Content-based publication-subscription system for presence information

• US 8,606,233 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2009
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Brown, Robert William, Buffam, Bruce Eric, O'Rourke, Connor Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, MAHENDRA R
• Application Number:
  US12/619,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20100216430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 709/227, 709/201, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455418-420, 455/435.1, 4554561-457, 455/466, 455/517, 455/518, 455/556.2
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• 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

Abstract

A method for content-based presence communication entails receiving presence information, storing the presence information in any arbitrary data format, validating a subscription request to subscribe to the presence information by determining if information contained within the subscription request represents an authorized subscription relationship, and communicating the presence information when the presence information matches the subscription expression.

Claims

1. A method performed by a presence service comprising:

registering a user of a first device to map a universally unique identification (UUID) of the first device to the user;

receiving presence information, from the first device, in a data format that uses arbitrary descriptors;

storing the received presence information in a presence system in a data format using arbitrary descriptors;

receiving a subscription request from a second device to receive particular presence content of interest regarding the first device, the content of interest corresponding to only a portion of the presence information received from the first device, the subscription request including a subscription expression that identifies the particular presence information content of interest in a content-based format that is independent of the data formats with which the received presence information was received and stored and uses arbitrary descriptors wherein the content of interest is selected from current location, ability to communicate, availability to communicate, willingness to communicate, activity, holiday/working, sleeping/awake, mood, interests, intentions and wishes;

validating the subscription request by determining if information contained in the subscription request represents an authorized subscription relationship;

mediating, between the user of the first device and a user of the second device, an exchange of a cryptographic key that enables the presence information to be shared;

communicating a portion of the presence information to the second device based on the portion of the presence information matching the subscription expression; and

upon the user switching to a new first device, re-registering the user to map a UUID of the new first device to the user and update a profile of the user in a persistent data store.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein validating the request to subscribe to the presence information comprises determining which one or more of a plurality of elements of presence information are authorized by the subscription relationship.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising receiving a message to pause a subscription to one or more elements of the presence information.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 further comprising receiving a message to resume the subscription to the one or more elements of the presence information.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the subscription expression includes terms, relating to presence information, that are connected by a Boolean operator.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code which when loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a computing device is programmed to cause the device to perform acts of:

registering a user of a first device to map a universally unique identification (UUID) of the first device to the user;

receiving presence information, from the first device, in a data format that uses arbitrary descriptors;

storing the presence information in a data format that uses arbitrary descriptors;

receiving a subscription request, from a second device, to receive particular presence content of interest regarding the first device, the content of interest corresponding to only a portion of the presence information received from the first device, the subscription request including a subscription expression that identifies the particular presence information content of interest in a content-based format that is independent of the data formats with which the presence information was received and stored and uses arbitrary descriptors wherein the content of interest is selected from current location, ability to communicate, availability to communicate, willingness to communicate, activity, holiday/working, sleeping/awake, mood, interests, intentions and wishes;

validating the subscription request by determining if information contained in the subscription request represents an authorized subscription relationship;

mediating, between the user of the first device and a user of the second device, an exchange of a cryptographic key that enables the presence information to be shared

communicating a portion of the presence information to the second device based on the portion of the presence information matching the subscription expression; and

upon the user switching to a new first device, re-registering the user to map a UUID of the new first device to the user and update a profile of the user in a persistent data store.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 5 wherein the code is further programmed to determine which one or more of a plurality of elements of presence information are authorized by the subscription relationship.

7. A presence system, comprising:

one or more proxy nodes for routing messages between a plurality of presence clients and one or more functional nodes, the one or more functional nodes processing the messages to direct each message to one of a plurality of application nodes; and

a publish-subscribe node, which is one of the plurality of application nodes, and which is configured to;

register a user of a first device to map a universally unique identification (UUID) of the first device to the user;

receive presence information, from a first presence client, in a data format that uses arbitrary descriptors,

store the presence information in a data format that uses arbitrary descriptors,

receive a subscription request, from a second presence client, to receive particular presence content of interest regarding the first device, the content of interest corresponding to only a portion of the presence information received from the first device, the subscription request including a subscription expression that identifies the particular presence information content of interest in a content-based format that is independent of the data formats with which the received presence information was received and stored and uses arbitrary descriptors, wherein the content of interest is selected from current location, ability to communicate, availability to communicate, willingness to communicate, activity, holiday/working, sleeping/awake, mood, interests, intentions and wishes;

validate the subscription request by determining if information contained in the subscription request represents an authorized subscription relationship,

mediate, between the user of the first device and a user of the second device, an exchange of a cryptographic key that enables the presence information to be shared;

communicate a portion of the presence information to the second device based on the portion of the presence information matching the subscription expression; and

upon the user switching to a new first device, re-register the user to map a UUID of the new first device to the user and update a profile of the user in a persistent data store.