Instant Messaging User Search via Intermediary Server
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing instant messaging software faces challenges in allowing users to find target users outside their social circles efficiently, leading to resource wastage and delayed or missed information due to the need for multiple intermediaries to forward requests.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method based on the 'six degrees of separation' theory, where users can send requests with character feature descriptions through their friends and friends of friends, allowing the system to automatically establish communication without needing step-by-step message return, thus reducing user and system workload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users ask friends of friends to continue searching for target users through multiple links, then the target user can be found, but it occupies lots of user resources and system resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an instant messaging server as an intermediary to manage and coordinate the search process. The server receives search requests, manages forwarding paths through multiple user levels, and coordinates the return of user information, eliminating the need for manual back-and-forth communication through multiple friend links and significantly reducing user and system resource consumption.
2Reliability
If users ask friends of friends to continue searching for target users through multiple links, then the target user can be found, but the initial user cannot timely obtain the information or even cannot obtain it at all
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an automated feedback mechanism where the instant messaging server tracks the forwarding path and automatically returns the target user's information to the initiating user once found. This eliminates the manual process of information being passed back through multiple friend links, ensuring timely and reliable delivery of search results.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-establishes forwarding paths and monitors them in advance. When a target user is found at any level (direct friend, friend of friend, etc.), the server has already prepared the return path, enabling immediate notification to the initiating user without waiting for manual information propagation through the network.
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing instant messaging software is used to search for users outside social circles, then the search can be extended, but it leads to resource wastage and delayed or missed information
Solution Approach 1:
The instant messaging server acts as a centralized intermediary that manages extended searches beyond direct social circles. It coordinates requests across multiple user levels, tracks forwarding paths, and manages resource allocation, enabling versatile search capability while preventing system resource waste through automated management.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the disclosure provide methods and devices for providing user information in an instant messaging application. The method may include: receiving a request of searching for a target user sent by an initiator user, the request carrying character feature description information of the target user provided by the initiator user; forwarding the request to a designated recipient user client terminal, and notifying a server of an event that the request has been initiated, so that the server monitors and records a forwarding situation of the request, wherein at least one forwarding path is formed after the request is forwarded, each forwarding path comprises at least two nodes, each of the nodes corresponds to one user, users on adjacent nodes are in a preset relationship, and a starting node corresponds to the initiator user; the forwarding situation comprises user identifiers corresponding to the nodes in the paths and processing mode information of the request; and when a processing mode of a user on one forwarding path is responding to the request, determining the user as a target node of the forwarding path; and receiving contact information of the user of the target node provided by the server, so as to display the contact information to the initiator user.