when the tag is associated with the first status value of the first principal.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein prior to providing the tag, the method further includes determining whether each of the at least one conditions is satisfied and providing the tag when each of the at least one conditions is satisfied.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the second message includes generating a notification message including the tag and transmitting the notification to the client associated with the second principal.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a relationship between the second principal and a third principal;

providing in one of a third message and a fourth message associated with the third message the tag received from the second principal based on the relationship between the second principal and the third principal; and

sending at least one of the third message and the fourth message including the received tag and the first status value associated with the first principal to a client associated with the third principal.

10. A method for associating a tag with a status value of a principal, the method comprising:

receiving, from a presence service, a first message including a first status value associated with a first principal, the first message received by a presence client of the presence service associated with a second principal;

receiving a tag associated with the first status value of the first principal, wherein the tag is distinct from the first status value;

receiving metadata for the tag, the metadata including at least one condition that determines when the tag is associated with the first status value of the first principal;

storing an association between the tag, its metadata and the first status value; and

presenting the tag when a status of the first principal is updated to the first status value and when each of the at least one conditions is satisfied.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein receiving the tag comprises using the presence service and a presence protocol to receive the tag.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising displaying the first status value in a user interface of the second principal along with a plurality of status values associated with a plurality of watched principals.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein receiving the tag includes allowing the second principal to select the tag from among a list of tags via at least one of a user interface and a programming interface of a device hosting the presence client associated with the second principal.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the first message further includes a plurality of possible tags, the method comprising displaying on a user interface a list of tags including the plurality of possible tags, the first status value, and an identifier of the first principal.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein receiving metadata for the tag includes specifying at least one of a location of the first principal, a calendar category, and a status of another principal including the second principal.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein storing the association includes storing the association in a data store of a device hosting the presence client.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein prior to presenting the tag the method further includes determining whether each of the at least one conditions is satisfied and retrieving the tag from the data store when each of the at least one conditions is satisfied.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein storing the association includes sending a second message including the tag, the metadata, and information associating the tag with the first status value to a remote system.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein prior to presenting the tag, the method further includes receiving from the remote system a third message that includes the tag when the remote system determines that a status of the first principal has been updated to the first status and when each of the at least one conditions is satisfied.

20. A system for associating a tag with a status value of a principal, the system comprising:

a publication handler component configured to receive, from a client of a presence service associated with a first principal, a first status value associated with the first principal;

a notification handler component configured to send a first message including the first status value associated with the first principal to a client of the presence service associated with a second principal;

a tag handler component configured to receive from the client associated with the second principal a tag associated with the first status value of the first principal, wherein the tag is distinct from the first status value, and configured to store an association between the received tag and the first status value of the first principal in a data store; and

a subscription handler component configured to provide based on the association a second message including the tag to the client associated with the second principal when a status of the first principal is updated to the first status value such that the tag is presented to the second principal.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the data store comprises a plurality of data tuples and the tag handler component is configured to store the association between the received tag and the first status value of the first principal in at least one element of a tuple of the plurality of data tuples, wherein the tuple is associated with at least one of the second principal, the first principal, the first status value, and the tag.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the tuple is a presence tuple associated with at least one of the second principal and the first principal.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein the tag handler is configured to receive metadata for the tag, wherein the metadata comprises at least one condition that determines when the tag is associated with the first status value of the first principal.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein prior to providing the tag, the subscription handler component is further configured to determine whether each of the at least one conditions is satisfied and to provide the tag when each of the at least one conditions is satisfied.

25. The system of claim 20 wherein the subscription handler component is configured to determine a relationship between the second principal and a third principal and to provide in one of a third message and a fourth message associated with the third message the tag received from the second principal based on the relationship between the second principal and the third principal, and the notification handler component is configured to send at least one of the third message and the fourth message including the received tag and the first status value associated with the first principal to a client associated with the third principal.

26. A server including a presence service comprising the system of claim 20 and a communication interface configured to send and receive data to and from a plurality of presence clients associated with a plurality of principals via a network.

27. A system for associating a tag with a status value of a principal, the system comprising:

a watch list monitor component configured to receive, from a presence service, a first message including a first status value associated with a first principal;

a tag association component configured to receive a tag associated with the first status value of the first principal, wherein the tag is distinct from the first status value, to receive metadata for the tag, the metadata including at least one condition that determines when the tag is associated with the first status value of the first principal, and to store an association between the tag, its metadata and the first status value; and

a user interface component configured to present the tag on a display when a status of the first principal is updated to the first status value and when the at least one condition is satisfied.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the first message further includes a plurality of possible tags and the tag association component is configured to use the user interface component to present on the display a list of tags including the plurality of tags, the first status value and an identifier of the first principal.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein the at least one condition in the metadata relates to at least one of a location of the first principal, a calendar category, and a status of another principal including the second principal.

30. The system of claim 27 further comprising a data store for storing the association, and wherein when the status of the first principal is updated to the first status value, the tag association component is further configured to determine whether each of the at least one conditions is satisfied and to retrieve the tag from the data store when each of the at least one conditions is satisfied.

31. The system of claim 27 wherein the tag association component is configured to store the association by sending a second message including the tag, the metadata and information associating the tag with the first status value to a remote system.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the watch list monitor component is configured to receive from the remote system a third message that includes the tag when the remote system determines that a status of the first principal has been updated to the first status and when each of the at least one conditions is satisfied.

33. A client device including a presence client comprising the system of claim 27 and a communication interface configured to send and receive data to and from a presence service via a network.

34. A computer readable medium containing a computer program, executable by a machine, for associating a tag with a status value of a principal, the computer program comprising executable instructions for:

receiving, from a client of a presence service associated with a first principal, a first status value associated with the first principal;

sending, via the presence service, a first message including the first status value associated with the first principal to a client of the presence service associated with a second principal;

receiving from the client associated with the second principal a tag associated with the first status value of the first principal, wherein the tag is distinct from the first status value;

storing an association between the received tag and the first status value of the first principal; and

providing based on the association a second message including the tag to the client associated with the second principal when a status of the first principal is updated to the first status value such that the tag is presented to the second principal.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 34 wherein the program further includes instructions for:

receiving metadata associated with the tag, wherein the metadata comprises at least one condition that determines when the tag is associated with the first status value of the first principal; and

determining whether each of the at least one conditions is satisfied prior to providing the tag to the client associated with the second principal.

36. A computer readable medium containing a computer program, executable by a machine, for associating a tag with a status value of a principal, the computer program comprising executable instructions for:

receiving, from a presence service, a first message including a first status value associated with a first principal, the first message received by a client of the presence service associated with a second principal;

receiving a tag associated with the first status value of the first principal, wherein the tag is distinct from the first status value;

receiving metadata for the tag, the metadata including at least one condition that determines when the tag is associated with the first status value of the first principal;

storing an association between the tag, its metadata and the first status value; and

presenting the tag when a status of the first principal is updated to the first status value and when the at least one condition is satisfied.

37. A system for associating a tag with a status value of a principal, the system comprising:

means for receiving, from a client of a presence service associated with a first principal, a first status value associated with the first principal;

means for sending, via the presence service, a first message including the first status value associated with the first principal to a client of the presence service associated with a second principal;

means for receiving from the client associated with the second principal a tag associated with the first status value of the first principal, wherein the tag is distinct from the first status value, and storing an association between the received tag and the first status value of the first principal in a data store; and

means for providing based on the association a second message including the tag to the client associated with the second principal when a status of the first principal is updated to the first status value such that the tag is presented to the second principal.

38. A system for associating a tag with a status value of a principal, the system comprising:

means for receiving, from a presence service, a first message including a first status value associated with a first principal, the first message received by a client of the presence service associated with a second principal;

means for receiving a tag associated with the first status value of the first principal, wherein the tag is distinct from the first status value, for receiving metadata for the tag, the metadata including at least one condition that determines when the tag is associated with the first status value of the first principal, and for storing an association between the tag, its metadata and the first status value; and

means for presenting the tag when a status of the first principal is updated to the first status value and when the at least one condition is satisfied.