Presence and geographic location notification based on a setting

• US 9,264,258 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fish, Edmund J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Belousov, Andrey
• Application Number:
  US13/615,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20130066997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 715/733, 715/741, 715/744, 715/745, 715/747
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• 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 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A user of an instant messaging system may store names of other users of the instant messaging system on a participant list (which may be referred to as a “buddy list”), and the names may be categorized into one or more groups. Similarly, a user of a mobile device, such as a mobile telephone, may store contact information about people on the mobile device. Information describing the on-line presence of the user within the instant messaging system or the geographic location of a mobile device, such as a mobile telephone associated with the user, may be disseminated to users on the participant list or to people on the contact list based on notification information that is associated with groups of users or contacts.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining settings for disseminating information associated with a user to one or more other users, the maintained settings including one or more settings that prevent users associated with the one or more settings from receiving notification information associated with the user;

receiving notification information associated with the user;

detecting delivery of a message from the user to another user of the one or more users;

identifying at least one setting from the one or more settings that prevents the another user from receiving the notification information;

in response to detecting delivery of the message from the user to the another user of the one or more users, overriding the at least one setting that prevents the another user from receiving the notification information; and

disseminating the received notification information to the another user in accordance with the override of the at least one setting that prevents the another user from receiving the notification information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the override of the at least one setting is specific to the another user from the plurality of other users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the override of the at least one setting allows one or more additional users of the plurality of other users to be able to communicate with the user, regardless of the settings.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein disseminating the received notification information to the another user in accordance with the override of the at least one setting, comprises disseminating the notification information and additional received notification information associated with the user to the another user for a predetermined period of time in accordance with a term of the override.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an option for the user to cancel the override of the at least one setting; and

detecting a selection, by the user, of the option to cancel the override of the at least one setting.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an option for the user to modify the override.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to disseminating the received notification information to the another user in accordance with the override, providing a notification to the user of the override of the at least one setting that prevents the another user from receiving the notification information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein providing the notification to the user of the override of the at least one setting further comprises providing, prior to disseminating the received notification information to the another user in accordance with the override, an option for the user to confirm the override of the at least one setting that prevents the another user from receiving the notification information.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause that at least one processor to perform the steps of:

maintaining settings for providing information associated with a user to one or more other users, the maintained settings including one or more settings that prevent users associated with the one or more settings from receiving notification information associated with the user;

receiving notification information associated with the user;

detecting delivery of a message from the user to another user of the one or more users;

identifying at least one setting from the one or more settings that prevents the another user from receiving the notification information;

in response to detecting delivery of the message from the user to the another user of the one or more users, overriding the at least one setting that prevents the another user from receiving the notification information; and

disseminating the received notification information to the another user in accordance with the override of the at least one setting that prevents the another user from receiving the notification information.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the override of the at least one setting is specific to the another user from the plurality of other users.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the override of the at least one setting allows one or more additional users of the plurality of other users to be able to communicate with the user, regardless of the settings.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein disseminating the received notification information to the another user in accordance with the override of the at least one setting, comprises disseminating the notification information and additional received notification information associated with the user to the another for a predetermined period of time in accordance with a term of the override.

10. A system comprising a server configured to:

maintain settings for providing information associated with a user to one or more other users, the maintained settings including one or more settings that prevent users associated with the one or more settings from receiving notification information associated with the user;

receive notification information associated with the user;

detect delivery of a message from the user to another user of the one or more users;

identify at least one setting from the one or more settings that prevents the another user from receiving the notification information;

in response to detecting delivery of the message from the user to the another user of the one or more users, override the at least one setting that prevents the another user from receiving the notification information; and

disseminate the received notification information to the another user in accordance with the override of the at least one setting that prevents the another user from receiving the notification information.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the override of the at least one setting is specific to the another user from the plurality of other users.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the override of the at least one setting allows one or more additional users of the plurality of other users to be able to communicate with the user, regardless of the settings.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein disseminating the received notification information to the another user in accordance with the override of the at least one setting, comprises disseminating the notification information and additional received notification information associate with the user to the another user for a predetermined period of time in accordance with a term of the override.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the system is implemented by a mobile device.