Presence management in a push to talk system

• US 20060031368A1
• Filed: 06/16/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ian Douglas Decone
• Original Assignee: Ian Douglas Decone
• Inventors: deCone, Ian Douglas
• Application Number:
  US10/870,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031368A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

A presence management system for a cellular-based Push-to-Talk (PTT) service. The PTT infrastructure obtains presence-relevant network status information from elements of the cellular network and of the overlying data network such as the home location registers (HLRs) of the mobile switching centers (MSCs) and the Authentication Authorization and Accounting (AAA) element of the data network. Additionally, the presence management system may communicate with other networked resources such as a Short Messaging Service (SMS) center, a Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM) server, a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) center, a BREW download server, or others, to obtain information about the activities of subscriber mobile phones that can be used to determine their presence. The presence management system operates in accordance with a set of configurable rules to update presence status and to provide PTT subscribers with presence status updates. Presence updates can be delivered to subscribers via Short Messaging Service (SMS) messaging or via sessions over the data network. The updates can be made in conjunction with or after a PTT call session or attempted session or can be initiated by the presence management system or a subscriber mobile phone independently of call activity.

Claims

1. A method of processing information as to a presence of a subscriber on a communications network having wireless elements and data communication elements, the method comprising steps of:

receiving at a presence adjunct information from an element of the communications network;

generating at the presence adjunct presence status information using the information; and

transmitting the presence status information to a further subscriber.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the element of the communications network is a Home Location Register (HLR).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the element of the communications network is an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one of a de-registration information and a registration information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence status information includes a location of the subscriber.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the presence status information includes determining a confidence level regarding the presence status information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the confidence level is determined using a predicative behavior model based on activities of the subscriber.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the activities of the subscriber include at least one of a registration and an interaction with an application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the presence status information includes transmitting a Short Messaging Service (SMS) message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the SMS message is encrypted.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the presence status information is subject to throttling based on at least one of a time of day and location of the further subscriber.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising suppressing transmission of presence status information to the further subscriber during processing of a call or alert involving the further subscriber.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence status information is transmitted while the further subscriber is engaged in a call or alert.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence status information is transmitted at the end of a call or alert involving the further subscriber regardless of whether the call or alert failed.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence status information is transmitted to the further subscriber during processing of a call or alert involving the further subscriber.

16. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a priority level of the presence status information based on recent call activity between the subscriber and the further subscriber,

wherein the presence status information is transmitted if the priority level exceeds a predetermined threshold.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence status information is transmitted to the further subscriber after the further subscriber transmits a request for a data session.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the further subscriber transmits a request for a data session upon accessing a contact list.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the element of the communications network providing the information comprises the subscriber.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the information is provided in a SMS message or via a data session message.

21. The method of claim 4, wherein the de-registration information is generated in conjunction with a handset power-down event.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence status information is transmitted in a data session.