Method For Processing Deferred Message

• US 20070203995A1
• Filed: 10/11/2006
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mu, Lunjian, Wang, Jue
• Granted Patent: US 8,010,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• 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

Abstract

A method for processing deferred messages includes a storing process, a notification process and a retrieving process of a deferred message. In the storing process, when a user presets and requires to store the deferred message, the system stores the deferred message to be sent to the user; in the notification process, when a user gets online, an IM server at the client side detects the system has stored the deferred message for the user and if the user has subscribed the deferred message notification, the system sends the deferred message notification to the client according to the setting of the system or of the user; in the retrieving process, when the client receives the deferred message notification and requests to acquire the deferred message, its IM server sends the deferred message content to the client. The present invention improves the method for processing deferred messages in the SIP/SIMPLE IM service system.

Claims

1. A method for processing deferred messages, applicable in an instant message (IM) system under Session Initiated Protocol (SIP)/Instant Message and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE), comprising:

storing the deferred messages, wherein said step of storing comprises storing, by the IM system, the deferred messages to be sent to a user in a case that the user pre-requests for storing the deferred messages;

notifying of the deferred messages, wherein said step of notifying comprises determining there are deferred messages for the user stored in the IM system by an IM server associated with a client of the user when the user gets online, and sending a deferred message notification to the client of the user under subscribed configuration in a case that the user subscribes the deferred message notification, or otherwise, sending the deferred message notification to the client under default setting of the IM system; and

retrieving the deferred messages, wherein said step of retrieving comprises sending the deferred messages to the client by the IM server by request from the client for retrieving the deferred messages after receiving the deferred message notification.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the deferred messages comprise meta-data and content, which are combined and stored in a single storage entity or stored separately in different storage entities in the step of storing the deferred messages.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein if the meta-data and the content of the deferred messages are stored in different storage entities, the meta-data is stored in an IM Extensible Markup Language Document Management Server entity (IM XDMS entity) and the content is stored in a deferred message content storage entity.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user subscribes the deferred message notification by a process comprising:

initiating, by the client, an SIP SUBSCRIBE request message for subscribing the deferred message notification to the respective IM server;

authenticating, by said IM server, the user; and

if the authentication passed, sending an SIP NOTIFY message to the client by said IM server, wherein said SIP NOTIFY message comprises a current deferred message status and the deferred message notification for the user.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the SIP SUBSCRIBE request message comprises a subscription event package, in which a deferred message notification content is set.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the deferred message notification content comprises deferred message list information and deferred message meta-data.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the SIP SUBSCRIBE request message comprises a deferred message notification time.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of sending the deferred message notification comprises sending the deferred message notification each time the client gets online during a specified period or sending the deferred message notification once only after subscription.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the user subscribes the deferred message notification, the IM server sends the deferred message notification in an SIP NOTIFY message;

otherwise, the IM server sends the deferred message notification in an SIP MESSAGE under default setting of the IM system.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the IM server sends the deferred message notification in an SIP MESSAGE under default setting of the IM system by a process comprising sending, by the IM system, the deferred message notification at a set time or periodically or once only after the client gets online.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the deferred message notification content comprises deferred message list information and deferred message meta-data or a deferred message content.

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein if the meta-data and the content are combined and stored in a single storage entity and the user subscribes the deferred message notification, when the client gets online, the IM server queries and retrieves the meta-data for the user from the storage entity through a database interface;

and the IM server constructs a deferred message list in accordance with a query result and sends the deferred message notification to the client by an SIP NOTIFY message carrying the deferred message list and the deferred message meta-data.

13. The method according to claim 2, wherein if the meta-data and the content are combined and stored in a single storage entity but the user does not subscribe the deferred message notification, when the client gets online, the IM server queries and retrieves the meta-data for the user from the storage entity through a database interface under default setting of the system;

and the IM server constructs a deferred message list in accordance with a query result and sends the deferred message notification to the client of the server by an SIP MESSAGE carrying the deferred message list and the deferred message meta-data.

14. The method according to claim 2, wherein if the deferred message meta-data is stored in an IM XDMS entity and the user subscribes the deferred message notification, when the client gets online, the IM server queries and retrieves the deferred message meta-data for the user from the IM XDMS entity through an IM-3 interface;

and then the IM server constructs a deferred message list in accordance with a query result and sends the deferred message notification to the client of the server by an SIP NOTIFY message carrying the deferred message list and the deferred message meta-data.

15. The method according to claim 2, wherein if the deferred message meta-data is stored in an IM XDMS entity and the user does not subscribe the deferred message notification, when the client gets online, the IM server queries and retrieves the deferred message meta-data for the user from the IM XDMS entity through an IM-3 interface;

and then the IM server constructs a deferred message list in accordance with a query result and sends the deferred message notification to the client of the server by an SIP MESSAGE carrying the deferred message list and the deferred message meta-data.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein after the client receives the deferred message notification, the client initiates a deferred message retrieving request which carries a retrieving condition.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the client initiates the deferred message retrieving request through an SIP message, an HTTP message or a Message Session Relay Protocol (MSRP) message in an MSRP channel.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the retrieving condition comprises selecting the deferred messages according to a sender, a sending time, or a subject of the messages or a combination thereof or selecting the deferred messages randomly.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein after the IM server receives the deferred message retrieving request, the IM server sends the deferred message content to the client under the retrieving condition.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the IM server sends the deferred message content through an SIP message, an HTTP message or an MSRP message in an MSRP channel.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the IM server incorporates the content of one deferred message in one sending message;

or combines the contents of a plurality of deferred messages in one sending message.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the contents of the plurality of deferred messages comprise bytes less than or equal to a maximum bytes supported by the sending message.

23. The method according to claim 20, wherein,

if the meta-data and the content of the deferred message are combined and stored in a single storage entity, the IM server queries and retrieves the deferred message content for the user from the deferred message storage entity through a database interface and then sends the deferred message content;

and

if the meta-data and the content of the deferred message are stored in different storage entities, the IM server queries and retrieves the deferred message content for the user from the storage entity which stores the deferred message content through a database interface and then sends the deferred message content.

24. The method according to claim 20, wherein if the MSRP message is adopted to send the deferred message content, the deferred message content is sent through an existing or a newly established MSRP channel between the IM server and the client.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the step of sending the deferred message content through a newly established MSRP channel comprises:

retrieving the deferred message content for the user and then establishing a new MSRP channel for sending the deferred message content by the IM server;

or

after receiving the retrieving request for the deferred message from the client, establishing an MSRP channel with the client and then retrieving and sending the deferred message content for the user by the IM server.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the step of retrieving the deferred message content for the user and then establishing a new MSRP channel for sending the deferred message content further comprises:

after receiving the retrieving request for the deferred message from the client, querying the deferred message content under the retrieving condition carried in the request and storing the deferred message content locally by the IM server;

sending an SIP request message to the client and requesting to establish an MSRP channel with the client by the IM server;

returning an SIP response message to the IM server by the client; and

after receiving the SIP response message, sending an SIP acknowledge message to the client, establishing an MSRP channel with the client, and sending the retrieved deferred messages to the client through the MSRP channel, by the IM server.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein when all the deferred messages are sent, the IM server sends an SIP BYE message to the client of the server;

and the client of the server returns a response message.

28. The method according to claim 25, wherein the step of establishing an MSRP channel with the client and then retrieving and sending the deferred message content for the user further comprises:

after receiving the retrieving request for the deferred message from the client, sending an SIP request message and requesting to establish an MSRP channel with the client by the IM server;

returning a SIP response message to the IM server by the client;

after receiving the SIP response message, sending an SIP acknowledge message to the client a d establishing an MSRP channel with the client by the IM server; and

querying the deferred message content under the retrieving condition carried in the retrieving request for the deferred message and sending the deferred message content to the client through the established MSRP channel by the IM server.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein when all the deferred messages are sent, the IM server sends an SIP BYE message to the client of the server;

and the client of the server returns a response message.

30. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the user does not pre-request for storing the deferred messages, when the IM system receives the deferred messages for the user, the system abandons the deferred messages;

or processes the deferred messages under default strategy of the IM system.

31. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of retrieving the deferred messages, the IM server sends the deferred messages to the client and the client sends a response message to it'"'"'s respective IM server.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein after receiving the response message from the client, the respective IM server deletes the deferred messages stored in the storage entity.

33. The method according to claim 23, wherein after the IM server retrieves the deferred message content for the client from the storage entity, the IM server deletes the retrieved messages from the storage entity.

34. The method according to claim 23, wherein after the IM server retrieves the deferred message content for the client from the storage entity, the IM server marks the retrieved messages and deletes all the marked deferred messages at a preset time.

35. The method according to claim 23, wherein after the IM server retrieves the deferred message content for the client from the storage entity, the IM server sets a storage time limit for the retrieved deferred messages in the storage entity, and when the storing time of the deferred messages in the system expires by the storage time limit, deletes the deferred messages from the storage entity.