Method of providing access to presence related information

• US 8,391,892 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2006
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Butler, Dominic, Karlsson, Petter
• Primary Examiner(s): Karikari, Kwasi
• Application Number:
  US11/550,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20070087762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,330 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/456.2, 455/422.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00

Abstract

Presence information for a user is stored and made accessible using a conventional client server or peer to peer Presence model. The identity of any entity that requests or accesses this Presence information is however legged and then automatically provided to a wireless information device operated by the user. This enables the device to display the identity of the entity that requested or accessed the Presence information and hence (a) can prompt a user to contact the entity that sought his Presence information and (b) inhibits inappropriate accessing of Presence information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, via at least one processor, to facilitate access to at least one interface configured to allow access to at least one service, the at least one service configured to perform at least the following;

store, at a server, presence information for a user;

receive a request for access to said presence information from an entity;

allow or deny access to said presence information based on a pre-defined list;

log the identity of an entity each time the entity requests, accesses, or is denied access to the presence information;

provide data to a wireless information terminal associated with the user for presenting the identity of the entity,

log the time of request, access, or denial of access at the server; and

deliver to the terminal for display the logged time of request, access, or denial of access and the identity of the entity that has requested, accessed, or been denied access to, the presence information together with a user selectable option to contact that entity using voice or message based communication.

2. The method of claim 1 in which presence information is stored on the terminal, the time of request, access, or denial of access, is logged on the terminal and then provided internally within the terminal for display on the terminal.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the kind of presence information requested, accessed, or denied access to, is logged and automatically provided to the terminal for display on the terminal instantly when an entity requests, accesses, or is denied access to, presence information;

at regular times;

at pre-defined times;

or when requested to do so by the terminal.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the step of storing and logging presence information takes places at a server based database, programmed to automatically send some or all of the logged information to the wireless information terminal.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising providing an entity accessing presence information with the option of leaving a message to be sent to the user.

6. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

receive data defining the identity of an entity each time the entity has requested, accessed, or been denied access to presence information relating to the user of the apparatus;

determine to display that identity together with an indication that presence information has been sought, accessed, or denied access to

receive data defining the time at which presence information was requested, accessed, or denied access; and

display that time

wherein the identity of the entity that has requested, accessed, or is denied access to, the presence information is displayed on the apparatus together with a user selectable option to contact that entity using voice or message based communication.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

receive data defining the kind of presence information that was requested, accessed, or denied access to; and

display the kind of presence information accessed.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further caused to display user selectable options defining when the data is to be received from a server.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further caused to display some or all of the following options defining when the data is to be received from a server:

instantly when an entity requests, accesses, or is denied access to, presence information;

at regular times;

at pre-defined times;

or when requested to do so by the apparatus.

13. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the presence information is stored on the apparatus.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to at least perform the following steps:

receiving data on a wireless information terminal, said data defining an identity of an entity each time the entity has requested, accessed, or been denied access to presence information relating to a user of the terminal,

receiving data defining a time at which said presence information was requested, accessed, or denied access to;

displaying on said wireless information terminal said identity of an entity together with an indication that presence information has been sought, accessed, or denied access to, and a kind of said presence information that was requested, accessed, or denied access to, together with a user selectable option to contact that entity using voice or message based communication; and

displaying the time.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions for:

displaying user selectable options defining when the data is to be received from a server.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein said instructions for displaying user selectable options defining when the data is to be received from a server further comprise options for receiving said data (i) instantly when an entity requests, accesses, or is denied access to, presence information;

(ii) at regular times;

(iii) at pre-defined times;

or (iv) when requested to do so by the terminal.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the presence information is stored on said wireless information terminal.