Presence tracking and name space interconnection techniques

• US 8,108,516 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Zmolek, Andrew Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Chea, Philip
• Application Number:
  US12/242,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20090024601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 707/630, 707/707
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a presence and availability system including:

• • (a) an input (e.g., an interface) operable to receive an agent report from a context sensing agent in a host entity associated with a person, the agent report comprising presence information and the person having an address in an associated name space;
  • (b) a tracking agent 154 operable to tag at least some of the presence information with at least one classification tag; and
  • (c) a policy agent 158 operable to determine presence information to be provided to a requester based on the at least one classification tag.

Claims

1. A method for providing information regarding an inanimate object, the inanimate object having at least one of an address and identifier within one or more name spaces presented thereon, comprising:

a processor, of a mobile device, receiving the at least one of an address and identifier and a first name space on the inanimate object, wherein the at least one of an address and identifier are a tag;

the processor mapping the tag against a directory of associated addresses in a second namespace, wherein the associated addresses include contact addresses;

the processor identifying a contact address corresponding to the tag in the directory of associated addresses, wherein the identified contact address includes a pointer to a presence server; and

the processor initiating a contact to the identified contact address, wherein the contact provides presence information to the presence server, the presences server provides information about the inanimate object to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first name space comprises a Universal Product Code or UPC, an International Standard Book Number or ISBN, a serial number, a MAC address, an IP address, a Session Initiation Protocol address, an email address, a Web address, a URI, a URL, an E.164 number, and a telephone number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence token is inputted by at least one of optical, magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic, and magneto-optical techniques.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified contact address is at least one of a Uniform Resource Locator and a Uniform Resource Indicator.

5. A non-transitory computer readable memory comprising instructions for performing the steps of claim 1.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each contact address in the directory is associated with a different operational option available to a requestor.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to the contact, returning information associated with the inanimate object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the returned information is an address for a second presence server associated with a second entity.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second presence server can provide other communication options.