Transparent combination of instant message protocols

• US 7,284,034 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2002
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Vincent, Christopher R., Matsa, Moshe E., Quiaot, Julius Q.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US10/193,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20020178231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,923 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709205-206, 709/217, 709/219, 709223-224, 709/229, 709/237
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• 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 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for routing instant messages uses a user presence service to aid a user in determining to send an instant message to an intended recipient based on user availability information. The method also uses a configurable delivery manager that defines, at runtime, a delivery policy to be used to route the instant message to an intended recipient of the message. The delivery policy is based upon a configuration of the delivery manager, a user configuration of the intended recipient, and one or more available delivery mechanisms. The delivery manager is configured by means of an ordered list of one or more available delivery mechanisms. The delivery manager routes the instant message by dispatching the message by selecting sequential delivery mechanisms, in the order of appearance on the ordered list, until the user presence service indicates the intended recipient is available using the selected delivery mechanism.

Claims

1. A method of routing instant messages, the method comprising:

determining to send an instant message to an intended recipient based on user recipient availability information provided by a user recipient presence service;

defining, at runtime by a configurable delivery manager, a delivery policy to be used to route an instant message to an intended recipient of the instant message, wherein the delivery policy is based upon a configuration of the delivery manager, a user configuration of the intended recipient, and one or more available delivery mechanisms;

displaying to a user sender, through a user interface, the user recipient availability information and while not contemporaneously displaying through the user interface any delivery mechanisms associated with the intended recipient, wherein the displaying allows for a user to select a user recipient for sending an instant message to and wherein a delivery policy is then defined for the selected user recipient; and

routing the instant message to the intended recipient using the delivery policy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the configurable delivery manager is configured by means of an ordered list of one or more available delivery mechanisms.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the defining of the delivery policy comprises:

determining, from the user configuration, one or more delivery mechanisms supported by the intended recipient;

determining which of the one or more delivery mechanisms supported by the intended recipient are included in the one or more available delivery mechanisms to yield one or more possible delivery mechanisms;

determining which of the one or more possible delivery mechanisms are supported by the configurable delivery manager, as indicated in the configuration of the delivery manager; and

determining a sequential order of the one or more supported delivery mechanisms, as indicated in the configuration of the delivery manager, a result of which defines the delivery policy.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the routing comprises dispatching the instant message to at least one delivery mechanism of the delivery policy, as indicated by the delivery policy.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the routing further comprises verifying a successful delivery of the instant message to the intended recipient according to the at least one delivery mechanism of the delivery policy.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the routing further comprises dispatching the instant message to a next delivery mechanism of the sequential order of one or more available delivery mechanisms, as indicated by the delivery policy.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the routing further comprises notifying the user sender of a failed delivery attempt when all the available delivery mechanisms have been attempted.

8. A system of routing instant messages comprising:

a configurable delivery manager associated with an ordered list of one or more delivery mechanisms supported by the configurable delivery manager;

a first memory comprising a user configuration of an intended recipient, the user configuration comprising a list of one or more delivery mechanisms supported by the intended recipient;

a delivery manager service, communicatively coupled to the configurable delivery manager and the first memory, for determining available delivery mechanisms supported by both the configurable delivery manager and the user configuration of an intended recipient;

a second memory comprising one or more available delivery mechanisms communicatively coupled to the configurable delivery manager, for dispatching an instant message to an intended recipient;

a user interface, communicatively coupled to the delivery manager service, for displaying an availability of the intended recipient while not contemporaneously displaying through the user interface any delivery mechanisms associated with the intended recipient, wherein the displaying allows for a user to select a user recipient for sending an instant message to and wherein a delivery policy is then defined for the selected user recipient, and for notifying the user sender of a failed delivery attempt when all the available delivery mechanisms have been attempted; and

a user presence service, communicatively coupled to the user interface, for displaying availability of the intended recipient to the user sender.

9. A system of routing instant messages, the system comprising:

means for determining to send an instant message to an intended recipient based on user availability information provided by a user recipient presence service, the user recipient presence service displaying the user recipient availability information to a user sender through a user interface while not contemporaneously displaying through the user interface any delivery mechanisms associated with the user recipient, wherein the displaying allows for a user to select a user recipient for sending an instant message to and wherein a delivery policy is then defined for the selected user recipient;

means for defining, at runtime by a configurable delivery manager, a delivery policy to be used to route an instant message to an intended recipient of the instant message, wherein the delivery policy is based upon a configuration of the delivery manager, a user configuration of the intended recipient, and one or more available delivery mechanisms; and

means for routing the instant message to the intended recipient using the delivery policy.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the configurable delivery manager is configured by means of an ordered list of one or more available delivery mechanisms.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for defining the delivery policy comprises:

means for determining, from the user configuration of the intended recipient, one or more delivery mechanisms supported by the intended recipient;

means for determining which of the one or more delivery mechanisms supported by the intended recipient are included in the one or more available delivery mechanisms to yield one or more possible delivery mechanisms;

means for determining which of the one or more possible delivery mechanisms are supported by the configurable delivery manager, as indicated in the configuration of the delivery manager; and

means for determining a sequential order of the one or more supported delivery mechanisms, as indicated in the configuration of the delivery manager, for defining the delivery policy.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for routing comprises means for dispatching the instant message to at least one delivery mechanism of the delivery policy, as indicated by the delivery policy.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for routing further comprises means for verifying a successful delivery of the instant message to the intended recipient according to the at least one delivery mechanism of the delivery policy.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for routing further comprises means for dispatching the instant message to a next delivery mechanism of the sequential order of one or more available delivery mechanisms, as indicated by the delivery policy.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the means for routing further comprises means for notifying the user sender of a failed delivery attempt when all the available delivery mechanisms have been attempted.

16. A computer readable medium comprising instructions for routing instant messages, the instructions comprising:

determining to send an instant message to an intended recipient based on user recipient availability information provided by a user recipient presence service;

defining, at runtime by a configurable delivery manager, a delivery policy to be used to route an instant message to an intended recipient of the instant message, wherein the delivery policy is based upon a configuration of the delivery manager, a user configuration of the intended recipient, and one or more available delivery mechanisms;

displaying to a user sender, through a user interface, the user recipient availability information and while not contemporaneously displaying through the user interface any delivery mechanisms associated with the intended recipient, wherein the displaying allows for a user to select a user recipient for sending an instant message to and wherein a delivery policy is then defined for the selected user recipient; and

routing the instant message to the intended recipient using the delivery policy.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the configurable delivery manager is configured by means of an ordered list of one or more available delivery mechanisms.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the defining of the delivery policy comprises instructions for:

determining, from the user configuration, one or more delivery mechanisms supported by the intended recipient;

determining which of the one or more delivery mechanisms supported by the intended recipient are included in the one or more available delivery mechanisms to yield one or more possible delivery mechanisms;

determining which of the one or more possible delivery mechanisms are supported by the configurable delivery manager, as indicated in the configuration of the delivery manager; and

determining a sequential order of the one or more supported delivery mechanisms, as indicated in the configuration of the delivery manager, a result of which defines the delivery policy.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the routing comprises dispatching the instant message to at least one delivery mechanism of the delivery policy, as indicated by the delivery policy.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the routing further comprises verifying a successful delivery of the instant message to the intended recipient according to the at least one delivery mechanism of the delivery policy.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the routing further comprises dispatching the instant message to a next delivery mechanism of the sequential order of one or more available delivery mechanisms, as indicated by the delivery policy.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the routing further comprises notifying the user sender of a failed delivery attempt when all the available delivery mechanisms have been attempted.