Patent ID: 7647375
Filing Date: 2010-01-12
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for identifying identities in a message service, the method comprising: registering a user of a first instant messaging service (IMS) with a second IMS different from the first IMS; identifying a first IMS list, associated with the registered user, of user identities for other users of the first IMS; accessing a database containing a mapping of user identities associated with the first IMS to user identities associated with the second IMS, wherein the user identities associated with the second IMS are independent of the user identities associated with the first IMS; comparing user identities within the first IMS list to entries within the database that maps user identities for the first IMS to user identities of the second IMS; determining matches between user identities associated with the second IMS that correspond to entries in the first IMS list based, at least in part, on the entries in the database; retrieving from the database the user identifies for the second IMS that correspond to the user identities in the first IMS list; and populating a second IMS list for the second IMS and associated with the registered user with the retrieved user identities that mapped to entities in the first IMS list.