Predicting and updating availability status of a user

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10897436-B2
Application number	US-201916393971-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2019
Priority date	Feb 17, 2015
Publication date	Jan 19, 2021
Grant date	Jan 19, 2021

Abstract

Predicting and notifying availability status of a user may include determining, using a processor, an availability status of a user according to historical data for the user and automatically updating the availability status of the user using the processor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
determining, using a processor, a partial availability status of a user during an event according to a level of participation of the user in the event and according to whether a detected computing activity on a client device of the user during the event is related to the event, the partial availability status indicating whether the user, at a time associated with the partial availability status, is available to interact with a different user through at least one electronic communication channel not being used for the event;
automatically updating, using the processor, an availability status of the user based on the determined partial availability status of the user;
receiving a first incoming communication through the at least one electronic communication channel not being used for the event; and
responsive to the partial availability status indicating that the user is engaged in the event but not an active participant in the event, wherein whether the user is an active participant in the event is determined by comparing the level of participation of the user in the event to a threshold, and responsive to receiving the first incoming communication through the at least one electronic communication channel not being used for the event, accepting the first incoming communication.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the availability status of the user comprises a predicted future availability status, the method further comprising:
based on historical data for the user, estimating a time when a current availability status of the user changes to the predicted future availability status;
wherein automatically updating the availability status of the user further comprises updating the availability status to specify the predicted future availability status and the estimated time.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the future availability status comprises the partial availability status.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein while the user is participating in an event, the partial availability status further is determined according to participant data for the event.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first incoming communication is from a second user participating in the event.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first incoming communication is an instant message.

7. A method, comprising:
determining, using a processor, a partial availability status of a user during an event according to a level of participation of the user in the event and according to whether a detected computing activity on a client device of the user during the event is related to the event, the partial availability status indicating whether the user, at a time associated with the partial availability status, is available to interact with a different user through at least one electronic communication channel not being used for the event;
automatically updating, using the processor, an availability status of the user based on the determined partial availability status of the user;
receiving a first incoming communication through the at least one electronic communication channel not being used for the event, wherein the first incoming communication is from a second user participating in the event;
responsive to the partial availability status indicating that the user is engaged in the event but not an active participant in the event and receiving the first incoming communication through the at least one electronic communication channel not being used for the event, accepting the first incoming communication;
receiving, from a third user not participating in the event, a second incoming communication through the at least one communication channel not being used for the event; and
responsive to receiving the second incoming communication through the at least one communication channel not being used for the event, rejecting the second incoming communication from the third user not participating in an event in which the user currently is participating, rejecting the second communication comprising not delivering the second communication to the user.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the availability status of the user comprises a predicted future availability status, the method further comprising:
based on historical data for the user, estimating a time when a current availability status of the user changes to the predicted future availability status;
wherein automatically updating the availability status of the user further comprises updating the availability status to specify the predicted future availability status and the estimated time.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the future availability status comprises the partial availability status.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein while the user is participating in an event, the partial availability status further is determined according to participant data for the event.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first incoming communication is an instant message.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the second incoming communication is an instant message.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Cunico Hernan A
• Silva Asima

Classifications

• H04L67/54

  Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users · CPC title

• H04L67/535

  Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34) · CPC title

• H04W4/12

  Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements · CPC title

• H04L51/043 Primary

  using or handling presence information · CPC title

• H04L67/24

  Electricity · mapped topic