Predicting availability of instant messaging users

• US 8,898,230 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wrp IP Management, LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: O'Sullivan, Patrick J., Chakra, Al, Callanan, Sean, Muller, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, CHAU D
• Application Number:
  US11/616,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20080162632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,890 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/204
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to instant messaging and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for probabilistic prediction of availability in an instant messaging system. In one embodiment of the invention, a probabilistic prediction method for instant messaging can be provided. The method can include collecting statistics for when different collaborators in an instant messaging system become available and unavailable. Thereafter, a particular one of the different collaborators can be selected and a probabilistic likelihood can be computed that the particular one of the collaborators will become available by a specified time. Finally, the computed probabilistic likelihood can be rendered in association with the particular one of the different collaborators.

Claims

1. A probabilistic prediction method for instant messaging, the method comprising:

collecting statistics for when different collaborators in an instant messaging system become available and unavailable;

selecting a particular one of the different collaborators;

computing a probabilistic likelihood that the particular one of the collaborators will become available by a specified time; and

,

rendering in a probabilistic pop up within at least part of an instant messaging window of the instant messaging system, the computed probabilistic likelihood and also the specified time that the particular one of the different collaborators will become available, the probabilistic pop up configured to be a portion of a size of the instant messaging window and also rendered in response to the detection of a proximity event for the selected particular one of the different collaborators, the specified time being an activatable specified time control being adjustable by a collaborator different from the particular one of the different collaborators, the specified time consisting of one of a time of day and a range of time in a day.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying a different time of availability;

re-computing a probabilistic likelihood that the particular one of the collaborators will become available by the different time; and

,

rendering in a different probabilistic pop up within at least part of the instant messaging window of the instant messaging system the re-computed probabilistic likelihood in association with the particular one of the different collaborators, the different probabilistic pop up configured to be a portion of a size of the instant messaging window and also rendered in response to the detection of a proximity event for the selected particular one of the different collaborators.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying the range of time during which the particular one of the collaborators is to become available;

re-computing a probabilistic likelihood that the particular one of the collaborators will become available during the specified range time; and

,

rendering in a different probabilistic pop up within at least part of the instant messaging window of the instant messaging system the re-computed probabilistic likelihood in association with the particular one of the different collaborators, the different probabilistic pop up configured to be a portion of a size of the instant messaging window and also rendered in response to the detection of a proximity event for the selected particular one of the different collaborators.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising revising the statistics whenever any of the different collaborators transition from available to unavailable and from unavailable to available.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the particular one of the different collaborators, comprises performing a mouse over proximate to the particular one of the different collaborators.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the particular one of the different collaborators, comprises performing a mouse selection of the particular one of the different collaborators.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a high likelihood that at least one of the different collaborators shortly will change instant messaging state from one of unavailable to available and available to unavailable; and

,

applying a highlight visual characteristic to a display of the at least one of the different collaborators in the instant messaging window of the instant message system in response to detecting the high likelihood that at least one of the different collaborators shortly will change instant messaging state from one of unavailable to available and available to unavailable.

8. An instant messaging data processing system, comprising:

an instant messaging server with at least one processor and memory and configured for communicative coupling to a plurality of instant messaging clients over a computer communications network;

a data store of instant messaging statistics indicating when different collaborators in an instant messaging system become available and unavailable; and

,

probabilistic prediction logic coupled to each of the instant messaging server and the data store, the logic comprising program code enabled when executing in the memory by the at least one processor to select a particular one of the different collaborators, to compute a probabilistic likelihood that the particular one of the collaborators will become available by a specified time, and to render in a probabilistic pop-up within at least part of an instant messaging window of the instant messaging system, the computed probabilistic likelihood and also the specified time that the particular one of the different collaborators will become available, the probabilistic pop up configured to be a portion of a size of the instant messaging window and also rendered in response to the detection of a proximity event for the selected particular one of the different collaborators, the specified time being an activatable specified time control being adjustable by a collaborator different from the particular one of the different collaborators, the specified time consisting of one of a time of day and a range of time in a day.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the specified time configured to be activatable is a specified time control displaying one of the time of day and the range of time in the day, the activatable specified time control causing a rendering of a time entry pop-up responsive to activation.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the program code of the probabilistic prediction logic further is enabled to detect a high likelihood that at least one of the different collaborators shortly will become available, and to apply a highlight visual characteristic to a display of the at least one of the different collaborators in response to detecting the high likelihood that at least one of the different collaborators shortly will become available.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer usable memory embodying computer usable program code for probabilistic prediction for instant messaging, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for collecting statistics for when different collaborators in an instant messaging system become available and unavailable;

computer usable program code for selecting a particular one of the different collaborators;

computer usable program code for computing a probabilistic likelihood that the particular one of the collaborators will become available by a specified time; and

,

computer usable program code for rendering in a probabilistic pop up within at least part of an instant messaging window of the instant messaging system, the computed probabilistic likelihood and also the specified time that the particular one of the different collaborators will become available, the probabilistic pop up configured to be a portion of a size of the instant messaging window and also rendered in response to the detection of a proximity event for the selected particular one of the different collaborators, the specified time being an activatable specified time control being adjustable by a collaborator different from the particular one of the different collaborators, the specified time consisting of one of a time of day and a range of time in a day.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for specifying a different time of availability;

computer usable program code for re-computing a probabilistic likelihood that the particular one of the collaborators will become available by the different time; and

,

computer usable program code for renderizng in a different probabilistic pop up within at least part of the instant messaging window of the instant messaging system the re-computed probabilistic likelihood in association with the particular one of the different collaborators, the different probabilistic pop up configured to be a portion of a size of the instant messaging window and also rendered in response to the detection of a proximity event for the selected particular one of the different collaborators.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for specifying the range of time during which the particular one of the collaborators is to become available;

computer usable program code for re-computing a probabilistic likelihood that the particular one of the collaborators will become available during the specified range time; and

,

computer usable program code for rendering in a different probabilistic pop up within at least part of the instant messaging window of the instant messaging system the re-computed probabilistic likelihood in association with the particular one of the different collaborators, the different probabilistic pop up configured to be a portion of a size of the instant messaging window and also rendered in response to the detection of a proximity event for the selected particular one of the different collaborators.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising computer usable program code for revising the statistics whenever any of the different collaborators transition from available to unavailable and from unavailable to available.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code for selecting the particular one of the different collaborators, comprises computer usable program code for performing a mouse over proximate to the particular one of the different collaborators.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code for selecting the particular one of the different collaborators, comprises computer usable program code for performing a mouse selection of the particular one of the different collaborators.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for detecting a high likelihood that at least one of the different collaborators shortly will change instant messaging state from one of unavailable to available and available to unavailable; and

, computer usable program code for applying a highlight visual characteristic to a display of the at least one of the different collaborators in the instant messaging window of the instant message system in response to detecting the high likelihood that at least one of the different collaborators shortly will change instant messaging state from one of unavailable to available and available to unavailable.