Method and system for providing notification when a user becomes available for communicating

• US 20060149816A1
• Filed: 12/20/2004
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rao, Sira, Setty, Venky, Raghav, Amritansh, Cadiz, Jonathan J., Shtiegman, Eran
• Application Number:
  US11/018,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20060149816A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42017 Customized ring-back tones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity

Abstract

A method and system for providing notifications of changes in the presence state of contacts is provided. A notification system allows a user to specify those contacts of interest for whom the user wants to be notified when the contact enters a certain presence state. When presence information is received about a contact, the notification system determines whether the contact is a contact of interest as specified by the user. If so, then the notification system determines whether the presence information indicates a change in presence state that is of interest to the user. If the contact and the change in presence state are of interest to the user, the notification system notifies the user.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for providing presence information of contacts, the method comprising:

subscribing to presence information of the contacts;

specifying contacts of interest;

when the presence state of a contact of interest indicates a certain change, notifying the user of the change in presence state of the contact of interest; and

when the presence state of a contact that is not of interest changes, suppressing the notifying of the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the notifying includes methods of communication with the contact.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein a method of communication includes an instant message.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein a method of communication includes a telephone call.

5. The method of claim 1 including allowing a user to define the certain change in presence state.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the certain change is a change to available to communicate with a user.

7. The method of claim 1 implemented on a telephone.

8. The method of claim 1 implemented on a computer system.

9. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to provide presence information of contacts, by a method comprising:

receiving a presence state of a contact;

determining whether the contact is a contact of interest;

determining whether the received presence state is of user-specified interest; and

when it is determined that the contact is of interest and the presence state is of user-specified interest, notifying the user of the received presence state.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein when the contact is not of interest, suppressing the notifying of the user.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the notifying is provided by a method of communication that is available to the user.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein a contact can specify a presence state in which the contact is available to communicate.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the notifying includes methods of communication with the contact.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein notification is provided when the contact becomes available to communicate with a user.

15. A system for notifying a user when a contact becomes available to communicate, comprising:

means for specifying contacts of interest; and

means for notifying the user when a contact of interest becomes available, the notification indicating methods of communication with the contact.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein a method of communication is an instant message.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein a method of communication is a telephone call.

18. The system of claim 15 including means for allowing a contact to define availability.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein availability is indicated by presence state.

20. The system of claim 15 including means for subscribing to presence information of contacts of interest.