Selective messaging using online presence information

• US 9,374,328 B1
• Filed: 01/11/2012
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kempn, Bjrn
• Primary Examiner(s): Mejia, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cousins, Joseph M
• Application Number:
  US13/347,852
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: 706/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• 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

Described herein are devices and techniques for automatically determining in a presence-enabled messaging service, the presence status of at least one subscriber identified in a user'"'"'s list of user contacts, and for filtering subsequent transmission of related network messages (packets) responsive to each user contact'"'"'s presence status. In preparation for the real-time text exchange between such messaging (e.g., IM or chat) subscribers, an initializing user requests presence status for all user contacts. An association of presence status formed in response to replies to the user probe. Such associations can be stored as a data structure, such as a Bloom filter, a hash table, a list, or the like. Subsequent presence messages (e.g., broadcasts, probes) from the initialized user are filtered, in response to the associated contact status. For example, subsequent presence messages are only sent to those user contacts believed to be online.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

broadcasting a personal presence status from a first instant messaging subscriber to a plurality of instant messaging subscribers;

sending, to the plurality of instant messaging subscribers, a request for respondent presence statuses;

receiving at least one respondent presence status from at least one instant messaging subscriber from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers;

creating an association between the first instant messaging subscriber and the at least one instant messaging subscriber from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers from which the at least one respondent presence status is received;

storing, in a memory, the association between the first instant messaging subscriber and the at least one of the plurality of instant messaging subscribers from which the at least one respondent presence status is received; and

broadcasting, in accordance with the association, a subsequent personal presence status from the first instant messaging subscriber only to the at least one instant messaging subscriber from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers from which the at least one respondent presence status is received, wherein only the at least one instant messaging subscriber from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers from which the at least one respondent presence status is received receives the subsequent personal presence status while other instant messaging subscribers from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers from which the at least one respondent presence status is not received do not receive the subsequent personal presence status.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an updated status for the at least one instant messaging subscriber from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers; and

updating the respondent presence status associated with the at least one instant messaging subscriber from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers in response to the received updated status.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the at least one respondent presence status associated with the at least one of the plurality of instant messaging subscribers in the memory.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein broadcasting the subsequent personal presence status comprises:

filtering, based on the association between the first instant messaging subscriber and the at least one responded presence status stored in the memory, the plurality of instant messaging subscribers, wherein only the at least one instant messaging subscriber from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers from which the at least one respondent presence status is received is included as a possible recipient of the subsequent personal presence status.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal presence status, the at least one respondent presence status, and the subsequent personal presence status each comprise an online status.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal presence status, the at least one respondent presence status, and the subsequent personal presence status each comprise an availability status.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein broadcasting the personal presence status and sending the request for the respondent presence status occur in response to initiation of the first instant messaging subscriber.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein initiation comprises launching an instant messaging web client.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein initiation comprises user selectable initiation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively broadcasting subsequent personal presence status comprises broadcasting internet protocol networking messages.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one respondent presence status is based on a lack of response within a predetermined response period.

12. A system comprising:

a plurality of instant messaging clients each associated with respective instant messaging subscriber from a plurality of instant messaging subscribers;

a plurality of instant messaging servers including one or more processors, wherein the plurality of instant messaging servers are configured to communicate with the plurality of instant messaging clients; and

a memory associated with one or more instant messaging server from the plurality of instant messaging servers,

wherein at least one instant messaging server from the plurality of instant messaging servers includes a presence manager configured to communicate with at least one instant messaging server from the plurality of instant messaging servers, and

wherein the presence manager is configured to receive, from at least one instant messaging subscriber from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers, an associated presence status of one or more instance messaging subscribers from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers, store, in the memory, the associated presence status, and broadcast a respective presence status to only the one or more instant messaging subscribers from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers from which the associated presence status is received, wherein only the one or more instant messaging subscribers from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers from which the associated presence status is received receives the subsequent personal presence status while other instant messaging subscribers from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers from which the associated presence status is not received do not receive the subsequent personal presence status.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the instant messaging client comprises a web client.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the instant messaging client comprises a mobile client.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the presence manager is configured to obtain presence status of the one or more instant messaging subscribers from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers in response to initiation of an instant messaging subscribers from the plurality of instant messaging subscribers.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the memory comprises a cache.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one instant messaging server of the plurality of instant messaging servers is provisioned as a cloud service.

18. A system comprising:

at least one instant messaging server including one or more processors and a memory; and

a network-enabled communication device in communication with the at least one instant messaging server, wherein the network-enabled communication device is configured to broadcast a personal presence status from a first instant messaging subscriber client to a plurality of instant messaging subscriber clients, wherein a first communication from the first instant messaging subscriber client requests a respective presence status from at least one of the plurality of instant messaging subscriber clients, and wherein at least one responsive communication from the at least one of the plurality of instant messaging subscriber clients provides the respective presence status of the at least one of the plurality of instant messaging subscriber clients,

wherein the at least one instant messaging server is configured to create an association between the first instant messaging subscriber client and the at least one of the plurality of instant messaging subscriber clients from which the responsive communication is received, and broadcast a subsequent personal presence status from the first instant messaging subscriber client to only the at least one of the plurality of instant messaging subscriber clients from which the at least one responsive communication is received receives the subsequent personal presence status while other instant messaging subscriber clients from which the at least one responsive communication is not received do not receive the subsequent personal presence status, and

wherein the association between the first instant messaging subscriber client and the respective presence status from the at least one of the plurality of instant messaging subscriber clients is stored in the memory.