Out-of-band signaling system, method and computer program product

• US 20060165092A1
• Filed: 12/23/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Agovo Communications Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Agovo Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Wilson, Tim, Macaulay, Peter, Dixon, Brad
• Application Number:
  US11/316,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20060165092A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.210
• 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: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• 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 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product for providing a user a way to change communications presence information is disclosed. A point of presence (PPD) device may produce presentity (a source of presence information about a user) which may be transmitted out-of-band to a watcher or watchers of an intelligent call handling presence server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a registration from a user for an out-of-band signaling service provider, including;

associating at least one communications device with said out-of-band signaling service provider;

setting a plurality of possible locations of the user;

setting a plurality of possible levels of availability;

setting a plurality of possible modalities of communications; and

receiving a selection of an initial presence for the user, wherein said presence comprises a location selected from said plurality of possible locations, a level of availability selected from said plurality of possible levels of availability, and a modality of communication selected from said plurality of possible modalities of communications;

provisioning at a communication system a communications channel to route calls to the user according to said presence;

receiving a new selection of a new presence from the user over an out-of-band signaling system;

reprovisioning at the communications system to route calls to the user according to said new presence; and

sending an acknowledgement of receipt of said new selection of said new presence.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving said selections of said presence over said out-of-band signaling system comprises receiving said selections over a signaling system comprising at least one of:

a general packet radio service (GPRS) signaling system of global system for mobile communications (GSM) signaling technology,

a short messaging system(SMS),

a packet channel upon any mobile bearer channel,

a packet radio signaling system,

a two way packet pager signaling system,

a code division multiple access (CDMA) signaling system,

a WI-FI signaling system,

a WI-MAX signaling system,

a IP telephony signaling system,

a IP packet system to transmit packets,

a PSTN signaling systems employing voice recognition signaling,

an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) signaling,

a DTMF signaling, and/or

a Bluetooth signaling system that can communicate with any other Bluetooth compatible device that has wireless signaling capabilities outlined.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said packet channel upon any mobile bearer channel includes at least one of GSM, GPRS, CDMA, TDMA, iBurst, WiMax, WiFi, iDEN, UMTS, 1×

EVDO, CDMA2000, W-CDMA, EDGE, an other 3rd generation wireless technology, a spread spectrum technology, a 4th generation wireless technology, HSDPA, HSUPA, a future generation wireless technology, a 5^th generation wireless technology, 6th generation wireless technology, 7th generation wireless technology, and nth generation wireless technology.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said IP telephony signaling system uses at least one of an MGCP, SIP, and/or RTP protocols.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein said wireless signaling capabilities are adapted to communicate with a GSM cell phone or a Bluetooth Laptop on an IP network.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein said IP packet system includes TCP/IP or UDP transport protocols to transmit packets.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein said packet radio signaling system uses iText.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving said selections, comprises receiving said selections from a point of presence device.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said point of presence device comprises a signaling fob apparatus.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving said selections, comprises receiving an encrypted selection.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving said selections, comprises receiving said selections over a secure communications link.

12. A system comprising:

means for receiving a registration from a user for an out-of-band signaling service provider, including;

means for associating at least one communications device with said out-of-band signaling service provider;

means for setting a plurality of possible locations of the user;

means for setting a plurality of possible levels of availability;

means for setting a plurality of possible modalities of communications; and

means for receiving a selection of an initial presence for the user, wherein said presence

comprises a location selected from said plurality of possible locations, a level of

availability selected from said plurality of possible levels of availability, and a modality

of communication selected from said plurality of possible modalities of communications;

means for provisioning at a communication system a communications channel to route calls to the user according to said presence;

means for receiving a new selection of a new presence from the user over an out-of-band signaling system;

means for reprovisioning at the communications system to route calls to the user according to said new presence; and

means for sending an acknowledgement of receipt of said new selection of said new presence.

13. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable media, the computer program product adapted to enable a processor to execute a method comprising:

receiving a registration from a user for an out-of-band signaling service provider, including;

associating at least one communications device with said out-of-band signaling service provider;

setting a plurality of possible locations of the user;

setting a plurality of possible levels of availability;

setting a plurality of possible modalities of communications; and

receiving a selection of an initial presence for the user, wherein said presence

comprises a location selected from said plurality of possible locations, a level of

availability selected from said plurality of possible levels of availability, and a modality

of communication selected from said plurality of possible modalities of communications;

provisioning at a communication system a communications channel to route calls to the user according to said presence;

receiving a new selection of a new presence from the user over an out-of-band signaling system;

reprovisioning at the communications system to route calls to the user according to said new presence; and

sending an acknowledgement of receipt of said new selection of said new presence.