Push e-mail inferred network presence

• US 8,688,822 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2006
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Maes, Stephane H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONAWAY, JAMES E
• Application Number:
  US11/481,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,827 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709204-207, 706/21
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• 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

The presence of a user or device on a network is inferred without requiring permission or exposure from a service provider or network operator. If updates for a user have been pending past a specified amount of time, the user can be inferred to not be present. If the user has requested updates within that specified time, the user can be inferred to be present. If presence cannot be inferred from past activity, a wake-up event can be sent to the user. The wake-up event can be piggy-backed on an existing protocol in order to have easy access to the user. If the user is present on the network, the user will respond to the wake-up event and the user'"'"'s presence can be determined. If the user does not respond, it can be inferred that the user is not present. This presence can be provided to a third party.

Claims

1. A method for inferring network presence of a user, comprising:

maintaining in a Personal Information Manager (PIM) server a synchronization queue maintained by the PIM server for a device of a user and containing information available to the user and information indicating a change or update to PIM data on the PIM server since the user last accessed the PIM server, wherein the synchronization queue is used to synchronize the device of the user with the PIM server;

providing with a presence server a presence service to which third parties can subscribe wherein the presence service is independent of a network service and the PIM server does not execute a presence client;

checking the synchronization queue of the PIM server with the presence server for information available to the user;

inferring a current network presence of the user with the presence server based on whether there is information relating to the user in the synchronization queue of the PIM server, a time limit since a last synchronization with the PIM server by the user, and a reaction of the user to the information;

detecting by the presence server a change in the network presence of the user based on said inferring the current network presence; and

sending a notification from the presence server to one or more subscribers to the presence service for the user in response to said detecting a change in the network presence of the user, the notification containing an indication of the inferred current network presence.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

sending a notification to any subscribers occurs when there is a change to the amount of information in the queue.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

sending a notification to any subscribers occurs when there is a change to the inferred current presence for the user.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

inferring current network presence is further based on a length of time any information has been pending in the queue and the time limit since the last synchronization with the PIM server by the user.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending a notification from the presence server to one of the user and a user device for the user; and

further inferring current network presence of the user with the presence server based on the occurrence of a reaction to the notification.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a log of user activity in the storage device; and

further inferring current network presence of the user with the presence server based on the log of user activity.

7. A method according to claim 3, wherein:

inferring current network presence is further based on a length of time since a last activity entry in the log of user activity.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining in an email server a synchronization queue maintained by the email server for a device of the user and containing information available to the user and information indicating a change or update to email data on the email server since the user last accessed the email server, wherein the synchronization queue is used to synchronize the device of the user with the email server and wherein the email server does not execute a presence client; and

checking the synchronization queue of the email server with the presence server for information available to the user, wherein inferring the current network presence of the user with the presence server is further based on whether there is information relating to the user in the synchronization queue of the email server, a time limit since a last synchronization with the email server by the user, and a reaction of the user to the information and wherein the time limit since a last synchronization with the PIM server and the time limit since a last synchronization with the email server are different.

8. A system for inferring network presence of a user, comprising:

a Personal Information Manager (PIM) server configured to maintain a synchronization queue for a device of a user, the synchronization queue containing information indicating a change or update to PIM data on a PIM server since the user last accessed the PIM server, wherein the synchronization queue is used to synchronize the device of the user with the PIM server, wherein the PIM server does not operate a presence client application, and wherein the PIM server comprises a processor and a memory; and

a presence server independent of the PIM server that provides a presence service to which third parties can subscribe, wherein the presence server comprises a processor and a memory;

wherein the presence server is configured to check the synchronization queue of the PIM server for information available to the user; and

wherein the presence server is operable infer current network presence of the user based on whether there is information available to the user in the synchronization queue of the PIM server, a time limit since a last synchronization with the PIM server by the user, and a reaction of the user to the information, detect a change in the network presence of the user based on the inferred current network presence, and send a presence notification to a third party containing an indication of the inferred network presence.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein:

the presence server is further operable to provide a presence service to third parties, the presence server sending the presence notification to any third party subscribing to the presence service for the user.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein:

the presence server sends the presence notification to any third party requesting presence information for the user.

11. A system according to claim 8, wherein:

the presence server is further operable to infer current network presence based on a length of time any information for the user has been pending in the queue.

12. A system according to claim 8, wherein:

the presence server is further operable to check a log of user activity and further infer current network presence of the user based on the log of user activity.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein:

the presence server is further operable to infer current network presence based on a length of time since a last activity entry in the log of user activity.

14. A system according to claim 8, wherein:

the presence server is further operable to send a notification to the user and further infer current network presence of the user based on whether the user reacts to the notification.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein:

the presence server is further operable to infer current network presence based on a length of time between the sending of the notification and a receiving of an update request from the user.