Patent Application
20090125591
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of data processing systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a proxy server configured to support instant messaging sessions across different, normally incompatible IM services.
2. Description of the Related Art
Instant messaging systems provide for live, text-based chat sessions between two or more users. Unlike e-mail, instant messaging requires that all parties be online at the same time. AOL's Instant Messenger (“AIM®”), Microsoft Network Messenger Service (“MSNMS®”), ICQ® and Yahoo! Messenger® are the major instant messaging services.
Instant messaging clients allows users to maintain a list of contacts, often referred to as a “buddy list” or “contact list.” A user can send instant messages to any of the people in the user's list, as long as those people are online. Sending a message opens up a small window where the user and the user's buddies can type in messages that both can see.
Most of the popular instant messaging programs provide a variety of supplemental features including, for example, Web links (the ability to share links to Websites); image sharing (the ability to view images stored on a buddy's computer; sound sharing (the ability transmit sounds to a buddy); file sharing (the ability to transmit files to a buddy); audio communication (the ability to use the Internet instead of a phone to actually talk with buddies); and information streaming (streaming of real-time or near-real-time information such as stock quotes and news headlines).
Some of the basic principles associated with an instant messaging session will now be described with respect to
In order to communicate with the specified instant messaging service 100, proprietary instant messaging client software must initially be installed on the client computers 102 and 104. For example, if the instant messaging service 100 is AIM, then AOL's proprietary instant messaging client software must be installed. The client software allows the client computers 102 and 104 to communicate with the AIM server using AOL's proprietary instant messaging protocol.
Similarly, other instant messaging services, such as IM service 108, will require different client software installed on client computers 106 and 110. For example, Yahoo's proprietary IM software, which includes built-in support for Yahoo's proprietary IM protocol, must be installed on any client computer that uses Yahoo's IM service. Moreover, the client IM software and associated IM protocols required by each service 100, 108 are not compatible. Client software designed for one service may not be used to connect to a different service.
Once the IM client software is installed, to establish an IM session, the client sends the IM service connection information associated with the client computer (e.g., IP address and port number). The IM service creates a temporary file that contains the connection information for the user and the contacts in the user's buddy list. It then checks to see if any of the contacts in the buddy list are currently logged in.
If the service locates any contacts logged in, it sends the connection information for those contacts back to the client. The IM service also sends the user's connection information to the contacts in the buddy list that are signed on. When the client receives the connection information for a contact in the buddy list, it changes the “status” of that person to “Online.” The user may then click on a name of any contact in the buddy list who is online, opening an IM window in which the user may enter an instant message.
Once the users have signed on to the IM service, all subsequent communication may occur directly between the two clients, as indicated by the “direct link” between clients 102 and 104, and clients 106 and 110. However, in some circumstances, IM communication must continue to occur through the instant messaging service 100. For example, if client 104 is behind a firewall, client 102 may not be permitted to establish an IM session with client 104 directly.
When the user goes “offline” the client sends a message to the IM server to terminate the session. The server then sends a message to the clients of each contact in the user's buddy list who are currently online to indicate that the user has logged off. Finally, the IM server deletes the temporary file that contained the connection information for the client(s).
A method is described comprising: receiving instant messages from a data processing device in a first instant messaging (“IM”) format; identifying a first IM service to which the instant messages are directed; reformatting the instant messages into a second IM format compatible with the first IM service; and transmitting the instant messages in the second IM format to the first IM service.
A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained from the following detailed description in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
Described below is a system and method for providing detailed message recipient status information via an electronic messaging service. Throughout the description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the underlying principles of the present invention.
A variety of portable/wireless data processing devices have been introduced over the past several years. These include wireless personal digital assistants (“PDAs”) such as the Palm® VIIx handheld, cellular phones equipped with data processing capabilities, and, more recently, corporate wireless messaging devices such as the Blackberry™ wireless pager developed by Research In Motion (“RIM”).™
One particular wireless data processing device which operates in conjunction with a data processing service is described in co-pending application entitled N
For example, the conversion module 220 may include a hypertext markup language (“HTML”) rendering module (not shown) for interpreting HTML code and downloading any embedded content in the HTML code (e.g., graphics, video, sound, . . . etc) to the service 200. The conversion module 220 may then combine the HTML code and embedded content and generate a set of bytecodes for accurately reproducing the requested content on the data processing device 210. As described above, in one embodiment, the bytecodes may be Java bytecodes/applets. However, the conversion module 220 may generate various other types of interpreted and/or non-interpreted code, depending on the particular type of data processing device 210 being used (e.g., one with an interpreter module or one without).
Because one embodiment of the service 200 maintains an intimate knowledge of the capabilities/configuration of each data processing device 210 (e.g., screen size, graphics/audio capabilities, available memory, processing power, user preferences, . . . etc) it can reconstruct the requested Internet content accurately, while at the same time minimizing the bandwidth required to transmit the content to the device 210. For example, the conversion module 220 may perform pre-scaling and color depth adjustments to the requested content so that it will be rendered properly within the data processing device's 210's display. In making these calculations, the conversion may factor in the memory and processing power available on the data processing device 210. In addition, the conversion module 220 may compress the requested content using a variety of compression techniques, and thereby preserve network bandwidth.
One embodiment of the service 100, illustrated in
When a user of the wireless device 110 is logged in to the service 100 to receive instant messages, the messaging module 320 forwards instant messages from other clients 330 to the wireless device 110 via the wireless network 310. Conversely, the wireless messaging module 320 forwards instant messages transmitted from the wireless device 110 to message recipients logged in on the various clients 330. The wireless messaging module 220 coordinates instant messaging sessions with any number of logged-in users. The other clients 330 with which the wireless device 110 communicates may be any type of data processing devices capable of sending and receiving instant messages over a network (e.g., other wireless devices, desktop/notebook personal computers communicatively coupled to a local area network or a digital subscriber line, personal digital assistants, . . . etc).
Due to the inherently mobile nature of the wireless device 110, it may periodically come in and out of contact with the wireless network 310 (i.e., the wireless link 111 may not be completely reliable). For example, if the user enters a tunnel, elevator or otherwise travels through an out-of-coverage area, the wireless device 110 may be temporarily incapable of sending or receiving instant messages. In prior instant messaging systems, the message sender would simply receive a message indicating that the user was offline, or would receive no indication whatsoever.
However, in one embodiment of the invention, the messaging module 320 maintains a continual virtual connection 312 to the wireless device 110, even when the device 110 temporarily moves out of contact of the wireless network 310. While the wireless device 110 is out of coverage, the messaging module 320 stores any messages addressed to the wireless device 110 in a temporary message queue 325. As soon as the service 100 detects that the wireless device 110 is back online, the messages in the message queue 325 are forwarded to the wireless device 110. In one embodiment, the wireless device 110 includes a similar message queue for temporarily storing outgoing instant messages until communication with the network 310 is reestablished.
In one embodiment, because the service 100 continually tracks the current status of the device 110, the messaging module 320 may provide detailed user status information to the various message senders. For example, when the device is temporarily out of contact, rather than merely sending a message that the device 110 is “offline,” or sending no indication whatsoever, the messaging module 320 transmits an indication that the device has temporarily moved out of contact. Similarly, if the device has been out of contact for an extended period of time, the messaging module 320 may log the user off of the messaging session and transmit an indication that the device 110 is offline.
As mentioned above, each instant messaging service uses a different, incompatible instant messaging (“IM”) protocol. As such, in order to communicate with users on different IM services, the client for each IM service, which includes built-in support for the service-specific IM protocol, must typically be installed on the user's data processing device.
One embodiment of the invention supports communication across multiple IM services by translating between the IM protocol used by the wireless device and the service-specific IM protocol used by each individual IM service. As a result, users may communicate over multiple IM services using a single client interface.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In converting between the IM service protocols and the IM protocol employed by the data processing device, the IM protocol conversion module 505 may convert various types of data objects. For example, if a particular IM service supports the transmission of graphical images (e.g., JPEG files) or sounds (e.g., WAV files), then the IM protocol conversion module 505 converts the transmitted images/sounds into a format which the data processing device 110 can process and render. Similarly, if the data processing device employs 110 file formats which are incompatible with the various IM services 420-422 such as, for example, proprietary imaging and/or audio formats, then the IM protocol conversion module 505 converts the files into a format which the IM services 420-422, and/or the clients communicatively coupled thereto, can process (e.g., standard JPEG and WAV files). A virtually unlimited number of different file types may be converted by the IM protocol conversion module 505 while still complying with the underlying principles of the invention.
Various wireless network types may be employed to support communication between the wireless device 110 and the service 100 including, by way of example but not limitation, packet-based networks such as Cellular Digital Packet Data (“CDPD”), the General Packet Radio Service (“GPRS”) and Mobitex. It should be noted, however, that the underlying principles of the invention are not limited to any particular type of wireless network 310.
Embodiments of the invention may include various steps as set forth above. The steps may be embodied in machine-executable instructions which cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor to perform certain steps. Alternatively, these steps may be performed by specific hardware components that contain hardwired logic for performing the steps, or by any combination of programmed computer components and custom hardware components.
Elements of the present invention may also be provided as a machine-readable medium for storing the machine-executable instructions. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, propagation media or other type of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. For example, the present invention may be downloaded as a computer program which may be transferred from a remote computer (e.g., a server) to a requesting computer (e.g., a client) by way of data signals embodied in a carrier wave or other propagation medium via a communication link (e.g., a modem or network connection).
Throughout the foregoing description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details were set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. For example, while the embodiments described above focus on an instant messaging implementation, the underlying principles of the invention may be implemented using various alternate messaging protocols. Accordingly, the scope and spirit of the invention should be judged in terms of the claims which follow.
