Method and Apparatus for Peer-to-Peer Instant Messaging

• US 20070275696A1
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Wu, Fan, Cheng, Jiang
• Granted Patent: US 8,676,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

The invention proposes a method of peer-to-peer instant messaging and the mobile terminal thereof, which could make the mobile terminal to establish and maintain a list of friend users and update the connection status of the friend users timely. The method of peer-to-peer instant messaging includes following steps: receiving the list of on-line users with capability of peer-to-peer instant messaging sent by the radio network (S260); comparing said list of particular users with said received list of on-line users (S270); updating, according to said comparison result, the connection status record of each user in said list of particular users (S280) so that the mobile terminal could establish a peer-to-peer instant messaging with at least one user mobile terminal in said list of particular users according to said updated connection status record. The present invention enables the user to establish peer-to-peer connection more effectively and to perform instant messaging while occupying less network resources.

Claims

1. A method of peer-to-peer instant messaging for a mobile terminal, said mobile terminal comprising a pre-stored contact list which includes at least one list of particular users, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a list of on-line users that have capability of peer-to-peer instant messaging which is sent by a radio network;

(b) comparing said list of particular users with said received list of on-line users;

(c) updating, according to said comparison result, connection status record of each user in said list of particular users, to make the mobile terminal to establish peer-to-peer instant messaging with at least one user mobile terminal in said list of particular users according to said updated connection status record.

2. The method of peer-to-peer instant messaging as stated in claim 1, wherein the list of on-line users in step (a) is transmitted through cell broadcasting by the radio network.

3. The method of peer-to-peer instant messaging as stated in claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises the step of updating the user connection status records of the portion of said list of particular users that is overlapped with said list of on-line users into on-line.

4. The method of peer-to-peer instant messaging as stated in claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises the step of updating the user connection status record of the portion of said contact list that is not overlapped with said list of on-line users into off-line.

5. The method of peer-to-peer instant messaging as stated in claim 1, wherein said list of particular users is said contact list.

6. A method of peer-to-peer instant messaging for a mobile terminal, said mobile terminal comprising a pre-stored contact list which includes at least one list of particular users, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) reporting to other mobile terminals capability of peer-to-peer instant messaging;

(b) receiving identification information feedback sent by said other mobile terminals respectively;

(c) comparing said list of particular users with said received identification information feedback;

(d) updating, according to said comparison result, the connection status record of each user in said list of particular users, to make said mobile terminal to establish peer-to-peer instant messaging with at least one user mobile terminal in said list of particular users according to said updated connection status record.

7. A mobile terminal for peer-to-peer instant messaging, comprising:

a receiving means for receiving the list of on-line users that have capability of peer-to-peer instant messaging transmitted by the radio network;

a user list recording means for storing a contact list which comprises at least one list of particular users;

a status recording means for recording the connection status of each user in said list of particular users; and

a controller for comparing said received list of on-line users with said list of particular users.

8. A mobile terminal as stated in claim 7, further comprising a display means for displaying a user interface, said user interface comprising:

an information input window for inputting information;

an information display window for displaying said input information;

an on-line user list display window for displaying the list of on-line users that could establish peer-to-peer connection with said mobile terminal in said list of particular users.

9. A mobile terminal as stated in claim 8, wherein said user interface further comprises an off-line user list display window for displaying the list of off-line users in the contact list.

10. A mobile terminal as stated in claim 7, further comprising a display means for displaying a user interface, said user interface comprising:

an information input window for inputting information;

a first information display window for displaying said input information;

a second information display window for displaying information sent by other mobile terminals.

11. A mobile terminal as stated in claim 10, wherein the first information display window and the second information display window are further used for respectively displaying identification information of said mobile terminal and said other mobile terminals.

12. A mobile terminal as stated in claim 7, wherein said contact list includes the personal information of each user and the identification information of each user mobile terminal.

13. A mobile terminal as stated in claim 7, wherein the controller is used for updating the connection status of each user in said contact list according to said comparison result.