Apparatus for communicating presence information

• US 8,380,782 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2008
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kakuta, Jun, Murakami, Masahiko, Matsui, Kazuki
• Primary Examiner(s): SERRAO, RANODHI N
• Application Number:
  US12/336,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20090157861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,526 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/203, 709/456.1
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• 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

An information communication method includes: accepting first presence information transmitted from a first terminal device which is connected so as to be communicable through a network; specifying a second terminal device as a notification destination to which the first presence information is destined; mapping the notification destination to a transmission source of the first presence information; deciding whether or not an alteration of the notification destination is required according to a state of the notification destination as indicated by second presence information accepted from the second terminal device; selecting, if alteration is required, a third terminal device to succeed the second terminal device; and notifying the first presence information to the third terminal device corresponding to the altered notification destination.

Claims

1. An information communication apparatus comprising:

a control unit configured to execute processing and a communication unit configured to connect to a network,

the control unit performs operations including;

an acceptance operation to accept first presence information that has been transmitted from a first terminal device connected to be communicable through a network;

an acquisition operation to acquire a notification destination to which the first presence information is destined and to map the notification destination to a transmission source of the first presence information, the notification destination corresponding to a second terminal device;

a decision operation to decide whether or not an alteration of the notification destination is required according to a state of the notification destination as indicated by second presence information accepted from the second terminal device;

a selection operation to select, if alteration is required, a third terminal device to succeed the second terminal device;

an alteration operation to alter the notification destination to reflect the third terminal device; and

a notification operation to notify the first presence information to the third terminal device corresponding to the altered notification destination;

wherein the selection operation comprises;

a detection operation to detect at least one next notification destination candidate, from among the terminal devices that can accept the publication of the presence information; and

an inquiry operation which transmits an inquiry message to the terminal device being the notification source of the presence information, about a propriety of the alteration to a next notification destination candidate detected by the detection operation;

wherein the selection operation selects the notification destination candidate as to which a response to the inquiry of the inquiry operation, from the terminal device being the notification source, indicates that the alteration is proper, as a next notification destination; and

wherein in a case where the response to the inquiry of the inquiry operation, from the notification source, indicates that the alteration is improper, another notification destination candidate is detected by the detection operation, and an inquiry is made again by the inquiry operation, about a propriety of the alteration to the detected other notification destination candidate.

2. An information communication apparatus comprising:

a control unit configured to execute processing and a communication unit configured to connect to a network,

the control unit performs operations including;

an acceptance operation to accept first presence information that has been transmitted from a first terminal device connected to be communicable through a network;

an acquisition operation to acquire a notification destination to which the first presence information is destined and to map the notification destination to a transmission source of the first presence information, the notification destination corresponding to a second terminal device;

a decision operation to decide whether or not an alteration of the notification destination is required according to a state of the notification destination as indicated by second presence information accepted from the second terminal device;

a selection operation to select, if alteration is required, a third terminal device to succeed the second terminal device;

an alteration operation to alter the notification destination to reflect the third terminal device; and

a notification operation to notify the first presence information to the third terminal device corresponding to the altered notification destination;

wherein the selection operation comprises;

a detection operation to detect at least one next notification destination candidate, from among the terminal devices that can accept the publication of the presence information;

an inquiry operation which transmits an inquiry message to the terminal device being the notification source of the presence information, about a propriety of the alteration to a next notification destination candidate detected by the detection operation;

wherein the selection operation selects the notification destination candidate as to which a response to the inquiry of the inquiry operation, from the terminal device being the notification source, indicates that the alteration is proper, as a next notification destination;

a candidate storage table which stores a new notification destination candidate that has been detected in association with the notification destination decided to require the alteration, in a case where the alteration decision operation has decided that the alteration is required; and

a candidate deletion operation which deletes the notification destination candidate stored in association with the notification destination, in a case where the alteration decision operation has decided that the alteration is not required, on the basis of state information of the notification destination as acquired by the acquisition operation, before the response to the inquiry of the inquiry operation about the alteration propriety is accepted;

wherein the alteration operation does not alter the notification destination as to the notification destination for which the association with the notification destination candidate has been deleted.

3. An information communication apparatus comprising:

a control unit configured to execute processing and a communication unit configured to connect to a network,

the control unit performs operations including;

an acceptance operation to accept first presence information that has been transmitted from a first terminal device connected to be communicable through a network;

an acquisition operation to acquire a notification destination to which the first presence information is destined and to map the notification destination to a transmission source of the first presence information, the notification destination corresponding to a second terminal device;

a decision operation to decide whether or not an alteration of the notification destination is required according to a state of the notification destination as indicated by second presence information accepted from the second terminal device;

a selection operation to select, if alteration is required, a third terminal device to succeed the second terminal device;

an alteration operation to alter the notification destination to reflect the third terminal device;

a notification operation to notify the first presence information to the third terminal device corresponding to the altered notification destination;

wherein the alteration operation comprises a notification destination storage table which stores information for identifying the notification destination after the alteration, in association with the information for identifying the notification destination of the presence information as registered in association with the information for identifying the transmission source of the presence information, in case of altering the notification destination; and

a notification stop operation which stops the notification to the notification destination after the alteration, as based on the notification operation, in a case where the presence information has been acquired from the terminal device specified by the information for identifying the notification destination before the alteration, as stored in the notification destination storage table, and where the alteration decision operation has decided that the alteration is not required, on the basis of the acquired presence information;

wherein the alteration operation alters the notification destination of the accepted presence information to the notification destination before the alteration as stored in the notification destination storage table.

4. An information communication apparatus comprising:

a control unit configured to execute processing and a communication unit configured to connect to a network,

the control unit performs operations including;

an acceptance operation to accept first presence information that has been transmitted from a first terminal device connected to be communicable through a network;

an acquisition operation to acquire a notification destination to which the first presence information is destined and to map the notification destination to a transmission source of the first presence information, the notification destination corresponding to a second terminal device;

a decision operation to decide whether or not an alteration of the notification destination is required according to a state of the notification destination as indicated by second presence information accepted from the second terminal device;

a selection operation to select, if alteration is required, a third terminal device to succeed the second terminal device;

an alteration operation to alter the notification destination to reflect the third terminal device;

a notification operation to notify the first presence information to the third terminal device corresponding to the altered notification destination;

wherein the selection operation comprises;

a detection operation to detect at least one next notification destination candidate, from among the terminal devices that can accept the publication of the presence information; and

an inquiry operation which transmits an inquiry message to the terminal device being the notification source of the presence information, about a propriety of the alteration to a next notification destination candidate detected by the detection operation;

wherein the selection operation selects the notification destination candidate as to which a response to the inquiry of the inquiry operation, from the terminal device being the notification source, indicates that the alteration is proper, as a next notification destination; and

a creation operation which creates and stores alteration propriety information indicating the external device that is granted or rejected as the notification destination, every notification source of the presence information, on the basis of a response to the inquiry of the inquiry operation, from the notification source about the alteration propriety;

wherein the alteration operation determines the external device which is granted as the notification destination, as a next notification destination on the basis of the alteration propriety information.

5. An information communication system comprising:

a first terminal device which publishes presence information;

second terminal devices which accept the notification of the presence information; and

a central device which relays communications between the first and second terminal devices;

said central device including the following,

an acceptance unit which accepts the notification of the presence information from said first terminal device;

a notification destination storage unit to store a listing as to which ones amongst the second terminal devices represent notification destinations according to the presence information;

an acquisition unit to acquire state information indicating states of the notification destinations stored in said notification destination storage unit;

a decision unit to decide whether or not alterations of notification destinations are required according to the state information, respectively;

an alteration unit to determine third terminal devices as successor notification destinations on the basis of the state information and then to alter the respective notification destinations to reflect the third terminal devices; and

a notification unit to notify the presence information to the notification destinations after the alterations unit;

wherein the determination, by the alteration unit, of third terminal devices as successor notification destinations comprises;

a detection unit to detect at least one next notification destination candidate, from among the terminal devices that can accept the publication of the presence information; and

an inquiry unit which transmits an inquiry message to the terminal device being the notification source of the presence information, about a propriety of the alteration to a next notification destination candidate detected by the detection operation;

wherein the determination by the alteration unit of the notification destination candidate as to which a response to the inquiry of the inquiry unit, from the terminal device being the notification source, indicates that the alteration is proper, as a next notification destination; and

wherein in a case where the response to the inquiry of the inquiry operation, from the notification source, indicates that the alteration is improper, another notification destination candidate is detected by the detection unit, and an inquiry is made again by the inquiry unit, about a propriety of the alteration to the detected other notification destination candidate.

6. An information communication method for causing a computer connected to a network to execute operations, the method comprising:

accepting, by the computer, first presence information transmitted from a first terminal device which is connected to be communicable through a network;

specifying a second terminal device as a notification destination to which the first presence information is destined;

mapping the notification destination to a transmission source of the first presence information;

deciding whether or not an alteration of the notification destination is required according to a state of the notification destination as indicated by second presence information accepted from the second terminal device;

selecting, if alteration is required, a third terminal device to succeed the second terminal device; and

notifying the first presence information to the third terminal device corresponding to the altered notification destination;

wherein the selecting comprises;

detecting at least one next notification destination candidate, from among the terminal devices that can accept the publication of the presence information; and

transmitting an inquiry message to the terminal device being the notification source of the presence information, about a propriety of the alteration to a next notification destination candidate detected by the detection operation;

wherein the selecting selects the notification destination candidate as to which a response to the inquiry of the inquiry operation, from the terminal device being the notification source, indicates that the alteration is proper, as a next notification destination; and

wherein in a case where the response to the inquiry of the inquiry message, from the notification source, indicates that the alteration is improper, another notification destination candidate is detected by the detecting, and an inquiry is made again by the inquiry operation, about a propriety of the alteration to the detected other notification destination candidate.

7. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising machine-executable instructions for performing a method, execution of which by a machine facilitates operation of an information communication apparatus, the method comprising:

accepting first presence information transmitted from a first terminal device which is connected to be communicable through a network;

specifying a second terminal device as a notification destination to which the first presence information is destined;

mapping the notification destination to a transmission source of the first presence information;

deciding whether or not an alteration of the notification destination is required according to a state of the notification destination as indicated by second presence information accepted from the second terminal device;

selecting, if alteration is required, a third terminal device to succeed the second terminal device; and

notifying the first presence information to the third terminal device corresponding to the altered notification destination;

wherein the selecting comprises;

detecting at least one next notification destination candidate, from among the terminal devices that can accept the publication of the presence information; and

transmitting an inquiry message to the terminal device being the notification source of the presence information, about a propriety of the alteration to a next notification destination candidate detected by the detection operation;

wherein the selecting selects the notification destination candidate as to which a response to the inquiry of the inquiry operation, from the terminal device being the notification source, indicates that the alteration is proper, as a next notification destination; and

wherein in a case where the response to the inquiry of the inquiry message, from the notification source, indicates that the alteration is improper, another notification destination candidate is detected by the detecting, and an inquiry is made again by the inquiry operation, about a propriety of the alteration to the detected other notification destination candidate.