Patent ID: 7136858
Filing Date: 2006-11-14
Classification: H04L,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A network update manager, comprising: an updater coupled to a persistent database and to a plurality of administrative applications residing on an at least one application server, the persistent database storing resource lists and associated class of service markers of users of a network that are modifiable by a network administrator via the plurality of administrative applications, a resource list including contacts and contact groups of a user and references to resources available to the user; a means for monitoring the status of at least one user associated with at least one update; a memory operable to store a plurality of delayed updates; and the network update manager being operable to receive at least one update from the plurality of administrative applications and either update the persistent database through the updater or store the at least one update in memory, in response to a network presence status of a user associated with an update, wherein: the network presence status of any user is determined according to whether a remote terminal associated with the user has registered on the network; the network update manager sends an undate to be stored in the memory when the specific user associated with a specific update is present on the network; the network update manager updates a record in the persistent database in response to the network presence status of a specific user associated with a specific update; the network update manager updates the record if the specific user associated with the specific update is not present on the network; the network update manager monitors the status of the specific user, waiting for the network presence status to become not present, and retrieves the update from memory and updates the persistent database in response to the network presence status change; the network update manager is coupled to the persistent database, and operable to monitor a status of at least one user associated with at least one update and report the status to the updater; monitoring the status of at least one user comprises a check of the status of the at least one user at least once per twenty-four hour period; the network update manager is operable to receive and reply to an update status request from the persistent database, the update status request comprising a username; the network update manager is operable to search the memory for a delayed update associated with the username, and provide the delayed update to the persistent database upon finding an update associated with the username; the network update manager checks the memory for the delayed update when a user registers with the persistent database; the at least one update comprises updating at least one class of service marker associated with the at least one user; and the record in the persistent database comprises a list of users for which another user communicates over an instant messaging network and at least one network resource that the another user is authorized to access, network statuses of the users and the at least one network resource being provided to the another user via an instant messaging client, the network update manager performing an update of the record when the another user is not present on the network, the update being from the administrative application.