Associating multiple visibility profiles with a user of a real-time communication system

• US 7,451,190 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2004
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Szeto, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Haresh N
• Application Number:
  US10/754,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20050114783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• Field of Search: 718/107, 709200-203, 709204-206, 709/207, 709217-228, 715/752, 715/706, 370/352
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• 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

Visibility profiles associated with a substantially real time messaging environment are disclosed. Additionally, techniques for managing visibility profiles are disclosed, which include associating a first visibility profile with a first situation, and associating a second visibility profile with a second situation, A visibility profile indicates a set of friends, of a particular user, that are allowed, or disallowed, to view the particular user as available when the particular user is in the associated situation. A situation refers to one or more of a particular time period that a user is logged in, a particular location of the user, a particular device that the user is currently using, or a particular log-in that the user is currently using. Visibility profiles are used to manage the appearance of a user to other users/friends for communication using applications such as instant messaging, electronic mail, web-based mail programs, or other types of data communication exchange applications.

Claims

1. A method for managing visibility of a particular user in a real time messaging environment, comprising:

associating a first visibility profile, of the particular user, with a first situation;

associating a second visibility profile, of the particular user, with a second situation;

when the particular user is in the first situation, determining, based on the first visibility profile, a first set of one or more users that are allowed, or disallowed, to view the particular user as available to communicate, wherein the first visibility profile identifies the first set of one or more users;

when the particular user is in the second situation, determining, based on the second visibility profile, a second set of one or more users that are allowed, or disallowed, to view the particular user as available to communicate, wherein the second visibility profile identifies the second set of one or more users;

wherein the first situation indicates at least one of the following;

a particular time period in which the particular user is logged in to the real time messaging environment, a particular location in which the particular user is located, a particular device that the particular user is using, or a particular log-in that the particular user is using;

wherein the second situation is different than the first situation and indicates at least one of the following;

a certain time period in which the particular user is logged in to the real time messaging environment, a certain location in which the particular user is located, a certain device that the particular user is using, or a certain log-in that the particular user is using;

providing an invisible state to a first user, wherein the invisible state indicates, to the first user, that the particular user is not available to communicate;

providing a visible state to a second user, wherein the visible state indicates, to the second user, that the particular user is available to communicate;

providing an invisible state to a third user, wherein the invisible state indicates, to the third user, that the particular user is not available to communicate; and

providing a visible state to a fourth user, wherein the visible state indicates, to the fourth user, that the particular user is available to communicate;

wherein the third and fourth users are in the second set of users.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a third visibility profile, of the particular user, is associated with the invisible state associated with the third user.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a fourth visibility profile, of the particular user, is associated with the visible state associated with the fourth user.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the real time messaging environment comprises at least one of instant messaging communication, mobile device communication, or electronic mail communication.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the particular user is logged in as available to communicate.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the particular user is logged in as not available to communicate.

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

when the particular user is in the first situation, allowing at least a subset of the users in the first set to view the particular user as available to communicate; and

when the particular user is in the second situation, allowing at least a subset of the users in the second set to view the particular user as available to communicate.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 1.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 2.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 3.

11. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 4.

12. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 5.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 6.

14. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 7.