Instant message user management
First Claim
1. A system for managing user information in an instant messaging (“
- IM”
) system, comprising;
a computer comprising a processor; and
instructions which are executable, using the processor, to perform functions comprising;
determining, for an IM client that is operably connected to the IM system, each of a plurality of users recorded in an IM address book for the IM client, the recorded users being those users who are remembered for the IM client;
determining, for the IM client, whether any of the plurality of users remembered for the IM client should be treated as expired due to absence of communication with the IM client; and
improving computational efficiency of the computer when performing a presence detection function of the IM system, the presence detection function configured to determine current presence status of remembered users on behalf of the IM client, comprising;
for each one of the plurality of users for whom the determining determines that the user is to be treated as expired, omitting this user as a remembered user when the presence detection function determines the current presence status, but not deleting this user from the plurality of users remembered for the IM client, the omitting comprising not performing the presence detection function to determine the current presence status of this user; and
including all others of the plurality of users as remembered users when the presence detection function determines the current presence status.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Techniques are disclosed for improving management of user information in instant messaging systems. Expiration criteria are defined, whereby one or more users or user groups may be considered as having “expired” from consideration by instant messaging functions such as presence determination. In particular, instant messaging activity is preferably used as an expiration criterion. Absence of inbound or outbound messages for a specified amount of time (or since a particular date/time) can therefore be used as a trigger for treating a user or group of users as expired. As a result, efficiency of an instant messaging system is improved by omitting the expired users and groups from subsequent management operations. Optionally, an expired user or group may be revived upon occurrence of certain events (such as a newly-arriving instant message from, or a change in presence status of, the user or group).
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A system for managing user information in an instant messaging (“
- IM”
) system, comprising;a computer comprising a processor; and instructions which are executable, using the processor, to perform functions comprising; determining, for an IM client that is operably connected to the IM system, each of a plurality of users recorded in an IM address book for the IM client, the recorded users being those users who are remembered for the IM client; determining, for the IM client, whether any of the plurality of users remembered for the IM client should be treated as expired due to absence of communication with the IM client; and improving computational efficiency of the computer when performing a presence detection function of the IM system, the presence detection function configured to determine current presence status of remembered users on behalf of the IM client, comprising; for each one of the plurality of users for whom the determining determines that the user is to be treated as expired, omitting this user as a remembered user when the presence detection function determines the current presence status, but not deleting this user from the plurality of users remembered for the IM client, the omitting comprising not performing the presence detection function to determine the current presence status of this user; and including all others of the plurality of users as remembered users when the presence detection function determines the current presence status. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
- IM”
-
9. A system for managing user information in an instant messaging (“
- IM”
) system, comprising;a computer comprising a processor; and instructions which are executable, using the processor, to perform functions comprising; determining, for an IM client that is operably connected to the IM system, each of a plurality of users recorded in an IM address book for the IM client, the recorded users being those users who are remembered for the IM client; evaluating, for the IM client, which of the plurality of users remembered for the IM client are to be treated as expired but not deleted from the plurality of remembered users; improving computational efficiency of the computer when performing an IM presence detection function of the IM system, the presence detection function configured to determine current presence status of remembered users on behalf of the IM client, further comprising; omitting each of the remembered users that are to be treated as expired as a remembered user when the presence detection function determines the current presence status, but not deleting the each of the remembers users that are to be treated as expired from the plurality of remembered users, the omitting comprising not performing the presence detection function to determine the current presence status of this user; and including all others of the plurality of users remembered for the IM client as remembered users when the presence detection function determines the current presence status; and providing, for the IM client, a visual indication for each of the plurality of remembered users, where each one of the plurality of remembered users that are to be treated as expired but not deleted from the plurality of remembered users is visually indicated differently from the all other ones of the plurality of users remembered for the IM client. - View Dependent Claims (10)
- IM”
-
11. A computer program product for managing user information in an instant messaging (“
- IM”
) system, comprising;a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code configured for; determining, for an IM client that is operably connected to the IM system, each of a plurality of users recorded in an IM address book for the IM client, the recorded users being those users who are remembered for the IM client determining, for the IM client, whether any of the plurality of users remembered for the IM client should be treated as expired due to absence of communication with the IM client; and improving computational efficiency of the computer when performing a presence detection function of the IM system, the presence detection function configured to determine current presence status of remembered users on behalf of the IM client, comprising; for each one of the plurality of users for whom the determining determines that the user is to be treated as expired, omitting this user as a remembered user when the presence detection function determines the current presence status, but not deleting this user from the plurality of users remembered for the IM client, the omitting comprising not performing the presence detection function to determine the current presence status of this user; and including all others of the plurality of users as remembered users when the presence detection function determines the current presence status. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- IM”
Specification