Method and system for workgroup presence availability

• US 20050198321A1
• Filed: 09/29/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens Enterprise Communications, Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Enterprise Communications, Inc. (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Blohm, Jeffrey M.
• Application Number:
  US10/954,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20050198321A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

Embodiments provide a system, methods, apparatus, means, and computer program code for defining a workgroup; receiving one or more user presence contexts for users in said workgroup; and deriving a workgroup presence context from said one or more user contexts.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

defining a workgroup;

receiving one or more user presence contexts for users in said workgroup; and

deriving a workgroup presence context from said one or more user contexts.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said deriving comprises evaluating a presence status of a predetermined number of members of said workgroup.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein said evaluating a presence status comprises evaluating a media presence value for individual media types.

4. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein said evaluating a presence status comprises evaluating an aggregated media presence value for a user.

5. A method in accordance with claim 2, further comprising making the workgroup presence information available to all members of the workgroup.

6. A telecommunications system, comprising:

a plurality of user devices defining a workgroup;

a presence server configured to monitor presence contexts of said plurality of users, said presence server including a workgroup presence control unit configured to monitor a workgroup presence, said workgroup presence derived from user presence contexts.

7. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 6, wherein a workgroup presence is defined by a user presence of a predetermined number of user devices.

8. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, wherein said predetermined number is user-programmable.

9. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, wherein a workgroup presence is defined over a particular medium.

10. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, wherein a workgroup presence is defined over a plurality of media.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a communication port coupled to said processor and adapted to communicate with at least one device; and

a storage device coupled to said processor and storing instructions adapted to be executed by said processor to translate a plurality of user device contexts, the user contexts defining user presence states, into a workgroup context.

12. An apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein a workgroup context is defined by the presence states of a predetermined number of user contexts.

13. An apparatus in accordance with claim 12, wherein said predetermined number is more than half.

14. An apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein user contexts include Offline, Unknown, Online, or Busy.

15. An apparatus in accordance with claim 14, wherein a workgroup context includes Offline, Unknown, Online, or Busy.

16. An apparatus in accordance with claim 15, wherein a workgroup context is defined to be Online if a predetermined number of the user members of the workgroup are Online.

17. An apparatus in accordance with claim 15, wherein a workgroup context is defined to be Offline if a predetermined number of the user members of the workgroup are Offline.

18. An apparatus in accordance with claim 15, wherein a workgroup context is defined to be Unknown if a predetermined number of the user members of the workgroup are Unknown.

19. An apparatus in accordance with claim 15, wherein a workgroup context is defined to be Busy if a predetermined number of the user members of the workgroup are Busy.