Patent ID: 7499974
Filing Date: 2009-03-03
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method of managing user information in an instant messaging (“IM”) system, comprising: using a data structure to record IM activity on behalf of a particular user of the IM system, wherein: upon sending an instant message from the particular user to any of the plurality of remembered IM users, automatically updating the first date in the entry corresponding to that remembered IM user to a current date and setting the current expiration status in the entry to indicate that the corresponding one of the remembered users is not yet expired; upon receiving an instant message by the particular user from any of the plurality of remembered IM users, automatically updating the second date in the entry corresponding to that remembered IM user to the current date and setting the current expiration status in the entry to indicate that the corresponding one of the remembered users is not yet expired; periodically evaluating the entries in the data structure to determine, for the IM client of the particular user, whether any of the plurality of remembered users should be treated as expired, further comprising, for each of the entries for which the current expiration status indicates that the corresponding one of the remembered users is not yet expired: for each one of the plurality of remembered users for whom the current expiration status of the corresponding entry in the data structure indicates that that one of the remembered users is to be treated as expired, omitting this user when performing IM presence management functions of the IM system but not deleting this one of the remembered users from the plurality of users remembered by the IM system on behalf of the IM client.