Patent ID: 8688822

Claim:
A method for inferring network presence of a user, comprising: maintaining in a Personal Information Manager (PIM) server a synchronization queue maintained by the PIM server for a device of a user and containing information available to the user and information indicating a change or update to PIM data on the PIM server since the user last accessed the PIM server, wherein the synchronization queue is used to synchronize the device of the user with the PIM server; providing with a presence server a presence service to which third parties can subscribe wherein the presence service is independent of a network service and the PIM server does not execute a presence client; checking the synchronization queue of the PIM server with the presence server for information available to the user; inferring a current network presence of the user with the presence server based on whether there is information relating to the user in the synchronization queue of the PIM server, a time limit since a last synchronization with the PIM server by the user, and a reaction of the user to the information; detecting by the presence server a change in the network presence of the user based on said inferring the current network presence; and sending a notification from the presence server to one or more subscribers to the presence service for the user in response to said detecting a change in the network presence of the user, the notification containing an indication of the inferred current network presence.