METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DERIVING PRESENCE INFORMATION USING MESSAGE TRAFFIC ANALYSIS

• US 20080140794A1
• Filed: 12/06/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 8,285,312 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• 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 for deriving presence information of a mobile device at a presence node in a wireless system, the method comprising the steps of:

analyzing a message sent 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.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing step determines that the message type is interactive if a user of the mobile device generated the message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the analyzing step determines that the message type is non-interactive if the mobile device automatically generated the message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the allocating step allocates the state of the mobile device to be one of disconnected, connected and active.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the allocating step allocates the state as active if the message type is interactive.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the allocating step allocates the state as connected if the message type is non-interactive.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is unaltered traffic from the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message has presence information added at the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said analyzing step determines the message type based on the added information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the added information is a single bit added to a message to indicate if the mobile device is interactive or not interactive.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the added information is a time value indicating the last interactive use of the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the added information is a state as determined at the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said method further comprises the steps of:

setting a timer value in a timer when allocating the state; and

at the expiration of the timer, reallocating the state of the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence node is a presence server.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence node is a presence consuming server.

16. 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 comprising:

a communication system for communicating with the network node;

a processor; and

an application running on said processor, said application having means for analyzing a message sent 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.

17. The presence node of claim 16, wherein the presence node is a presence server.

18. The presence node of claim 16, wherein the presence node is a presence consuming server.

19. The presence node of claim 16, wherein the means for analyzing is adapted to determine that the message type is interactive if a user of the mobile device generated the message.

20. The presence node of claim 16, wherein the means for analyzing is adapted to determine that the message type is non-interactive if the mobile device automatically generated the message.

21. The presence node of claim 20, wherein the means for allocating is adapted to allocate the state of the mobile device to be one of disconnected, connected and active.

22. The presence node of claim 21, wherein the means for allocating is adapted to allocate the state as active if the message type is interactive.

23. The presence node of claim 22, wherein the means for allocating is adapted to allocate the state as connected if the message type is non-interactive.

24. The presence node of claim 16, wherein the message received by the communications system is a message with presence information added to the message.

25. The presence node of claim 24, wherein the means for analyzing is adapted to determine the message type based on the added information.

26. The presence node of claim 25, wherein the added information is a single bit added to a message to indicate if the mobile device is interactive or not interactive.

27. The presence node of claim 25, wherein the added information is a time value since the last interactive use of the mobile device.

28. The presence node of claim 25, wherein the added information is a state as determined at the mobile device.

29. The presence node of claims 16, further comprising a timer, the timer adapted to, upon expiration, cause said application to reallocate the state of the mobile device.

30. The presence node of claim 16, wherein the application keeps a separate state for all mobile devices communicating with the network node.

31. A mobile device for enhancing presence information to a network, the mobile device comprising:

a communications subsystem, said communications subsystem comprising a receiver, a transmitter and a digital signal processor;

a microprocessor communicating with said digital signal processor of said communications subsystem;

user input and output means communicating with said microprocessor;

memory communicating with said microprocessor; and

a status module, said status module adapted to add status information for the mobile device to messages being sent from the mobile device.

32. The mobile device of claim 31, wherein the status information consists of a single bit added to the messages to indicate if the mobile device is interactive or not interactive.

33. The mobile device of claim 31, wherein the status information consists of a time value since the last interactive use of the mobile device.

34. The mobile device of claim 31, wherein the status information is an activity state as determined at the mobile device.