Systems and media for updating an instant messaging system

• US 8,099,670 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2008
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Forlenza, Randolph Michael, Kaemmerer, John Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Queler, Adam M
• Assistant Examiner(s): LONG, ANDREA NATAE
• Application Number:
  US12/127,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/758, 715/772
• US Class Current: 715/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

Systems and media for updating an instant messaging system on a network are disclosed. More particularly, hardware and/or software for updating status indicators such as ‘away’ messages of an instant messaging system are disclosed. Embodiments include determining that a change in status of the user has occurred and automatically transmitting an indication of the change in status to instant messenger system manager via a network. Embodiments include determining that a change in status of the user has occurred based on receiving an indication that the user'"'"'s status has changed, such as from user input on a keyboard, mouse, etc. Other embodiments include determining that a change in status has occurred based on determining that the user'"'"'s status has changed based on an electronic calendar, expiration of a time period, etc.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage device having a computer readable program stored thereon, the computer readable program comprising program instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, perform a method for updating an instant messaging server on a network, the method comprising:

receiving, in an instant messaging client, a request to configure a status indicator to an away status for a user of the instant messaging client, wherein the request to configure the status indicator includes an indication of an ‘

away’

message, wherein the user belongs to a particular organization, and wherein the ‘

away’

message comprises a first message for other users who belong to the particular organization and a second, different message for other users who do not belong to the particular organization;

setting the ‘

away’

message;

transmitting the ‘

away’

message to the instant messaging server via the network;

after the transmitting the ‘

away’

message, detecting an activation of a screen saver;

after the detecting the activation of the screen saver, receiving an indication that the user is active while the status indicator is in the away status;

after the receiving the indication that the user is active, determining that a change in status of the user has occurred; and

after the determining that the change in status has occurred, querying the user as to whether the user desires to change the status indicator to an active status, and in response to receiving an affirmative response from the user, automatically transmitting an indication of the change in status to the instant messaging server via the network.

2. The computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the determining that the change in status has occurred comprises determining that the user is active;

and wherein the indication of the change in status is an indication of an active status.

3. The computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the indication of the change in status includes a new ‘

away’

message.

4. The computer readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the indication of a change in status is an indication of an ‘

away’

message selected from a plurality of ‘

away’

messages based on a current time.

5. An instant messaging system on a network, the system comprising:

an instant messaging server in communication with the network, the instant messaging server being adapted to facilitate instant messaging between users belonging to a particular organization;

a plurality of computer systems in communication with the network, at least one computer system having an instant messaging client to receive requests to configure a status indicator to an away status for a user, wherein the away status includes an ‘

away’

message that itself comprises a first message for other users who belong to the particular organization and a second, different message for other users who do not belong to the particular organization;

wherein the instant messaging client, after detecting an activation of a screen saver and after receiving an indication that the user is active while the status indicator is in an away status, determines if a change in the user'"'"'s status has occurred, and wherein further the instant messaging client automatically transmits an updated status indicator to the instant messaging server after determining that the change in status has occurred and after querying the user to determine if the user desires to change the status indicator to active and receiving an affirmative response.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the change in status is from an away status to an active status.

7. A computer system comprising one or more computer readable storage devices, one or more processors, one or more computer readable memories, and a computer readable program stored on at least one of the one or more computer readable storage devices, the computer readable program comprising program instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more computer readable memories, perform a method for updating an instant messaging server on a network, the method comprising:

receiving, in an instant messaging client, a request to configure a status indicator to an away status for a user of the instant messaging client, wherein the request to configure the status indicator includes an indication of an ‘

away’

message, wherein the user belongs to a particular organization, and wherein the ‘

away’

message comprises a first message for other users who belong to the particular organization and a second, different message for other users who do not belong to the particular organization;

setting the ‘

away’

message;

transmitting the ‘

away’

message to the instant messaging server via the network;

after the transmitting the ‘

away’

message, detecting an activation of a screen saver;

after the detecting the activation of the screen saver, receiving an indication that the user is active while the status indicator is in the away status;

after the receiving the indication that the user is active, determining that a change in status of the user has occurred;

after the determining that the change in status has occurred, querying the user as to whether the user desires to change the status indicator to an active status, and in response to receiving an affirmative response from the user, automatically transmitting an indication of the change in status to the instant messaging server via the network.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the determining that the change in status has occurred comprises determining that the user is active;

and wherein the indication of the change in status is an indication of an active status.

9. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the indication of the change in status includes a new ‘

away’

message.

10. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the indication of a change in status is an indication of an ‘

away’

message selected from a plurality of ‘

away’

messages based on a current time.