Representing Aggregated Rich Presence Information

• US 20100030889A1
• Filed: 07/29/2008
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fuchs, Omri, Korenshtein, Roni
• Granted Patent: US 8,296,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Techniques for relaying presence information of an entity to a user, wherein the entity is known to the user via one or more communications networks, are provided. At least one portion of the presence information of the entity is obtained from one or more servers associated with the one or more communications networks. An image is generated in accordance with the at least one portion of the presence information of the entity. The image summarizes the presence information of the entity. Further, the image assists the user in the selection of a communication option when contacting the entity from a plurality of communication options of the entity.

Claims

1. A method for relaying presence information of an entity to a user, wherein the entity is known to the user via one or more communications networks, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining at least one portion of the presence information of the entity from one or more servers associated with the one or more communications networks; and

generating an image in accordance with the at least one portion of the presence information of the entity, wherein the image summarizes the presence information of the entity, further wherein the image assists the user in the selection of a communication option when contacting the entity from a plurality of communication options of the entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one portion of the presence information comprises at least one of an availability status of the entity, a time of availability of the entity, a communication platform of the entity, a communication method of the entity, and an availability of the entity as a function of at least one of the availability status of the entity, the time of availability of the entity, the communication platform of the entity, and the communication method of the entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the image is in accordance with at least one of one or more communication parameters associated with the entity and the user, one or more communication preferences of at least one of the entity and the user, and one or more communication capabilities of the user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more communication parameters comprise at least one of a cost of communication and a quality of communication.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of obtaining the one or more communication parameters associated with the entity and the user from the one or more communications networks.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more communication preferences comprise at least one of a preferred communication platform, a preferred communication method, a preferred availability status, a preferred time of availability, a preferred cost of communication, and a preferred quality of communication.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of obtaining the one or more communication preferences of the entity from at least one of Q values in a communication registry and priority tags of the at least one portion of the presence information.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of obtaining the one or more communication preferences of the user via a user application, wherein the user sets one or more values related to a communication with the entity.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of obtaining the one or more communication capabilities of the user from a user application, wherein the user application assesses one or more communications devices of the user.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the image represents a highest ranked communication, the image conveying at least one of an availability status of the entity, a time of availability of the entity, a communication platform of the entity, a communication method of the entity, a cost of communication, and a quality of communication, wherein the highest ranked communication is determined by evaluating the presence information of the entity in accordance with at least one of the one or more communication parameters associated with the entity and the user, the one or more communication preferences of at least one of the entity and the user, and the one or more communication capabilities of the user.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the image comprises one or more sub-images, each of the one or more sub-images conveying information comprising at least one of an availability status of the entity, a time of availability of the entity, a communication platform of the entity, a communication method of the entity, a cost of communication, and a quality of communication.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more sub-images convey information by at least one of a location of a given sub-image in the image, a background color of a given sub-image, a foreground color of a given sub-image, a border color of a given sub-image, a filling color of a given sub-image, a graphic of a given sub-image, a shape of a given sub-image, a text of a given sub-image, a size of a given sub-image relative to the one or more sub-images, a brightness of a given sub-image, an animation of a given sub-image, and a font of a given sub-image.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of generating the image, the image comprising one or more sub-images, further comprises the steps of:

constructing an ordered structure comprising one or more nodes, wherein each of the one or more nodes represent at least one of a communication platform of the entity and a communication method of the entity;

annotating the one or more nodes of the ordered structure with at least one of the at least one portion of the presence information of the entity and the one or more communication parameters associated with the entity and the user;

sorting the one or more nodes of the ordered structure in accordance with at least one of the one or more communication parameters associated with the entity and the user, the one or more communication preferences of at least one of the entity and the user, and the one or more communication capabilities of the user; and

generating the image by traversing the one or more nodes.

14. An article of manufacture for relaying presence information of an entity to a user, wherein the entity is known to the user via one or more communications networks, the article comprising a computer readable storage medium including one or more programs, which when executed by a computer implement the steps of claim 1.

15. An apparatus for relaying presence information of an entity to a user, wherein the entity is known to the user via one or more communications networks, the apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and operative to;

obtain at least one portion of the presence information of the entity from one or more servers associated with the one or more communications networks; and

generate an image in accordance with the at least one portion of the presence information of the entity, wherein the image summarizes the presence information of the entity, further wherein the image assists the user in the selection of a communication option when contacting the entity from a plurality of communication options of the entity.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one portion of the presence information comprises at least one of an availability status of the entity, a time of availability of the entity, a communication platform of the entity, a communication method of the entity, and an availability of the entity as a function of at least one of the availability status of the entity, the time of availability of the entity, the communication platform of the entity, and the communication method of the entity.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the operation of generating the image is in accordance with at least one of one or more communication parameters associated with the entity and the user, one or more communication preferences of at least one of the entity and the user, and one or more communication capabilities of the user.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the image represents a highest ranked communication, the image conveying at least one of an availability status of the entity, a time of availability of the entity, a communication platform of the entity, a communication method of the entity, a cost of communication, and a quality of communication, wherein the highest ranked communication is determined by evaluating the presence information of the entity in accordance with at least one of the one or more communication parameters associated with the entity and the user, the one or more communication preferences of at least one of the entity and the user, and the one or more communication capabilities of the user.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the image comprises one or more sub-images, each of the one or more sub-images conveying information comprising at least one of an availability status of the entity, a time of availability of the entity, a communication platform of the entity, a communication method of the entity, a cost of communication, and a quality of communication.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein in the operation of generating the image, the image comprising one or more sub-images, the at least one processor is further operative to:

construct an ordered structure comprising one or more nodes, wherein each of the one or more nodes represent at least one of a communication platform of the entity and a communication method of the entity;

annotate the one or more nodes of the ordered structure with at least one of the at least one portion of the presence information of the entity and the one or more communication parameters associated with the entity and the user;

sort the one or more nodes of the ordered structure in accordance with at least one of the one or more communication parameters associated with the entity and the user, the one or more communication preferences of at least one of the entity and the user, and the one or more communication capabilities of the user; and

generate the image by traversing the one or more nodes.

21. A computer program product for relaying presence information of an entity to a user, wherein the entity is known to the user via one or more communications networks, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium;

a first program instruction to obtain at least one portion of the presence information of the entity from one or more servers associated with the one or more communications networks; and

a second program instruction to generate an image in accordance with the at least one portion of the presence information of the entity, wherein the image summarizes the presence information of the entity, further wherein the image assists the user in the selection of a communication option when contacting the entity from a plurality of communication options of the entity,

wherein the first and second program instructions are stored on the computer readable medium.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the at least one portion of the presence information comprises at least one of an availability status of the entity, a time of availability of the entity, a communication platform of the entity, a communication method of the entity, and an availability of the entity as a function of at least one of the availability status of the entity, the time of availability of the entity, the communication platform of the entity, and the communication method of the entity.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the second program instruction is in accordance with at least one of one or more communication parameters associated with the entity and the user, one or more communication preferences of at least one of the entity and the user, and one or more communication capabilities of the user.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the one or more communication parameters comprise at least one of a cost of communication and a quality of communication.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the one or more communication preferences comprise at least one of a preferred communication platform, a preferred communication method, a preferred availability status, a preferred time of availability, a preferred cost of communication, and a preferred quality of communication.