System and method for in-building presence system

• US 7,403,786 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2003
• Issued: 07/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unify Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Communications Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Caspi, Rami, Beyda, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAI, WAYNE HUU
• Application Number:
  US10/672,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20050070308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,761 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/466, 455/456.2, 455/457, 342/357.09, 340/573.1, 370/329
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A telecommunications system includes a plurality of network clients (150) including a positioning controller (504) and a communications controller (502); and a positioning server (152) including a coordinating controller (161) for maintaining a database of network clients to be tracked and provide updates of position-related information to a presence server (104). The plurality of network clients (150) are configured to transmit position information received via the positioning controller (504) to the positioning server via the communications controller (502), the positioning information including information related to loss of a position signal.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system, comprising:

a plurality of network clients including a positioning controller and a communications controller; and

a positioning server including a coordinating controller for maintaining a database of network clients to be tracked and provide updates of position-related information to a presence server;

wherein said plurality of network clients are configured to transmit position information received via said positioning controller to said positioning server via said communications controller, said positioning information including information related to loss of a position signal and wherein a location based on a prior location derived from the position signal is assigned responsive to said loss of a position signal;

wherein contact information associated with the location is updated at the presence server when said position-related information responsive to said loss of position a signal is updated, said contact information being associated with at least one of a plurality of telephone numbers associated with the location.

2. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plurality of network clients are configured to associate said loss of said position signal with being inside a building.

3. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 2, wherein said communications controller is adapted to transmit a position update to said positioning server upon a loss of said position signal.

4. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 3, wherein said communications controller is adapted to transmit said position update upon said loss of said position signal only if said loss is correlated with a predefined position-presence correlation rule.

5. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 4, wherein said position signals comprise global positioning system signals.

6. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 5, wherein said communications controller is a cellular telephone controller.

7. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said contact information is not updated if the location where a loss of signal occurs is a subset of another location associated with said contact information.

8. A telecommunications device, comprising:

a positioning controller adapted to determine positioning information for said telecommunications device;

a cellular telephone controller adapted to receive said positioning information from said positioning controller and cause said positioning information to be transmitted to an associated server; and

a database controller for maintaining a database of position-presence correlation rules defining when said positioning information is to be transmitted;

wherein said position-presence correlation rules include loss of a GPS signal and a rule to define a location based on previous position signals if said OPS signal is lost and contact information associated with the position that is updated when said positioning information is updated responsive to said loss of said GPS signal, said contact information being associated with at least one of a plurality of telephone numbers associated with the position.

9. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 8, wherein said positioning controller receives Global Positioning System (GPS) signals to determine said positioning information.

10. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 8, wherein said loss of said GPS signal is defined to indicate being inside a building.

11. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 8, wherein said cellular telephone controller transmits changes to location status to said associated server.

12. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 11, wherein said cellular telephone controller is adapted to transmit a position update to said associated server upon a loss of said position signal.

13. A telecommunications device in accordance with claim 12, wherein said cellular telephone controller is adapted to transmit said position update upon said loss of said position signal only if said loss is correlated with a predefined position-presence correlation rule.

14. A telecommunications device in accordance with claim 8, wherein said contact information is not updated if the location where a loss of signal occurs is a subset of another location associated with said contact information.

15. A telecommunications method, comprising:

receiving one or more user positioning and presence correlation rules at a server, wherein positioning information is received from remote users having positioning controllers for receiving location information and communication controllers for transmitting said location information to said server via a wireless communication network; and

transmitting said one or more positioning and presence correlation rules to at least one of said remote users;

wherein said one or more positioning and presence correlation rules include loss of a positioning signal and a rule to define a location based on previous position signals if said positioning signal is lost and contact information associated with the position that is updated when said positioning information is updated responsive to said loss of said positioning signal, said contact information being associated with at least one of a plurality of telephone numbers associated with the location.

16. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 15, further comprising:

receiving positioning updates at said remote user; and

transmitting presence updates to said server as specified in said one or more positioning and presence correlation rules.

17. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 16, wherein said loss of positioning signal is defined as being inside a building.

18. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said communication controller is adapted to transmit a position update to said associated server upon a loss of said position signal.

19. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 18, wherein said communication controller is adapted to transmit said position update upon said loss of said position signal only if said loss is correlated with a predefined positioning and presence correlation rule.

20. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 19, wherein said loss of signal is associated with a hysteresis threshold.

21. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said contact information is not updated if the location where a loss of signal occurs is a subset of another location associated with said contact information.