System and method for presenting buddy list on IM platform

• US 8,849,901 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2011
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Tu, Qiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDWARDS, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US13/071,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20110173257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

A system and method for presenting a buddy list on an IM platform are provided. The system includes an IM server and an IM client having a communication connection with the IM server. The IM server stores at least two of: a buddy database, a user information database and a status database. The buddy database records a buddy list of each user, the user information database records detailed information of each user, and the status database records a current status of each user. The IM client groups and sorts buddies in the buddy list according to the buddy list or detailed information of a buddy or a current status of the buddy obtained by the IM client from the IM server, and presents the buddy list according to a grouping and sorting result. Users are enabled to select different presenting manners and search for buddies conveniently.

Claims

1. A system for presenting a buddy list on an instant messaging (IM) platform, comprising an IM server and an IM client having a communication connection with the IM server;

wherein

the IM server is adapted to store at least two of a buddy database, a user information database and a status database;

the buddy database is adapted to record a buddy list for each user;

the user information database is adapted to record detailed information of each user;

the status database is adapted to record a current status of each user;

the IM client comprises a grouping and sorting module and a buddy list presenting module;

the grouping and sorting module is adapted to group and sort buddies in the buddy list according to one of the buddy list of a user, detailed information of each buddy of the user and a current status of each buddy of the user obtained from the IM server when the IM client receives the user'"'"'s selection from a first mode based on groups defined by the user, a second mode based on the current statuses of the buddies and a third mode based on the detailed information of the buddies; and

the buddy list presenting module, having a communication connection with the grouping and sorting module, is adapted to present the buddy list of the user according to a grouping and sorting result from the grouping and sorting module;

wherein the buddy list presenting module supports different presenting manners corresponding respectively to the first mode based on groups defined by the user, the second mode based on the current statuses of the buddies and the third mode based on the detailed information of the buddies, for presenting the buddy list of the user the IM client receiving a user'"'"'s selection of one from a first presenting manner, a second presenting manner, and a third presenting manner,

wherein when the user selects the third presenting manner, automatically grouping by the IM client the buddies in the third grouping manner comprise;

grouping buddies logged on within a first period of time into a first group; and

grouping buddies logged on within a second period of time into a second group,

wherein presenting by the IM client the buddies in the third presenting manner comprises presenting the buddies in the first group and the second group on a screen.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the detailed information of each user in the user information database comprises time of last logon of each user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein, at least one of the buddy database and the user information database is a relational database.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein, the buddy database and the user information database are implemented by one database.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein

the IM server comprises an IM logon server and a buddy server having a communication connection with the IM logon server;

the IM logon server comprises a status database, a buddy server accessing interface for accessing the buddy server, and a first communication interface having a network connection with the IM client;

the buddy server comprises the buddy database and the user information database, an information processing interface connected with the buddy database and the user information database, and a second communication interface connected with the information processing interface;

the information processing interface is adapted to process a request forwarded by the second communication interface from external;

the second communication interface is adapted to maintain a network connection with other modules and receive the request from the external and forward the request to the information processing interface.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the information processing interface is adapted to receive a request forwarded by the IM logon server from the IM client for obtaining a buddy list via the second communication interface, receive a request forwarded by the IM logon server from the IM client for modifying the detailed information of a user, receive a request forwarded by the IM logon server from the IM client for modifying a buddy list of a user;

and

the information processing interface is further adapted to query the buddy database for the buddy list of the user, and query the user information database for detailed information of each buddy in the buddy list of the user.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein

the first communication interface is adapted to forward, when the user switches to a new status at the IM client, the new status of the user to the status database, the status database is adapted to modify the status of the user recorded in the database to the new status of the user;

the first communication interface is adapted to query the status database when the user requests to obtain a status of a buddy from the IM logon server via the IM client, and return the status of the buddy to the IM client;

the first communication interface is adapted to forward a request to the buddy server accessing interface when the user requests to obtain the buddy list of the user via the IM client, and query the buddy database;

the IM logon server is adapted to send a request to the buddy server for recording detailed information of the user into the user information database when receiving a logon request sent by the user via the IM client.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the buddy list of the user comprises a list of buddy identifications (ID) and configurations for buddies in the list by a user.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein

the grouping and sorting module is adapted to group buddies according to one of the buddy list of the user, the detailed information of the buddy of the user and the current status of the buddy of the user obtained, sort buddy groups and/or buddies in each buddy group according to at least one of the buddy list of the user, the detailed information of the buddy of the user and the current status of the buddy of the user.

10. A method for presenting a buddy list on an instant messaging (IM) platform, comprising:

receiving by an IM client a user'"'"'s selection of one from a first presenting manner, a second presenting manner, and a third presenting manner;

recording, at an IM server, a buddy list of each user, detailed information of each user, and a current status of each user;

obtaining, by an IM client from the IM server after a user logs on the IM server via the IM client, the buddy list of the user, detailed information of each buddy of the user, and a current status of each buddy of the user;

grouping and sorting, by the IM client when the IM client receives the user'"'"'s selection from a first mode based on groups defined by the user, a second mode based on the current statuses of the buddies and a third mode based on the detailed information of the buddies, buddies in the buddy list of the user according to one of the buddy list of the user, the detailed information of each buddy of the user and the current status of each buddy of the user;

presenting, by the IM client, the buddy list of the user processed through the grouping and sorting, in one of different presenting manners corresponding respectively to the first mode based on groups defined by the user, the second mode based on the current statuses of the buddies and the third mode based on the detailed information of the buddies, according to the user'"'"'s selection from the first mode based on groups defined by the user, the second mode based on the current statuses of the buddies and the third mode based on the detailed information of the buddies;

wherein when the user selects the third presenting manner, automatically grouping by the IM client the buddies in the third grouping manner comprise;

grouping buddies logged on within a first period of time into a first group; and

grouping buddies logged on within a second period of time into a second group,

wherein presenting by the IM client the buddies in the third presenting manner includes presenting the buddies in the first group and the second group on a screen.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

updating, by the IM server each time the user logs on the IM server via the IM client, the buddy list of the user and the detailed information of the user; and

updating, by the IM server, the current status of the user recorded in the IM server in real time according to an operation of the user at the IM client.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the buddy list of the user comprises a list of buddy identifications (IDs) and grouping information defined by the user;

the detailed information of the user comprises time of last logon of the user; and

the current status of the user comprises an online status and an offline status.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the grouping and sorting the buddies in the buddy list of the user comprises:

grouping, sorting and displaying, by the IM client according to the selection of the user, buddies in the buddy list of the user according to one of the grouping information defined by the user, the time of the last logon of the buddies and the current statuses of the buddies.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the grouping and sorting the buddies in the buddy list of the user comprises:

grouping the buddies according to one of the buddy list of the user, the detailed information of the buddy of the user and the current status of the buddy of the user obtained, and sorting buddy groups and/or buddies in each buddy group according to at least one of the buddy list of the user, the detailed information of the buddy of the user and the current status of the buddy of the user.

15. A method for presenting a buddy list on an instant messaging (IM) platform, comprising:

receiving by an IM client a user'"'"'s selection of one from a first presenting manner, a second presenting manner and a third presenting manner;

automatically grouping by the IM client buddies in a buddy list of the user into different groups in one of a first grouping manner, a second grouping manner and a third grouping manner according to the user'"'"'s selection of one from the first presenting manner, the second presenting manner and the third presenting manner;

wherein the first grouping manner is to group the buddies based on groups defined by the user and corresponding to the first presenting manner;

the second grouping manner is to group the buddies based on current statuses of the buddies and corresponding to the second presenting manner; and

the third grouping manner is to group buddies based on time of last logon of each buddy in the buddy list of the user and corresponding to the third presenting manner;

presenting by the IM client the buddies in one of the first presenting manner, the second presenting manner and the third presenting manner according to the user'"'"'s selection of one from the first presenting manner, the second presenting manner and the third presenting manner;

wherein when the user selects the third presenting manner, automatically grouping by the IM client the buddies in the third grouping manner comprise;

grouping buddies logged on within a first period of time into a first group; and

grouping buddies logged on within a second period of time into a second group,

wherein presenting by the IM client the buddies in the third presenting manner comprises presenting the buddies in the first group and the second group on a screen.