Method and system for multimodal presence detection

• US 7,630,478 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2006
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vishik, Claire Svetlana, Vleck, Paul Van, Gorti, Sreenivasa Rao
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/418,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20060203973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.02, 379/67.1, 379/88.19, 379/201.06, 379/88.17, 713/185, 713/176, 713/186, 713/169, 709/217, 709/206, 705/39, 455/411, 455/412.2, 370/401
• US Class Current: 379/88.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/33 by means of a password
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6054 Biometric subscriber identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/385 using speech signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/387 using subscriber identification cards
• 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

Abstract

A presence device operable in a first mode and a second mode is associated with a communication device. In the first mode, a user using the presence device is biometrically authenticated and a presence confirmation input is received from the communication device. In the second mode, a user-entered log-in input is received from the communication device. A central presence database is updated to indicate that the communication device is active for the user. A received message which is to be routed to the user is sent to the active device indicated by the central presence database.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a presence of a user comprising:

biometrically authenticating a user with a presence module coupled with a communication module;

requesting a presence confirmation input from the user with the presence module in response to biometrically authenticating the user;

receiving the presence confirmation input from the user at the presence module; and

routing a received message for the user to the communication module with a routing system, the routing based on the biometric authentication of the user and the presence confirmation input from the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an indication that the communication module is active for the user to receive at least one message in response to receiving the presence confirmation input.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication module comprises a telephone, and wherein said biometrically authenticating comprises authenticating a voice of the user during a call using the telephone.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the call is made between the user and a party, and wherein said authenticating the voice of the user is independent of the party.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the user is a calling party of the call.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the user is a called party of the call.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication module comprises a keyboard, and wherein said biometrically authenticating comprises authenticating a fingerprint of the user as the user types using the keyboard.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said authenticating a fingerprint of the user is independent of a software application for which the user types using the keyboard.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence module is embedded with the communication module.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence module is removably interfaced with the communication device.

11. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions for detecting a presence of a user, the set of instructions to direct a processor to perform acts of:

biometrically authenticating a user with a presence module coupled with a communication module;

requesting a presence confirmation input from the user in response to biometrically authenticating the user;

receiving the presence confirmation input from the user; and

routing a received message for the user to the communication module, the routing based on the biometric authentication of the user and the presence confirmation input from the user.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising a set of instructions to direct the computer to perform acts of:

sending an indication that the communication module is active for the user to receive at least one message in response to receiving the presence confirmation input.

13. A system comprising:

a communication module; and

a presence module associated with the communication module, the presence module operable in a first mode and a second mode;

wherein the presence module is operable to biometrically authenticate a user, request a presence confirmation input from the user in response to biometrically authenticating the user, and receive the presence confirmation input from the user when the presence module is operating in a first mode and to authenticate a user based on a user-entered log-in input from the user when the presence module is operating in a second mode; and

wherein when the communication module is operating in the first mode, messages received for the user are routed to the communication module, the routing based on the biometric authentication of the user and the presence confirmation input from the user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication module is operable to send an indication that the communication module is active for a user to receive at least one message in response to the presence module receiving a presence confirmation input.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the presence module is embedded with the communication module.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the communication module is a phone.

17. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions to direct a processor to perform acts of:

indicating that a communication module is active for a user to receive at least one message in response to biometric authentication of a user and receipt of a presence confirmation input requested from the user in response to biometric authentication of the user when a presence module associated with the communication device is operating in a the first mode; and

indicating that the communication module is active for the user to receive at least one message in response to authentication of a received user-entered log-in input when the presence module is operating in the second mode.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the communication module is a phone.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the presence module is embedded with the phone.