Detection of communication states

摘要

A method of determining an overall presence state for a user of a communication system in which the user is connected to the communication system using a plurality of devices. The method includes each of the plurality of devices storing in a device memory a presence state for that device; detecting a change in the presence state in at least one of the plurality of devices; each of the plurality of devices transmitting a message via the communication system to the remainder of the plurality of devices, the message comprising the presence state; receiving the messages at the remainder of the plurality of devices; and executing a decision-making code sequence in a processor at each of the remainder of the plurality of devices to determine whether to synchronise the presence state of that device with the presence state from one of the messages based on the origin of an event causing the change in presence state at the at least one of the plurality of devices.

主权项

1. One or more computer-readable storage memory devices comprising computer-readable instructions which, when executed, performs a method of determining an overall presence state for a user of a communication system in which the user is connected to the communication system using a plurality of user devices, each of the plurality of the user devices storing in a user device memory of the respective user device an overall presence state for the user, the method comprising:
detecting a change in the presence state in at least one of said plurality of user devices; said at least one of the plurality of user devices transmitting a message via the communication system to at least some other of said plurality of user devices, connected to the communication system, said message comprising the presence state effective to enable said at least some other of said plurality of user devices to each determine whether to synchronise their associated presence state with that of said at least one of the plurality of user devices; receiving other messages, containing presence state, from said at least some other of said plurality of user devices at said at least one of the plurality of user devices; collating a list of presence states from the plurality of user devices; comparing the presence state in the list to a predetermined ranking; selecting the highest ranked presence state as the overall presence state for said user; and executing a decision-making code sequence in a processor of said at least one of said plurality of user devices to determine whether to synchronise the presence state of said at least one user device with the presence state from at least one of said other messages based on the origin of an event causing the change in presence state at said at least some other of said plurality of user devices, the synchronized presence state reflecting the overall presence state of the user based on the presence states at the plurality of user devices connecting the user to the communication system.