Device and method for providing time zone as instant messaging presence

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DESCRIPTION

System and method to provide the time zone in the form of instant messaging presence.

The following invention relates generally to systems and methods for providing time zone information in the form of instant messaging presence.

Instant messaging has become a popular way of communicating electronically in a conversational style, particularly using a handheld or mobile device. Whether it's instant messaging on a desktop computer or a mobile device, profiles or presence information are frequently used to allow a user to see the current status of other contacts, as well as to allow other contacts to see the current status of the user. For example, presence information can show that a contact is busy or available.

When using instant messaging with contacts or “friends”, a user and a contact may be in different situations. For example, if the user is aware that a contact is busy, then the user may decide not to send a message to the contact. However, viewing whether a contact is busy or available may not provide the user with sufficient presence information to discern the status of the contact.

Document JP 2008042626 A discloses an apparatus for processing information related to time zones, which acquires presence information including information indicative of a time zone to which the mobile terminal belongs, and on the basis of the presence information, generates and acquires information (called "time zone related information") including whether or not the time zone to which a mobile terminal belongs is identical or not to the time zone to which another mobile terminal belongs. Furthermore, in the mobile terminal, the time zone related information acquired by the time zone related information processing apparatus can be displayed.

US 2007/088839 A1 discloses a technique for using local time information associated with a monitored person when determining presence information and controlling communication sessions associated with the monitored person. The local time information is directly or indirectly related to the real time or a time zone corresponding to the location where the person being monitored is located. In a presence system, local time information for the monitored person is obtained and used to generate presence information. The presence information can be or include information related to the real time or time zone corresponding to the person being monitored. Presence information can also be based on status information provided by monitored entities associated with the monitored person. In a session control system, sessions associated with the monitored person can be controlled in almost any way and they can also be associated with other communication sessions based on local time information.

Document EP 1594296 A1 discloses electronic equipment for learning information in a wireless communication system, with an information source identification memory for storing information source identification information and additional information regarding source identification information of stored information, a first detector for detecting whether the source of a received information can be identified by determining whether an information source identification information comprised in the received information matches an information source identification information stored in the information source identification memory , and, if the detection result is positive, display the additional information from the information source identification information, coincident, stored in the information source identification memory, in a display device, characterized by a second detector to detect if the received information includes presence information regarding the information source, thus, if the received information comprises presence information, the presence information is displayed on the display device in place of or in addition to the additional information of the matching information source identification information.

US 2007/088818 A1 discloses a system for sharing time zone information based on presence, which includes a database, and a controller. The database includes a plurality of presence profiles, each presence profile holding, for an associated network user, one or more network device identifiers and, for each network device identifier, a current presence status, which indicates network availability, and current time zone information based on geographic location. The controller can receive presence information, determine a matching one of the presence profiles, update the current presence status and current time zone information in the corresponding match of the presence profiles, generate changed time zone information, generate an update presence, identifying a subscriber address to receive the presence update, and transmitting the presence update to the subscriber's address.

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Document EP 1936552 A1 discloses a wireless mobile device or other communication device that has a memory and a processor for running an email application that allows a user to store personal information about the user's contacts, including current local time and / or time zone differential for each of the contacts. When the user seeks to communicate with a contact (for example, via email, IM, or autodial) or if the user seeks to schedule an appointment or event with one or more contacts, the application will notify the user if the current local time is inappropriate for contact. The application can also determine the location of the contact in order to update the current local time associated with that contact. Therefore, the application enables the user of an email application to intelligently communicate or schedule appointments with contacts who are located in different time zones and who may also be traveling.

Document WO 2007/134623 A1 discloses a mobile communication terminal having a phone book and a method of managing phone book entries with a processor and memory having at least one phone book entry and at least a metadata entry stored in it. The method allows the user to order the electronic agenda entries according to the metadata associated with them. Phonebook entries can be displayed / listed in a specified order. The terminal can update the metadata through the mobile network. The metadata can include time zone information and the terminal can display time zone information along with content detail information on a display device of the terminal.

Document WO 02/35869 A1 discloses a method of operating an apparatus connected to a communication system, the apparatus including a distributed mobile architecture of at least two input / output devices having display means or display means. speaker / microphone. The method includes providing a mobile voice and data software interface whereby said input / output devices communicate with each other to provide a variety of mobile telephony and data / content voice and messaging functions to send or receive through the communication system.

US 2005/114768 A1 discloses a system and a method for automatically converting dates and times included in electronic text messages into the local dates and times of the message recipients. For example, when a text message is sent to a desired recipient, a messaging server can recognize date and time strings in the text string of the message, if any. The server can parse date / time information in Coordinated Universal Time (“UTC”) format. The server also receives location and time zone information from the intended recipient's client application, and can send this information to the originating client application. The source client application can use this location and time zone information to convert the UTC date / time information in the message string, if any, to the localized date and time of the message recipient. The localized date / time information is inserted into the message string, and the resulting message is forwarded to the recipient. Optionally, the original message string can also be transported to the recipient for verification purposes.

GENERAL

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method as detailed in claim 1. Advantageous features are found in the dependent claims.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a computer-readable medium, comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed by a processor of a computing device cause said computing device to perform the steps of the method according to the first aspect.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a mobile device comprising a processor and the computer-readable medium according to the second aspect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system in which data items are sent without request ("pushed") from a host system to a mobile device.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a mobile device, with a messaging application.

Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating examples of the other software components and applications shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a system diagram showing a configuration for instant messaging on multiple platforms.

Figure 5 is a system diagram showing a configuration for retrieving and sharing time zone information via instant messaging.

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Figure 6 is an exemplary screenshot of an instant messaging profile for User A.

Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary computer-executable instructions to allow sharing of either time zone information, or time zone and location information with other mobile devices.

Figure 8 is an exemplary screenshot of an instant messaging contact list as viewed by User A, showing time zone information in the form of presence for the contacts.

Figure 9 is an exemplary screenshot of User B's contact profile, as viewed by User A.

Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary computer-executable instructions between mobile device A and mobile device B for retrieving time zone information, or time zone and location information, from mobile device B.

Figure 11 is a graphical diagram of a mobile device that displays a screenshot of an instant messaging conversation between User A and User B, as viewed by User A, and that displays when User B's message was received. .

Figure 12 is a graphical diagram of a mobile device displaying a screenshot of an instant messaging conversation between User A and User B, as viewed by User A, and displaying when User A's message was sent .

Figure 13 is a graphical diagram of a mobile device displaying a screenshot of an instant messaging conversation between User A and User B, as viewed by User A, and displaying the local time and location of User B regarding the message sent from User A.

Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary computer-executable instructions for displaying local time, or local time and location, of a contact with respect to sent and received messages.

Figure 15 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary computer-executable instructions for retrieving time zone information, or time zone and location information, from a received instant message.

Figures 16, 17 and 18 are graphical diagrams of a mobile device displaying an instant messaging conversation between User A and User B, and showing an indication that confirms whether a new message should be sent to User B from User A, based on User B's local time.

Figure 19 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary computer-executable instructions for displaying an indication to confirm whether a new message should be sent based on the local time of the contact.

Figure 20 is an exemplary screenshot of a list of instant messaging contacts, as viewed by User A, showing relative time differences between each of the contacts and User A.

Figure 21 is a graphical diagram of a mobile device displaying an instant messaging conversation between User A and User B, and simultaneously displaying a new incoming message from User F with User F's local time.

Figure 22 is an exemplary screenshot of a date or time application, or both.

Figure 23 is an exemplary screenshot of an instant messaging contact list, as viewed by User A, showing notifications of contacts' time zone changes.

Figure 24 is an exemplary screenshot of an instant messaging contact list, as viewed by User A, showing a notification that a contact has changed time zone.

Figure 25 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary computer-executable instructions for displaying a notification that a contact has changed time zone.

Figure 26 is an exemplary screenshot of an instant messaging profile for User A, showing an option to enable the display of User A's roaming status.

Figure 27 is an exemplary screenshot of an instant messaging contact list, as viewed by User A, and showing a notification of the time zone status and roaming status of a contact.

Figure 28 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary computer-executable instructions for broadcasting and retrieving time zones in the form of instant messaging presence.

Figure 29 is an exemplary screenshot of an instant messaging contact list, as viewed by User A, showing a map of the different time zones.

Figure 30 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary computer-executable instructions for providing time zone information in the form of instant messaging presence.

Figure 31 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary computer-executable instructions for displaying time zone information for at least one listed contact in an instant messaging application.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In instant messaging (IM) applications you can change the presence of a user, or the contact of a user is 2 398 070 T3, or both, depending on various circumstances. A user and a contact may be in different circumstances, and therefore it is desirable to express those circumstances. It has been observed that when a user and a contact are in different time zones, the difference in time zones can affect whether instant messages are sent, at the same time that it can affect expectations regarding when a sent instant message will be read. by contact.

The following provides a method and system for identifying the local time zone of a mobile device, and allowing a user to share the time zone information with contacts through an instant messaging application. Similarly, the user could view the local time zone information for instant messaging contacts. Time zone information can be exchanged between instant messaging users through the presence data of the instant messaging application. It will be appreciated that although the following examples are offered in the context of instant messaging, the principles described herein can also be applied to other conversational message exchange services, eg, SMS, MMS, and the like.

The following examples include communications between mobile or handheld devices, hereinafter commonly referred to as mobile devices and indicated by 10.

Mobile device 10 may be a two-way communication device with advanced data communications capabilities including the ability to communicate with other mobile devices 10 or computer systems through a network of transceiver stations. Mobile device 10 may also have the ability to allow voice communication. Depending on the functionality provided by mobile device 10, it may be referred to as a data messaging device, two-way pager, cell phone with data messaging capabilities, wireless Internet device, or data communications device (with or no telephony capabilities). Mobile device 10 may also be one that is used in a system that is configured to continuously route all forms of information, sent without prior request, from a host system 25 to mobile device 10. An example of a system will now be described. of this type with reference to Figure 1.

Figure 1 is an exemplary system diagram showing the redirection of user data items (such as message A or C) from a corporate corporate computer system (host system) 25 to the user's mobile device 10 via a wireless router 26. Wireless router 26 provides wireless connectivity functionality insofar as it acts both to abstract most of the complexities of wireless network 20 as well as to implement features necessary to support sending data without prior request to the mobile device. 10. Although not shown, a plurality of mobile devices can access data from the host system 25. In this example, message A in Figure 1 represents an internal message sent from, for example, a desktop computer (not shown) within host system 25, to any number of server computers on the corporate network (for example, LAN), which can generally include a database server, calendar server, email server, or voicemail server.

Message C of Figure 1 represents an external message from a sender that is not directly connected to the host system 25, such as the user's mobile device 10, the mobile device (not shown) of some other user, or any user connected to the public or private network 24 (eg, the Internet). The message C could be email, voicemail, calendar information, database updates, web page updates, or could even represent a command message from the user's mobile device 10 to the host system 25. The host system 25 may comprise, along with typical communication links, hardware and software associated with a corporate computer network system, one or more wireless mobility agents, a TCP / IP connection, a collection of storage media of data, (for example, a data storage medium for email could be a standardized mail server such as Microsoft Exchange Server @ or Lotus Notes® Server), all in and behind a corporate firewall.

Mobile device 10 may be adapted for communication within wireless network 20 via wireless links, as required by each wireless network 20 being used. As an illustrative example of the operation for a wireless router 26 shown in Figure 1, consider a data item A, repackaged in an outer envelope B (now referring to the packed data item A as "data item (A)") and sent to mobile device 10 from an Application Service Provider (ASP) in host system 25. Within the ASP is a computer program, similar to a wireless mobility agent, running on any computer in the ASP environment, which is sending requested data items from data storage media to a mobile device 10. The data element (A) destined for the mobile is routed through the network 24, and through the firewall of the wireless router 26 that protects the wireless router 26 (not shown).

Although the above describes the host system 25 as used within an enterprise network environment, this is 2 398 070 T3 simply one embodiment of a type of host service that offers send-based messages without prior request for a handheld wireless device. which has the ability to notify and present the data to the user in real time on the mobile device when the data arrives at the host system.

By offering a wireless router 26 (sometimes referred to as a "relay," "message server," "data forwarder," etc.), there are several important benefits for both the host system 25 and the wireless network. 20. The host system 25 generally runs a host service that is considered to be any computer program that is running on one or more computer systems. The host service is said to be running on a host system 25, and a host system 25 can support any number of host services. A host service may or may not be aware of the fact that information is being channeled to mobile devices 10. For example, an email or messaging program 138 (see Figure 2) could be receiving and processing email while an associated program (e.g., an email wireless mobility agent) is also monitoring the mailbox in relation to the email. user and forwarding or sending without prior request the same email to a wireless device 10. A host service could also be modified to prepare and exchange information with mobile devices 10 through the wireless router 26, such as customer relationship management software. In a third example, there could be a common access to a range of host services. For example, a mobility agent could offer a Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) connection to multiple databases.

Although the system is exemplified as operating in a two-way communications mode, certain aspects of the system could be searched in a "one and a half" or acknowledged paging environment, or even with a one-way paging system. In such limited data messaging environments, wireless router 26 could continue to abstract mobile device 10 and wireless network 20, offer no-request forwarding services for conventional web-based server systems, and allow a host service in a host system 25 contact mobile device 10 in many countries.

The host system 25 shown in this case can have many methods when establishing a communication link with the wireless router 26. For those skilled in the art of data communications, the host system 25 could use connection protocols such as TCP. / IP, X.25, Frame Relay, ISDN, ATM or many other protocols to establish a point-to-point connection. Through this connection, there are several tunneling methods available to package and send the data, including some of them: HTTP / HTML, HTTP / XML, HTTP / Proprietary, FTP, SMTP, or some other proprietary data exchange protocol. The type of host systems 25 that could use the wireless router 26 to perform dispatch without prior request could include: on-site service applications, email services, securities trading services, banking services, trading services, trading applications, field sales, advertising messages and many others. This abstraction of the wireless network 20 is made possible by means of the wireless router 26, which implements this routing and forwarding functionality without prior request. The type of data items selected by the user, which are exchanged by the host, could include: emails, calendar events, appointment notifications, address entries, journal entries, personal notices, alarms, notifications, stock quotes, newsletters, bank account transactions, on-site service updates, trading, information cardiac monitoring, vending machine stock levels, meter reading data, GPS data, etc., although alternatively could include any other type of message that is transmitted to host system 25, or that host system 25 acquires through the use of intelligent agents, such as data that is received after host system 25 initiates a search of a database. data or a website or a bulletin board.

Wireless router 26 provides a range of services to enable the creation of a forwarding based host service without prior request. These networks may comprise: (1) the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, (2) the Mobile Task Force or the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and (3) existing and future third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) networks such as EDGE, UMTS and HSDPA, LTE, Wi-Max and so on. Some older examples of data-oriented networks include, but are not limited to: (1) the Mobitex Radiocommunication Network (“Mobitex”) and (2) the DataTAC Radiocommunication Network (“DataTAC”).

To be effective in providing no-request forwarding services for host systems 25, the wireless router 26 may implement a set of defined functions. It can be appreciated that many different hardware configurations could be selected for the wireless router 26, although likely many of the same set or a similar set of features would be present in the different configurations.

An exemplary configuration for the mobile device 10 is illustrated in Figures 2-3. Referring first to Figure 2, there is shown a block diagram of an example embodiment of a mobile device 10. The mobile device 10 comprises a series of components such as a main processor 102 that controls the overall operation of the mobile device 10. Through a communications subsystem 104, these 2 398 070 T3 perform communication functions, including data and voice communications. Communications subsystem 104 receives messages from and sends messages to a wireless network 20. In this example embodiment of mobile device 10, communications subsystem 104 is configured in accordance with GSM and GPRS standards, which are used throughout the world. world. Other communication configurations that are also applicable are the aforementioned 3G and 4G networks. New standards are still being defined, although it is believed that they will exhibit similarities to the behavior of the networks described herein, and those skilled in the art will also understand that the embodiments described herein are intended to use any other suitable standards. that are developed in the future. The wireless link connecting the communications subsystem 104 to the wireless network 20 represents one or more different Radio Frequency (RF) channels, operating in accordance with defined protocols specified for GSM / GPRS communications.

The main processor 102 also interacts with additional subsystems, such as a Random Access Memory (RAM) 106, a flash memory 108, a display device 110, an auxiliary input / output (I / O) subsystem 112, a port 114 data, a keyboard 116, a speaker 118, a microphone 120, a GPS receiver 121, short-range communications 122, and other subsystems 124 of the device. As will be described later, short-range communications 122 may implement any suitable or desirable inter-device or peer-to-peer communications protocol, capable of relatively short range communication, eg, directly from one device to another. Examples include Bluetooth®, ad-hoc WiFi, infrared, or any "long-range" protocol reconfigured to use available short-range components. Therefore, it will be appreciated that short-range communications 122 can represent any hardware, software, or a combination of both that allows implementing a communications protocol between devices or entities in a short-range scenario, said protocol being standardized or proprietary.

Some of the subsystems of the mobile device 10 perform functions related to communication, while other subsystems may provide functions "resident" or embedded in the device. By way of example, display device 110 and keyboard 116 can be used both for communication-related functions, such as entering a text message for transmission over network 20, and for device-resident functions such as like a calculator or a to-do list.

Mobile device 10 can send and receive communication signals over wireless network 20 after required network activation or registration procedures have been completed. Access to the network is associated with a subscriber or user of the mobile device 10. To identify a subscriber, mobile device 10 may use a subscriber module component or "smart card" 126, such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), a Removable User Identity Module (RUIM), and a User Identity Module. Universal Subscriber Identity (USIM). In the example shown, a SIM / RUIM / USIM 126 will be inserted into a SIM / RUIM / USIM interface 128 in order to communicate with a network. Without component 126, mobile device 10 is not fully operational for wireless network communication 20. Once the SIM / RUIM / USIM 126 is inserted into the SIM / RUIM / USIM interface 128, it is coupled to the main processor 102.

Mobile device 10 is typically a battery-powered device and, in this example, includes a battery interface 132 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 130. In at least some embodiments, battery 130 may be a smart battery with a microprocessor. Incorporated. Battery interface 132 is coupled to a regulator (not shown), which assists battery 130 in providing V + power to the mobile device.

10. Although current technology makes use of a battery, future technologies such as micro fuel cells may provide power to the mobile device 10.

Mobile device 10 also includes an operating system 134 and software components 136-146 which are described in more detail below. Operating system 134 and software components 136-146 that are run by main processor 102 are typically stored on persistent storage media such as flash memory 108, which may alternatively be read-only memory (ROM) or a similar storage item (not shown). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that portions of operating system 134 and software components 136-146, such as device-specific applications, or portions thereof, can be temporarily loaded onto volatile storage media, such as RAM 106. Other software components may also be included, as is well known to those skilled in the art.

The subset of software applications 136 that control basic device operations, including voice and data communication applications, can be installed on mobile device 10 during manufacture. The software applications may include a message application 138, a device status module 140, a Personal Information Manager (PIM) 142, a connection module 144, and an IT policy module 146. A message application 138 may be any suitable software program that allows a user of the mobile device 10 to send and receive electronic messages, where the messages are typically stored in the flash memory 108 of the mobile device 10. A status module 140 of the device provides persistence, that is, device status module 140 ensures that important device data is

ES 2 398 070 T3 are stored in persistent memory, such as flash memory 108, so that data is not lost when mobile device 10 is turned off or loses power. A PIM 142 includes functionality to organize and manage data items of interest to the user, such as, but not limited to, email, text messages, instant messages, contacts, calendar events, and voicemails, and can interact with the wireless network 20. A connection module 144 implements the communication protocols that are required for the mobile device 10 to communicate with the wireless infrastructure and any host system 25, such as a business system, for which the mobile device 10 is authorized to communicate by interface. with the. An IT policy module 146 receives IT policy data that encodes the IT policy, and may be responsible for organizing and guaranteeing rules such as the IT policy of "Setting Maximum Password Attempts".

Other types of software components or applications 139 may also be installed on the mobile device 10. These software applications 139 can be pre-installed applications (ie, other than the message application 138) or third-party applications, which are added after the manufacture of the mobile device 10. Examples of third-party applications include games, calculators , utilities, etc. Additional applications 139 can be loaded onto mobile device 10 through at least one of wireless network 20, auxiliary I / O subsystem 112, data port 114, short-range communications subsystem 122, or any other suitable device subsystem 124.

Data port 114 can be any suitable port that enables data communication between mobile device 10 and another computing device. Data port 114 can be a serial or parallel port. In some cases, the data port 114 may be a USB port that includes data lines for data transfer and a supply line that can provide a charging current to charge the battery 130 of the mobile device 10.

For voice communications, received signals are output to speaker 118, and microphone 120 generates signals for transmission. Although the output of voice or audio signals is primarily accomplished through voice 118, display device 110 can also be used to provide additional information such as the identity of a calling party, the duration of a voice call, or other information related to voice calls.

Main processor 102 may also control a backlight 36 to conserve battery life when mobile device 10 is locked or for other reasons not being used (eg, in a case). Backlight 36 can be used to illuminate display device 110 when mobile device 10 is in use. The backlight 36 may be associated with an idle time timer 34 such that an idle time can be tracked and if it reaches or exceeds a certain predetermined threshold (or user-definable threshold), the backlight 36 is activated. turns off. As will be explained later, the idle timer 34 can also be used to provide a current idle time to the main processor 102 for other uses such as determining user idle time. The main processor 102 can also use data provided by an orientation sensor 35. The orientation sensor 35 may comprise an inclinometer or other sensor capable of determining the orientation of the mobile device 10 with respect to a reference.

To compose data items, such as email messages, for example, a user or subscriber could use a touch-sensitive layer (not shown) on display device 110 that is part of a display device (not shown) of touch screen, in addition to possibly auxiliary I / O subsystem 112. The auxiliary I / O subsystem 112 may include devices such as: a mouse, a track ball controller, an infrared fingerprint detector, or a rotating wheel with dynamic button pressure capability. A redacted item can be transmitted over the wireless network 20 through the communications subsystem 104.

Figure 3 shows an example of the other software components and applications 139 that can be stored on and used with mobile device 10. Only examples are shown in Figure 3, and these examples should not be considered exhaustive. In this example, a host instant messaging application 50, a third-party instant messaging application 52, a telephony application 54, an address book 56, and a profile application 58 are shown to illustrate the various features it can provide. mobile device 10. Also shown in Figure 3 is message application 138, hereinafter referred to as email application 138 for clarity, and it stores or alternatively has access to a database 36 of messages to store incoming and outgoing messages as well as the corresponding ones stored in various folders. It will be appreciated that the various applications may function independently or may use features of other applications. For example, the telephony application 54 and the email application 138 may use the address book 56 in connection with contact details obtained from a list of contacts 34.

The host system instant messaging application 50 is an instant messaging service that is hosted on and provided by the host system 25 in this example, for example, using a web server.

ES 2 398 070 T3 messaging on wireless router 26 as exemplified in Figure 4 and described later. The host system instant messaging application 50 includes or alternatively has access to a host friend list 30 to store contact information regarding friends also using the host system instant messaging application 50. The third party instant messaging application 52 includes or alternatively has access to a third party friend list 32 to store contact information regarding friends also using the third party instant messaging application 52. It will be appreciated that any number of host or third party instant messaging services can be installed and run on mobile device 10, and therefore the two shown in Figure 3 are for illustrative purposes only. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, only a single instant messaging service or a unified instant messaging service combining contact or friend lists for multiple instant messaging services and using a common user interface (not shown) may be supported. ).

Figure 4 illustrates a suitable configuration for a user of mobile device A, hereinafter referred to as mobile device 10A, to operate with instant messages with friends included in their lists 30, 32 of IM friends. In Figure 4 it can be seen that the two examples of instant messaging systems in Figure 3 are shown. The host system IM service using the wireless router 26 is shown, and a third party instant messaging service using a third party instant messaging server 86 accessed by the mobile device 10A via the network 20 is also shown. The host system IM service can be implemented in any suitable manner although, for illustrative purposes, the following describes the host system IM service as a personal identification number (PIN) based messaging system. As can be seen, the third-party instant messaging server 86 can also communicate with users of a desktop computer 85 thereby facilitating instant messaging between users of a desktop computer 85 and between a user 10 of a mobile device and a user at the desktop computer 85. Similarly, the PIN-based messaging system can also facilitate communications with desktop computer users 85.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4, the PIN-based messaging system is implemented using a server-based communication infrastructure, such as one that provides email, SMS, voice, Internet, and other communications. The wireless router 26 used in systems such as those shown in Figure 1 is particularly suitable for hosting a peer-to-peer messaging server 80. In Figure 4, the wireless router 26 facilitates communications, such as instant messaging, between the mobile device 10A and mobile devices corresponding to User B, User C and User D, indicated respectively with 10B, 10C and 10D. It will be appreciated that the number of users participating in the example shown in Figure 4 is for illustrative purposes only. Instant messaging is provided by the instant messaging applications 50, 52 stored in each mobile device 10A to 10D which can be started, for example, by highlighting and selecting a corresponding instant messaging icon from a display device for the mobile device 10 . In host system IM service, wireless router 26 routes messages between mobile devices 10A to 10D in accordance with a PINa-PIN protocol 82.

A PIN-to-PIN based instant message is generally indicated at 68 in Figure 4 and may differ in structure from a third party based instant message 84. In a PIN-based messaging protocol 82, each message 68 has associated with it a PIN corresponding to the mobile device 10 that sent the message 68 (source) and includes a destination PIN that identifies the intended recipient (destination). Although not shown in Figure 4, each message 68 generally comprises a body, which contains the content corresponding to message 68 (eg, text), and a header, which contains various fields used to transmit and process each message 68. In this example, the header includes a message type field to specify the type of transmission (for example, PIN, SMS, etc.), a source field to specify the address of the device for the sender, a destination field to specify the device address corresponding to the intended recipient, a conversation ID field to identify which conversation thread the message 68 corresponds to (for example, such that each message 68 is identified based on the conversation in which it was sent), and a timestamp field to indicate the time (and if desired, the date) that the designated sender sent the message 68.

Although not shown in Figure 4, one or more tags may also be used to indicate to the host system IM application 50, upon receipt of a message 68, that the message 68 has certain attributes such as a subject that is to be displayed, whether additional information is being conveyed (ie, data or information in addition to the content of the message), or whether the message 68 is being used for some other purpose such as provisioning, synchronization, and so on. In general, in a PIN-based messaging protocol 82, the sender of message 68 knows the PIN of the intended recipient. This is preferably set when the two devices request to add each other to their respective lists of contacts or friends. At the time of requesting new contacts, in traditional PIN-to-PIN protocols 82, the two respective PIN numbers can be exchanged via request emails that are configured to be intercepted by the respective instant messaging applications 50 from the host system so that they do not appear in the user's "mailbox" or message list.

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In the example shown in Figure 4, it can be seen that the mobile device 10A can communicate directly with any of the mobile devices 10B to 10D through the peer-to-peer messaging server 80, as indicated by the short dashed line . Instant messaging can also be achieved through the sending, by the third party IM server 86, of third party based instant messages 84 over the wireless network 20 as indicated by the long dashed line.

When conducting a PIN-to-PIN instant messaging session according to the embodiment shown in Figure 4, mobile devices 10A through 10D can communicate directly with wireless router 26 in a client-based exchange where, in a manner Similar to other peer-to-peer programs, no intermediate server is required. A message 68 sent by a mobile device 10 is received by the wireless router 26, which obtains the PIN number corresponding to the intended recipient from information associated with the message (for example, a data record) or from the message itself. By obtaining the recipient's PIN according to the PIN-to-PIN protocol 82, the wireless router 26 then routes the message 68 to the recipient associated with the mobile device 10 that has said PIN. Typically, the wireless router 26 also provides a delivery confirmation for the original sender, which may or may not be displayed to the user. The target device can also provide such delivery information. Wireless router 26 should have the ability to reliably route messages 68 and hold messages 68 until they are successfully delivered. Alternatively, if delivery cannot be made after a certain time limit, the wireless router 26 may provide a response indicating a failed delivery. The wireless router 26 may select the expiration of a message 68 if a certain waiting period elapses.

It will also be appreciated that, as noted above, instant messaging can be implemented using any other suitable protocol such as SMS. In SMS, a message is transmitted to an SMS Center (SMSC) within the infrastructure of a carrier, and then delivered to the mobile phone number of the destination device. The SMSC would also be configured to hold messages and deliver them once the target device is in range.

When conducting an instant messaging session using a third-party IM application, first access to the third-party IM server 86 is established and instant messages 84 are exchanged over the wireless network 20 in accordance with the protocol suitable used by the third party. It will be appreciated that the principles described below are also applicable to both PIN-to-PIN messaging systems and other Internet service-based instant messaging systems hosted by such third parties.

Turning now to Figure 5, an embodiment of a system configured to obtain and share time zone information between mobile device 10A and mobile device 10B is shown. A mobile device 10, for example mobile device 10A, can retrieve time zone information from various sources. In one embodiment, a time zone application 210, either dependent on or part of IM application 50, retrieves time zone information through communications subsystem 104. For example, when mobile device 10A moves from one location to another, a cellular operator or network operator 216 tracks the location of mobile device 10A and transmits local time, as well as time zone information, accordingly. mobile device 10A. Operator 216 may provide the time zone information in one of the frames broadcasted by operator 216, which, in some cases, is similar to providing network time. Thus, the operator 216 determines and transmits the time zone information to the mobile device 10A through the communications subsystem 104. Time zone information can also be determined by the location of the mobile device 10A with respect to various cell towers 218. In other words, the communications subsystem 104 is aware of the location of one or more of the cell towers 218 with which it is communicating and, therefore, based on the location of the cell towers 218, the location information is determined. and time zone of the mobile device 10A. It can be appreciated that the time zone information can be sent to a mobile device 10 in response to any one of the following events: 1) upon registering with the network; 2) when mobile device 10 is geographically relocated to a different local time zone; 3) when the network changes your local time zone, for example, between summer and winter time; 4) when the network changes its identity; and 5) at any time during a signaling connection with the mobile station.

Time zone information can also be determined using the GPS receiver 121, which is in communication with one or more GPS satellites 220. For example, the location of the mobile phone 10A can be determined through the GPS receiver 121, which allows the time zone information to be determined as well.

Time zone information can also be determined through a user input 214. The user can directly enter or select the time zone for which the user wishes to display. Alternatively, the user can enter or select a location (eg city) from which the time zone can be determined.

is 2 398 070 T3

Thus, it can be seen that there are several ways in which time zone module 210 can obtain time zone information, and that any other systems and methods for obtaining time zone information are applicable in the principles described herein.

IM application 50 on mobile device 10A may share time zone information, or both time zone and location information, with one or more mobile devices, for example mobile device 10B. In one embodiment, time zone information is shared in the same way that presence information is shared. As described above, mobile device 10A and mobile device 10B can be in direct communication with each other via peer-to-peer communication 222, using the PIN-to-PIN protocol 82. Thus, presence information, including time zone information or location and time zone information, can be sent between mobile devices 10A and 10B via peer-to-peer communication 222.

The presence information can also be transferred through a presence information server or IM server 86. The IM server 86 can collect the presence information from various mobile devices 10 and broadcast the presence information generally to various other mobile devices 10. For example, if the user of the mobile device 10A, hereinafter referred to as User A, in a contact on the mobile device 10B, then the IM server 86 will generally broadcast User A's presence information to the mobile device 10B. The IM server 86 may collect the presence information by polling the mobile devices 10, or the mobile devices 10 may send the presence information without prior request, or both.

As will be described in more detail later, time zone information or time zone and location information can be transmitted between mobile devices through other methods in addition to presence information. For example, time zone information can be sent as an instant message 84, 68, or it can be sent in the header of an instant message 84, 68.

Continuing with Figure 5, once mobile device 10B receives time zone information, or time zone and location information, from mobile device 10A, then the information is associated with User A and updated in profile 224 instant messaging service of User A on mobile device 10B. In particular, the time zone information becomes part of User A's time zone information 226.

Returning to Figure 30, exemplary computer-executable instructions are provided for providing time zone information such as instant messaging presence. At block 476, mobile device 10 obtains time zone information. As described above, time zone information can be obtained using a number of different approaches (eg, GPS, manual entry, cell towers, etc.). In block 478, mobile device 10 sends time zone information through an instant messaging application 50 on mobile device 10 to one or more other mobile devices 10. The other mobile devices 10 correspond to one or more contacts associated with the instant messaging application 50 of the mobile device to allow the other mobile devices 10 to display the time zone information in the form of presence.

In Figure 31, exemplary computer-executable instructions are provided for displaying time zone information such as instant messaging presence. At block 480, a mobile device 10 receives time zone information from at least one contact. Next, the mobile device 10 displays the time zone information corresponding to the at least one contact on one or more interfaces associated with the contact (block 482). Examples of such interfaces will be described in more detail later.

Returning to Figure 22, an embodiment of a time / date graphical user interface (GUI) for interfacing with time zone application 210 is provided. The GUI screenshot 402 for the time or date, or both, shows the time zone field 404 and the current state 408 of the time zone. A time zone control 406 allows a user to adjust the time zone manually. Time zone control 406 may be a drop-down select list, as shown here, a typed input field, or any other input interface for entering or selecting a time zone. Some non-limiting examples of various time zones include: Mid-Atlantic (-2); West Central Africa (+1); Brussels (+1); Dublin, London (GMT); Nairobi (+3); Kuwait (+3); Pacific Time (-8); and Tijuana (-8).

Continuing with Figure 22, in addition to providing the option to manually set the time zone, the screenshot 402 shows that there is a setting value to automatically update the time zone 410. This automatic update setting value 410 can be enabled or disabled by the user using a setting value control 412. The setting values ​​control 412 allows the user to enable or disable the automatic update time zone feature, as well as to indicate to the user that a time zone change will be made. The indication, not shown, would allow the user to know that a time zone change has occurred and provide the user with the option to change the time zone accordingly or, for example, keep the time zone.

ES 2 398 070 T3 current time zone setting value. As can be seen, the cursor or pointer 422, as indicated by the shaded region, shows that the user is selecting the "on" option, which allows automatic updating of the time zone.

As described above, the time and time zone information can come from cellular or network operator 216 using a network time protocol. Interface screenshot 402 allows the user to select whether or not mobile device 10 uses network time 414, as displayed by corresponding network time controls 418, which provides "yes" options. or not". There is also a time format control 420 to set the time format 416, for example, of either a twenty-four hour clock or a twelve hour clock.

Returning to Figure 6, User A can adjust instant messaging setting values ​​on mobile device 10A to display certain presence information. In screenshot 230 of "My Profile", the name 232 to be displayed of User A is provided, as well as an icon or image 234 associated with User A. The presence status 236 can be changed from any one of the examples not limiting: busy, available, do not disturb, out, or disconnected. The current status 238 shows that User A is available. In one embodiment of the GUI, the different presence status options may be selected from a drop down list as indicated by the down arrow 240.

A display 244 of the PIN is also provided in the profile screenshot 230, showing the PIN 242 of User A.

Profile 230 also includes a time zone display 246, which shows the current time zone 248. In the example screenshot 230, the time zone is Eastern Time (ET), which is five hours behind Time from the Greenwich Meridian (GMT). It can be appreciated that the format of the time zone information can be displayed in a number of different ways, as desired by the user. Other time zone formats include GMT and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Profile 230 also provides an interface to allow a user to display or share time zone information, or time zone and location information. The interface in Figure 6 shows a check box 250 to display time zone information only, and another box 252 to display time zone and location information. User A may select one of boxes 250, 252, or none at all to indicate that the time zone information should not be shared. Other GUIs that allow a user to select whether or not time zone information, or time zone and location information, should be shared with other mobile devices in the principles herein.

Figure 7 shows a flowchart showing computer-executable instructions from an IM application 50 when setting permissions regarding whether or not to share time zone, or time zone and location information, based on input. of the user. In block 254, the user adjusts the instant messaging setting value, for example for the user's own profile. In block 256, the user selects whether or not other instant messaging contacts have permission to view their time zone information. If the user indicates "no," then in block 258, the user's IM application 50 does not send the time zone information. If the user wishes to allow others to view their time zone information, then in block 260, the user also indicates whether or not to allow others to view the location information as well. If the user indicates "no", then the IM application 50 only sends the time zone information to the IM server 86 or to the other mobile devices 10 according to block 262. However, if the user indicates "yes", then in at block 264, the IM application 50 sends the time zone information and the location information. It can be appreciated that, the principles described herein with respect to Figure 7 can also be applied to send the roaming status or roaming information from the mobile device to the IM server 86 or to the other mobile devices 10. Regarding this is further described later in other details.

Figures 8 and 9 show screen shots of a user's contact list 266 and a profile 278 of a contact in a user's contact list 277 that has time zone presence information associated with one or more contacts. Returning first to Figure 8, a user's contact list 266 shows a list of current conversations 268 with contacts or friends, as well as a general list of contacts or friends 276. In any one of the lists or in both the current conversation list 268 and the general list 276, time zone information is provided in the form of presence information. For example, associated with a contact is local time zone information in the form of current local time. Although not displayed, once a contact's time zone information is known, the user's IM application 50 can calculate the contact's current local time taking into account the user's local time and the relative time difference between the time zone of the user and the time zone of the contact. As shown in Figure 8, the current local time 272 of the contacts is provided, and in some cases also the location information 274. It can be appreciated that the current local time 272 of a contact may be displayed in accordance with a twenty-four hour clock format, an AM / PM format, or any other time format. The location information 274 can be displayed as a country flag, a place name, or any other type of symbol.

Continuing with Figure 8, this example screenshot shows that User A is currently

ES 2 398 070 T3 in conversations with the following contacts: User B, User C, User D and User F. User B's local time is 9:00 PM and is located in France. User C is in the same time zone as User A, and therefore, the screen indicates that User C shares the same time zone as User A. User C does not display location information, as User C may have decided to only share time zone information and not location information. User D shows that the local time and location information is not available. Thus, User D may not want to share the time zone and location information. User F shows that the local time is 11:00 AM and User F is located in Canada.

In Figure 9, if the profile 278 of a contact is displayed in detail, for example corresponding to the contact profile of User B, then the name 232 to be displayed and the image 234 are provided. The status bar 236, the current status 238 , the PIN display 246 and the contact PIN 242 are also displayed. The location display 280 shows that User B is located in France 282. Time zone display 284 shows time zone information 282, which specifies Central European Summer Time (CEST) 286, which is zero hours ahead or behind GMT. The current local time 288 is also displayed, in this case as 9:00 PM 290. As described above, and as can be easily understood, the current local time in a different time zone can be calculated based on the relative time zone differences as well as the current time in at least one of the time zones.

As described above, time zone information can be transmitted through a peer-to-peer configuration or through an IM server 86. In one embodiment, one mobile device 10 may request time zone information from another mobile device 10. For example, in Figure 10, mobile device 10A pings or requests mobile device 10B for time zone and location information, according to block 292. Mobile device 10B receives the ping or request at block 294. At block 296, IM application 50 on mobile device 10B then determines whether others, or mobile device 10A in particular, can view time zone information, or time zone and location information, or none. This information is determined by the settings or permission values ​​of the instant messaging profile on the mobile device 10B. If only time zone information is shared, then at block 298, mobile device 10B sends the time zone information to mobile device 10A, so that mobile device 10A can then display time zone information from mobile device 10B. If both time zone and location information are shared, then in block 300, mobile device 10B sends the time zone and location information to mobile device 10A, so that mobile device 10A can display the same in block 306. If no information is available to share, then at block 302, mobile device 10B sends a "not available" response to mobile device 10A, so that at block 308, mobile device 10A correspondingly displays that the User B's time zone presence information is not available.

Returning to Figures 11, 12 and 13, several screen shots are provided showing a conversation between User A and User B on User A's mobile device 10A. Conversation window 310 shows that User A is busy on a conversation with User B. A series of messages 312, 314, and 322 have been exchanged between User A and User B. A message box 316 allows User A to compose messages to send to User B. In some cases, User A may want to see when a message was sent or received. In one embodiment, when a cursor or pointer 326 is moved alongside a certain message, or to highlight a certain message, then the time and date the message was sent or received is displayed. In Figure 11, the cursor or pointer 326 moves next to the message 312 from User B. This causes the pop-up display 318 to appear, showing when the message was received according to local time (for example, 3:00 PM) from User A, as well as according to local time (for example, 9:00 PM). PM) of User B. Similarly, in Figure 12, when cursor 326 moves next to User A's message 314, then pop-up 320 appears to indicate when the message was sent according to User A's local time, as well as with User B's local time. Figure 13 shows a similar pop-up 324, which also includes User B's location.

A process for using the interface shown in Figures 11, 12 and 13 is provided in Figure 14, whereby at block 328 the cursor or pointer 326 moves over a sent or received message. At block 330, the user's IM application 50 determines whether it is aware of the contact's time zone location. If not, at block 332, the IM application 50 does not display the local time of the contact. If yes, then at block 334, the IM application determines if contact location information is also available. If only time zone information is available, then in block 336, the user's IM application 50 will display the contact's local time when the user sent 338 a message, or when the user received 340 a message, for example , in the form of a pop-up visualization. If both time zone and location information are available, then according to block 342, the contact's location 344 and the contact's local time at which the message was sent, or when the message was received, will be displayed. .

Figure 15 shows another embodiment of how time zone information, or time zone and location information, can be transferred between users. At block 346, a mobile device 10 receives a new message from the

ES 2 398 070 T3 user contact. IM application 50 determines whether the new message includes the contact's time zone information, per block 348. If not, then at block 350, IM application 50 does not display the contact's local time. If so, IM application 50 also determines whether the new message also includes location information, per block 352. If only time zone information is available, per block 354, then the contact's time zone information is displayed, for example, in any of the following ways: current local time 356; local time the 358 message was sent; and local time the message was received. If location information is also available, then, in addition to displaying the contact's time zone information, at block 362, the contact's location 364 is displayed.

Returning to Figures 16, 17 and 18, several screen shots are provided showing a conversation window 310 between User A and User B on User A's mobile device 10A. In the embodiment shown in this case, the window Talk 310 also displays User B's current local time in header portion 368. In Figure 16, messages 366 and 312 have been exchanged between User A and User B. In message box 316, User A is composing a new message 370, as indicated by the cursor or pointer 326. Once User A selects "send" 380 or attempts to send the new message 370, the next step is to displays an indication 372, according to Figure 17. Indication 372 is related to the local time of User B and therefore advises, or otherwise notifies User A of the difference between his current time zone and that associated with User B. In this example, the User B's current local time is 12:00 AM and he may be sleeping. Indication 372 confirms whether or not User A wishes to send the message at this time and provides option buttons 374, 376, and 378 to indicate the next step. In particular, there is a "yes" option 374, a "no" option 376, and a "yes: do not show it again" option 378. It can be appreciated that such smart or rule-based prompts may be perceived as undesirable for certain users, and therefore may be disabled, in accordance with radio button 378.

In this example, User A selects option 382 of "yes" and, in Figure 18, the new message 370 is sent as indicated by message 314.

Figure 19 shows the process of the interface illustrated in Figures 16, 17 and 18. In block 384, a new instant message is written in the user's IM application 50 and it is to be sent to the mobile device 10B. In block 386, before the user's IM application 50 sends the message, the IM application 50 retrieves or determines the current local time from mobile device 10B. Next, in block 388 a time period rule is applied, which determines whether or not the current local time of mobile device 10B is between time X and time Y (for example, between 10:00 PM and 7: 00 AM). If the answer is "no", then at block 390 the new message is sent to mobile device 10B. In case it is "yes", then an indication 372 is displayed for User A, indicating that User B may be sleeping and to confirm if the new message should be sent, according to block 392. Based on the decision on whether or not to send the new message at this time, according to block 394, if the answer is "yes", then the new message is sent according to block 390. If not, the new message is not sent at this time according to block 396.

It can be appreciated that any number of smart or rule-based decisions can be made, based on a contact's time zone information, as well as location. Other examples of smart or rule-based decisions include when meetings or appointments are scheduled, and when a contact may be busy or available. For example, a rule related to time zone specifies that work-related meetings can only be scheduled during working hours of the users or contacts participating in the meeting, taking into account that the users or contacts may be in different time zones. . Thus, if a user attempts to schedule a meeting with a contact, whereby the meeting is outside the contact's business hours, then the IM application 50 may prompt the user with a message. Such a message could specify: "The contact may not be available for a conference call / meeting as it is outside of their central business hours." The prompt can also suggest an alternative meeting time that suits both the patron and the contact's business hours, taking into account different time zones.

Returning to FIG. 20, another embodiment of a user's contact list 266 is provided, wherein the relative time difference 398 between a contact's time zone and the user's time zone is also displayed. The relative time difference 398 can be calculated or determined using a different time zone lookup diagram. It can be easily understood that the display of the time difference 398 can help to allow the user to more easily differentiate the current situation or presence of a contact.

Returning to FIG. 21, another embodiment of the conversation window 310 between User A and User B is provided, wherein a new message prompt 400 from a secondary user is displayed. New message prompt 400 includes the current time of the secondary user. For example, while User A and User B are in conversation, a new message banner 400 from User F appears, whereby the new message banner 400 shows User F's local time is 11:00 AM.

Returning to Figure 23, another embodiment of a user's contact list 266 is provided. When a

ES 2 398 070 T3 contact from the user's contact list 266 changes time zone. A notification is sent to the user's IM application 50 that the contact has changed time zone. For example, a contact (for example, User C and User F) may have changed their time zone, so that, in the list of contacts 266, next to the contact, a notification 422, 424 is displayed. A notification can include a symbol or text, or both, and can specify, for example, “* New time zone!”.

Figure 24 shows another type of notification, including a message box 426 indicating to the user that the time zone of a certain contact has changed. If the determined contact's new time zone is the same as the user's time zone, then the message box 426 may also display that the contact's new time zone is the same as the user's time zone. It can be appreciated that, on the grounds described herein, any type of display or notice is applicable to notify the user that a contact's time zone has been updated.

Figure 25 shows an example method of providing notification that a contact's time zone has been updated. User B may be a contact from User A's contact list. User B's mobile device, mobile device B 10B, updates the time zone information with a new time zone (block 430). New time zone information can be updated automatically or manually. For example, when mobile device B 10B moves from one time zone to another, mobile device B 10B may have the ability to detect the change in time zone through communications subsystem 104 or GPS receiver 121. Alternatively, User B can manually change the time zone setting value of mobile device B 10B. Upon detection and updating of the new time zone, the mobile device B sends the new time zone information to one or more other mobile devices or to the IM server 226 (block 432). User A's mobile device, mobile device A 10A, receives new time zone information from mobile device B (block 434). Upon detection of a change in time zone information of mobile device B, mobile device A 10A displays a notification that User B or mobile device B 10B has a new or different time zone (block 436). Next, mobile device A 10A determines whether or not the new time zone of mobile device B is the same as the current time zone of mobile device A (block 438). If yes, in block 440, mobile device A 10A displays a notification that the new time zone of mobile device B is the same as the time zone of mobile device A. If not, in block 442, no take no action. Alternatively, at block 442, the time difference between the two time zones is displayed.

Although not shown, it can also be appreciated that a notification can be sent to a user's mobile device 10 when a previous time zone of a contact was the same as the user's time zone, and then it has recently changed to a different user. . Thus, the user is notified that the contact no longer shares the same time zone as the user.

By providing notification that a contact has updated or changed their time zone, the user can better track the presence or change of presence of the contact. Said time zone presence, or time zone presence change, allows a user to better determine when to contact a user.

Returning to Figure 26, another example embodiment of a "My Profile" screen shot 230 is provided, similar to the screen shot shown in Figure 6. In Figure 26, screen shot 230 shows a roaming display 446. An option box 448 allows a user to control whether or not to provide the user's roaming status or roaming information as part of the IM presence information to the user's contacts. As described above, the roaming status or roaming information may be sent to the IM server 86 or to one or more other mobile devices 10 in accordance with the fundamentals described with respect to Figure 7.

The term "roaming" as used herein may refer to the ability for a user to use their mobile device 10 outside of their regular telephone or data service area. For example, when a user travels with his mobile device 10 outside of the "local" service area defined by a telephone or data service provider, then the mobile device 10 is considered to be roaming. In some cases, higher cost rates may be charged for calls or data transmitted or received while roaming. It can be appreciated that methods and systems for detecting when a mobile device 10 is roaming are known to those of skill in the art. Such methods and systems for detecting roaming may include receiving a data message from network operator 216, regarding mobile device 10 being outside of its regular telephone or data service area.

Returning to Figure 27, a contact list 266 provides a roaming status indicator 450 associated with one or more of the contacts in the contact list 266. Roaming status indicator 450 shows the user that a contact's mobile device 10 is currently roaming. In this way, the user can detect whether or not the contact is within or far from the regular area of ​​their regular service provider. The combination of displaying both time zone information and

ES 2 398 070 T3 roaming status indicator 450 allows the user to determine if a contact is likely to be in a time zone that is different from their regular time zone. For example, when a contact is in your regular time zone, they are likely to be in the area of ​​your regular service provider. However, if the contact travels to a different location outside of their regular service provider's coverage area, then the roaming status indicator 450 is displayed alongside the contact time zone information. The user can then determine that there is a possibility that the contact's time zone is not their regular time zone, since they are currently roaming.

In another embodiment (not shown) a user can also choose whether or not to display their regular time zone information in the form of IM presence information through the IM application 50. The term "regular time zone" as used herein can refer to the time zone in which a user spends most of his time. A GUI, similar to the "My Profile" screen 230 of Figure 26, may include an option to allow the display of your regular time zone information. In the contact list 266, an IM application 50 can compare the regular time zone information of a contact and the current time zone information of the contact. If the contact's regular time zone information and your current time zone information do not match, then an indicator is displayed to indicate the difference between the contact's current time zone and the contact's regular time zone. Said contact presence indicator allows the user to determine that the contact is in a time zone that is different from their regular time zone.

Returning to Figure 28, a set of computer-executable instructions is provided, for example, to determine when time zone information is broadcasted or retrieved, or both. In some circumstances, the mobile device 10 or the communications subsystem 104 may be turned off. For example, a user can deactivate the communications subsystem 104 or turn off the mobile device 10 when traveling on an airplane or to save power. It can be appreciated that when either the communications subsystem 104 or the mobile device 10 is deactivated, a user is unable to broadcast his time zone information such as IM presence or receive time zone information from his contacts. During this deactivation period, a user's time zone may have changed, or one or more of the contact's time zones may have changed. Therefore, at block 456, the IM application 50 detects that the communications subsystem 104 has been reactivated or that the mobile device 10 has been reactivated. In block 458, the mobile application 50 determines the current time zone information and, in block 460, it broadly broadcasts the current time zone information for one or more of the contacts (e.g., mobile devices 10 of the contacts). In block 462, the mobile application 50 retrieves time zone information from the contacts and updates the contact list. In this way, when the communications subsystem 104 or the mobile device 10 is reactivated, the time zone information is updated in the IM application and it is exchanged between the user and the contacts.

Figure 29 shows another example embodiment of a location-based contact list 466, with similar functionality to the contact lists 266 described above. However, in Figure 29, a map 468 of the world is provided to illustrate the different time zones. Contacts 472 are organized or grouped in contact list 466 according to their time zones. For example, contacts from a first time zone form a first group, while contacts from a second time zone form a second group. In this way, the user can more easily determine the time zone information of the contacts, as well as determine which contacts share common time zones. In the embodiment shown in Figure 29, the contact groups are positioned to correspond to the location of the time zones on map 468. For example, User A's current time zone shares the same time zone with User B and User D, and the position of their 472 contacts in the 466 contact list corresponds to the time zone for New York City, United States, as shown on map 468. User C is on a different time and the position of his 472 contacts in the 466 contact list corresponds to the time zone for Vancouver, Canada, as shown on map 468. There may be a 470 time indicator associated with each grouping of one or more contacts 472. The hour indicator 470 may display the current time or the number of hours ahead or behind the user's time. The hour indicator 470 in Figure 29 shows the time difference between a contact and the user. For example, Vancouver time is 3 hours behind New York City time. Through contact list 466, a user can provide a selection entry associated with a contact to, for example, invoke a chat window 310 with the selected contact.

It can be appreciated that, in the fundamentals described herein, other displays of a contact list 466 can be applied that show contacts grouped according to time zone. It can further be appreciated that when a contact's location information is provided, the contacts can be positioned on a map 468 in accordance with their location.

The steps or operations of the flow charts described herein are merely exemplary. Many variations can occur in these steps or operations. For example, stages can be performed in a different order, or stages can be added, removed, or modified.

ES 2 398 070 T3

It may also be appreciated that the displays or screens described herein are exemplary only. Many variations in the configuration and layout of information and user interface controls can occur without deviating from the scope of the above fundamentals. For example, 5 user interface information and controls can be in a different order, or they can be added, removed, or modified.

Although the foregoing has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the claims appended hereto.