Instant message (IM) routing to a virtual user consisting of a group of possible sub-users associated with a common IM identity

摘要

Disclosed are a method, apparatus and system for instant message routing. The method includes: receiving a communication request from a source client to a destination client; acquiring the context associated with the source client and the destination client; and selecting a sub-user of the destination client for communication using a policy according to the context. When a source client requests communication with a virtual user, the method can route the communication request using a policy according to the context, to a sub-user of the virtual user which once communicated with the source client.

主权项

1. A method for initiating an instant messaging communication setup, comprising the steps of:
receiving, at an instant messaging server, a communication request for an instant messaging communication session from a source client, the request indicating a destination client; determining, by the instant messaging server, responsive to receiving the communication request, whether the destination client corresponds to either a common user or a virtual user, wherein a common user is a unique user to which instant messaging requests directed to the common user are routed, wherein the virtual user corresponds to a plurality of sub-users to which requests directed to the virtual user are selectively routed; responsive to a determination that the destination client is the common user, establishing the instant messaging communication session between the source client and the common user; responsive to a determination that the destination client is the virtual user:
(a) acquiring, by the instant messaging server, a context associated with said source client and said destination client, the context including information stored in a medium accessible by the instant messaging server prior to receiving the request, wherein said context comprises communication history information including a most recent communication between the source client and the destination client, a time stamp of the most recent communication, and a historic one of the sub-users of the virtual user that handled the most recent communication;(b) selecting one of the plurality of sub-users associated with said destination client for the instant messaging session, the selecting is performed according to a policy using information in said context, wherein per the policy said method further comprises:
determining, at the instant messaging server, an expiration time used by the instant messaging server for judging whether the most recent record is valid for biasing routing of the communication request;responsive to a determination that the most recent record is valid, selecting the historic one of the sub-users for the instant messaging session; andresponsive to the determination that the most recent record is not valid, selecting an available one of the sub-users with a smallest load for the instant messaging session.