System and method for controlling regularity of presence status transmission based on resource usage of a user transmitting node

• US 8,244,816 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2009
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skype S.Ã R.L. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Pinding, Armo
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Oanh
• Application Number:
  US12/584,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206, 709223-224, 709/226, 715/752, 715/753, 715/758
• US Class Current: 709/206
• 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 method, program and user node for use in a communication system implemented over a network comprising a plurality of user nodes, each being associated with a respective presence status indicating an availability of the user node for communication within the communication system. The method comprises, at each of a first one or more of the user nodes: transmitting repeated presence messages to each of a plurality of others of the user nodes, each of the presence messages comprising at least one of: a request for the presence status of the other user node, and a notification of the presence status of the first user node; determining a measure of resource usage in relation to at least one of the first user node and the other user nodes; and controlling a regularity of the repeated transmission of presence messages in dependence on the determined measure of resource usage measure.

Claims

1. A method for use in a communication system implemented over a network comprising a plurality of user nodes, the method comprising:

at each of the user nodes associating a respective presence status indicating an availability of said each of the user nodes for communication within the communication system;

at each of a first transmitting one or more of the user nodes, determining addresses for each of a plurality of others of said user nodes;

using the determined addresses, transmitting, by the first transmitting user node, repeated presence messages to said each of the plurality of others of said user nodes, each of the presence messages comprising at least one of a request for presence status of the other user nodes, and a notification of presence status of the first transmitting user node;

determining a measure of resource usage in relation to the first transmitting user node which carries out said transmitting step; and

controlling a regularity of said repeated transmission of presence messages in dependence on the determined measure of resource usage of the first transmitting user node which carries out said transmitting step, such that the repeated transmission of presence messages is dependent on the determined measure of resource usage of the first transmitting user node.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising maintaining a contact list specifying a selection of contacts from said plurality of user nodes, wherein said plurality of other user nodes are a plurality of said contacts.

3. The method according to claim 2, comprising associating a presence update priority level with each of the contacts;

wherein the transmission of said presence messages comprises transmitting the presence messages in an order dependent on the respective presence update priority level for each contact.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of said presence messages is periodic such that a presence message is transmitted once per period, and the control of said regularity comprises controlling said period in dependence on the determined measure of resource usage.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said measure of resource usage is in relation to at least one of the other user nodes.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said measure of resource usage at least comprises a measure of uplink bandwidth of the respective first or other user node.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said measure of resource usage at least comprises a measure of resource usage comprises at least a measure of downlink bandwidth of the respective first or other user node.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said measure of resource usage at least comprises a measure of CPU usage of the respective first or other user node.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said measure of resource usage at least comprises a measure of battery level of the respective first or other user node.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication system comprises a VoIP system.

11. The method of according to claim 1, wherein the communication system comprises a peer-to-peer system.

12. A computer program product for use in a communication system implemented over a network comprising a plurality of user nodes, the program comprising code embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and being configured so as when executed on a first one or more of the user nodes to:

associate, at each of the user nodes, a respective presence status indicating an availability of said each of the user nodes for communication within the communication system;

determine addresses for each of a plurality of others of said user nodes;

using the determined addresses to transmit repeated presence messages to said each of the plurality of others of said user nodes, each of said presence messages comprising at least one of a request for presence status of the other user nodes, and a notification of presence status of the first user node;

determine a measure of resource usage in relation to the first user node which carries out said presence message transmission; and

control a regularity of said repeated transmission of presence messages in dependence on the determined measure of resource usage of the first user node which carries out said presence message transmission, such that the repeated transmission of presence messages is dependent on the determined measure of resource usage of the first user node.

13. A first transmitting user node for use in a communication system implemented over a network comprising a plurality of user nodes, the first transmitting user node comprising:

a computer processor configured to associate a respective presence status indicating an availability of the first transmitting user node for communication within the communication system;

the computer processor configured to determine addresses for each of the plurality of others of said user nodes; and

the computer processor configured to use the determined addresses to transmit repeated presence messages to each of the plurality of others of said user nodes, each of said presence messages comprising at least one of a request for presence status of the other user nodes, and a notification of presence status of the first transmitting user node;

wherein the computer processor is configured to determine a measure of resource usage in relation to the first transmitting user node, and is further configured to control a regularity of said repeated transmission of presence messages in dependence on the determined measure of resource usage, such that the repeated transmission of presence messages is dependent on the determined measure of the resource usage of the first transmitting user node.

14. The first user node of claim 13, wherein the computer processor is configured to maintain a contact list specifying a selection of contacts from said plurality of user nodes, wherein said plurality of other user nodes are a plurality of said contacts.

15. The first user node of claim 14, wherein the computer processor is configured to associate a presence update priority level with each of the contacts;

and wherein the computer processor is configured to transmit the presence messages in an order dependent on the respective presence update priority level for each contact.

16. The first user node of claim 13, wherein the computer processor is configured to periodically transmit said presence messages such that a presence message is transmitted once per period, and the computer processor is configured to control said regularity by controlling said period in dependence on the determined measure of resource usage.

17. The first user node of claim 13, wherein the computer processor is configured to determine said measure of resource usage in relation to at least one of the other user nodes.

18. The first user node of claim 13, wherein the computer processor is configured to determine said measure of resource usage by determining at least a measure of uplink bandwidth of the respective first or other user node.

19. The first user node of claim 13, wherein the computer processor is configured to determine said measure of resource usage by determining at least a measure of resource usage including at least a measure of downlink bandwidth of the first user node.

20. The first user node of claim 13, wherein the computer processor is configured to determine said measure of resource usage by determining at least a measure of CPU usage of the respective first or other user node.

21. The first user node of claim 13, wherein the computer processor is configured to determine said measure of resource usage by determining at least a measure of battery level of the respective first or other user node.

22. The first user node of claim 13, wherein the communication system comprises a VoIP system.

23. The first user node of claim 13, wherein the communication system comprises a peer-to-peer system, and the computer processor is configured to transmit said presence messages based on at least one of peer-to-peer address look-up and peer-to-peer authentication.

24. A communication system implemented over a network, the communication system comprising a plurality of user nodes, comprises:

a computer processor configured to associate a respective presence status indicating an availability of each of the user nodes for communication within the communication system;

the computer processor configured to determine addresses for each of a plurality of others of said user nodes;

the computer processor configured to use the determined addresses to transmit repeated presence messages to each of the plurality of others of said user nodes, each of said presence messages comprising at least one of a request for presence status of the other user nodes, and a notification of presence status of a first user node;

wherein the computer processor is configured to determine a measure of resource usage in relation to the first user node that transmits the presence messages, and is further configured to control a regularity of said repeated transmission of presence messages in dependence on the determined measure of resource usage, such that the repeated transmission of presence messages is dependent on the resource usage of the first user node that transmits the presence messages.

25. A method for use in a communication system implemented over a network comprising a plurality of user nodes, each being associated with a respective presence status indicating an availability of each of the user nodes for communication within the communication network, the method comprising, at each of a first one or more of the user nodes:

transmitting repeated presence messages to each of a plurality of others of said user nodes, each of said presence messages comprising a request for presence status of the other user nodes;

determining a measure of resource usage in relation to at least one of the first transmitting user node and said other user nodes; and

controlling a regularity of said repeated transmission of presence messages in dependence on the determined measure of resource usage, such that the repeated transmission of presence messages is dependent on the determined measure of resource usage of the first transmitting user node and said other user nodes.

26. A computer program product for use in a communication system implemented over a network comprising a plurality of user nodes, each of the user nodes being associated with a respective presence status indicating an availability of said each of the user nodes for communication within the communication system;

the program comprising code embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and being configured so as when executed on a first one or more of the user nodes to;

transmit repeated presence messages to each of a plurality of others of said user nodes, each of said presence messages comprising a request for presence status of the other user nodes;

determine a measure of resource usage in relation to at least one of the first transmitting user node and said other user nodes; and

control a regularity of said repeated transmission of presence messages in dependence on the determined measure of resource usage, such that the repeated transmission of presence messages is dependent on the determined measure of resource usage of the first transmitting user node and said other user nodes.

27. A first user transmitting node for use in a communication system implemented over a network comprising a plurality of user nodes, each of the user nodes being associated with a respective presence status indicating an availability of said each of the user nodes for communication within the communication system;

the first user transmitting node comprising;

a computer processor configured to transmit repeated presence messages to each of a plurality of others of said user nodes, each of said presence messages comprising a request for presence status of the other user nodes;

a processing unit is configured to determine a measure of resource usage in relation to at least one of the first user transmitting node and said other user nodes, and is further configured to control a regularity of said repeated transmission of presence messages in dependence on the determined measure of resource usage, such that the repeated transmission of presence messages is dependent on the determined measure of resource usage of the first transmitting user node and said other user nodes.

28. A communication system implemented over a network, the communication system comprising a plurality of user nodes, each of the user nodes being associated with a respective presence status indicating an availability of the user nodes for communication within the communication system;

wherein each of a first one or more of the user nodes comprises;

a computer processor configured to operate in conjunction with a processing unit in order to transmit repeated presence messages to each of a plurality of others of said user nodes, each of said presence messages comprising a request for presence status of the other user nodes;

wherein the processing unit is configured to determine a measure of resource usage in relation to at least one of the first user transmitting node and said other user nodes, and is further configured to control a regularity of said repeated transmission of presence messages in dependence on the determined measure of resource usage, such that the repeated transmission of presence messages is dependent on the determined measure of resource usage of the first transmitting user node and said other user nodes.