Method and apparatus for deriving presence information using message traffic analysis

• US 9,020,544 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2012
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Rybak, Michal Andrzej
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Dung
• Application Number:
  US13/633,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/223, 455/227, 455/404.2, 455/412, 709/206, 709/207, 709/223, 709/337
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method and apparatus for deriving presence information of a mobile device at a presence node in a wireless system, the method having the steps of: analyzing a message received from the mobile device to determine a message type; and allocating a state for the mobile device depending on the message type found in the analyzing step. The apparatus is a presence node for deriving and maintaining presence information of a mobile device in a wireless system, the mobile device communicating with a network node, the presence node having: a communication system for communicating with the network node; a processor; and an application running on the processor, the application having means for analyzing a message received from the mobile device at the network node to determine a message type; and allocating a state for the mobile device depending on the message type found in the analyzing step.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

analyzing a message sent from a mobile device to determine, based on the message'"'"'s type, whether the message was generated with user interaction or generated without user interaction;

setting a first activity state if the message was generated with user interaction;

setting a second activity state if the message was generated without user interaction;

in response to determining that the message was generated with user interaction, resetting a timer; and

sending a probe to the mobile device when the timer expires to check whether the mobile device is still in the first activity state;

the analyzing step and the setting steps being performed by a hardware server;

wherein the server is configured to analyze traffic going to and coming from the mobile device without introducing new traffic over the wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the server informing a push service of the state so that the push service may determine, based on the assigned state, whether to push information to the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the analyzing includes determining that the message was generated with user interaction based on the message being an instant message.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the analyzing includes determining that the message was generated with user interaction based on the message being an email.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is from the mobile device to another communication device as part of unaltered traffic.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first activity state is an active state, and the second activity state is a connected state.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining that the message was not generated with user interaction is based on the message being an acknowledgement that the mobile device automatically sent in response to a probe sent by a network node to check if the mobile device is still connected.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the server setting a disconnected state based on the message not having sent a message for a predetermined amount of time.

9. A hardware server configured to:

analyze a message sent from a mobile device to determine, based on the message'"'"'s type, whether the message was generated with user interaction or generated without user interaction;

set a first activity state if the message was generated with user interaction;

set a second activity state if the message was generated without user interaction;

in response to determining that the message was generated with user interaction, reset a timer; and

send a probe to the mobile device when the timer expires to check whether the mobile device is still in the first activity state;

wherein the server is configured to analyze traffic going to and coming from the mobile device without introducing new traffic over the wireless network.

10. The hardware server of claim 9 wherein the first activity state is an active state, and the second activity state is a connected state.

11. The hardware server of claim 9 further configured to:

set a disconnected state based on the message not having sent a message for a predetermined amount of time.