Patent ID: 7698307

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for synchronizing between a local file system and presence of nearby contacts on a network, comprising: monitoring for the presence of nearby contacts on the network; wherein monitoring for the presence of nearby contacts comprises monitoring for the publication of an alive message that indicates that a nearby contact is present on the network and is available; wherein alive messages are continually published on the network that renew a maximum lifetime property such that indications of the nearby contact's presence on the network is maintained; wherein the maximum lifetime property is a time period that the nearby contact is valid; and wherein an expiration of the maximum lifetime property notifies to other users on the network that the nearby contact's presence on the network has timed out and the user is no longer present; automatically providing notification to the local file system of the presence of nearby contacts on the network; wherein nearby contacts include contacts that are connected within physical proximity to a user; wherein physical proximity is a physical distance measured in response to a designation of physical location associated with the user; updating contact entries in the local file system to reflect changes in the presence of nearby contacts on the network; wherein the updated contact entries are maintained in the local file system; wherein the contact entries in the local file system are contact entries of a general contacts folder associated with a separate application of the local file system such that the contact entries of the general contacts folder is updated to include an indication of physical proximity; and querying the local file system to determine the presence of the nearby contacts on the network.