System and method for global positioning system (GPS) based presence

• US 7,848,761 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2003
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unify Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Enterprise Communications, Inc. (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Caspi, Rami, Beyda, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick N
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, JULIO R
• Application Number:
  US10/672,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20050071237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,629 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/463, 455/561
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems

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 (104) using the communications controller (502).

Claims

1. A telecommunications system, comprising:

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

a positioning server including a coordinating controller for maintaining a database of network clients to be tracked and provide updates of position-related information of a user to a presence server, the presence server defining one or more associated location/presence correlation pairs defining a geographical area including a user-defined boundary around one or more locations and corresponding presence status;

wherein a presence status of the user is maintained if the network client is within the borders of the geographical area;

a mapping engine for defining the geographical area;

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 communications controller comprising a telephony controller;

wherein the location/presence correlation pairs further include availability status indicia over a plurality of media associated with the user; and

a first timer for providing a timer tick for confirming functionality of the network clients and a second timer for providing one or more hysteresis indications to prevent speed and boundary toggling.

2. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said positioning controller receives global positioning network signals for determining a position of an associated network client.

3. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 2, wherein said communications controller comprises a cellular network controller for transmitting on a cellular telephone network to said positioning server.

4. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein positioning server includes an e-mail message generator for communicating said updates to said presence server.

5. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein positioning server includes an Instant Messaging message generator for communicating said updates to said presence server.

6. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein positioning server includes a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message generator for communicating said updates to said presence server.

7. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said presence server maintains a database of location and presence correlation pairs for registered users and receives location updates from said positioning server.

8. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said positioning server maintains a database of location and presence correlation pairs for registered users and provides presence updates to said presence server.

9. 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 via a telephony controller;

wherein the telecommunications device includes a rules database and is configured to receive one or more location-presence correlation rules for storing in the rules database from a user mapping engine, the user mapping engine further configured to allow a user to define a location and a user-defined boundary around the location, the one or more location-presence correlation rules further defining a user availability over an associated plurality of user devices and media; and

a first timer for providing a timer tick for confirming functionality of the telecommunications device and a second timer for providing one or more hysteresis indications to prevent speed and boundary toggling.

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

11. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 9, wherein said cellular telephone controller transmits changes to location and presence status to said associated server.

12. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 9, wherein said cellular telephone controller transmits changes to location status to said associated server.

13. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 9, wherein said cellular telephone controller receives updates to said rules database from said associated server.

14. A telecommunications server, comprising:

a presence control unit adapted to receive and maintain presence information for a plurality of users, the presence information including availability information defining user availability over a plurality of devices and media;

a location control unit adapted to receive and maintain location information for said plurality of users, said location information correlated with said presence information;

a first telephony interface for receiving predefined presence-location correlation rules from associated users, said rules including a geographical area defined by a mapping engine, the geographical area including a user-defined boundary associated with the area; and

a first timer for providing a timer tick for confirming functionality and a second timer for providing one or more hysteresis indications to prevent speed and boundary toggling.

15. A telecommunications server in accordance with claim 14, wherein receiving said location information comprises receiving user-positioning updates from a remote user from an operably coupled wireless network.

16. A telecommunications server in accordance with claim 15, wherein said operably coupled wireless network comprises a cellular telephone network.

17. A telecommunications server in accordance with claim 15, wherein said operably coupled wireless network comprises a personal communication service (PCS) network.

18. A telecommunications server in accordance with claim 15, further comprising a second interface for transmitting user-positioning updates to an operably coupled enterprise server.

19. A telecommunications server in accordance with claim 18 wherein said receiving said user-positioning updates comprises receiving said user-positioning updates via a telephone dial-in and said second interface comprises an email interface.

20. A telecommunications server in accordance with claim 18 wherein said receiving said user-positioning updates comprises receiving said user-positioning updates via a telephone dial-in and said second interface comprises a text messaging interface.

21. A telecommunications server in accordance with claim 15, further comprising a second interface for transmitting user-positioning updates to one or more local users in a packet telephony format.

22. A telecommunications method, comprising:

generating one or more user positioning and presence correlation rules, said generating including defining one or more geographical areas using a mapping engine, said one or more geographical areas including one or more user-defined boundaries around one or more locations;

generating one or more user availability rules defining an availability of a user across plural media;

receiving said one or more user positioning and presence correlation rules and said one or more user availability rules at a local controller via a telephony interface;

transmitting said one or more positioning and presence correlation rules and said one or more user availability rules to a remote device via a telephony interface; and

providing a timer tick for confirming functionality and providing one or more hysteresis indications to prevent speed and boundary toggling.

23. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 22, further comprising:

receiving positioning updates at said remote device; and

transmitting presence updates to other local controllers or remote devices as specified in said one or more positioning and presence correlation rules.

24. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 23, wherein said receiving one or more user positioning and presence correlation rules comprises receiving at a server one or more rules set via a network interface device operably coupled to said one or more local controllers.

25. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 24, wherein said receiving positioning updates comprises receiving one or more signals from a global positioning network.

26. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 23, further comprising transmitting positioning updates from said remote device to one or more servers via a radio-linked network.

27. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 26, wherein said radio-linked network comprises a cellular telephone network.

28. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 26, wherein said radio-linked network comprises a personal communication service (PCS) network.

29. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 26, wherein said one or more user positioning and presence correlation rules comprise one or more time-of-day parameters.

30. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 26, wherein said one or more user positioning and presence correlation rules comprise one or more day-of-week parameters.