Selective delivery of presence messages for wireless communication devices

• US 9,154,911 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2014
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Green, Douglas R., Breau, Jeremy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Faragalla, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLIVER, GERALD L
• Application Number:
  US14/218,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20140199986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 379/38, 379/100.05, 709/202, 709/203, 455/41.2, 455/422.1, 4554561-4566, 455/517
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A wireless communication system generates operating information indicating if a monitoring wireless communication device is in active mode or in idle mode for a wireless data service. The wireless system receives location information that indicates geographic locations of a monitored wireless communication device for delivery to the monitoring wireless communication device. The system stores the location information if the monitoring wireless communication device is in idle mode. The system wirelessly transfers the location information to the monitoring wireless communication device if the monitoring wireless communication device is in active mode. If the monitoring wireless communication device transitions from idle mode to active mode and has stored location information, the system generates summary location data for the monitored wireless communication device based on the stored location information and wirelessly transfers the summary location data to the monitoring wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless communication system to communicate with a monitoring wireless communication device that is tracking a monitored wireless communication device, the method comprising:

in the wireless communication system, generating operating information that indicates if the monitoring wireless communication device is in an active mode when a wireless data service is in use or in an idle mode when the wireless data service is not in use;

in the wireless communication system, receiving location information that indicates geographic locations of the monitored wireless communication device for delivery to the monitoring wireless communication device;

in the wireless communication system, storing the location information if the monitoring wireless communication device is in the idle mode and wirelessly transferring the location information to the monitoring wireless communication device if the monitoring wireless communication device is in the active mode; and

in the wireless communication system, if the monitoring wireless communication device transitions from the idle mode to the active mode with the stored location information, then generating summary location data for the monitored wireless communication device based on the stored location information and wirelessly transferring the summary location data to the monitoring wireless communication device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein generating and transferring the summary location data comprises generating and transferring an identity of the monitored wireless communication device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein generating and transferring the summary location data comprises generating and transferring time data from the stored location information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating and transferring the summary location data comprises generating and transferring an amount of the stored location information for the monitored wireless communication device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein storing the location information further comprises preventing the location information from causing the monitoring wireless communication device to enter the active mode.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising wirelessly transferring the location information to the monitoring wireless communication device if the monitoring wireless communication device is in the idle mode and if the monitored wireless communication device comprises a high-priority device to the monitoring wireless communication device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising wirelessly transferring the location information to the monitoring wireless communication device if the monitoring wireless communication device is in the idle mode and if the location information comprises high-priority location information to the monitoring wireless communication device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising wirelessly transferring the location information to the monitoring wireless communication device if the monitoring wireless communication device is in the idle mode and if the location information comprises emergency information.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication system comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication system comprises a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) system.

11. A wireless communication system to communicate with a monitoring wireless communication device that is tracking a monitored wireless communication device, the wireless communication system comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive operating information generated by the wireless communication system that indicates if the monitoring wireless communication device is in an active mode when a wireless data service is in use or in an idle mode when the wireless data service is not in use;

the communication interface is configured to receive location information that indicates geographic locations of a monitored wireless communication device for delivery to the monitoring wireless communication device;

a processing node configured to store the location information if the monitoring wireless communication device is in the idle mode and to direct the communication interface to wirelessly transfer the location information to the monitoring wireless communication device if the monitoring wireless communication device is in the active mode;

the processing node is configured, if the monitoring wireless communication device transitions from the idle mode to the active mode with the stored location information, to generate summary location data for the monitored wireless communication device based on the stored location information and to direct the communication interface to wirelessly transfer the summary location data to the monitoring wireless communication device; and

the communication interface is configured to wirelessly transfer the summary location data and to wirelessly transfer the location information to the monitoring wireless communication device.

12. The wireless communication system of claim 11 the summary location data comprises an identity of the monitored wireless communication device.

13. The wireless communication system of claim 11 wherein the summary location data comprises time data from the stored location information.

14. The wireless communication system of claim 11 wherein the summary location data comprises an amount of the stored location information for the monitored wireless communication device.

15. The wireless communication system of claim 11 wherein the processing node is configured to prevent the location information from causing the monitoring wireless communication device to enter the active mode.

16. The wireless communication system of claim 11 wherein the processing node is configured to direct the communication interface to wirelessly transfer the location information to the monitoring wireless communication device if the monitoring wireless communication device is in the idle mode and if the monitored wireless communication device comprises a high-priority device to the monitoring wireless communication device.

17. The wireless communication system of claim 11 wherein the processing node is configured to direct the communication interface to wirelessly transfer the location information to the monitoring wireless communication device if the monitoring wireless communication device is in the idle mode and if the location information comprises high-priority location information to the monitoring wireless communication device.

18. The wireless communication system of claim 11 wherein the processing node is configured to direct the communication interface to wirelessly transfer the location information to the monitoring wireless communication device if the monitoring wireless communication device is in the idle mode and if the location information comprises emergency information.

19. The wireless communication system of claim 11 wherein the wireless communication system comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system.

20. The wireless communication system of claim 11 wherein the wireless communication system comprises a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) system.