Determining an unexpected disconnect event constraint within a text exchange session

• US 8,984,120 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2010
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sohoni, Radhika, Saxena, Pukhraj
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABU ROUMI, MAHRAN Y
• Application Number:
  US12/970,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20120158859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,552 Days
• Field of Search: 715/758, 709/206, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting

Abstract

A device communicatively linked with a text exchange session can be identified. The device can be a computing device associated with a computing resource. The resource can be associated with a state and state information. The device can be associated with a text exchange application. State information associated with the computing resource can be obtained. The state information can be a resource identifier and a resource value. A computing resource state change can be determined. The determination can be responsive to a disconnect event associated with the device. The disconnect event can result in the device not communicatively linked to the text exchange session.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a device communicatively linked with a text exchange session, wherein the device is a computing device associated with a computing resource, wherein the computing resource is associated with a state and a state information, wherein the computing device is associated with a text exchange application;

obtaining state information associated with the computing resource, wherein the state information is at least one of a resource identifier and a resource value;

analyzing the state information to identify a constraint that triggers a disconnect event,

responsive to the disconnect event associated with the device, determining a computing resource state change, wherein the disconnect results in the device not communicatively linked to the text exchange session;

communicating to a different device linked with the text exchange session, a notification detailing the disconnect event and causes for the disconnect event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing resource is at least one of a hardware computing resource and a software computing resource.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

conveying a notification to a different device associated with the text exchange session, wherein the notification comprises information specifying the constraint.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the notification comprises of at least one of a computing resource identifier and a disconnect event duration.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the notification is a user defined notification.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the notification is conveyed via at least one of an electronic mail and a Short Message Service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a duration associated with the disconnect event, wherein the duration is at least one of a qualitative value and a quantitative value.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is a middleware application for providing real-time text communications.

9. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a non-transitory storage medium storing program instructions able to be executed by the one or more processors;

a constraint determining unit, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, to determine, based on state information of a computing device, a constraint that causes a disconnect event in the computing device, wherein the computing device participates in a text exchange session, wherein the computing device is associated with a state, wherein the state is associated with a state information, wherein the disconnect event is a non-user initiated termination of a communication stream provided to the computing device;

a connection manager, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, able to determine a state change associated with the computing device responsive to the disconnect event, wherein the connection manager and the constraint determining unit are associated with a text exchange server;

an event mapping, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, configured to link a constraint identifier with a notification identifier associated with a notification, wherein the constraint is a computing resource associated with the computing device; and

a notification manager, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, to communicating to a different device linked with the text exchange session, a notification detailing the disconnect event and causes for the disconnect event.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the text exchange server is a middleware application for providing real-time text communications.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a state engine, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, able to evaluate a state change associated with the computing resource, wherein the evaluation is a programmatic analysis of the state information associated with the computing device;

a forecaster, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, configured to determine a duration associated with the disconnect event; and

a notification handler, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, able to convey the notification to an interface associated with a different computing device linked to the text exchange session.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the computing resource is at least one of a hardware resource and a software resource, wherein the hardware resource is at least one of a power source, a network transceiver, and a peripheral, wherein the software resource is at least one of an operating system and a text exchange application.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the connection engine is able to detect the configuration of a text exchange application associated with the computing device.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the notification is at least one of a text exchange message, an electronic mail, and a Short Message Service message.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the duration is a quantitative value, wherein the quantitative value is a timing value.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the notification is at least one of a pre-defined notification and a user established notification.

17. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising:

computer usable program code stored in a non-transitory storage medium, if said computer usable program code is executed by a processor it is operable to identify a device communicatively linked with a text exchange session, wherein the device is a computing device associated with a computing resource, wherein the computing resource is associated with a state and a state information, wherein the computing device is associated with a text exchange application;

computer usable program code stored in a non-transitory storage medium, if said computer usable program code is executed by a processor it is operable to obtain state information associated with the computing resource, wherein the state information is at least one of a resource identifier and a resource value;

computer usable program code stored in a non-transitory storage medium, if said computer usable program code is executed by a processor it is operable determine a computing resource state change, wherein the disconnect results in the device not communicatively linked to the text exchange session, wherein the determination is responsive to a disconnect event associated with the device, wherein the computer program product is operable to convey a notification to a different device associated with the text exchange session, wherein the notification comprises a computing resource identifier and a disconnect event duration and

computer usable program code stored in a non-transitory storage medium, if said computer usable program code is executed by a processor it is operable to communicate to a different device linked with the text exchange session, a notification detailing the disconnect event and causes for the disconnect event.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer program product is a component of middleware software.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, the computer usable program code comprising:

computer usable program code stored in a non-transitory storage medium, if said computer usable program code is executed by a processor it is operable to analyze the state information to identify a constraint that triggers a disconnect event.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the notification is conveyed via at least one of an electronic mail and a Short Message Service.

21. A system comprising:

at least one server comprising hardware that manages a text exchange communication session between at least two remotely located communication devices, wherein the text exchange communication session is a real-time session during which two or more humans exchange textual messages with each other via the at least one remotely located communication devices; and

a means for detecting a change of state in at least one of the at least two remotely located communication devices, which indicates that the communication device has been unexpectedly disconnected from a network that connects that communication device to the at least one server;

a means for predicting or determining a constraint that caused the disconnection; and

a means for predicting or determining an expected time before the disconnected communication device is reconnected to the network, wherein said message of the notification handler indicates the predicted or determined expected time; and

a notification handler for conveying a message to at least one of the at least two remotely located communication devices, wherein said conveyed message indicates that one communication device has been unexpectedly disconnected and indicates the predicted or determined constraint of the disconnection.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the means for predicting or determining further comprises:

a means for predicting or determining a constraint that caused the disconnection, wherein the message indicates the predicted or determined constraint.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein content of the message comprises textual content pre-defined by a user of the disconnected communication device.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the notification handler is configured to convey the message to participants of the text exchange communication session using a communication mechanism other than a text-exchange communication mechanism.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the notification handler is configured to convey the message to participants of the text exchange communication session using a text-exchange communication conveyed within the text-exchange session.