SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING A PRESENCE STATE OF A PERSON

• US 20110173260A1
• Filed: 01/14/2010
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Quarfordt, Pernilla, van Melle, William, BIEHL, JACOB, Turner, Althea, Dunnigan, Anthony, Golovchinsky, Gene
• Granted Patent: US 8,838,684 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• 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 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54

Abstract

A system and method for determining a presence state of a person. A plurality of data feeds is received. A subset of the plurality of data feeds that includes data regarding presence states of a first person is identified. The subset of the plurality of data feeds are analyzed to determine a plurality of presence states of the first person, wherein a respective presence state of the first person is determined from a respective data feed in the subset of the plurality of data feeds. One or more presence states of the plurality of presence states are reported to subscribers via the network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining presence states of a first person, comprising:

at a computer system including one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs, the computer system being coupled to a plurality of subscribers via a network, and the one or more processors executing the one or more programs to perform the operations of;

receiving a plurality of data feeds, wherein a respective data feed in the plurality of data feeds includes data regarding respective presence states of persons;

identifying a subset of the plurality of data feeds that includes data regarding presence states of a first person;

analyzing the subset of the plurality of data feeds to determine a plurality of presence states of the first person, wherein a respective presence state of the first person is determined from a respective data feed in the subset of the plurality of data feeds; and

reporting one or more presence states of the plurality of presence states to subscribers via the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more presence states are selected from the group consisting of:

real-time presence states; and

historical presence states.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more presence states are determined using an algorithm selected from the group consisting of:

rule-based algorithms; and

statistical and probabilistic modeling algorithms.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective data feed in the plurality of data feeds monitors the respective presence state only if the first person opts into allowing the respective data feed to monitor the respective presence state of the first person.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a request from a person, including the first person or an administrator, to opt into allowing the respective data feed to monitor the respective presence state of the first person; and

configuring a respective data feed aggregator to monitor the respective presence state of the first person.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the respective data feed is received from a respective physical sensor, and wherein the request includes a respective device identifier for a respective device of the first person that is to be monitored by the respective data feed.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the respective data feed is received from a respective data source, and wherein the request includes a respective data source identifier of the first person that is to be monitored by the respective data feed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein only one of the plurality of presence states for the first person is reported, and wherein the one of the plurality of presence states for the person that is reported is a presence state for the person that has the highest level of specificity as to the presence state of the person.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscribers are members of an organization.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence state of the first person and a plurality of other subscribers are displayed in a user interface of an application on a client computer system of a respective subscriber.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an activity of the first person based on the plurality of data feeds; and

reporting the activity of the first person to the subscribers.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein when the presence state of the first person is below a predetermined level of specificity, the method further comprises reporting a last-known presence state of the first person that is above the predetermined level of specificity and a time at which the last-known presence state was determined.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective data feed in the plurality of data feeds is received from a respective physical sensor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the respective physical sensor is a camera located in an office of the first person, and wherein the camera provides a video data feed of at least a workspace of the first person.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein analyzing the video data feed to determine a respective presence state of the first person includes analyzing the video data feed to determine whether the first person is in the office, a visitor is in the office of the first person, or the first person is not in the office.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether the first person is in the office includes determining whether the video data feed includes movement in a user-defined zone typically occupied by the first person when the first person is in the office.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether a visitor is in the office of the first person includes determining whether the video data feed includes movement in a user-defined zone typically occupied by a visitor when a visitor is in the office.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether the first person is not in the office includes determining whether the video data feed does not include movement.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the respective physical sensor is a wireless sensor at a predetermined location in a building, and wherein the wireless sensor provides a wireless data feed including data about wireless devices registered to the first person that are within range of the wireless sensor.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein analyzing the wireless data feed to determine a respective presence state of the first person includes analyzing the wireless data feed to determine whether a wireless device registered to the first person is within range of the wireless beacon.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the respective physical sensor is a keycard sensor at a predetermined location in a building, and wherein the keycard sensor provides a keycard data feed including data about times at which a keycard registered to the first person was used at the keycard sensor.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein analyzing the keycard data feed to determine a respective presence state of the first person includes analyzing the keycard data feed to determine whether a keycard registered to the first person was used at the keycard sensor.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective data feed in the plurality of data feeds is received from a data source.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the data source is one or more calendars for the first person, and wherein the one or more calendars provide a calendar data feed including locations and times of appointments for the first person.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein analyzing the calendar data feed to determine a respective presence state of the first person includes analyzing the calendar data feed to determine whether the first person is at an appointment.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the data source is a user-updated status data feed for the first person that provides the current status of the first person.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein analyzing the user-updated status data feed to determine a respective presence state of the first person includes analyzing the user-updated status data feed to determine the current status of the first person.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the data source is a network data feed that monitors network activity of network devices that are registered to the first person.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein analyzing the network data feed to determine a respective presence state of the first person includes analyzing the network data feed to determine whether a network device registered to the first person is being actively used on the network.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising analyzing the network data feed to determine a location of the network device.

31. A system for determining a presence state of a first person, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs stored in the memory, the one or more programs comprising instructions to;

receive a plurality of data feeds, wherein a respective data feed in the plurality of data feeds includes data regarding respective presence states of persons;

identify a subset of the plurality of data feeds that includes data regarding presence states of a first person;

analyze the subset of the plurality of data feeds to determine a plurality of presence states of the first person, wherein a respective presence state of the first person is determined from a respective data feed in the subset of the plurality of data feeds; and

report one or more presence states of the plurality of presence states to subscribers via the network.

32. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured for execution by a computer, the one or more programs comprising instructions to:

receive a plurality of data feeds, wherein a respective data feed in the plurality of data feeds includes data regarding respective presence states of persons;

identify a subset of the plurality of data feeds that includes data regarding presence states of a first person;

analyze the subset of the plurality of data feeds to determine a plurality of presence states of the first person, wherein a respective presence state of the first person is determined from a respective data feed in the subset of the plurality of data feeds; and

report one or more presence states of the plurality of presence states to subscribers via the network.