Dynamic Presence System with Context-Aware Buddy List Generation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional presence systems require manual updating of presence information, leading to reliability issues and burdensome buddy list management, especially as user connections and contexts change, with limited ability to control notification destinations and create context-specific lists.

Innovation Solution

A presence system that automatically changes presence information based on changes in other presentities, providing group presence information instead of individual member information, and dynamically generates buddy lists using presence change rules to ensure notifications are sent to relevant subscribers, allowing for context-dependent control of notification destinations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual updating of presence information is used, then users can control their presence state, but reliability of presence information deteriorates because users often forget updating

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereliability of presence informationVSAvoidease of presence information management

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically updates presence information based on actual communication states and contextual data without requiring manual user intervention. The presence information is self-updated by monitoring communication activities, file transfer states, and other contextual parameters, thereby improving reliability while reducing operational burden on users.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Loss of information

If presence information is managed per individual user, then detailed presence data is available, but user burden increases when checking presence of multiple group members

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of presence informationVSAvoidease of group presence checking

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges presence information of multiple individual users into a unified group presence indicator. Instead of requiring users to check each member's presence separately, the system combines individual presence states with group context to provide a single aggregated presence status for the entire group, significantly reducing the operational burden while preserving access to detailed individual information when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically generates context-specific buddy lists that automatically adjust based on current communication states, time, location, and other contextual parameters. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to present only relevant presence information for each situation, reducing information overload while maintaining completeness of available data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If static buddy lists are used, then buddy list management is simple, but adaptability to different contexts and times deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to context and timeVSAvoidcomplexity of buddy list management

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements dynamic buddy lists that automatically reconfigure based on contextual parameters such as time of day, location, ongoing communication activities, and user presence states. The buddy list composition and notification routing are continuously adapted to match current context without requiring manual reconfiguration, thereby achieving high adaptability while keeping the management interface simple.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes buddy list parameters (such as included users, notification destinations, and visibility) based on varying contextual conditions. By automatically adjusting these parameters according to time, location, and communication state, the system achieves versatility across different contexts without increasing user-facing complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Loss of information

If presence information for all group members is disclosed, then complete presence data is available, but privacy problems arise from unnecessary disclosure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of presence dataVSAvoidprivacy violation

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different disclosure levels to different users based on their relationship to the group and current context. Instead of uniformly disclosing or hiding presence information from all users, the system selectively reveals only the necessary presence data to each watcher based on their authorization level and the specific contextual situation, thereby maintaining data completeness while protecting privacy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS7844667B2Presence system and information processing equipment, dynamic buddy list generation method in presence system, and presence notification destination controlling method and its program for use with presence system

Publication Date: 2010.11.30 NEC CORP

AI summary

A presentity service client has a presentity that issues presence information to a presence service and a watcher which observes presence information for other presentities; a presence change rule holding part holds a presence change rule; and a presence calculating part changes the presence information for the presentity, using as a trigger a change in presence information of other presentities, based on the presence information of other presentity acquired by the watcher and in accordance with the presence change rule held by a presence change rules holding part.