	US 7,543,062 B1
	Method of balancing communication load in a system based on determination of user-user affinity levels
Jessica W. Ramirez, Danbury, Conn. (US); and Timothy P. Winkler, Meriden, Conn. (US)
Assigned to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y. (US)
Filed on Aug. 18, 2008, as Appl. No. 12/193,374.
Application 12/193374 is a continuation of application No. 12/024162, filed on Feb. 01, 2008, granted, now 7,467,207.
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06F 15/173 (2006.01); G06F 12/00 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 709—226 [718/105]

1 Claim

1. A method of balancing communication load in a system running a communication application, comprising:

recognizing that a communication is issued to one or more other users on behalf of a first user;

checking whether user-user affinity data exists for the first user with respect to the one or more other users;

if the user-user affinity data does not exist, handling the communication in accordance with predetermined procedures;

monitoring subsequent communications issued to the one or more other users on behalf on the first user;

generating the non-existing user-user affinity data to be stored for the first user with respect to the one or more other users as being based upon the monitored subsequent communications and upon server information associated with each of the other users;

in response to a current communication issued to the one or more other users on behalf of the first user, analyzing the stored user-user affinity data to determine affinity priorities of the first user with respect to the other users in accordance with a number of times each of the other users is targeted in a communication; and

sending the current communication directly to a server, which is identified by the server information of the stored user-user affinity data and which is currently associated with the one currently logged on other user for whom the first user has a highest affinity priority.