Presence information for telephony users

• US 7,555,108 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2002
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Sylvain, Dany
• Primary Examiner(s): DEANE JR, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US10/262,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20040062383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,464 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207.02, 379/207.01, 379/202.01, 379/204.01, 379/207.12, 379/106.01, 379/90.01, 379/210.1, 379/265.06, 379/212.01
• US Class Current: 379/207.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• 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 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server

Abstract

The present invention relates to providing presence information bearing on the availability of a first user involved with a call to a second user involved with the call. In general, call information bearing on the call is received and triggers a request for presence information associated with the first user. Upon retrieval of the presence information associated with the first user, the presence information is effectively delivered to the second user in a manner informing the second user of the availability of the first user to receive a call. Thus, when an attempt to establish a call between the first and second users has failed, the second user may monitor the presence information relating to the availability of the first user to decide when, and perhaps how, to contact the first user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a) receiving call information bearing on a first call involving first and second users, wherein the call information bearing on the first call triggers a request to subscribe the second user to a presence information server associated with the first user;

b) requesting presence information associated with the first user and bearing on the availability of the first user to participate in a second communication based on the call information;

c) receiving the presence information; and

d) effecting delivery of the presence information to the second user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first call is initiated at a first telephony device by the first user and directed to a second telephony device associated with the second user.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the call information is indicative of an identity of the first user or a telephony device associated with first user.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the call information comprises a directory number or address for the telephony device associated with the first user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the delivery of the presence information to the second user is effected by sending the presence information to a computing device of the second user.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the computing device is associated with a telephony device of the second user and the telephony device of the second user is associated with the first call.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the delivery of the presence information to the second user is effected by sending the presence information to a telephony device of the second user, the telephony device involved in the first call.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the delivery of the presence information to the second user is effected when the first user is available to receive a call.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the delivery of the presence information to the second user is effected when the first user is available to receive a call at a telephony device associated with the first user, the telephony device involved in the first call.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising initiating a second call to a first device associated with the first user from a second device associated with the second user.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising initiating a second call to a first device associated with the first user from a second device associated with the second user when the first device becomes available for a call to the first user.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said presence information is provided for users associated with a plurality of calls involving the second user.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

e) requesting the presence information for the users associated with at least two of the plurality of calls in a call log;

f) receiving the presence information for the users associated with the at least two of the plurality of calls; and

g) effecting delivery of the presence information to the second user.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising transferring the call log to an application, which requests the presence information for the first user.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence information bears on a state of a telephony device associated with the first user.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence information bears on a state of a telephony device and a state of at least one other device associated with the first user.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the call information is received from a telephony switch.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the second communication is a telephony call.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence information identifies a communication method other than a method used for the first call to contact the first user to effect the second communication.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence information is delivered to the second user only within a defined time after the first call.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence information is not sent after the second communication is effected between the first and second users.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence information is sent to the second user only if the second user has called the first user prior to the first call.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence information is sent to the second user only if the second user is one of the last N callers to the first user.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence information is not sent to the second first user if the first user sends a request not to deliver the presence information.

25. A system comprising an interface and a control system associated with the interface and adapted to:

a) receive call information bearing on a first call involving first and second users, wherein users use the call information bearing on the first call triggers a request to subscribe the second user to a presence information server associated with the first user;

b) request presence information associated with the first user and bearing on the availability of the first user to participate in a second communication based on the call information;

c) receive the presence information; and

d) effect delivery of the presence information to the second user.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the first call is initiated at a first telephony device by the first user and directed to a second telephony device associated with the second user.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the call information is indicative of an identity of the first user or a telephony device associated with first user.

28. The system of claim 25 wherein the call information comprises a directory number or address for the telephony device associated with the first user.

29. The system of claim 25 wherein the control system is adapted to effect delivery of the presence information to the second user by sending the presence information to a computing device of the second user.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the computing device is associated with a telephony device of the second user and the telephony device of the second user is associated with the first call.

31. The system of claim 25 wherein the control system is adapted to effect delivery of the presence information to the second user by sending the presence information to a telephony device of the second user, the telephony device involved in the first call.

32. The system of claim 25 wherein the delivery of the presence information to the second user is effected when the first user is available to receive a call.

33. The system of claim 25 wherein the delivery of the presence information to the second user is effected when the first user is available to receive a call at a telephony device associated with the first user, the telephony device involved in the first call.

34. The system of claim 25 further comprising initiating a second call to a first device associated with the first user from a second device associated with the second user when the first device becomes available for a call to the first user.

35. The system of claim 25 wherein the control system is further adapted to initiate a second call to a first device associated with the first user from a second device associated with the second user.

36. The system of claim 25 wherein said presence information is provided for users associated with a plurality of calls involving the second user.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the control system is further adapted to:

e) request the presence information for the users associated with at least two of the plurality of calls in a call log;

f) receive the presence information for the users associated with the at least two of the plurality of calls; and

g) effect delivery of the presence information to the second user.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein the control system is further adapted to transfer the call log to an application, which requests the presence information for the first user.

39. The system of claim 25 wherein the presence information bears on a state of a telephony device associated with the first user.

40. The system of claim 25 wherein the presence information bears on a state of a telephony device and a state of at least one other device associated with the first user.

41. The system at claim 25 wherein the call information is received from a telephony switch.

42. A system comprising:

a) means for receiving call information bearing on a first call involving first and second users, wherein

b) means for using the call information bearing on the first call triggers a request to subscribe the second user to a presence information server associated with the first user subsequent to the first call;

b) means for requesting presence information associated with the first user and bearing on the availability of the first user to participate in a second communication based on the call information;

c) means for receiving the presence information; and

d) means for effecting delivery of the presence information to the second user.