Handheld electronic device and associated method providing availability data in a messaging environment

摘要

An improved handheld electronic device and an associated method are provided in which enhanced information regarding an “availability” of a user of a handheld electronic device is provided to another electronic device in a messaging environment. Such availability data provides step-wise indications of the relative availabilities of one or more users of electronic devices in a messaging environment. The step-wise indications can, for instance, range from an availability level of “currently active” to several levels of nonavailability. The device and method can be incorporated into an existing messaging environment.

主权项

1. A method of representing availability of a first device, the first device being a handheld electronic device having a wireless communication capability, the method comprising:
detecting an activity on the first device; determining, for the detected activity, that a current availability level is to be altered by a value corresponding to a plurality of levels regardless of what the current availability level is, the current availability level being one of at least three availability levels; determining the current availability level for the first device; altering the current availability level by the plurality of levels according to the value; and providing an indication of a new availability level to enable other devices to alter at least one variable icon in a graduated fashion to indicate the new availability level of the first device by filling in at least a portion of the at least one variable icon.