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

• US 7,743,099 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• 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:
  US12/195,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20080320096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-228, 709200-206, 718/107, 715/752
• US Class Current: 709/204
• 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 automatically associating a first profile with a first situation, automatically associating a second profile with a second situation, and where the first and second profiles are associated with visibility. Visibility profiles may be 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 messaging environment, comprising:

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

wherein the first visibility profile indicates a first particular set of users;

associating a second visibility profile, of the particular user, with a second situation that is different than the first situation;

wherein the second visibility profile indicates a second particular set of users;

while the first visibility profile and the second visibility profile remain stored;

when the particular user is in the first situation, determining, based on the first visibility profile and not on the second visibility profile, a first set of one or more users that are allowed to view the particular user as available to communicate;

when the particular user is in the second situation, determining, based on the second visibility profile and not on the first visibility profile, a second set of one or more users that are allowed to view the particular user as available to communicate;

wherein the first set of users is different than the second set of users;

wherein;

the first particular set of users is the same as the first set of one or more users and the second particular set of users is the same as the second set of one or more users, or

none of the users in the first particular set of users is the same as any of the users in the first set of one or more users and none of the users in the second particular set of users is the same as any of the users in the second set of one or more users; and

storing, by at least one hardware processing unit, the first and second visibility profiles in a volatile or non-volatile non-transitory storage media.

2. The method of claim 1, 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.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first visibility profile identifies at least a subset of the first set of one or more users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first visibility profile identifies one or more third users that are not allowed to view the particular user as available to communicate; and

none of the one or more third users are in the first set of one or more users.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first visibility profile and the second visibility profile are stored on the same device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when the particular user is in the first situation:

providing a visible state to a first user of the first set of users, wherein the visible state indicates, to the first user, that the particular user is available to communicate;

providing an invisible state to a second user that is not in the first set of users, wherein the invisible state indicates, to the second user, that the particular user is not available to communicate.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the messaging environment comprises at least one of instant messaging communication, mobile device communication, or electronic mail communication.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular user is logged in as available to communicate when the particular user is in the first situation and the second situation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular user is logged in as not available to communicate when the particular user is in at least one of the first situation or the second situation.

10. The method of 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.

14. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 1.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 2.

16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 3.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 4.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 5.

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 6.

20. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 7.

21. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 8.

22. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 9.

23. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 10.

11. A method for managing visibility of a particular user in a messaging environment, the method comprising:

storing, in association with the particular user, a first visibility profile that indicates a first particular set of one or more users with a first situation;

storing, in association with the particular user, a second visibility profile that indicates a second particular set of one or more users with a second situation that is different than the first situation;

while the first visibility profile and the second visibility profile remain stored;

determining, based on the first visibility profile and not the second visibility profile, a first set of one or more users that are allowed to view the particular user as available to communicate;

in response to a selection by the particular user, determining, based on the second visibility profile and not the first visibility profile, a second set of one or more users that are allowed to view the particular user as available to communicate;

wherein the first set of users is different than the second set of users;

wherein;

the first particular set of users is the same as the first set of one or more users and the second particular set of users is the same as the second set of one or more users, or

none of the users in the first particular set of users is the same as an y of the users in the first set of one or more users and none of the users in the second particular set of users is the same as any of the users in the second set of one or more users, and

storing, by at least one hardware processing unit, the first visibility profile and the second visibility profile in a volatile or non-volatile non-transitory storage media.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

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

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

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first visibility profile identifies the first set of one or more users.

24. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 11.

25. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 12.

26. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 13.