Presence information

• US 20110064074A1
• Filed: 09/14/2009
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skype S.Ã R.L. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kreitzberg, Priit, Keskkula, Silver, Pinding, Armo
• Granted Patent: US 8,363,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• 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 method, program and user node for use in a communication system implemented over a network comprising a plurality of user nodes, each being associated with a respective presence status indicating an availability of the user node for communication within the communication system. The method comprises, at each of a first one or more of the user nodes: maintaining a contact list specifying a selection of contacts from the plurality of user nodes; associating a presence update priority level with each of the contacts, the presence update priority level relating to an estimated likelihood of communication between the first user node and the respective contact; and transmitting a presence message to each of a plurality of the contacts in dependence on the respective presence update priority level, each of the presence messages comprising at least one of: a request for the presence status of the contact, and a notification of the presence status of the first user node.

Claims

1. A method for use in a communication system implemented over a network comprising a plurality of user nodes, each being associated with a respective presence status indicating an availability of the user node for communication within the communication system;

the method comprising, at each of a first one or more of the user nodes;

maintaining a contact list specifying a selection of contacts from said plurality of user nodes;

associating a presence update priority level with each of the contacts, the presence update priority level relating to an estimated likelihood of communication between the first user node and the respective contact; and

transmitting a presence message to each of a plurality of said contacts in dependence on the respective presence update priority level, each of said presence messages comprising at least one of;

a request for the presence status of the contact, and a notification of the presence status of the first user node.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of said presence messages comprises transmitting a presence message to each of said plurality of contacts in an order dependent on the respective presence update priority level for each contact.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of said presence messages comprises transmitting a respective number of presence messages to each of said plurality of contacts over a portion of time, the numbers being determined having relative ratios dependent on the respective presence update priority level for each contact.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of said presence messages in dependence on the presence update priority level comprises determining whether or not to transmit a presence message to each of the contacts in dependence on the respective presence update priority level.

5. The method according to claim 1, comprising estimating the likelihood of communication between the first user node and each respective contact, by determining a count of past communication events involving the respective contact over the communication system.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the count of past communication events comprises a count of at least one of:

calls and IM chat messages.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein calls or IM chats involving more than a predetermined number of participants are excluded from said count.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined number is five.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein past communication events beyond a predetermined age are excluded from said count.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined age is substantially four weeks.

11. The method according to claim 5, wherein past communication events involving the same contact and occurring within a predetermined time window of one another are grouped as a single communication event for the purpose of said count.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined time window is substantially one hour.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of the presence messages is performed in additional dependence on a measure of resource usage within the communication system.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication system comprises a VoIP system.

15. The method of according to claim 1, wherein the communication system comprises a peer-to-peer system.

16. A computer program product for use in a communication system implemented over a network comprising a plurality of user nodes, each being associated with a respective presence status indicating an availability of the user node for communication within the communication system;

the method comprising code embodied on a computer-readable medium and being configured so as when executed on a first one or more of the user nodes to;

maintain a contact list specifying a selection of contacts from said plurality of user nodes;

associate a presence update priority level with each of the contacts, the presence update priority level relating to an estimated likelihood of communication between the first user node and the respective contact; and

transmit a presence message to each of a plurality of said contacts in dependence on the respective presence update priority level, each of said presence messages comprising at least one of;

a request for the presence status of the contact, and a notification of the presence status of the first user node.

17. A first user node for use in a communication system implemented over a network comprising a plurality of user nodes, each being associated with a respective presence status indicating an availability of the user node for communication within the communication system;

the first user node comprising;

a processing unit configured to maintain a contact list specifying a selection of contacts from said plurality of user nodes, and further configured to associate a presence update priority level with each of the contacts, the presence update priority level relating to an estimated likelihood of communication between the first user node and the respective contact; and

a transmitter, coupled to the processing unit, and configured to operate in conjunction with the processing unit in order to transmit a presence message to each of a plurality of said contacts in dependence on the respective presence update priority level, each of said presence messages comprising at least one of;

a request for the presence status of the contact, and a notification of the presence status of the first user node.

18. The user node of claim 17, wherein the transmitter is configured to operate in conjunction with the processing unit to transmit a presence message to each of said plurality of contacts in an order dependent on the respective presence update priority level for each contact.

19. The user node of claim 17, wherein the transmitter is configured to operate in conjunction with the processing unit to transmit a respective number of presence messages to each of said plurality of contacts over a portion of time, the numbers being determined having relative ratios dependent on the respective presence update priority level for each contact.

20. The user node of claim 17, wherein the transmitter is configured to operate in conjunction with the processing unit to transmit said presence messages in dependence on the presence update priority level by determining whether or not to transmit a presence message to each of the contacts in dependence on the respective presence update priority level.

21. The user node of claim 17, wherein the processing unit is configured to estimate the likelihood of communication between the first user node and each respective contact, by determining a count of past communication events involving the respective contact over the communication system.

22. The user node of claim 21, wherein the count of past communication events comprises a count of at least one of:

calls and IM chat messages.

23. The user node of claim 22, wherein the processing unit is configured to exclude from said count calls or IM chats involving more than a predetermined number of participants.

24. The user node of claim 23, wherein the predetermined number is five.

25. The user node of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is configured to exclude from said count past communication events beyond a predetermined age.

26. The user node of claim 25, wherein the predetermined age is substantially four weeks.

27. The user node of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is configured to count past communication events involving the same contact and occurring within a predetermined time window of one another are grouped as a single communication event for the purpose of said count.

28. The user node of claim 27, wherein the predetermined time window is substantially one hour.

29. The user node of claim 17, wherein the transmitter is configured to operate in conjunction with the processing unit to transmit said presence messages in additional dependence on a measure of resource usage within the communication system.

30. The user node of claim 17, wherein the communication system comprises a VoIP system.

31. The user node of claim 17, wherein the communication system comprises a peer-to-peer system, and the transmitter is configured to operate in conjunction with the processing unit to transmit the presence messages based on at least one of peer-to-peer address look-up and peer-to-peer authentication.

32. A communication system implemented over a network, the communication system comprising a plurality of user nodes, each being associated with a respective presence status indicating an availability of the user node for communication within the communication system;

wherein each of the first user nodes comprises;

a processing unit configured to maintain a contact list specifying a selection of contacts from said plurality of user nodes, and further configured to associate a presence update priority level with each of the contacts, the presence update priority level relating to an estimated likelihood of communication between the first user node and the respective contact; and

a transmitter, coupled to the processing unit, and configured to operate in conjunction with the processing unit in order to transmit a presence message to each of a plurality of said contacts in dependence on the respective presence update priority level, each of said presence messages comprising at least one of;

a request for the presence status of the contact, and a notification of the presence status of the first user node.