Presence Server Timer for Contact List Age Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
In presence-based communications, managing contact lists becomes cumbersome due to the presence of 'stale' buddies, making it difficult for users to identify useful contact information as their lists become overwhelmed by inactive contacts.
Innovation Solution
A telecommunications system that allows users to set time contact parameters for buddies on their list, using a presence server with a timer to track the age of contacts and remind users to refresh or update contact information when a set threshold is exceeded.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If users continuously add contacts to their contact list over time, then the contact list grows to include more potential contacts, but the list becomes overwhelmed by stale buddies making it difficult to identify useful contact information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies visual differentiation by displaying presence age information to distinguish active contacts from stale contacts. The system changes the visual representation based on the age of presence information, allowing users to quickly identify which contacts are currently active versus which are stale, thereby solving the problem of identifying useful contacts in a growing contact list
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the contact list by displaying age information for each contact's presence status. By dividing contacts into visible age categories (e.g., recent vs. stale), users can easily segment their attention to focus on active contacts while identifying stale ones for removal, without needing to manually review each contact
2Reliability
If the contact list includes both active and stale buddies, then the list maintains historical contact information, but the management of the contact list becomes cumbersome for users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by automatically providing presence age information to users about their contacts. The system continuously monitors and displays how long it has been since each contact was last active, giving users feedback about which contacts are stale without requiring manual tracking or complex management procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically tracking and displaying presence age information for all contacts. This eliminates the need for users to manually manage or categorize contacts, as the system automatically identifies and presents stale contacts for user review, significantly reducing management complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A telecommunications system includes a network; a plurality of client devices operably coupled to said network, said plurality of client devices adapted to set one or more time contact parameters for buddies on a contact list; and a presence server including a timer, and adapted to maintain a timing of time contacts for selected contacts responsive to said parameters.