Method and system for supporting the communication of presence information among computing devices of a network

• US 20030217099A1
• Filed: 05/15/2002
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bobde, Nikhil P., Simons, David J., Kumbalimutt, Vishwajith, Taylor, Zachary, Demirtjis, Ann, Buch, Jeremy, Chitturi, Ajay
• Granted Patent: US 7,552,204 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A method and system for aggregating presence information generated by multiple devices associated with a single user is presented. A server acting as a presence agent on behalf of a first user and the first user'"'"'s computing device receives and responds to a subscription request generated by a computing device operated by a second user that wishes to be permitted as a watcher of the first user. If the server is not capable of acting as a presence agent, then the first user'"'"'s computing device assumes the role of a presence agent.

Claims

1. A method for supporting the communication of presence information among computing devices of a network, the method comprising:

receiving from a computing device of a user, a request for the computing device to be registered to facilitate network telephony, the computing device being one of a plurality of computing devices of the user, the computing device being capable of transmitting information regarding the presence of the user on the network;

determining if there is another computing device of the user already registered to facilitate network telephony;

based on the determining step, revoking the registration of the already-registered computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining includes checking a registration database for a registration entry associated with the computing devices from which the request is received.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending SIP notification message to the already-registered device to indicate that it has been de-registered.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by a computing device already registered to facilitate network telephony, a de-registration message to the already-registered computing device.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising deleting a registration entry maintained for the already-registered computing device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the already-registered computing device deletes information pertaining to its registration

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of registering comprises establishing a registration entry for the computing device from which the request is received in a registration database maintained by a registrar.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the computing device from which the request is received functions as a presence agent on behalf of the user upon registering with the registrar.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 1.

10. A method for transferring the functionality of a presence agent from one computing device to another to convey presence information for a user having one or more computing devices capable of communicating over a network, the computing devices capable of being registered with a registrar to facilitate network telephony services, the method comprising:

determining if at least one computing device is already registered as a presence agent with the registrar by the user;

sending, to the computing device determined as being already registered, a message indicating that the already-registered computing device is no longer the presence agent for the user; and

registering a different of the one or more computing devices with the registrar as a presence agent, so that the different computing device becomes the sole computing device registered as a presence agent for the user.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising receiving a request message from the different of the one or more computing devices to register with the registrar as a presence agent.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of determining includes checking a registration database maintained by the registrar for a presence agent registration entry associated with the at least one computing device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the sending step further comprises sending a release subscription message to the already-registered device.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of sending includes the registrar transmitting a release subscription message to the already-registered computing device.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of sending includes the different computing device transmitting a release subscription message to the already-registered device.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the registrar deleting a presence agent registration entry maintained for the already registered computing device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising in the already-registered computing device deleting information pertaining to its presence agent registration with the registrar.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of registering comprises establishing a presence agent registration entry for the different computing device in the registration database maintained by the registrar.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the different computing device, upon registering with the registrar, functions as a presence agent on behalf of the user.

20. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 10.

21. A method for assigning presence agent functionality to a client computing device, the client computing device operating a presence user agent for generating presence information pertaining to a user, the method comprising:

determining if a server computing device has presence agent functionality;

the client computing device executing, in response to the determining step software for sending presence information pertaining to the user to the server computing device; and

in response to the determining step, the client computing device registering with a registrar as a presence agent on behalf of the user.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of transmitting a registration request by the client computing device to a registrar.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of determining includes checking a registration database maintained by the registrar for a presence agent registration entry associated with server computing device.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the server computing device operates as a registrar.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the registrar is separate from the server computing device.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein information about the presence of the user is transmitted to watcher devices without the intervention of the server computing device.

27. A system for transferring the functionality of a presence agent from one computing device to another to ensure the accurate conveyance of presence for a user having one or more computing devices, the computing devices capable of being registered with a registrar to facilitate network telephony services, the system comprising:

means for determining if at least one computing device is already registered with the registrar by the user;

means for sending a deregistration message to the at least one computing device determined as being already registered with the registrar; and

means for registering a different of the one or more computing devices with the registrar, the different computing device being the sole computing device registered by the user.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising means for receiving a request message from the different of the one or more computing devices to register with the registrar.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the request message indicates the different computing devices desire to register as a presence agent on behalf of the user.