Mixed massaging mode for multiple points of presence

• US 7,725,553 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2004
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rang, Timothy J., Levin, Orit
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava; Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jakovac; Ryan J
• Application Number:
  US10/990,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20060095522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,016 Days
• Field of Search: 709/207, 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• 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 facility for providing an IM mixed mode operation by utilizing both page mode IM and session based IM jointly in the same IM conversation is provided. The facility initiates an IM conversation between an originating user registered at an originating device and a remote user registered at a plurality of devices initially in page mode. Subsequent to discovering the identity of a remote device used by the remote user to initially reply to the IM conversation, the facility converts the IM conversation from page mode IM to session based IM.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer to:

initiate an instant messaging (IM) connectivity for an IM conversation initially in page mode IM, the IM conversation being between an originating user and a remote user, the remote user being logged into multiple endpoints;

receive a reply to the IM conversation in page mode IM from the remote user, the reply including an identifier of an endpoint used by the remote user to reply to the IM conversation;

discover an identity of the endpoint used by the remote user to reply to the IM conversation, the identity of the endpoint being discovered based on the identifier received from the remote user; and

convert the IM conversation from page mode IM to session based IM upon discovering the identity of the endpoint, the IM conversation being converted by;

transmitting to the endpoint used by the remote user a request to establish a session based IM, and

transmitting to the remote user a message in page mode IM, wherein the message indicates that all previous messages transmitted in page mode IM are idle, wherein the message does not specify a particular endpoint of the remote user, and wherein the message is transmitted to each of the multiple endpoints at which the remote user is logged in.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the page mode IM is established using SIP.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the page mode IM is established using a MESSAGE request in SIP.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the session based IM is established using SIP.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the session based IM is established using an INVITE request in SIP.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 further comprising contents that cause the computer to, subsequent to converting the IM conversation to session based IM, send an indication to one or more endpoints of the remote user that a session has been established with a different endpoint of the remote user.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the identity of the endpoint used by the remote user is discovered via receipt of a request to establish a dialogue.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the request to establish a dialogue is made via an INVITE request in SIP.

9. A method in a computing system for providing mixed mode instant messaging (IM), the method comprising:

initiating an IM conversation between an originating user and a remote user initially in page mode IM, the originating user being registered with an IM service at an originating device and the remote user being registered with an IM service at a plurality of remote devices, the IM conversation being initiated by;

transmitting an initiating IM message in page mode IM from the originating user to the remote user, the initiating IM message being transmitted from the originating device to each of the plurality of remote devices at which the remote user is registered;

receiving a reply from the remote user, the reply comprising a reply IM message in page mode IM and an identifier of a remote device used by the remote user to reply to the initiating IM message, the remote device being one of the plurality of remote devices at which the remote user is registered;

discovering an identity of the remote device used by the remote user to reply to the initiating IM message, the identity of the remote device being discovered based on the identifier of the reply; and

subsequent to discovering the identity of the remote device used by the remote user to reply to the initiating IM message, converting the IM conversation from page mode IM to session based IM, the IM conversation being converted by;

transmitting a request from the originating user to the remote user to convert the IM conversation to a session based IM, the request being transmitted from the originating device to the remote device used by the remote user, and

transmitting an expiration IM message in page mode IM from the originating user to the remote user, wherein the expiration IM message indicates that all previous messages transmitted in page mode IM have expired, wherein the expiration IM message does not specify a particular endpoint of the remote user, and wherein the expiration IM message is transmitted to each of the plurality of remote devices at which the remote user is registered.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising, subsequent to converting the IM conversation from page mode IM to session based IM, notifying the plurality of remote devices of the conversion to session based IM.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the page mode IM is converted to session based IM via a request to establish a session sent by the remote device used by the remote user to initially reply to the IM conversation to the originating device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the request is an INVITE request in SIP.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the page mode IM is converted to session based IM via a request to establish a session sent by the originating device to the remote device used by the remote user to initially reply to the IM conversation.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the discovering the identity of one of the plurality of remote devices used by the remote user to initially reply to the IM conversation comprises the remote device used by the remote user to initially reply to the IM conversation sending its identity to the originating device.

15. A method in an originating endpoint of an originating user for establishing an instant messaging (IM) session between the originating endpoint of the originating user and a remote endpoint of a remote user, when the remote user is logged into multiple remote endpoints and it is not known at which of the multiple remote endpoints the remote user is located, the originating endpoint and the remote endpoint being computer systems with processors, the method comprising:

transmitting a first page mode message from the originating endpoint to the remote user, wherein the first page mode message does not specify a particular remote endpoint, and wherein the first page mode message is transmitted to each of the multiple remote endpoints at which the remote user is logged in;

receiving at the originating endpoint a reply message from a remote endpoint, wherein the reply message comprises a second page mode message that is transmitted from the remote endpoint at which the remote user is located to the originating endpoint, wherein the reply message includes an endpoint identifier of the remote endpoint at which the remote user is located, and wherein the remote endpoint at which the remote user is located is one of the multiple remote endpoints at which the remote user is logged in;

transmitting a session mode message from the originating endpoint to the remote user, wherein the session mode message specifies the endpoint identifier of the remote endpoint at which the remote user is located, and wherein the session mode message is transmitted only to the remote endpoint at which the remote user is located and not to other remote endpoints at which the user is logged in; and

transmitting a third page mode message from the originating endpoint to the remote user, wherein the third page mode message indicates that all previously transmitted page mode messages are idle, wherein the third page mode message does not specify a particular remote endpoint, and wherein the third page mode message is transmitted to each of the multiple remote endpoints at which the remote user is logged in.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the method further comprises, after transmitting the session mode message from the originating endpoint to the remote user,

determining that a session has been established between the originating endpoint and the remote endpoint at which the remote user is located;

and

transmitting a subsequent session mode message in the established session, wherein the subsequent session mode message is transmitted from the originating endpoint to the remote endpoint at which the remote user is located and not to the other remote endpoints at which the user is logged in.