Presence system and information processing equipment, dynamic buddy list generation method in presence system, and presence notification destination controlling method and its program for use with presence system

• US 20040153506A1
• Filed: 01/22/2004
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ito, Naoko, Watanabe, Masafumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 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: 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 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A presentity service client has a presentity that issues presence information to a presence service and a watcher which observes presence information for other presentities; a presence change rule holding part holds a presence change rule; and a presence calculating part changes the presence information for the presentity, using as a trigger a change in presence information of other presentities, based on the presence information of other presentity acquired by the watcher and in accordance with the presence change rule held by a presence change rules holding part.

Claims

1. A presence system, comprising:

a presence service client including a presentity that provides presence information and a watcher which observes presence information provided by other presentities than said presentity;

a presence service which receives presence information from the presentity and delivers the presence information to the watcher; and

a presence calculating part which changes the presence information for said presentity on said presence service client, using as a trigger a change in the presence information for other presentities acquired by said watcher on said presence service client.

2. The presence system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said presence calculating part has a presence change rule storing part which holds a presence change rule that prescribes how the presence information for said presentity on said presence service client should be changed based on the presence information for said other presentities.

7. The presence system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said presentity on said presence service client issues own presence to said presence service.

8. The presence system as set forth in claim 2, wherein

said presentity on said presence service client issues own presence to said presence service.

3. A presence system, comprising:

a presence service client including a presentity that provides presence information and a watcher which observes presence information for a plurality of other presentities than said presentity;

a presence service which receives presence information from the presentity and delivers the presence information to the watcher; and

a presence calculating part which changes the presence information for said presentity on said presence service client, based on the presence information calculated from the presence information for said plurality of other presentities that has been acquired by said watcher on said presence service client.

4. The presence system as set forth in claim 3, wherein

said presence calculating part has a presence change rule storing part which holds a presence change rule that prescribes how the presence information for said presentity on said presence service client should be changed based on the presence information for said other presentities.

5. The presence system as set forth in claim 3, wherein

said presentity on said presence service client is a presentity in a group to which said plurality of other presentities observed by said watcher belong.

6. The presence system as set forth in claim 5, wherein

a group member managing part which adds, modifies or deletes said other presentities belonging to said group is provided.

9. An information processing equipment, comprising:

a presence service client including a presentity that issues own presence information to a presence service and a watcher which acquires from said presence service presence information for other presentities than said presentity; and

a presence calculating part which changes the presence information for said presentity on said presence service client, using as a trigger a change in the presence information for said other presentities acquired by said watcher on said presence service client;

wherein said presence calculating part further comprises a presence change rule storing part which holds a presence change rule that prescribes how the presence information for said presentity on said presence service client should be changed based on the presence information for said other presentities.

10. An information processing equipment, comprising:

a presence service client including a presentity that issues own presence information to a presence service and a watcher which acquires from said presence service presence information for plurality of other presentities than said presentity; and

a presence calculating part which changes the presence information for said presentity on said presence service client, based on the presence information calculated from the presence information for said plurality of other presentities acquired by said watcher on said presence service client;

wherein said presence calculating part further comprises a presence change rule storing part which holds a presence change rule that prescribes how the presence information for said presentity on said presence service client should be changed based on the presence information for said other presentities.

11. The information processing equipment as set forth in claim 10, wherein

said presentity on said presence service client is a presentity in a group to which said plurality of other presentities observed by said watcher belong.

12. The information processing equipment as set forth in claim 11, wherein

a group member managing part which adds, modifies or deletes said other presentities belonging to said group is provided.

13. A presence notification destination controlling program, comprising the capabilities of:

making a computer function as a presence service client including a presentity that issues own presence information to a presence service and a watcher which acquires from said presence service presence information for other presentities than said presentity and a presence calculating part which changes the presence information for said presentity on said presence service client, using as a trigger a change in the presence information for said other presentities acquired by said watcher on said presence service client, in accordance with a pre-set presence change rule.

14. A presence notification destination controlling program, comprising the capabilities of:

making a computer function as a presence service client including a presentity that issues own presence information to a presence service and a watcher which acquires from said presence service presence information for plurality of other presentities than said presentity and a presence calculating part which changes the presence information for said presentity on said presence service client, based on the presence information for said plurality of other presentities acquired by said watcher located on said presence service client and the presence information calculated from the pre-set presence change rule.

15. A dynamic buddy list generation method for automatically generating a buddy list for use by each client on a network to manage state information for own client or other clients, wherein:

each client has a state managing part which stores state information A for own client;

a state monitoring part which stores state information B for other clients and holds a buddy list (population list) that manages said state information B;

a buddy list generating part which generates a buddy list (selection list) based on a given generation rule; and

a buddy list managing part which holds said selection list,

and comprising;

when a change occurs in the state of own client or any other client,

first step wherein said state managing part updates and transmits said state information A to said buddy list generating part,

second step wherein said state monitoring part transmits state notification request information which acquires the state after change to other clients included in said population list, and receives from other clients state change notification information in response to said state notification request information and said state information B,

third step wherein said state monitoring part updates state information B being managed by said population list, based on said state change notification information, and transmits said population list to said buddy list generating part,

fourth step wherein said buddy list generating part generates said selection list, based on said state information A received from said state managing part in said first step, said state information B being managed by said population list received from said state monitoring part in said third step, and said generation rule, and transmits said selection list to said buddy list managing part, and

fifth step wherein said buddy list managing part holds said selection list received from said buddy list generating part in said fourth step.

16. The dynamic buddy list generation method as set forth in claim 15, wherein:

said buddy list generating part includes a generation rule managing part which changes said generation rule, and said generation rule managing part has the first changing step of changing said generation rule by reflecting said state information A or B received in said fourth step.

17. The dynamic buddy list generation method as set forth in claim 16, wherein:

said generation rule managing part has the second changing step of causing a generation rule to be changed in response to the action taken from own client to change said generation rule.

18. A dynamic buddy list generation method for automatically generating a buddy list for a server on a network to manage state information for each client, wherein:

each client includes a state managing part which stores state information C for own client and buddy list managing part which holds a buddy list (selection list) generated and transmitted by a server, wherein

the server includes a state monitoring part which stores said state information C and holds a buddy list (population list) which manages said state information C, and a buddy list generating part which generates said selection list for each client based on the pre-set rule,

and comprising;

when a change occurs in a state of any of the clients,

sixth step wherein said state managing part updates said state information C,

seventh step wherein said state monitoring part transmits state notification request information which acquires the state after change to other clients included in said population list, and receives from other clients state change notification information in response to said state notification request information and said state information C,

eighth step wherein said state monitoring part updates state information C being managed by said population list, based on said state change notification information, and transmits said population list to said buddy list generating part,

ninth step wherein said buddy list generating part generates said selection list for each client, based on said state information C being managed by said population list received from said state monitoring part in said eighth step and said generation rule, and transmits said selection list to said buddy list managing part of each client, and

tenth step wherein said buddy list managing part holds said selection list received from said buddy list generating part in said ninth step.

19. The dynamic buddy list generation method as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

said buddy list generating part includes a generation rule managing part which changes said generation rule, wherein said generation rule managing part has the third changing step of changing said generation rule by reflecting said state information C received in said ninth step.

20. The dynamic buddy list generation method as set forth in claim 19, wherein:

said generation rule managing part has the fourth changing step of causing a generation rule to be changed in response to the action taken from each client to change said generation rule.

21. A presence system, comprising:

presentities that provide presence information indicating at least the state of own entity;

subscribers that observe said presence information; and

a presence service that delivers said presence information received from said presentities to said subscribers;

wherein said presentities are provided with a notification part which notifies said presence information to specific subscribers only.

22. The presence system as set forth in claim 21, wherein

said presentities include an element which derives said specific subscribers in accordance with a notification destination determination rule held by said presentities,

wherein said notification part notifies said presence information to said specific subscribers thus derived only.

23. The presence system as set forth in claim 21, wherein

said presentities include an element which derives said specific subscribers in accordance with a notification destination determination rule that includes a notification condition designated by said subscribers,

wherein said notification part notifies said presence information to said specific subscribers thus derived only.

24. The presence system as set forth in claim 21, wherein

said subscribers determine subscribers to which said presence information is to be notified in accordance with the order in which said subscribers have performed subscription.

25. The presence system as set forth in claim 21, wherein

subscribers to which said presence information is to be notified are determined according to the attributes of said subscribers.

26. The presence system as set forth in claim 21, wherein

subscribers to which said presence information is to be notified are determined according to the presences for said presentities.

27. The presence system as set forth in claim 21, wherein

when notifying said presence information, information for authenticating that the destination subscribers are said specific subscribers is added.

28. The presence system as set forth in claim 27, wherein

said information for authenticating is information with a pre-set time limit.

29. The presence system as set forth in claim 21, wherein

at least any of instant messaging, e-mail, or telephone notification is included as a means of notifying said presence information.

30. A presence notification destination controlling method, wherein

said method is a presence notification destination controlling method for a presence system comprising presentities that provides presence information indicating at least the state of own entity;

subscribers that observe said presence information; and

a presence service that delivers said presence information received from said presentities to said subscribers;

and comprising on the side of said presentities the step of notifying said presence information to specific subscribers only.

31. The presence notification destination controlling method as set forth in claim 30, wherein

the step of deriving said specific subscribers in accordance with a notification destination determination rule held by said presentities is included on the side of said presentities,

wherein the step of notifying said presence information notifies said presence information to said specific subscribers thus derived only.

32. The presence notification destination controlling method as set forth in claim 30, wherein

the step of deriving said specific subscribers in accordance with a notification destination determination rule that includes a notification condition designated by said subscribers is included on the side of said presentities,

wherein the step of notifying said presence information notifies said presence information to said specific subscribers thus derived only.

33. The presence notification destination controlling method as set forth in claim 30, wherein

said subscribers determine subscribers to which said presence information is to be notified in accordance with the order in which said subscribers have performed subscription.

34. The presence notification destination controlling method as set forth in claim 30, wherein

subscribers to which said presence information is to be notified are determined according to the attributes of said subscribers.

35. The presence notification destination controlling method as set forth in claim 30, wherein

subscribers to which said presence information is to be notified are determined according to the presences for said presentities.

36. The presence notification destination controlling method as set forth in claim 30, wherein

when notifying said presence information, information for authenticating that the destination subscribers are said specific subscribers is added.

37. The presence notification destination control method as set forth in claim 36, wherein

said information for authenticating is information with a pre-set time limit.

38. The presence notification destination controlling method as set forth in claim 30, wherein

the step of notifying said presence information notifies said presence information using a means including any of instant messaging, e-mail, or telephone notification.

39. A presence notification destination controlling program, wherein

said program is a presence notification destination controlling program for a presence system comprising presentities that provides presence information indicating at least the state of own entity;

subscribers that observe said presence information; and

a presence service that delivers said presence information received from said presentities to said subscribers;

and comprising capabilities of having a computer execute a function of notifying said presence information to specific subscribers only.