METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING PRESENCE SERVICE FOR CONTACT MANAGEMENT REPRESENTATION

• US 20110196925A1
• Filed: 02/11/2010
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Schmidt, Andreas, Hans, Martin
• Application Number:
  US12/704,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20110196925A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4594 Address books, i.e. directories containing contact information about correspondents telephone directories in user terminals H04M1/27453
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing a presence service for contact management functions such as user address books. The presence service, in an exemplary embodiment, assembles contact entries into abstract groupings and defines event packages specified by the user that enable the user to be notified about presence information dynamically. For example, a subscribed user may receive presence service information for all entries in the users address book that are in close geographical proximity to the subscribed user. In one variant, the storage and calculation of presence information is performed at a centralized location, thereby sparing the user'"'"'s device from utilizing unnecessary calculation resources and avoiding unnecessary network bandwidth utilization in order to receive presence information of interest. User device-based variants are also disclosed. Business methods utilizing the aforementioned presence service offerings are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of receiving presence information associated with a user'"'"'s contact listing, comprising:

subscribing a user device to a network presence service, the network presence service maintaining a plurality of presence information data associated with at least a portion of the plurality of contact entries present in the user'"'"'s contact listing; and

receiving the plurality of presence information at the user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of receiving the plurality of presence information data is periodically repeated.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the periodic repeating of receiving the plurality of presence information data is initiated in response to a triggering event.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the triggering event comprises a threshold parameter calculated from information generated by the user device and apparatus in contact with one or more devices, the devices being associated with entries present in the user'"'"'s contact listing.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the apparatus in contact with one or more devices associated with entries present in the user'"'"'s contact listing comprises a network-based presence server.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the threshold parameter comprises a geographic distance between the user device and the one or more devices associated with entries present in the user'"'"'s contact listing.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the geographic distance comprises a relative geographic distance.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the geographic distance comprises an absolute geographic distance.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of presence information data includes at least geographical information associated with the at least a portion of the plurality of entries present in the user'"'"'s contact listing.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact listing comprises an address book application running on the user'"'"'s device.

11. A network presence apparatus, comprising:

a processing apparatus;

a network interface in data communication with the processing apparatus; and

a computer readable apparatus in communication with the processing apparatus and having a storage medium with at least one computer program stored thereon, the at least one computer program comprising a plurality of computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processing apparatus;

process and store a plurality of presence information associated with a plurality of users of the network;

in relation to at least one subscription request received from a subscribing user via the interface, execute an algorithm that utilizes presence information from at least two of the plurality of users to produce a relationship value; and

transmit the relationship value to the subscribing user.

12. The network presence apparatus of claim 11, wherein the relationship value comprises a geographic relationship relating geographic positions of the at least two of the users.

13. The network presence apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus comprises a server disposed within the core portion of a cellular mobile network.

14. The network presence apparatus of claim 13, wherein the cellular mobile network is selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a UMTS network;

(ii) an LTE network; and

(iii) an LTE-A network.

15. The network presence apparatus of claim 11 wherein one of the at least two users comprises the subscribing user.

16. A portable computing device, comprising:

a processing apparatus;

a display device;

a network interface in data communication with the processing apparatus; and

a computer readable apparatus in data communication with the processing apparatus and having a storage medium with at least one computer program stored thereon, the at least one computer program comprising a plurality of computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processing device;

transmit a request via the network interface for presence information associated with one or more contact entries of a contact listing stored on the device;

receive the requested presence information via the network interface;

store the received presence information;

process the stored presence information according to a processing algorithm; and

selectively present the processed presence information via the display device.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the device comprises a cellular telephone or smartphone, and the network interface comprises an air interface compliant with the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) standard.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the device comprises a cellular telephone or smartphone, and the network interface comprises an air interface compliant with the Long Term Evolution (LTE) or Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) standards.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein the processing of the stored presence information is based at least in part on one or more user preferences provided by a user of the device.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the one or more user preferences provided by a user of the device relate to a geographic proximity of the one or more contact entries.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the geographic proximity of the one or more contact entries comprises a geographic proximity to the device.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein the geographic proximity of the one or more contact entries comprises a geographic proximity to a predetermined point not associated with a current location of the device.

23. A portable computing device, comprising:

a processing apparatus;

a display device;

a network interface in data communication with the processing apparatus; and

a computer readable apparatus in data communication with the processing apparatus and having a storage medium with at least one computer program stored thereon, the at least one computer program comprising a plurality of computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processing device;

transmit information regarding one or more user preferences relating to one or more contact entries of a contact listing of the user to a network presence service;

receive presence information via the network interface, the presence information having been processed by the network service based at least in part on the one or more user preferences; and

present the received presence information to the user via the display device.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the display device comprises a multi-touch touch-sensitive screen, and the transmission of the one or more user preferences is based at least in part on inputs received from the user via the touch-sensitive screen.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the inputs comprise first and second touches on the touch-sensitive screen, the first and second touches being used to specify a geographic distance or radius.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the device comprises a cellular telephone or smartphone, and the network interface comprises an air interface compliant with the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard.

27. A method of providing geographically-restricted presence information regarding one or more devices, the one or more devices being associated with respective ones of one or more entries in a user'"'"'s contact listing, the method comprising:

receiving one or more preferences from the user;

receiving first location information relating to the one or more devices;

receiving second location information relating to a device of the user; and

processing the first and second location information based at least in part on the one or more preferences; and

based at least in part on the processing, selectively sending the user the geographically-restricted presence information.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the first location information comprises association of the one or more devices with respective ones of cellular base stations or wireless LAN access points.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the second location information comprises GPS coordinates obtained from the device of the user.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the first and second location information comprises association of the one or more devices and the device of the user with respective ones of cellular base stations or wireless LAN access points.