System, method, and logic for determining presence status according to the location of endpoints

• US 8,320,545 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2007
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Toebes, John A., Caballero-McCann, Denise G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Addy, Thjuan K
• Application Number:
  US11/774,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20090010419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,971 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/201.1, 379/207.12, 709/224, 709/203, 709/204, 455/41.2, 455/404.2, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 379/201.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• 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 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• 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

Determining presence status associated with a user includes receiving presence statuses of endpoints associated with a first user. It is determined whether an endpoint exhibits significant activity. If an endpoint exhibits significant activity, it is determined whether any other endpoint is co-located with that endpoint. An aggregate presence status is generated from the presence status of the at least one endpoint and presence status of the other endpoint.

Claims

1. A method of determining a presence status associated with a user, comprising:

receiving a plurality of presence statuses of a plurality of endpoints associated with a first user;

determining that at least one of the plurality of endpoints exhibits significant activity;

determining that a second endpoint is co-located with the at least one endpoint;

generating an aggregate presence status associated with the first user from the presence status of the at least one endpoint, the significant activity exhibited by the at least one endpoint, and the presence status of the second endpoint co-located with the at least one endpoint, wherein;

the aggregate presence status indicates the location and availability of the first user; and

the aggregate presence status comprises an aggregate capability indicating at least one communication capability associated with the second endpoint.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the aggregate presence status comprises at least one aggregate attribute indicating an availability of the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the aggregate capability provided further indicates at least one communication capability associated with the at least one endpoint.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that at least one of the plurality of endpoints exhibits significant activity comprises determining that the at least one endpoint is available.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for the aggregate presence status from a requester endpoint associated with a second user; and

sending the aggregate presence status to the requester endpoint.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating communication between a requester endpoint and the at least one endpoint using a capability indicated by the aggregate presence status.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an updated presence status for an endpoint of the plurality of endpoints; and

generating an updated aggregate presence status in response to the updated presence status.

8. Logic for determining a presence status associated with a user, the logic embodied in computer-readable storage media and when executed by a computer operable to:

receive a plurality of presence statuses of a plurality of endpoints associated with a first user;

determine that at least one of the plurality of endpoints exhibits significant activity;

determine that a second endpoint is co-located with the at least one endpoint; and

generate an aggregate presence status associated with the first user from the presence status of the at least one endpoint, the significant activity exhibited by the at least one endpoint, and the presence status of the second endpoint co-located with the at least one endpoint, wherein;

the aggregate presence status indicates the location and availability of the first user; and

the aggregate presence status comprises an aggregate capability indicating at least one communication capability associated with the second endpoint.

9. The logic of claim 8, wherein the aggregate presence status comprises at least one aggregate attribute indicating an availability of the first user.

10. The logic of claim 8, wherein the aggregate capability further indicates at least one communication capability associated with the at least one endpoint.

11. The logic of claim 8, further operable to determine that at least one of the plurality of endpoints exhibits significant activity by determining that the at least one endpoint is available.

12. The logic of claim 8, further operable to:

receive a request for the aggregate presence status from a requester endpoint associated with a second user; and

send the aggregate presence status to the requester endpoint.

13. The logic of claim 8, further operable to:

initiate communication between a requester endpoint and the at least one endpoint using a capability indicated by the aggregate presence status.

14. The logic of claim 8, further operable to:

receive an updated presence status for an endpoint of the plurality of endpoints; and

generate an updated aggregate presence status in response to the updated presence status.

15. A presence server operable to determine a presence status associated with a user, comprising:

a memory operable to;

store a plurality of presence statuses of a plurality of endpoints associated with a first user;

one or more processors operable to;

determine that at least one of the plurality of endpoints exhibits significant activity;

determine that a second endpoint is co-located with the at least one endpoint; and

generate an aggregate presence status associated with the first user from the presence status of the at least one endpoint, the significant activity exhibited by the at least one endpoint, and the presence status of the second endpoint co-located with the at least one endpoint, wherein;

the aggregate presence status indicates the location and availability of the first user; and

the aggregate presence status comprises an aggregate capability indicating at least one communication capability associated with the second endpoint.

16. The presence server of claim 15, wherein the aggregate presence status comprises at least one aggregate attribute indicating an availability of the first user.

17. The presence server of claim 15, wherein the aggregate capability further indicates at least one communication capability associated with the at least one endpoint.

18. The presence server of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are operable to:

determine that at least one of the plurality of endpoints exhibits significant activity by determining that the at least one endpoint is available.

19. The presence server of claim 15, the one or more processors further operable to:

receive a request for the aggregate presence status from a requester endpoint associated with a second user; and

send the aggregate presence status to the requester endpoint.

20. The presence server of claim 15, the one or more processors further operable to:

initiate communication between a requester endpoint and the at least one endpoint using a capability indicated by the aggregate presence status.

21. The presence server of claim 15, the one or more processors further operable to:

receive an updated presence status for an endpoint of the plurality of endpoints; and

generate an updated aggregate presence status in response to the updated presence status.