Wireless chat automatic status signaling

• US 8,577,339 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2012
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Ung, Dara, Titus, Mark, Wilson, Johanna, Smith, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peaches, Randy
• Application Number:
  US13/584,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20120322418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/509, 455/466, 455/414.2, 455/432.3
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/085 involving hierarchical organized mobility servers, e.g. hierarchical mobile IP [HMIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 : Messaging devices, e.g. message centre
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A technique and apparatus to provide status tracking of presence and/or location of wireless devices to requesting entities inside and/or outside a particular wireless system. Presence and/or location information is provided to entities outside a particular servicing wireless network via mechanisms of call processing components of a mobile network and standard mechanisms available to any appropriately conforming MSC element. In one embodiment, a wireless chat automatic status tracking system utilizes a change in mobile registration status to automatically forward or copy a registration notification (REGNOT) message to an external IP application, to notify a chat group system outside the wireless network of current status information activity regarding a relevant device. Change in mobile registration is communicated via a suitable signaling link between a HLR and the chat group system. REGNOT messages are pushed over TCP/IP connections to external applications to automatically notify the external system of a particular user'"'"'s location.

Claims

1. A mobile device status tracking system, comprising:

a registration notification message receiver to receive a registration notification message associated with a message subscriber device; and

a registration notification message communicator to communicate, via an Internet Protocol (IP) connection, a registration activity status of said message subscriber device to a service provider-specific application;

wherein said registration notification message, received at a message distribution server, notifies a group of message subscriber devices of said registration activity status of said message subscriber device.

2. The mobile device status tracking system according to claim 1, wherein:

said service provider-specific application is communicated with in response to said receiving of said registration notification message.

3. The mobile device status tracking system according to claim 1, wherein:

said group of message subscriber devices each belong to a given chat room group.

4. The mobile device status tracking system according to claim 1, wherein:

said registration notification message communicator retains a copy of registration notification messages received by a mobile switching center.

5. The mobile device status tracking system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless Internet gateway to transmit said registration notification message over said IP connection.

6. The mobile device status tracking system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a registration notification message handler in communication with said wireless Internet gateway.

7. A method of tracking a status of a mobile device, comprising:

receiving a registration notification message associated with a message subscriber device; and

communicating, via an Internet Protocol (IP) connection, a registration activity status of said message subscriber device to a service provider-specific application;

wherein said registration notification message, received at a message distribution server, notifies a group of message subscriber devices of said registration activity status of said message subscriber device.

8. The method of tracking a status of a mobile device according to claim 7, wherein:

said service provider-specific application is communicated with in response to said receiving of said registration notification message.

9. The method of tracking a status of a mobile device according to claim 7, wherein:

said group of message subscriber devices each belong to a given chat room group.

10. The method of tracking a status of a mobile device according to claim 7, further comprising:

storing a copy of registration notification messages received by a mobile switching center.

11. The method of tracking a status of a mobile device according to claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting from a wireless Internet gateway said registration notification message over said IP connection.

12. The method of tracking a status of a mobile device according to claim 11, further comprising:

establishing communications between a registration notification message handler and said wireless Internet gateway using a Signaling System #7 communications protocol.

13. A mobile device status tracking system, comprising:

a status change receiver to receive a status change notification message associated with a message subscriber device; and

a status change notification message communicator to communicate, via an Internet Protocol (IP) connection, a status change activity associated with said message subscriber device to a service provider-specific application;

wherein said status change notification message, received at a message distribution server, notifies a group of message subscriber devices of said status change activity of said message subscriber device.

14. The mobile device status tracking system according to claim 13, wherein:

said service provider-specific application is communicated with in response to said receiving of said status change notification message.

15. The mobile device status tracking system according to claim 13, wherein:

said group of message subscriber devices each belong to a given chat room group.

16. The mobile device status tracking system according to claim 13, wherein:

said status change notification message communicator retains a copy of status change notification messages received by a mobile switching center.

17. The mobile device status tracking system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a wireless Internet gateway to transmit said status change notification message over said IP connection.

18. The mobile device status tracking system according to claim 17, further comprising:

a registration notification message handler in communication with said wireless Internet gateway.

19. A method of tracking a status of a mobile device, comprising:

receiving a status change notification message associated with a message subscriber device; and

communicating, via an Internet Protocol (IP) connection, a status change activity associated with said message subscriber device to a service provider-specific application;

wherein said status change notification message, received at a message distribution server, notifies a group of message subscriber devices of said status change activity of said message subscriber device.

20. The method of tracking a status of a mobile device according to claim 19, wherein:

said service provider-specific application is communicated with in response to said receiving of said status change notification message.

21. The method of tracking a status of a mobile device according to claim 19, wherein:

said group of message subscriber devices each belong to a given chat room group.

22. The method of tracking a status of a mobile device according to claim 19, further comprising:

storing a copy of status change notification messages received by a mobile switching center.

23. The method of tracking a status of a mobile device according to claim 19, further comprising:

transmitting from a wireless Internet gateway said status change notification message over said IP connection.

24. The method of tracking a status of a mobile device according to claim 23, further comprising:

establishing communications between a status change notification message handler and said wireless Internet gateway using a Signaling System #7 communications protocol.