Status and time-based delivery services for instant messengers

• US 9,686,214 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2016
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pagan, William G., McLean, James G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Assistant Examiner(s): WIDHALM DE RODRIG, ANGELA MARIE
• Application Number:
  US15/231,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20160352662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• 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

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to unattended status and time-based messaging in an instant messaging (IM) environment and provide a method, system and computer program product for unattended status and time-based messaging in an instant messaging (IM) environment. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for unattended status and time-based messaging in an instant messaging (IM) environment can be provided. The method can include receiving a request from an IM user to queue an unattended status and time-based message, retrieving a recovery trigger for the unattended status and time-based message, and assigning the unattended status and time-based message to a message queue.

Claims

1. A method for unattended status and time-based messaging in an instant messaging (IM) environment, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an IM user to queue a plurality of unattended status and time-based messages to be sent from the IM user to a designated recipient at a later time according to a time condition;

retrieving a plurality of recovery triggers, respectively from the plurality of unattended status and time-based messages, the triggers specifying a time condition responsive to which one of the unattended status and time-based messages is to be transmitted to the designated recipient;

transferring the plurality of unattended status and time-based messages to a message queue along with the triggers;

subsequently detecting a recovery trigger in an IM communication in connection with a designated recipient of one of the queued unattended status and time-based messages;

matching the detected recovery trigger from the IM communication to one of the plurality of recovery triggers of the queued unattended status and time-based messages based upon a time condition associated with the detected recovery trigger; and

,

selecting the queued unattended status and time-based message associated with the one of the plurality of recovery triggers that fulfills the time condition and transmitting the selected queued unattended status and time-based message to the designated recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, upon detecting a change in status of the desired recipient, automatically forwarding scheduled location data from a calendaring application of the IM user to the desired recipient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein only a single one of the plurality of the status and time-based messages is selected.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein less than all of the plurality of queued unattended status and time-based message is selected.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of recovery triggers is specific to a single status time-based message of the plurality of unattended status and time-based messages.

3. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage memory device having stored thereon computer usable program code for unattended status and time-based messaging in an instant messaging (IM) environment, the computer usable program code, when executed on a computer device, causing the computer device to perform the operations of:

receiving a request from an IM user to queue a plurality of unattended status and time-based messages to be sent from the IM user to a designated recipient at a later time according to a time condition;

retrieving a plurality of recovery triggers, respectively from the plurality of unattended status and time-based messages, the triggers specifying a time condition responsive to which one of the unattended status and time-based messages is to be transmitted to the designated recipient;

transferring the plurality of unattended status and time-based messages to a message queue along with the triggers;

subsequently detecting a recovery trigger in an IM communication in connection with a designated recipient of one of the queued unattended status and time-based messages;

matching the detected recovery trigger from the IM communication to one of the plurality of recovery triggers of the queued unattended status and time-based messages based upon a time condition associated with the detected recovery trigger; and

,

selecting the queued unattended status and time-based message associated with the one of the plurality of recovery triggers that fulfills the time condition and transmitting the selected queued unattended status and time-based message to the designated recipient.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the computer usable program code, when executed on the computer device, causes the computer device to further perform the operations of,

upon detecting a change in status of a desired recipient, automatically forwarding scheduled location data from a calendaring application of the IM user to the desired recipient.

9. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein only a single one of the plurality of the status and time-based messages is selected.

10. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein less than all of the plurality of queued unattended status and time-based message is selected.

11. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of recovery triggers is specific to a single status time-based message of the plurality of unattended status and time-based messages.

5. A computer hardware instant messaging (IM) system manager for unattended status and time-based messaging in an instant messaging (IM) environment, comprising:

an operational data store including a message queue; and

a processor configured to

receive a request from an IM user to queue, in the message queue, a plurality of unattended status and time-based messages to be sent from the IM user to a designated recipient at a later time according to a time condition;

retrieving a plurality of recovery triggers, respectively, from the plurality unattended status and time-based messages, the triggers specifying a time condition responsive to which one of the unattended status and time-based messages is to be transmitted to the designated recipient;

transferring the plurality of unattended status and time-based messages to the message queue along with the triggers;

subsequently detecting a recovery trigger in an IM communication in connection with a designated recipient of one of the queued unattended status and time-based messages;

matching the detected recovery trigger from the IM communication to one of the plurality of recovery triggers of the queued unattended status and time-based messages based upon a time condition associated with the detected recovery trigger; and

selecting the queued unattended status and time-based message associated with the one of the plurality of recovery triggers that fulfills the time condition and transmitting the selected queued unattended status and time-based message to the designated recipient.

12. The computer hardware instant messaging system manager of claim 5, wherein only a single one of the plurality of the status and time-based messages is selected.

13. The computer hardware instant messaging system manager of claim 5, wherein less than all of the plurality of queued unattended status and time-based message is selected.

14. The computer hardware instant messaging system manager of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of recovery triggers is specific to a single status time-based message of the plurality of unattended status and time-based messages.