System and method for alternative presence reporting system

• US 7,606,577 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2003
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• 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: Beyda, William J., Caspi, Rami
• Primary Examiner(s): Gary, Erika A
• Application Number:
  US10/672,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20050070299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,216 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 455/457, 455418-419, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455517-519
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A telecommunications system includes a plurality of network clients (150) including a positioning controller (504) and a radio data network 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 said positioning controller to said positioning server via said radio data network communications controller (502).

Claims

1. A telecommunications system, comprising:

a plurality of network clients including a positioning controller and a radio data network 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 maintain one or more position-presence rules;

wherein said plurality of network clients are configured to transmit position information received via said positioning controller to said positioning server via said radio data network communications controller when a presence change indicated by the position-related information is detected and responsive to the plurality of network clients detecting a change in position and presence in accordance with the one or more position-presence rules, wherein the change in presence and position is associated with a hysteresis; and

wherein said presence server is configured to transmit to said plurality of network clients a plurality of availability information defining where said plurality of network clients may be contacted correlated with said position information, said availability information defining parameters within location boundaries of a plurality of contact media.

2. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plurality of network clients is adapted to receive positioning database related updates via said data network communications controller.

3. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said radio data network communications controller comprises a cellular data network controller for transmitting on a cellular telephone data network to said positioning server.

4. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 3, wherein said positioning controller receives global positioning network signals for determining a position of an associated network client.

5. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 3, wherein positioning server includes an e-mail message generator for communicating said updates to said presence server.

6. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 3, wherein positioning server includes an Instant Messaging message generator for communicating said updates to said presence server.

7. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 3, wherein positioning server includes a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message generator for communicating said updates to said presence server.

8. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 3, wherein said presence server maintains a database of location and presence correlation pairs for registered users and receives location updates from said positioning server.

9. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 3, wherein said positioning server maintains a database of location and presence correlation pairs for registered users and provides presence updates to said presence server.

10. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said radio data network communications controller comprises at least one of a CDPD controller, an SMS controller, a WiFi controller, or a two-way radio controller.

11. A telecommunications device, comprising:

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

a wireless data network controller adapted to receive said positioning information from said positioning controller and cause said positioning information to be transmitted to an associated server when a change in presence of the telecommunications device is determined by the telecommunications device from a change in position, wherein the change in presence and position is associated with a hysteresis; and

receive availability information defining where a plurality of other network clients may be contacted correlated with associated position information, said availability information defining parameters within location boundaries of a plurality of contact media.

12. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 11, wherein said positioning controller receives Global Positioning System (GPS) signals to determine said positioning information.

13. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 12, further including a rules database of location and presence related information.

14. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 13, wherein said wireless data network controller transmits changes to location and presence status to said associated server.

15. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 13, wherein said wireless data network controller transmits changes to location status to said associated server.

16. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 13, wherein said wireless data network controller receives updates to said rules database from said associated server.

17. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 13, wherein said wireless data network controller comprises at least one of a CDPD network controller, an SMS network controller, a WiFi controller or a two-way radio controller.

18. A telecommunications method, comprising:

receiving one or more user positioning and presence correlation rules at a local controller, said positioning and presence correlation rules defining an availability of a user across a plurality of media at a plurality of user devices or media depending on a detected location of a user; and

transmitting said one or more positioning and presence correlation rules over a wireless data communications network to a remote device;

receiving positioning updates at said remote device; and

transmitting positioning updates to said local controller via said wireless data communications network as specified in said one or more positioning and presence correlation rules responsive to the remote device detecting a change in position and presence, wherein the change in presence and position is associated with a hysteresis.

19. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 18, wherein said receiving one or more user positioning and presence correlation rules comprises receiving at a server including a local controller one or more rules set via a network interface device operably coupled to said local controller.

20. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 19, wherein said receiving positioning updates comprises receiving one or more signals from a global positioning network.

21. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 18, further comprising transmitting positioning updates from said remote device to one or more servers via said wireless data communications network.

22. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 21, wherein said wireless data communications network comprises at least one of a CDPD network, a WiFi network, an SMS network, or a two-way radio network.