US 7,068,769 B1Granted

Method and system for communication processing based on physical presence

AssigneeSprint Spectrum L.P.

InventorsFarni B. Weaver, Debashis Haldar, Piyush Jethwa, Von K. McConnell

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Abstract

A method and system for using physical presence as a basis to handle communications. A network includes a presence registry that indicates whether users are physically present at stations. Further, the network may include a user-station registry that indicates whether users are logically associated with stations. When a communication server receives a signals indicative of a communication, the server may query the presence registry to determine whether a user is physically present at a station. Based at least on the result of that query, the server may then establish a communication-handling decision, such as a decision of whether and where to route the communication or of some other action to take with respect to the communication. The server or another entity may then carry out the communication-handling decision.

Claims31

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

detecting whether a user is physically present at a particular station, wherein detecting whether the user is physically present at the particular station includes (i) detecting user interaction with a user-interface of the particular station and concluding that the user interaction indicates that the user is physically present at the particular station and (ii) determining an identity of the user interacting with the user-interface, wherein determining the identity of the user interacting with the user-interface comprises prompting the user to input a username;
responsively sending an indication of whether the user is physically present at the particular station;
receiving the indication of whether the user is physically present at the particular station;
storing the indication in a registry;
receiving into a network entity a signaling message associated with an incoming communication for the user;
responsive to the signaling message, the network entity making a determination of whether the user is physically present at the particular station, wherein making the determination of whether the user is physically present at the particular station comprises consulting the registry to determine the indication;
based at least in part on the determination, the network entity making a communication-routing decision using routing logic that indicates choices between the particular station and another station;
and
the network entity carrying out the communication-routing decision.

6 more elements

A method comprising:

running a screen-saver application on a particular station;
detecting whether a user is physically present at the particular station, wherein detecting whether the user is physically present at the particular station comprises detecting user interaction with a user-interface of the particular station, and wherein detecting user interaction with a user-interface of the particular station comprises detecting user interruption of the screen-saver application;
responsively sending an indication of whether the user is physically present at the particular station;
receiving the indication of whether the user is physically present at the particular station;
storing the indication in a registry;
receiving into a network entity a signaling message associated with an incoming communication for the user;
responsive to the signaling message, the network entity making a determination of whether the user is physically present at the particular station, wherein making the determination of whether the user is physically present at the particular station comprises consulting the registry to determine the indication;
based at least in part on the determination, the network entity making a communication-routing decision using routing logic that indicates choices between the particular station and another station;
and
the network entity carrying out the communication-routing decision.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/946,446Filed 4 Sep 2001
Granted: 27 Jun 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

H04M 3/42365
Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers: presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the…
H04L 67/535
Network services: tracking the activity of the user
H04L 67/54
Network services: presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
H04M 3/42348
Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers: location-based services which utilize the location information of a target