Method and system for supporting the communication of presence information regarding one or more telephony devices

• US 20060190525A1
• Filed: 01/30/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Demirtjis, Ann, Bobde, Nikhil P., Brown, Robert, Simons, David J., Chitturi, Ajay P., Buch, Jeremy T., Kumbalimutt, Vishwajith, Taylor, Zachary
• Granted Patent: US 7,653,715 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A system for detecting and communicating the presence of one or more computing devices is presented. The invention also presents a method and system for aggregating presence information generated by multiple devices associated with a single user. A server acting as a presence agent on behalf of a first user receives and responds to a subscription request generated by a computing device operated by a second wishing to be permitted as a watcher of the first user. When the second user corresponds to access preferences of the first user, a notify message is sent to the second user'"'"'s device that includes presence information indicative of an activity level and availability level associated with the first user. When the first user employs multiple computing devices, the server generates an aggregate presence document that is representative of the overall presence of the first user.

Claims

1-41. -41. (canceled)

42. A method for generating presence information associated with a computing device, the method comprising:

determining an availability level indicating whether a user of the computing device may receive a communication;

determining an activity level indicating action in which the user of the computing device may be engaged; and

providing the determined availability level and activity level to a presence agent so that a watcher computing device can determine whether to submit a communication to the user based on the availability level and activity level of the user.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein the availability level is selected from the group consisting of offline, undetermined, connected, and online.

44. The method of claim 42 wherein the activity level is selected from the group consisting of no explicit activity, away, at lunch, idle, temporarily unavailable, active, in a call, busy, do not disturb, and always interruptible.

45. The method of claim 42 wherein the availability level is selected from the group consisting of offline, undetermined, connected, and online and wherein the activity level is selected from the group consisting of no explicit activity, away, at lunch, idle, temporarily unavailable, active, in a call, busy, do not disturb, and always interruptible.

46. The method of claim 42 wherein the activity level indicates likelihood of a communication being accepted by the computing device.

47. The method of claim 42 wherein the presence agent is provided activity level and availability level of the user for multiple computing devices and generates an aggregate activity level and an aggregate availability level.

48. The method of claim 47 wherein aggregate presence information is generated by selecting presence information from the computing device that indicates the highest activity level.

49. The method of claim 47 wherein the aggregate activity level is the highest activity level of a computing device and the aggregate availability level is the availability level of that computing device.

50. The method of claim 47 wherein the aggregate activity level is the activity level of a computing device that indicates to override the activity level of other computing devices.

51. A computer system for providing presence information associated with a user to a watcher computing device, comprising:

a component that receives from a computing device an availability level indicating whether the user of the computing device may receive a communication;

a component that receives from the computing device an activity level indicating action in which the user of the computing device may be engaged; and

a component that provides the received availability level and activity level to the watcher computing device so that the watcher computing device can determine whether to submit a communication to the user based on the availability level and activity level of the user.

52. The system of claim 51 wherein the activity level indicates likelihood of a communication being accepted by the computing device.

53. The system of claim 51 wherein the system receives activity level and availability level of the user from multiple computing devices and generates an aggregate activity level and an aggregate availability level.

54. The system of claim 53 wherein aggregate presence information is generated by selecting presence information from the computing device that indicates the highest activity level.

55. The system of claim 53 wherein the aggregate activity level is the highest activity level of a computing device and the aggregate availability level is the availability level of that computing device.

56. The system of claim 53 wherein the aggregate activity level is the activity level of a computing device that indicates to override the activity level of other computing devices.

57. A presence agent for generating aggregate presence information of a user associated with multiple computing devices, comprising:

a component that receives from each computing device an availability level indicating whether the user may receive a communication at that computing device;

a component that receives from each computing device an activity level indicating action in which the user of that computing device may be engaged;

a component that aggregates the received availability levels and activity levels; and

a component that provides the aggregate availability level and activity level to a watcher computing device so that the watcher computing device can determine to which computing device to submit a communication to the user based on the availability level and activity level of the user.

58. The presence agent of claim 57 wherein the activity level indicates likelihood of a communication being accepted by the computing device.

59. The presence agent of claim 57 wherein aggregate presence information is generated by selecting presence information from the computing device that indicates the highest activity level.

60. The presence agent of claim 57 wherein the aggregate activity level is the highest activity level of a computing device and the aggregate availability level is the availability level of that computing device.

61. The presence agent of claim 57 wherein the aggregate activity level is the activity level of a computing device that indicates to override the activity level of other computing devices.