Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Peter L Beebee

Sudhanshu M Aggarwal

Leon Wong

Martin R Calsyn

Rajeev Surati

Leon C W Wong

Leon Chih Wen Wong

Jesse Vincent

Leon Cw Wong

Systems and methods for updating the presence information of a user associated with one or more clients. The presence information often indicates the status of a user in an instant messaging environment. A client view is associated with each separate client and the master view or status reflected to other subscribers or clients in the instant messaging environment is determined by evaluating each of the separate client views. In this manner the current status of a user may be accurately reflected to a user's subscribers.

Updating presence information

Methods and systems are described for controlling access to presence information using a plurality of different access permission types. Presence information is maintained over a computer network and describes availability of computers and associated users over that network. For example, instant messaging applications often involve maintaining presence information. Users control access to presence information using a number of different access permission types such as the right to view accurate presence information, the right to view any presence information, or the right to act on accessed presence information. By using several different access permission types, the present invention enables finer control over access to presence information.

Methods and systems for controlling access to presence information according to a variety of different access permission types

Method and systems are disclosed for enabling a computer system to generate a request that includes an instruction identifying the authentication method or methods to be used when authenticating a subset of the client computer systems or users network connected to a server computer system. The subset of client computer systems or users may include as little a single computer system or user. The request is then transmitted to the server computer system. When receiving subsequent requests for service from any of the subset of client computer systems or users, the server computer system will refer to the information in the instruction to determine which authentication methods are acceptable in authenticating the client computer system or user.

Methods and systems for selecting methodology for authenticating computer systems on a per computer system or per user basis

Methods and systems are described for permitting a user to specify the criteria for determining the success or failure of the transmission of an instant message. A computer system first identifies the user specified criteria. When the server computer system receives an instant message, the computer system determines whether the user specified criteria have been met. If the criteria are met, the computer system returns a successful acknowledgement message to the user. Since the user sets the criteria by which success will be determined, the meaning of a successful acknowledgement message will be clear to the user.

Methods and systems for selecting criteria for a successful acknowledgement message in instant messaging

Systems and methods for transmitting messages, such as real-time messages, from an entity outside a firewall to a recipient inside the firewall. The messages include the address of a bridgehead server exposed through the firewall and information identifying the recipient client. The network protected by the firewall can include one or more bridgehead servers, one or more messaging servers associated with each bridgehead server, and one or more clients assigned to each messaging server. When a bridgehead server receives a message, it resolves the address of the messaging server to which the recipient client is assigned. The message is forwarded to the messaging server and, in turn, to the recipient client. The sender of the message does not need to know the identity or address of the messaging server. Moreover, the sender, who may reside outside the firewall, does not need direct access to the messaging servers protected by the firewall in order to establish real-time communication with users inside the firewall. Thus, the messaging systems are compatible with conventional network security measures employed by many organizations. The messaging systems can be used by clients to monitor the online status of other clients or to receive notification of properties associated with other clients.

Inter-enterprise messaging system using bridgehead servers

A messaging system is described in which subscription requests are transmitted over the Internet using Internet protocols such as extensions of HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP). The subscription request may be for a wide variety of information from the remote device. For example, the subscription request might be for messages to be forwarded from the device as they are received. Also, the subscriptions could be for messages to be generated when a property value of the remote device has a predetermined characteristic. Such property values might include, for example, stock prices, inventory levels, online status, error codes, heart rates, and the like. The subscription request itself is a data structure representing a subscribe method identification, an address of the device containing the information, and an address of the device to which the information is to be forwarded. Optionally, the subscription request may also define the conditions under which a message is to be forwarded, or under which a property notification is to be sent.

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Acton, MA, United States of America

Peter L Beebee