System and method for global positioning system enhanced presence rules

• US 7,333,819 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2003
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unify Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Communications Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Caspi, Rami, Beyda, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrpour, Naghmeh
• Application Number:
  US10/672,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20050070310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,607 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.5, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/517, 455/403, 455/414.1, 455/422, 455/433, 455/457, 701/200, 701/213, 342/450, 342/357.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes

Abstract

A telecommunications system includes a plurality of remote clients (150) including a positioning controller (504) and a communications controller (502), the positioning controller receiving position information and the communications controller communicating the position information; and a server (152) including a coordinating controller (161) for maintaining a database of location-presence rules for remote clients that are being tracked. The location-presence rules are user-configurable from a network client (122). In certain embodiments of the present invention, the position information is received from a global positioning system and the communications controller is a cellular telephone controller.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system, comprising:

a plurality of remote clients including a positioning controller and a communications controller, said positioning controller receiving position information and said communications controller communicating said position information; and

a server including a coordinating controller for maintaining a database of location-presence rules for remote clients that are being tracked;

wherein said location-presence rules are user-configurable from a network client;

wherein said location-presence rules define user availability on a plurality of user devices associated with the user; and

wherein said location-presence rules define one or more contexts with regard to a predetermined geographic boundary and define particular ones of said plurality of remote clients by which the user may be contacted.

2. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said positioning controller receives global positioning network signals for determining a position of an associated network client.

3. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 2, wherein said communications controller comprises a cellular network controller for transmitting on a cellular telephone network to said server.

4. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said network clients include one or more graphical user interfaces (GUI) for inputting geographical information, presence status, and contact information via a mapping feature.

5. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said remote clients receive said location-presence rules from said server.

6. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said remote clients transmit current location information to said server.

7. A telecommunications server, comprising:

a presence control unit adapted to receive and maintain presence information for a plurality of users; and

a location control unit adapted to receive and maintain location information for said plurality of users, said location information correlated with said presence information, said location information being received from remote users having positioning controllers for receiving location information and communication controllers for transmitting said location information to said server via a wireless communication network;

wherein presence and location correlation rules are received from one or more network clients operably coupled to said server and associated with said remote users and wherein said location and presence correlation rules define user availability and a plurality of contexts on each of a plurality of user devices associated with a particular user with regard to a predetermined geographic boundary.

8. A telecommunications server in accordance with claim 7, wherein said network clients comprise one or more computers with graphical user interfaces including mapping features for setting said presence and location correlation rules.

9. A telecommunications server in accordance with claim 8, wherein said presence and location correlation rules comprise setting location, presence, and contact rules.

10. A telecommunications server in accordance with claim 9, wherein said location information is received via a global positioning network.

11. A telecommunications server in accordance with claim 10, wherein said location information is transmitted via a cellular telephone network.

12. A telecommunications method, comprising:

receiving one or more user positioning and presence correlation rules at a server, wherein positioning information is received from remote users having positioning controllers for receiving location information and communication controllers for transmitting said location information to said server via a wireless communication network; and

transmitting said one or more positioning and presence correlation rules to at least one of said remote users; and

wherein said positioning and presence correlation rules define user availability and one or more contexts on a plurality of user devices associated with a particular user with regard to a predetermined geographic boundary.

13. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 12, further comprising:

receiving positioning updates at said remote user; and

transmitting presence updates to via said server as specified in said one or more positioning and presence correlation rules.

14. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said receiving one or more user positioning and presence correlation rules comprises receiving at said server one or more rules set via a network interface device operably coupled to said one or more local controllers.

15. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 14, wherein said receiving positioning updates comprises receiving one or more signals from a global positioning network.

16. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said wireless network comprises a cellular telephone network.

17. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said wireless network comprises a personal communication service (PCS) network.

18. A graphical user interface for setting one or more location and presence correlation parameters for use by remote network devices having positioning controllers for receiving positioning signals and communication controllers for transmitting said positioning signals to a server;

wherein said positioning signals comprise global positioning system signals; and

wherein the location and presence correlation parameters define an availability and one or more contexts of a user at a plurality of devices at a plurality of locations defined by predetermined boundaries.