Techniques for physical presence detection for a communications device

• US 8,122,491 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2006
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Yee, Dawson, Kuntz, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): PYZOCHA, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US11/436,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20070268130A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,105 Days
• Field of Search: 726/9, 726/20, 725/10, 455/229
• US Class Current: 726/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/42 Confirmation, e.g. check or permission by the legal debtor of payment
• 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: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2094 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/387 using subscriber identification cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity

Abstract

Techniques are provided for determining a physical presence setting. First information is received indicating whether a physical token of a user is detected with respect to a device associated with the user. The physical presence setting for the user with respect to the device is determined in accordance with the first information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving first information indicating whether a physical token associated with a user of a device is detected;

receiving second information from an application program indicating whether said device is active;

receiving third information from the application program indicating an enabled mode of communications to forward to said device based on a current physical state of said device, wherein the enabled mode of communications comprises a text transmission mode or a voice transmission mode, the voice transmission mode indicated as enabled and the text transmission mode indicated as disabled when a keyboard associated with said device is unavailable;

determining a physical presence setting for said user with respect to said device in accordance with said first information;

said second information; and

said third information;

communicating the physical presence setting for said user with respect to said device to other devices, wherein the communicated physical presence setting includes information describing the enabled mode of communications to forward to said device; and

forwarding communications to said device in accordance with the physical presence setting.

2. A method comprising:

identifying a presence setting associated with a user, responsive to a determination that relates a physical token, associated with the user, with the presence setting;

communicating, to a device, information related to the presence setting, the information being usable to cause the device to set an operating characteristic of the device, wherein the presence setting comprises an indication of whether the device is active and an enabled mode of communications to forward to the device based on a physical state of the device, wherein the enabled mode of communications comprises a text transmission mode or a voice transmission mode, the voice transmission mode indicated as enabled and the text transmission mode indicated as disabled when a keyboard associated with said device is unavailable; and

communicating the presence setting for the device to other devices, wherein the communicated presence setting includes information describing the enabled mode of communications to forward to the device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising aggregating presence information, from an application associated with the user, for use in making the determination.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the application comprises an application that includes a schedule function.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the identifying comprises selecting the presence setting from among a group of presence settings that are each associated with different locations.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the operating characteristic causes the device to prevent completion of a communication when implemented by the device.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the device comprises a mobile communication device.

8. One or more computer storage media comprising instructions that, responsive to being executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to:

select a presence setting, from a group of presence settings, that corresponds to an operating characteristic that is to be used when a physical token for a user is associated with the presence setting;

set the computing system to operate in conformance with the operating characteristic responsive to a determination that associates the physical token with the presence setting, wherein the presence setting comprises an indication of whether the device is active and an enabled mode of communications to forward to the device based on a physical state of the device, wherein the enabled mode of communications comprises a text transmission mode or a voice transmission mode, the voice transmission mode indicated as enabled and the text transmission mode indicated as disabled when a keyboard associated with said device is unavailable; and

communicate the presence setting for the device to other devices, wherein the communicated presence setting includes information describing the enabled mode of communications to forward to the device, and wherein the one or more computer-readable storage media does not comprise a signal.

9. One or more computer storage media of claim 8, wherein the operating characteristic is usable to cause the computing system to block completion of a communication.

10. One or more computer storage media of claim 8, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions that cause the computing system to forward a communication to a mobile communication device when the physical token is not detected within an area adjacent to the computing system.

11. One or more computer storage media of claim 8, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions that cause the computing system to aggregate presence information from at least one application associated with the computing system to determine whether the user is present within an area adjacent to the computing system.

12. One or more computer storage media of claim 11, wherein the at least once application comprises an application that includes a schedule function.

13. One or more computer storage media of claim 11, wherein the presence information comprises information that is usable by the computing system to determine a period of time that the computing system is to operate in conformance with the operating characteristic.