Instant messaging system with dynamic displaying of affinity among users

• US 20040215737A1
• Filed: 12/18/2003
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Roberto Della Pasqua
• Original Assignee: Roberto Della Pasqua
• Inventors: Della Pasqua, Roberto
• Application Number:
  US10/741,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20040215737A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method of managing a messaging service is proposed for use in a data processing system with distributed architecture including at least one server computer and a plurality of client computers, the service being provided by the at least one server computer for a plurality of users each one associated with a corresponding client computer, wherein the method includes the steps for each user of: providing personal information of the user to the at least one server computer, determining, under the control of the at least one server computer and for each other user, an affinity value indicating a level of affinity of the user with the other user according to a comparison between the personal information of the user and the personal information of the other user, transmitting each affinity value from the at least one server computer to the client computer of the user, and providing an indication of each affinity value to the user by means of the corresponding client computer.

Claims

1. A method of managing a messaging service for use in a data processing system with distributed architecture including at least one server computer and a plurality of client computers, the service being provided by the at least one server computer for a plurality of users each one associated with a corresponding client computer, wherein the method includes the steps for each user of:

providing personal information of the user to the at least one server computer,

determining, under the control of the at least one server computer and for each other user, an affinity value indicating a level of affinity of the user with the other user according to a comparison between the personal information of the user and the personal information of the other user,

transmitting each affinity value from the at least one server computer to the client computer of the user, and

providing an indication of each affinity value to the user by means of the corresponding client computer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing an indication of each affinity value to the user by means of the corresponding client computer includes:

displaying an identifier of each other user and a graphic representation of the corresponding affinity value on the client computer of the user.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing personal information of the user to the at least one server computer includes, under the control of the corresponding client computer:

enabling at least one among a plurality of predefined categories of personal information, and

setting a value for the enabled category.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of setting a value for the enabled category includes:

selecting one of a plurality of predefined values for the enabled category.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of determining, under the control of the at least one server computer and for each other user, an affinity value includes:

determining, for each category being enabled by both the user and the other user, a score according to a difference between the values being set for the category by the user and by the other user, and

calculating the affinity value according to the determined scores.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing personal information of the user to the at least one server computer includes, under the control of the corresponding client computer:

selecting a geographical position of the user.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of selecting a geographical position of the user includes:

selecting one of a plurality of predefined geographical localities.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of selecting a geographical position of the user includes:

displaying a graphic representation of a geographical map, and

selecting a point on the graphic representation of the geographical map.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of determining, under the control of the at least one server computer and for each other user, an affinity value includes:

determining a distance of the user from the other user according to a difference between the geographical position of the user and the geographical position of the other user, and

calculating the affinity value according to the distance.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of determining a distance of the user from the other user includes:

accessing a predefined data structure associating the corresponding geographical position with each geographical locality, and

obtaining the geographical position corresponding to the selected geographical locality from the data structure.

11. The method according to claim 1, further including the steps of:

updating the personal information of the user under the control of the client computer,

transmitting the updated personal information of the user to the at least one server computer,

determining a new affinity value for each other user according to a comparison between the updated personal information of the user and the personal information of the other user,

providing an indication of the corresponding new affinity value to each other user by means of the corresponding client computer, and

providing an indication of each new affinity value to the user by means of the corresponding client computer.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of determining the new affinity value is performed under the control of the at least one server computer, the method further including the steps of:

transmitting the corresponding new affinity value from the at least one server computer to the client computer of each other user, and

transmitting each new affinity value from the at least one server computer to the client computer of the user.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the messaging service is a real-time chat.

14. A computer program, directly loadable into a working memory of a data processing system with distributed architecture including at least one server computer and a plurality of client computers, for performing a method of managing a messaging service when the program is run on the system, the service being provided by the at least one server computer for a plurality of users each one associated with a corresponding client computer, wherein the method includes the steps for each user of:

providing personal information of the user to the at least one server computer,

determining, under the control of the at least one server computer and for each other user, an affinity value indicating a level of affinity of the user with the other user according to a comparison between the personal information of the user and the personal information of the other user,

transmitting each affinity value from the at least one server computer to the client computer of the user, and

providing an indication of each affinity value to the user by means of the corresponding client computer.

15. A program product comprising a computer readable medium storing a computer program, the program being directly loadable into a working memory of a data processing system with distributed architecture for performing a method of managing a messaging service when the program is run on the system, the service being provided by the at least one server computer for a plurality of users each one associated with a corresponding client computer, wherein the method includes the steps for each user of:

providing personal information of the user to the at least one server computer,

determining, under the control of the at least one server computer and for each other user, an affinity value indicating a level of affinity of the user with the other user according to a comparison between the personal information of the user and the personal information of the other user,

transmitting each affinity value from the at least one server computer to the client computer of the user, and

providing an indication of each affinity value to the user by means of the corresponding client computer.

16. In a data processing system with distributed architecture including at least one server computer and a plurality of client computers, a computer program directly loadable into a working memory of a server computer for performing a method of managing a messaging service when the program is run on the server computer, the service being provided by the at least one server computer for a plurality of users each one associated with a corresponding client computer, wherein the method includes the steps for each user of:

receiving personal information of the user,

determining, for each other user, an affinity value indicating a level of affinity of the user with the other user according to a comparison between the personal information of the user and the personal information of the other user, and

transmitting each affinity value to the client computer of the user to cause the client computer to provide an indication of each affinity value to the user.

17. In a data processing system with distributed architecture including at least one server computer and a plurality of client computers, a program product comprising a computer readable medium storing a computer program, the program being directly loadable into a working memory of a server computer for performing a method of managing a messaging service when the program is run on the server computer, the service being provided by the at least one server computer for a plurality of users each one associated with a corresponding client computer, wherein the method includes the steps for each user of:

receiving personal information of the user,

determining, for each other user, an affinity value indicating a level of affinity of the user with the other user according to a comparison between the personal information of the user and the personal information of the other user, and

transmitting each affinity value to the client computer of the user to cause the client computer to provide an indication of each affinity value to the user.

18. In a data processing system with distributed architecture including at least one server computer and a plurality of client computers, a computer program directly loadable into a working memory of a client computer for performing a method of managing a messaging service when the program is run on the client computer, the service being provided by the at least one server computer for a plurality of users each one associated with a corresponding client computer, wherein the method includes the steps of:

sending personal information of the user of the client computer to the at least one server computer to cause the at least one server computer to determine, for each other user, an affinity value indicating a level of affinity of the user with the other user according to a comparison between the personal information of the user and the personal information of the other user,

receiving each affinity value from the at least one server computer, and

providing an indication of each affinity value to the user.

19. In a data processing system with distributed architecture including at least one server computer and a plurality of client computers, a program product comprising a computer readable medium storing a computer program, the program being directly loadable into a working memory of a client computer for performing a method of managing a messaging service when the program is run on the client computer, the service being provided by the at least one server computer for a plurality of users each one associated with a corresponding client computer, wherein the method includes the steps of:

sending personal information of the user of the client computer to the at least one server computer to cause the at least one server computer to determine, for each other user, an affinity value indicating a level of affinity of the user with the other user according to a comparison between the personal information of the user and the personal information of the other user,

receiving each affinity value from the at least one server computer, and

providing an indication of each affinity value to the user.

20. A data processing system with distributed architecture for managing a messaging service including at least one server computer and a plurality of client computers, wherein the at least one server computer includes means for providing the messaging service for a plurality of users each one associated with a corresponding client computer, means for receiving personal information of each user, means for determining, for each other user, an affinity value indicating a level of affinity of the user with the other user according to a comparison between the personal information of the user and the personal information of the other user, and means for transmitting each affinity value to the client computer of the user, and wherein each client computer includes means for providing an indication of each affinity value to the user of the client computer.

21. In a data processing system with distributed architecture for managing a messaging service including at least one server computer and a plurality of client computers, a server computer including means for receiving personal information of each user, means for determining, for each other user, an affinity value indicating a level of affinity of the user with the other user according to a comparison between the personal information of the user and the personal information of the other user, and means for transmitting each affinity value to the client computer of the user to cause the client computer to provide an indication of each affinity value to the user.

22. In a data processing system with distributed architecture for managing a messaging service including at least one server computer and a plurality of client computers, the messaging service being provided by the at least one server computer for a plurality of users each one associated with a corresponding client computer, a client computer including means for sending personal information of the user of the client computer to the at least one server computer to cause the at least one server computer to determine, for each other user, an affinity value indicating a level of affinity of the user with the other user according to a comparison between the personal information of the user and the personal information of the other user, means for receiving each affinity value from the at least one server computer, and means for providing an indication of each affinity value to the user.