Updating availability of an instant messaging contact

Abstract

A contact is determined to be unavailable if a predetermined period of time has elapsed since an instant message was sent to the contact and an expected notification for the instant message was not received during that predetermined period of time by the device that sent the instant message. If the expected notification is a delivered notification, then the contact is deemed unreachable. If the expected notification is a read notification and a delivered notification for the instant message has been received by the device that sent the instant message, then the contact is deemed busy.

1 . A method comprising:
 sending, by a communication device, an instant message to a contact; and   determining, by the communication device, that the contact is unreachable if the communication device has not received a delivered notification for the instant message within a predetermined period of time since the communication device sent the instant message.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said determining includes displaying an indication that the contact is unreachable. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising, after said determining:
 determining, by the communication device, based on receipt of the delivered notification after the predetermined period of time, that the contact is reachable. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  further comprising:
 in response to determining after the predetermined period of time that the contact is available, the communication device displaying an indication that the contact is reachable. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the indication is displayed by the communication device. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the indication is provided by at least one of a vibrator, a sound source and a light source of the communication device. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising:
 the communication device displaying a query whether to send another message to the contact. 
 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising after said determining:
 displaying, by the communication device, a user interface with which an alert can be set to be notified when the contact becomes reachable. 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising, after said determining:
 determining, by the communication device, that the contact is reachable but busy based on the communication device having received the delivered notification but not a read notification within the predetermined period of time since the communication device sent the instant message. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising:
 in response to said determining that the contact is reachable but busy, the communication device providing an indication that the contact is reachable but busy. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 changing the predetermined period of time based on network delays. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising, before said determining:
 displaying an indication that the instant message was successfully communicated to a network with which the communication device communicates. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the communication device is a wireless mobile communication device. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the contact receives the instant message using a wireless mobile communication device. 
     
     
         15 . A method comprising:
 sending, by a communication device, an instant message to a contact;   receiving, by the communication device, a delivered notification for said instant message; and   displaying, by the communication device, in response to receiving the delivered notification, both an indication that the contact is reachable and a query whether to send another message to the contact.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising:
 receiving, by the communication device, a read notification for said instant message; and 
 displaying, by the communication device, in response to receiving the read notification, a query whether to send another message to the contact. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising, before said displaying:
 displaying, by the communication device, an indication that the contact is unreachable. 
 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising, before said displaying:
 displaying an indication that the instant message was successfully communicated to a network with which the communication device communicates. 
 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the communication device is a wireless mobile communication device. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the contact receives the instant message using a wireless mobile communication device.