Resource list management system

• US 7,831,664 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2007
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Atlassian US, Inc. (Atlassian Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale W.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAZARO, DAVID R
• Application Number:
  US11/842,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20070288573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207, 715751-759
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/024 using relational databases for representation of network management data, e.g. managing via structured query language [SQL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system for providing group accessibility is provided. A representative resource list management system includes a group management system operable to store a resource list for a user, and a service manager operable to detect a status of a contact associated with the resource list. The resource list includes at least one group, said at least one group including a plurality of contacts. The service manager is operable to update accessibility of the at least one group in response to at least one of the plurality of contacts being accessible on a network. Methods and other systems for resource list management are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for indicating presence of a group comprising:

creating a group having a plurality of group members;

creating, with a processor having a memory, a rule for determining whether the group is to be indicated as present on a network to a requesting client, wherein the rule defines the group to be indicated as present on the network when a designated member of the group is present on the network;

in response to receiving a request from the requesting client, executing the rule with a processor;

when the rule is satisfied, indicating the group to be present on the network to the requesting client; and

indicating the group as not present on the network when the rule is not satisfied.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the designated member of the group is present on the network when the designated member is logged into a universal server associated with the network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the designated member is a service representative of a service group, and wherein the designated member is automatically set as the designated member with respect to the requesting client in response to the requesting client communicating with the service representative.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when the rule is not satisfied, waiting for a second group member to be present on the network and in response to detecting the second group member, executing the rule to determine whether the second group member is the designated member.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the group is created by a user and may be added or removed from a resource list associated with the user.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to:

create a group having a plurality of group members;

create a rule to determine whether the group is to be indicated as present on a network to a requesting client, wherein the rule defines the group to be indicated as present on the network when a designated member of the group is present on the network;

in response to receiving a request from the requesting client, execute the rule;

when the rule is satisfied, indicate the group to be present on the network to the requesting client; and

indicate the group as not present on the network when the rule is not satisfied.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the designated member of the group is present on the network when the designated member is logged into a universal server associated with the network.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the designated member is a service representative of a service group, and instructions cause a machine to set the designated member as the designated member with respect to the requesting client in response to the requesting client communicating with the service representative.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to, when the rule is not satisfied, wait for another group member to be present on the network and in response to detecting an additional group member, to execute the rule to determine whether the additional group member is the designated member.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the rule is set via an administrative application which is accessible to users associated with an adequate class of service marker.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the group is created by a user and may be added or removed from a resource list associated with the user.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to:

group a plurality of members from a plurality of contacts as a group;

set a rule to define networked accessibility of the group, the networked accessibility of the group being based upon network accessibility of at least one member of the group, wherein the rule defines the group to be accessible when a designated member of the group is present on the network;

notify a user associated with the group as to the network accessibility of the group; and

connect the user with a single member of the group upon receiving a request from the user to connect to a group contact associated with the group, wherein the single member is selected from the group by rotating among group members in response to received requests.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the user can add the group to a profile associated with the user if a class of service marker associated with the user enables the group to be added.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the user can create and maintain the group, with respect to a profile associated with the user.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions stored thereon, when executed, cause a machine to request a status on a particular member of the group, the request being a specific inquiry for a network status of the particular member;

and to receive an update on the status of the particular member.