Instant Messaging Method and System

• US 20100312839A1
• Filed: 03/02/2009
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Zhang, Jian
• Application Number:
  US12/600,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20100312839A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and system for transmitting an instant message from a message sending end to a message receiving end which has a primary instant messaging account and multiple auxiliary instant messaging accounts associated with the primary instant messaging account. The method selects a preferred target account from the primary account and the associated auxiliary accounts for receiving the message. The preferred target account has a current online presence and/or satisfies a precedent-messaging condition, such as having been recently contacted by the same message sending end according to a message delivery history. The method determines a backup target account according to a preset rule if no preferred target account is found. The method and the system optimize resource allocation by allowing a message to be selectively sent to a preferred account among the primary account and its associated auxiliary accounts.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting an instant message, the method comprising:

establishing a message receiving end by associating a plurality of auxiliary instant messaging accounts with a primary instant messaging account;

requesting the message receiving end to receive a message from a message sending end;

selecting a preferred target account from the primary instant messaging account and the plurality of auxiliary instant messaging accounts for receiving the message, wherein the preferred target account has a current online presence and/or satisfies a precedent-messaging condition according to a message delivery history; and

transmitting the message to the preferred target account.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of auxiliary instant messaging accounts are associated with the primary instant messaging account in such a way that online presence of one of the auxiliary instant messaging accounts is deemed to give online presence to the primary instant messaging account.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least some of the auxiliary instant messaging accounts are subaccounts of the primary instant messaging account.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining a backup target account according to a preset rule if no preferred target account is found among the primary instant messaging account and the plurality of auxiliary instant messaging accounts; and

transmitting the message to the backup target account.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the preset rule for determining the backup target account upon finding no preferred target account comprises:

randomly selecting one of the auxiliary instant messaging accounts to be the backup target account.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the preset rule for determining the backup target account upon finding no preferred target account comprises:

selecting a least busy account among the primary instant messaging account and the plurality of auxiliary instant messaging accounts to be the backup target account.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the precedent-messaging condition requires that the preferred target account be most recently contacted by the sending end.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein requesting the message receiving end to receive the message comprises:

triggering the primary instant messaging account and/or at least one of the auxiliary instant messaging accounts into a message transmission mode.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein requesting the message receiving end to receive the message comprises:

activating a presence indicator of the primary instant messaging account and/or at least one of the auxiliary instant messaging accounts.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the primary instant messaging account and at least one of the auxiliary instant messaging accounts are set to share messages, and if negative, selecting the primary instant messaging account to be the preferred target account.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the auxiliary instant messaging accounts are associated with the primary instant messaging account in groups.

12. A method for transmitting an instant message, wherein the instant message is sent from a message sending end to a message receiving end which includes a primary instant messaging account and a plurality of auxiliary instant messaging accounts associated therewith, the method comprising:

triggering the message receiving end into a message delivering mode;

determining a target account among the primary instant messaging account and the auxiliary instant messaging accounts to deliver the instant message, wherein the target account is determined by reading a message transmission history between the message sending end and the message receiving end, and selecting a recently-contacted account having a current online presence to be the target account if such an account is found among the primary instant messaging account and the auxiliary instant messaging accounts based on the message transmission history, or finding the target account according to a preset rule if no such recently-contacted account is found; and

transmitting the message to the target account.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

determining whether the primary instant messaging account and at least one of the auxiliary instant messaging accounts are set to share messages, and if not, selecting the primary instant messaging account to be the target account.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of auxiliary instant messaging accounts are associated with the primary instant messaging account in such a way that online presence of one of the auxiliary instant messaging accounts is deemed to give online presence to the primary instant messaging account.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein triggering the primary instant messaging account and/or at least one of the auxiliary instant messaging accounts into a message delivering mode comprises:

activating a presence indicator of the primary instant messaging account and/or at least one of the auxiliary instant messaging accounts.

16. An instant messaging system adopted for sending a message from a message sending end to a message receiving end which has a primary instant messaging account and a plurality of auxiliary instant messaging accounts associated therewith, the system comprising:

a trigger module used for triggering the message receiving end into a message transmission mode;

a first determination module for reading a message delivery history between the message sending end and the message receiving end, determining based on the message delivery history whether the primary instant messaging account and the auxiliary instant messaging accounts include a recently-contacted account having a current online presence, and initiating a first target account selection module if such an account is found;

the first target account selection module for selecting the said recently-contacted account to be a target account for receiving the message; and

a transmission module used for transmitting the message to the target account.

17. The instant messaging system as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

a second target account selection module used for finding a backup target account according to a preset rule, wherein the first determination module initiates the second target account selection module if the said recently-contacted account is not found.

18. The instant messaging system as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

a second determination module used for determining whether the primary instant messaging account and at least one of the auxiliary instant messaging accounts have a message sharing property, and initiating the first determination module if affirmative, or initiating a third target account selection module if negative; and

the third target account selection module for selecting the primary instant messaging account to be the target account.

19. The instant messaging system as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

a third determination module for determining whether the primary instant messaging account and/or at least one of the auxiliary instant messaging accounts is online, and initiating the first determination module if affirmative, or initiating a fourth target account selection module if negative; and

the fourth target account selection module for randomly selecting one of the auxiliary instant messaging accounts to be the target account.

20. The instant messaging system as recited in claim 16, the system being adapted for rendering a web page showing an online presence indicator of the primary instant messaging account.