IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,020,544
Granted Patent B2
US 9,020,544 · App. 13/633,263 · Granted Apr 28, 2015

Method and apparatus for deriving presence information using message traffic analysis

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,020,544
App. No.
13/633,263
Filed
Oct 2, 2012
Granted
Apr 28, 2015
Kind
B2
Examiner
HONG, DUNG
Art Unit
2643
USPC
455/466
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 (27)

1. A method comprising:

analyzing a message sent from a mobile device to determine, based on the message's type, whether the message was generated with user interaction or generated without user interaction;

setting a first activity state if the message was generated with user interaction;

setting a second activity state if the message was generated without user interaction;

in response to determining that the message was generated with user interaction, resetting a timer; and

sending a probe to the mobile device when the timer expires to check whether the mobile device is still in the first activity state;

the analyzing step and the setting steps being performed by a hardware server;

wherein the server is configured to analyze traffic going to and coming from the mobile device without introducing new traffic over the wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the server informing a push service of the state so that the push service may determine, based on the assigned state, whether to push information to the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the analyzing includes determining that the message was generated with user interaction based on the message being an instant message.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the analyzing includes determining that the message was generated with user interaction based on the message being an email.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is from the mobile device to another communication device as part of unaltered traffic.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first activity state is an active state, and the second activity state is a connected state.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining that the message was not generated with user interaction is based on the message being an acknowledgement that the mobile device automatically sent in response to a probe sent by a network node to check if the mobile device is still connected.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the server setting a disconnected state based on the message not having sent a message for a predetermined amount of time.

9. A hardware server configured to:

analyze a message sent from a mobile device to determine, based on the message's type, whether the message was generated with user interaction or generated without user interaction;

set a first activity state if the message was generated with user interaction;

set a second activity state if the message was generated without user interaction;

in response to determining that the message was generated with user interaction, reset a timer; and

send a probe to the mobile device when the timer expires to check whether the mobile device is still in the first activity state;

wherein the server is configured to analyze traffic going to and coming from the mobile device without introducing new traffic over the wireless network.

10. The hardware server of claim 9 wherein the first activity state is an active state, and the second activity state is a connected state.

11. The hardware server of claim 9 further configured to:

set a disconnected state based on the message not having sent a message for a predetermined amount of time.