Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing presence-qualified E.164 number mapping (ENUM) service in a communications network

• US 7,260,207 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2005
• Issued: 08/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tekelec
• Original Assignee: Tekelec
• Inventors: Marsico, Peter J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Quynh H.
• Application Number:
  US11/132,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20060262917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 379/220.01, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355
• US Class Current: 379/220.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• 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: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• 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 7/0075 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing presence-qualified E.164 number mapping (ENUM) service in a communications network. According to one method, a query message including an E.164 number can be received. Next, at least one uniform resource identifier (URI) associated with the E.164 number can be located. A presence server can be queried for presence status information for the URI. Further, the query message can be responded to with the URI and a corresponding presence status.

Claims

1. A method for providing presence-qualified ENUM service in a communications network, the method comprising:

(a) receiving an ENUM query message including an E.164 number; and

(b) in response to receiving the ENUM query message;

(i) locating at least one uniform resource identifier (URI) associated with the E.164 number;

(ii) querying a presence server for presence status information for the at least one URI; and

(iii) sending a response to the ENUM query message with the at least one URI and a corresponding presence status.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the E.164 number comprises a called party number.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the E.164 number is associated with a subscriber.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the at least one URI includes at least one of a SIP URI, an instant messaging (IM) identifier, an e-mail address identifier, an Internet chat session identifier, and an P address.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein locating at least one URI comprises searching a database of naming authority pointer (NAPTR) records containing URIs associated with the E.164 number.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein sending a response to the ENUM query message comprises determining the presence status based on the presence status information stored by the presence server.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein sending a response to the ENUM query message comprises responding to the ENUM query message with only the URIs that have an available presence status.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein sending a response to the ENUM query message comprises responding to the ENUM query message with all of the URIs located based on the E.164 number and indicating a presence status of each URI.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the ENUM query message includes a calling party number, and wherein the method further comprises applying at least one of a blacklist and a whitelist screening algorithm using the calling party number for determining the available presence status of each URI.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein steps (a) and (b) are performed by an ENUM server in response to receiving the ENUM query message.

11. A method for providing presence-qualified ENUM service in a communications network, the method comprising:

(a) communicating a presence subscription request associated with at least one uniform resource identifier (URI) to a presence server;

(b) receiving presence status information associated with the at least one URI from the presence server;

(c) storing the presence status information; and

(d) receiving an ENUM query message including an E.164 number corresponding to the at least one URI, and, in response, using the stored status information to respond to the ENUM query message with the at least one URI number and a presence status for the at least one URI.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the presence status information includes availability and unavailability presence status for the at least one URI.

13. The method according to claim 11 wherein the at least one URI includes at least one of a SIP URI, an instant messaging (IM) identifier, an e-mail address identifier, an Internet chat session identifier, and an P address.

14. The method according to claim 11 wherein the E.164 number comprises a called party number.

15. The method according to claim 11 wherein the E.164 number is associated with a subscriber.

16. The method according to claim 11 wherein step (d) comprises responding to the ENUM query message with only the URIs that have an available presence status.

17. The method according to claim 11 wherein step (d) comprises responding to the ENUM query message with all of the URIs located using the E.164 number and indicating the presence status of the URIs.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein steps (a)-(d) are performed by an ENUM server.

19. A system for providing presence-qualified ENUM service in a communications network, the system comprising:

(a) a presence server including presence status information for at least one uniform resource identifier (URI); and

(b) an ENUM application for receiving an ENUM query message including an E.164 number, and, in response to the ENUM query message;

(i) locating at least one URI associated with the E.164 number;

(ii) querying the presence server for presence status information for each URI associated with the E.164 number; and

(iii) sending a response to the ENUM query message with URIs that have an available presence status.

20. The system according to claim 19 wherein the E.164 number comprises a called party number.

21. The system according to claim 19 wherein the E.164 number is associated with a subscriber.

22. The system according to claim 19 wherein the at least one URI includes at least one of a SIP URI, an instant messaging (IM) identifier, an e-mail address identifier, an Internet chat session identifier, and an P address.

23. The system according to claim 19 wherein the ENUM application is operable to search a database of naming authority pointer (NAPTR) records containing URIs associated with the E.164 number.

24. The system according to claim 19 wherein the ENUM application is operable to determine the available presence status based on the presence status information received from the presence server.

25. The system according to claim 19 wherein the ENUM application is operable to respond to the ENUM query message with only the URIs that have an available presence status.

26. The system according to claim 19 wherein the ENUM application is operable to respond to the ENUM query message with all of the URIs located based on the called party telephone number and indicating a presence status of each URI.

27. The system according to claim 19 wherein the ENUM query message includes a calling party number, and wherein the ENUM application is operable to apply a blacklist or whitelist screening algorithm using the calling party number for determining the available presence status of each URI.

28. The system of claim 19 wherein the ENUM application resides on an ENUM server.

35. The system according to claim 28 wherein the ENUM application is operable to respond to the query message with all of the URIs located using the E.164 number and indicating the presence status of the URIs.

29. A system for providing presence-qualified ENUM service in a communications network, the system comprising:

(a) a presence server including presence status information for at least one uniform resource identifier (URI); and

(b) an ENUM application for;

(i) communicating a presence subscription request associated with a uniform resource identifier (URI) to the presence server;

(ii) receiving presence status information updates associated with the at least one URI from the presence server;

(iii) storing the presence status information; and

(iv) receiving an ENUM query message including an E.164 number corresponding to the at least one URI and using the stored status information to respond to the ENUM query with the at least one URI and the corresponding presence status information.

30. The system according to claim 29 wherein the presence status information updates includes availability and unavailability presence status for the at least one URI.

31. The system according to claim 29 wherein the at least one URI includes at least one of a SIP URI, an instant messaging (IM) identifier, an e-mail address identifier, an Internet chat session identifier, and an P address.

32. The system according to claim 29 wherein the E.164 number comprises called party number.

33. The system according to claim 29 wherein the E.164 number is associated with a subscriber.

34. The system according to claim 29 wherein the ENUM application is operable to respond to the query message with only the URIs that have an available presence status.

36. The system of claim 29 wherein the ENUM application resides on an ENUM server.

37. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a tangible computer readable medium for performing steps comprising:

(a) receiving an ENUM query message including an E.164 number; and

(b) in response to receiving the ENUM query message;

(i) locating at least one uniform resource identifier (URI) associated with the E.164 number;

(ii) querying a presence server for presence status information for the at least one URI; and

(iii) sending a response to the ENUM query message with the at least one URI and a corresponding presence status.

38. The computer program product according to claim 37 wherein the E.164 number comprises a called party number.

39. The computer program product according to claim 37 wherein the E.164 number is associated with a subscriber.

40. The computer program product according to claim 37 wherein the at least one URI includes at least one of a SIP URI, an instant messaging (IM) identifier, an e-mail address identifier, an Internet chat session identifier, and an IP address.

41. The computer program product according to claim 37 wherein locating at least one URI comprises searching a database of naming authority pointer (NAPTR) records containing URIs associated with the E.164 number.

42. The computer program product according to claim 37 wherein sending a response to the ENUM query message comprises determining the presence status based on the presence status information stored by the presence server.

43. The computer program product according to claim 37 wherein sending a response to the ENUM query message comprises responding to the ENUM query message with only the URIs that have an available presence status.

44. The computer program product according to claim 37 wherein sending a response to the ENUM query message comprises responding to the ENUM query message with all of the URIs located based on the E.164 number and indicating a presence status of each URI.

45. The computer program product according to claim 37 wherein the ENUM query message includes a calling party number, and wherein the method further comprises applying at least one of a blacklist and a whitelist screening algorithm using the calling party number for determining the available presence status of each URI.

46. The computer program product of claim 37 wherein steps (a) and (b) are performed by an ENUM server in response to receiving the ENUM query message.

47. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a tangible computer readable medium for performing steps comprising:

(a) communicating a presence subscription request associated with at least one uniform resource identifier (URI) to a presence server;

(b) receiving, presence status information associated with the at least one URI from the presence server;

(c) storing the presence status information; and

(d) receiving an ENUM query message including an E.164 number corresponding to the at least one URI, and, in response, using the stored status information to respond to the ENUM query message with the at least one URI number and a presence status for the at least one URI.

48. The computer program product according to claim 47 wherein the presence status information includes availability and unavailability presence status for the at least one URI.

49. The computer program product according to claim 47 wherein the at least one URI includes at least one of a SIP URI, an instant messaging (IM) identifier, an e-mail address identifier, an Internet chat session identifier, and an IP address.

50. The computer program product according to claim 47 wherein the E.164 number comprises a called party number.

51. The computer program product according to claim 47 wherein the E.164 number is associated with a subscriber.

52. The computer program product according to claim 47 wherein step (d) comprises responding to the ENUM query message with only the URIs that have an available presence status.

53. The computer program product according to claim 47 wherein step (d) comprises responding to the ENUM query message with all of the URIs located using the E.164 number and indicating the presence status of the URIs.

54. The computer program product of claim 47 wherein steps (a)-(d) are performed by an ENUM server.