System and method for the distribution and use of presence information

• US 9,749,842 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Buzescu, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): SALL, EL HADJI MALICK
• Application Number:
  US14/663,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20150195704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 709204, 709200, 709220, 709224
• 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: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A system and method are provided for automating the implementing and use of presence information in a network and/or for automatically selecting the most efficient means for sending a message. In an embodiment of the system, presence information is transmitted to a presence server. The presence server then ascertains presence information for the entries in a user'"'"'s network address book after a user'"'"'s device provides presence information about the user to the presence server. This presence information can then used to determine whether a message is to be sent through session based messaging (if presence information indicates that a message recipient is available) or immediate messaging (if the other user is not available or no presence information is available). A system and method is also provided to automatically send the message using an efficient protocol.

Claims

1. A method for dynamic updating of presence information in a communications system, comprising:

registering a mobile device with a presence server following the mobile device being turned on;

sending presence information from the mobile device to the presence server for distribution to one or more mobile devices of at least one subscriber that is listed in a network address book for the mobile device, the network address book being stored on a network address book server; and

automatically receiving, at the mobile device, updated presence information of the at least one subscriber listed in the network address book from the presence server, the mobile device receiving the updated presence information without receiving additional user inputted information in response to the mobile device having a subscription to the presence information of the at least one subscriber, the updated presence information being obtained by the presence server from the one or more mobile devices of the at least one subscriber following the network address book server determining that the one or more mobile devices are capable of transmitting the updated presence information to the presence server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising synchronizing the presence information of the mobile device with the network address book before communicating the presence information to the presence server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the synchronization occurs via SyncML Data Synchronization (SyncML DS).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence information is transmitted via Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the presence server accesses information in the network address book using XML Configuration Access Protocol (XCAP) through XML Data Management Server (XDMS).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is registered to Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) before communicating the presence information to the presence server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence information is updated on the mobile device upon at least one of:

an immediate basis, periodic interval, intermittent interval, and a manual request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one subscriber is determined to receive the presence information and the updated presence information of the at least one subscriber is updated upon at least one of:

an immediate basis, periodic interval, intermittent interval, and a manual request.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a database of the mobile device is updated with the presence information of the at least one subscriber upon at least one of:

an immediate basis, periodic interval, intermittent interval, and a manual request.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated presence information is viewable via a second device associated with the same user as the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence information includes an availability status of a user that uses the mobile device to communicate with the at least one subscriber.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the mobile device, a user request to at least one of access, change, and view the presence information through a user interface that is accessible to the mobile device through an Internet website or a proprietary network.

13. A system for dynamic communication of updating presence information in a communications system, comprising:

a presence server that registers mobile devices in response to the mobile devices being turned on for providing presence information to the mobile devices; and

a mobile device that automatically receives updated presence information of at least one subscriber listed in a network address book for the mobile device from the presence server, the updated presence information being obtained from one or more mobile devices of the at least one subscriber following a network address book server that stores the network address book determines that the one or more mobile devices are capable of transmitting the updated presence information to the presence server,

wherein the mobile device provides at least one of access, change, and view to the presence information through a user interface at least indirectly connected to the communications system.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the mobile device further sends presence information from the mobile device to the presence server for distribution to one or more mobile devices of the at least one subscriber that is listed in the network address book, the presence information indicating that a user of the mobile device is available to communicate with the at least one subscriber via the mobile device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the updated presence information is viewable via a second device having a same authorization to view presence information as the mobile device.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the presence information provided by the mobile device is updated upon at least one of:

an immediate basis, periodic interval, intermittent interval, and manual request.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the presence information is updated on the mobile device upon at least one of:

an immediate basis, periodic interval, intermittent interval, and a manual request.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein a database of the mobile device is updated on any changes to the presence information of the at least one subscriber on at least one of:

an immediate basis, periodic interval, intermittent interval, and manual request.

19. A method for dynamic updating of presence information in a communications system, comprising:

sending presence information from a mobile device to a presence server for distribution to one or more mobile devices of at least one subscriber that is listed in an address book of the mobile device; and

automatically receiving, at the mobile device, updated presence information of one or more subscribers listed in a network address book from the presence server, the updated presence information being obtained by the presence server from at least one mobile device of the one or more subscribers that is determined by a network address book server that stores the network address book as capable of transmitting the updated presence information to the presence server.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the sending includes sending the presence information to indicate that a user of the mobile device is unavailable to communicate with the at least on subscriber in response to a communication ability of the mobile device being impaired by a low battery condition or a low signal strength condition of the mobile device.