System and method for dynamic provisioning of contextual-based identities

• US 8,078,153 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2007
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flash Networks, Ltd. (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: 724 Solutions Software Incorporated (724 Solutions)
• Inventors: Pattison, Ian McLean, Zink, Roland, Smith Luna, Michael Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, DUNG LE
• Application Number:
  US11/796,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20080182548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,691 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/417, 455/414.4, 455/450, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 455/414.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal

Abstract

Systems and methods for communicating according to contextual identity are disclosed. Embodiments of the present invention provide identity management which may dynamically select appropriate identities or communication channels for communication between network users. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention may automatically select an appropriate identity from a plurality of identities for a user. Thus, users may be provided seamless access to different networks without having to subscribe to the same networks and without having to alter client devices or applications.

Claims

1. A method for communicating according to contextual identity, the method comprising the acts of:

at a network bridge, receiving a communication from an originator via a first network which communicates according to a first communication protocol, wherein the communication has a first identity for the originator based on the first communication protocol and a first identity for a recipient for which the communication is intended, wherein the first identity of the recipient is based on the first communication protocol, wherein each of the first identity of the originator and the first identity of the recipient comprises one of a routable address, an E.164 number, a phone number, an MSISDN, a SIP URI, an IP address, an e-mail address, or an IM identity;

normalizing the communication into a network-independent format;

identifying a plurality of devices associated with the recipient, wherein each of the plurality of devices communicates using one or more communication protocols;

selecting one of the plurality of devices based on one or more criteria, including preferences or presence information associated with the recipient;

selecting a channel of communication for the selected device based on a recipient preference, presence information associated with the recipient, a classification of the originator by the recipient, a service provider policy, or an attribute of the request, wherein the selected channel of communication is in a second network which communicates according to a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol;

determining a second identity for the originator and a second identity of the recipient based on the selected channel of communication; and

sending the communication to the recipient via the second network according to the second communication protocol, wherein the communication is associated with the second identity for the originator and the second identity of the recipient such that it appears that the originator is communicating with the recipient through the selected channel of communication from the second identity for the originator,

wherein each of the second identity for the originator and the second identity for the recipient comprises one of a routable address, an E.164 number, a phone number, an MSISDN, a SIP URI, an IP address, an e-mail address, or an IM identity; and

selecting a third identity for the originator or the recipient corresponding to a third network that communicates according to a third communication protocol that is different from the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, wherein the selection of the third network is based on dynamic presence information associated with the originator or the recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication includes an image, wherein the image is formatted according to the recipient.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second communication protocol includes a protocol level acknowledgement, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an acknowledgement message from the recipient;

matching the acknowledgement message to the original communication; and

routing the acknowledgement message to the originator, wherein the acknowledgement message includes the first identity for the originator and the first identity for the recipient.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication from the originator comprises a push-to-talk service request, an instant messaging service request, an MMS message and an SMS message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second network comprises a macro-cellular network or an IP-based network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the acts of:

routing the normalized communication to an application server operable to generate a response to the communication; and

receiving a communication from the application server, wherein the communication received from the application server is sent to the recipient.

7. A method for service delivery according to contextual identity, the method comprising the acts of:

at a network bridge, receiving a service request from an originator via a first network, wherein the first network communicates using a first communication protocol, wherein the service request includes a first identity of the originator and a first identity of an intended recipient based on the first communication protocol, wherein the first identity comprises one of a routable address, an E.164 number, a phone number, an MSISDN, a SIP URI, an IP address, an e-mail address, or an IM identity, wherein the first identity for the recipient comprises one of a routable address, an E.164 number, a phone number, an MSISDN, a SIP URI, an IP address, an e-mail address, or an IM identity;

normalizing the service request into a network-independent format;

identifying a plurality of devices associated with the recipient, wherein each of the plurality of devices communicates using one or more communication protocols;

selecting one of the plurality of devices based on one or more criteria, including preferences or presence information associated with the recipient;

selecting a channel of communication for the recipient using a second network which communicates using a second communication protocol that is different from the first communication protocol based on a recipient preference, presence information associated with the recipient, a classification of the originator by the recipient, a service provider policy, or an attribute of the request;

selecting a second identity for the originator and a second identity of the recipient based on the selected channel of communication; and

sending the service request to the second user via the second network according to the second communication protocol, wherein the service request includes a second identity of the originator and a second identity of the intended recipient based on the second communication protocol such that it appears that the originator is communicating with the recipient through the selected channel of communication from the second identity for the originator, wherein the second identity for the originator comprises one of a routable address, an E.164 number, a phone number, an MSISDN, a SIP URI, an IP address, an e-mail address, or an IM identity, wherein the second identity for the recipient comprises one of a routable address, an E.164 number, a phone number, an MSISDN, a SIP URI, an IP address, an e-mail address, or an IM identity; and

selecting a third identity for the originator or the recipient corresponding to a third network that communicates according to a third communication protocol that is different from the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol, wherein the selection of the third network is based on dynamic presence information associated with the originator or the recipient.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the communication includes an image, wherein the image is formatted according to the recipient.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second communication protocol includes a protocol level acknowledgement, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an acknowledgement message from the recipient;

matching the acknowledgement message to the original communication; and

routing the acknowledgement message to the originator, wherein the acknowledgement message includes the first identity for the originator and the first identity for the recipient.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of selecting a third network based on dynamic presence information associated with the recipient.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the service request comprises a push-to-talk service request, an instant messaging service request, an MMS message and an SMS message.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a response from the recipient, wherein the response includes originator and recipient identities based on the second communication protocol;

normalizing the response; and

sending the response to the originator, wherein the response received by the recipient includes originator and recipient identities based on the first communication protocol.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the response comprises an SMS message.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the response comprises a file transfer.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein one of the first and second networks is an IMS network or macro-cellular network, and wherein the other of the first and second networks is an IP-based network or macro-cellular network.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of receiving a message from the IMS network.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of receiving a message from the IP-based network.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of adapting the message for the IMS network.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of routing the adapted message to the application server.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of receiving a second response from the application server.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of sending the second response to the IMS network.

22. A network bridge comprising:

a processor; and

a machine-readable non-transitory medium having stored thereon a plurality of executable instructions, the plurality of executable instructions are executable by the processor to perform;

receiving a request from an originator via a first network which communicates according to a first communication protocol, wherein the request includes a first identity of the originator and a first identity of an intended recipient based on the first communication protocol, wherein each of the first identity of the originator and the first identity for the recipient comprises one of a routable address, an E.164 number, a phone number, an MSISDN, a SIP URI, an IP address, an e-mail address, or an IM identity;

identifying a plurality of devices associated with the recipient, wherein each of the plurality of devices communicates using one or more communication protocols;

selecting one of the plurality of devices based on one or more criteria, including preferences or presence information associated with the recipient;

selecting a second identity, from a first associated plurality of identities, of the intended recipient on a second network which communicates according to a second communication protocol that is different from the first communication protocol, wherein the second identity for the intended recipient is selected based on one or more criteria, including preferences or presence information associated with the intended recipient;

selecting a second identity, from a second associated plurality of identities, of the originator on the second network, wherein each of the second identity of the originator and the second identity of the recipient comprises one of a routable address, an E.164 number, a phone number, an MSISDN, a SIP URI, an IP address, an e-mail address, or an IM identity;

adapting the request for the second communication protocol, wherein the adapted request includes the second identity of the originator and the second identity of the recipient such that it appears that the originator is communicating with the recipient on the second network from the second identity for the originator;

routing the adapted request to an application server;

receiving a response from the application server; and

sending the response to the originator via the first network using the first identity for the originator and the first identity for the recipient such that it appears that the recipient is responding to the originator on the first network using the first identity for the recipient.