Presence notifications

• US 10,367,900 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2016
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metaswitch Networks Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Metaswitch Networks Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lund, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Keehn, Richard G
• Application Number:
  US15/377,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20170171328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

Measures, including methods, systems and non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums, for use in providing presence notifications on behalf of an endpoint that does not participate in presence notification are disclosed. In embodiments, the presence server receives notifications from a switch providing services to the non-participating endpoint relating to that endpoint'"'"'s status from which presence can be determined. This information is processed using a dummy roster in order to send out notifications. The dummy roster may be created responsive to receiving a subscription to presence notifications for the non-participating endpoint.

Claims

1. A method for operating a presence service to provide presence information on behalf of a first telecommunications device, the method comprising:

creating a virtual presence notification roster on behalf of the first telecommunications device upon determining that the first telecommunications device does not take part in presence notification, the first telecommunications device being coupled to a first telecommunications server;

receiving, by the presence service and from the first telecommunications server, a status notification comprising a status indication for the first telecommunications device;

generating and storing presence data based at least in part on the status indication;

receiving, by the presence service and from a second telecommunications device, a subscription to presence information for the first telecommunications device;

sending, by the presence service, a presence notification to the second telecommunications device comprising presence information for the first telecommunications device based at least in part on the status indication;

receiving, by the presence service, a message from the first telecommunications device for participating in presence notification; and

replacing the virtual presence notification roster created on behalf of the first telecommunications device with a normal presence notification roster for the first telecommunications device.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising populating the virtual presence notification roster with an identifier for the second telecommunications device.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a probe at the presence service from the second telecommunications device, the probe being a request for presence information of the first telecommunications device;

retrieving the stored presence data of the first telecommunications device; and

sending, by the presence service, a presence notification to the second telecommunications device comprising presence information for the first telecommunications device based at least in part on the stored presence data.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising sending, by the presence service and to the first telecommunications server, a request for a status indication for the first telecommunication device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence service comprises a plurality of presence servers, the method comprising:

upon receipt of a status notification for the first telecommunications device, sending the status notification to one or more presence servers in the plurality of presence servers which have received subscriptions to presence information for the first telecommunications device.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising maintaining a list of presence servers which have received subscriptions to presence information for the first telecommunications device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first telecommunications server comprises a switch for providing telecommunications services to the first telecommunications device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first telecommunications server comprises an aggregation server coupled to a second telecommunications server, the second telecommunications server providing telecommunications services to the first telecommunications device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first telecommunications device does not take part in presence notification is based at least in part on receiving a subscription to presence information for the first telecommunications device and determining that a presence notification roster does not exist for the first telecommunications device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first telecommunications device does not take part in presence notification is based at least in part on receiving the status notification comprising the status indication for the first telecommunications device and determining that a presence notification roster does not exist for the first telecommunications device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first telecommunications device does not take part in presence notification is based at least in part on predetermined configuration data.

12. A presence server, comprising:

a first interface for receiving status notification messages from a telecommunications server, the telecommunications server being coupled to a first telecommunications device;

a second interface for receiving presence subscriptions and sending presence notification messages;

a memory for storing presence notification rosters; and

a processor, wherein the processor is configured in use to;

create a virtual presence notification roster in the memory on behalf of the first telecommunications device upon determining that the first telecommunications device does not take part in presence notification;

send presence notification messages via the second interface based at least in part on status notification messages received via the first interface; and

in response to a message being received from the first telecommunications device for participating in presence notification, replace the virtual presence notification roster created on behalf of the first telecommunications device with a normal presence notification roster for the first telecommunications device.

13. A method for operating an eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) presence server to provide presence information on behalf of a dumb endpoint, the method comprising:

receiving an Advanced Message Queue (AMQ) message by the presence server from an aggregation server, the AMQ message comprising a status indication for the dumb endpoint, the dumb endpoint being served by a switch, the switch being coupled to the presence server via the aggregation server;

storing presence data based at least in part on the status indication;

receiving, by the presence server and from an XMPP client, an XMPP subscription to presence information for the dumb endpoint;

creating a virtual presence notification roster on behalf of the dumb endpoint upon determining that the dumb endpoint does not take part in presence notification;

populating the virtual presence notification roster with details of the XMPP client; and

sending, by the presence server and to the XMPP client, an XMPP presence notification based at least in part on the stored presence data.