Method and system for managing user information in instant messaging systems

• US 8,554,785 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Kong, Yongwei, Mo, Jianxiang, Xu, Zhiguang, Xu, Ji
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Wilson
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, THUY T
• Application Number:
  US12/676,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20100306246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,204 Days
• Field of Search: 707/769, 709/206, 709/203
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a method for managing user information in an instant messaging system in order to address the problems of increasing system workload, increasing network overhead and deteriorated system performance in existing technologies due to frequent access of user information management server or servers when user information is searched. According to a disclosed method, an access server obtains and stores information of contacts of a logged-in user; the access server notifies user information of the logged-in user to other access servers; the access servers that receive the notification store the user information of the logged-in user upon determining that contact(s) is/are found locally therein; and when the access server needs to obtain the information of the contacts of the user, the access server performs a search either locally or in other access servers. Furthermore, a communication system is also provided. The disclosed method and system are believed to result in greatly reduced frequency of searching user information in the user information management servers, reduced workload of the user information management servers, improved performance of searching user information and reduced network overhead of the system.

Claims

1. A method for managing user information in an instant messaging system, the method comprising:

establishing, in a first computer access server, a first buddy table that stores buddy information of a user and a first reverse buddy table that stores reverse buddy information of the user;

associating an identifier of the user with local buddy information of the user in the first buddy table;

associating the identifier of the user with local reverse buddy information of the user;

recording position information of a buddy in the first reverse buddy table;

obtaining, by the first computer access server, contact information of contacts of the user who is logged into the first computer access server from a client device;

updating the first buddy table and the first reverse buddy table stored locally at the first computer access server, based at least in part on the contact information and user information of the user, wherein the user information of the user includes identification information of the user;

sending a notification, by the first computer access server, to notify a plurality of other computer access servers including a second computer access server of user information of the user, wherein the second computer access server stores a second buddy table and a second reverse buddy table locally;

determining whether the identification information of the user exists in the second reverse buddy table of the second computer access server;

storing, by the second computer access server which receives the notification, the user information of the user in the event that the second computer access server determines that the identification information of the user exists in the second reverse buddy table of the second computer access server;

sending, by the first computer access server, status information of the contacts of the user to a client terminal of the user; and

sending status information of the user to related contacts by the second computer access server,

wherein the contact information of the contacts of the user comprises the buddy information and the reverse buddy information of the user.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the obtaining and storing the contact information of the contacts of the user by the first computer access server comprises:

finding buddy identifiers and reverse buddy identifiers of the user from a database by the first computer access server to which the user logs on;

finding the buddy identifiers in the first reverse buddy table by the first computer access server; and

recording the identifier of the user into respective associated reverse buddy information upon finding the buddy identifiers;

finding the reverse buddy identifiers in the first buddy table of the first computer access server; and

recording the identifier of the user in respective associated buddy information upon finding the reverse buddy identifiers.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

recording a buddy identifier in the first reverse buddy table when the buddy identifier is not found in the first reverse buddy table;

treating the identifier of the user to be reverse buddy information; and

associating the buddy identifier with the identifier.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

recording a reverse buddy identifier in the first buddy table when the reverse buddy identifier is not found in the first buddy table;

treating the identifier of the user to be buddy information; and

associating the reverse buddy identifier with the identifier.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein, after the user logged in the first computer access server, the method further comprises:

searching, by the first computer access server, for the identifier of the user in the first buddy table stored locally at the first computer access server;

obtaining all local buddy identifiers from corresponding buddy information upon finding the identifier; and

recording position information of the first computer access server in respective position information associated with the local buddy identifiers in the first reverse buddy table.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein, after the first computer access server notifies the user information of the user to the second computer access server and after the second computer access server finds the identifier of the user, the second computer access server records the position information of the user in position information that is associated with the identifier, and sends the status information of the user to related users based on user identifiers that are associated with the identifier in the reverse buddy information.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

when the first computer access server requests the status information of the user from the second computer access server, the second computer access server searching the identifier of the user in the second buddy table and the second reverse buddy table stored locally at the second computer access server and returning user identifiers in associated buddy information to the first computer access server.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

the first computer access server searching within the first reverse buddy table stored locally at the first computer access server for the user identifiers returned by the second computer access server; and

recording position information of users associated with the user identifiers in respective associated position information upon finding the user identifiers.

9. The method as recited in any one of claim 2, further comprising:

when a change in status of the user occurs, the first computer access server notifying the second computer access server of the change in status of the user; and

when the second computer access server finds the identifier of the user in the second reverse buddy table, sending the information of the status change of the user to related users based on the user identifiers in the reverse buddy information that is associated with the identifier.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

when the status of the user changes to logout, the first computer access server removing the information of the user that is associated with the user identifier from the first buddy table and the first reverse buddy table stored locally at the first computer access server; and

upon finding the identifier of the user in the second reverse buddy tables, the second computer access server clearing respective position information associated with the identifier.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

when the user sends an instant message to a contact and the first computer access server finds an identifier of the contact in the first reverse buddy table stored locally at the first computer access server, the first computer access server transmitting the instant message based on position information associated with the identifier of the contact.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

when the first computer access server cannot find the identifier of the contact in the first reverse buddy table stored locally at the first computer access server, the first computer access server requesting contact information of the contact of the user from the second computer access server, receiving the contact information from the second computer access server, and transmitting the instant message based on the received contact information of the contact.

13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the first computer access server sends notifications and requests to the second computer access server by multicasting.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein in the event that the buddy of the user is not logged into a computer access server, the position information of the buddy is blank.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein in the event that the buddy of the user is logged into a computer access server, the position information of the buddy corresponds to an identifier of the computer access server that the buddy is logged into.

16. A communication system, comprising:

a first computer access server that;

stores a first buddy table and a first reverse buddy table locally, wherein the first buddy table stores buddy information of a user and the first reverse buddy table stores reverse buddy information of the user;

associates an identifier of the user with local buddy information of the user in the first buddy table;

associates the identifier of the user with local reverse buddy information of the user;

records position information of a buddy in the first reverse buddy table; and

sending status information of the contacts of the user to a client terminal of the user; and

a second computer access server that;

allows the user to log in;

obtains and stores contact information of contacts of the user;

updates a second buddy table and a second reverse buddy table stored locally at the second computer access server, based at least in part on the contact information and user information of the user, wherein the user information of the user includes an identifier of the user;

sends a notification to a plurality of other computer access servers including the first computer access server of user information of the user;

searches for the information of the contacts of the user locally or causes the first computer access server to search for the information of the contacts of the user;

transmits instant messages to the first computer access server;

receives instant messages from the first computer access server; and

sending status information of the user to related contacts,

wherein the contact information of the contacts of the user comprises the buddy information and the reverse buddy information of the user.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the second buddy table comprises an identifier of the user and information of the user'"'"'s buddies that are local to the second computer access server, and wherein the second reverse buddy table comprises the identifier of the user, the reverse buddy information of the user and position information of the user.