Updating presence in a wireless communications device
View Patent ↗A wireless communications device that sends and receives presence status information is configured to detect when it is proximate a predefined zone. A receiver in the wireless communications device receives presence information from a transmitter associated with the predefined zone. The presence information defines a new presence status for the wireless communications device, and may include an indicator associated with the new presence status. Upon receipt of the presence information, a controller in the wireless communications device automatically changes the current presence status of the wireless communications device to the new presence status, and publishes the changed status to a remote entity. If the new presence status is not defined in memory, the controller may add the new presence status to memory.
1. A method of updating presence information at a wireless communications device comprising:
detecting a proximity of a wireless communications device to a predefined zone;
receiving presence information at the wireless communications device from a transmitter associated with the predefined zone, the presence information comprising a new zone-defined presence status being assigned to the wireless communications device via the transmitter;
automatically changing a presence status of the wireless communications device to the new zone-defined presence status;
determining, at the wireless communications device, whether the new zone-defined presence status received from the transmitter is defined in memory of the wireless communications device; and
updating the memory of the wireless communications device to include the new zone-defined presence status if the new zone-defined presence status is not defined in the memory of the wireless communications device.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
generating, at the wireless communications device, a presence update message to include the new zone-defined presence status of the wireless communications device; and
publishing the new zone-defined presence status of the wireless communications device to a remote entity via a wireless communications network.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the presence update message comprises an information element that indicates the new zone-defined presence status to the remote entity.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting an acknowledgement message to a receiver associated with the predefined zone.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting a proximity of a wireless communications device to a predefined zone comprises detecting a short-range transceiver associated with the predefined zone.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein receiving presence information at the wireless communications device comprises receiving the presence information over a short-range communications link established between the wireless communications device and the short-range transceiver.
7. A wireless communications device comprising:
a proximity transceiver configured to detect a proximity of the wireless communications device to a predefined zone;
a user agent configured to receive presence information from a transmitter associated with the predefined zone, the presence information defining a new zone-defined presence status being assigned to the wireless communications device via the transmitter;
a controller configured to:
automatically change a presence status of the wireless communications device to the new zone-defined presence status; and
update a memory of the wireless communications device to include the new zone-defined presence status if the new zone-defined presence status is not defined in the memory of the wireless communications device.
8. The wireless communications device of claim 7 wherein the controller is further configured to generate a presence update message to include the new zone-defined presence status of the wireless communications device.
9. The wireless communications device of claim 8 further comprising a transceiver configured to publish the presence update message to a remote entity via a wireless communications network.
10. The wireless communications device of claim 9 wherein the presence update message comprises an information element that indicates the new zone-defined presence status to the remote entity.
11. The wireless communications device of claim 7 wherein the proximity transceiver is further configured to transmit an acknowledgement message to a receiver associated with the predefined zone responsive to the automatic change in the presence status of the wireless communications device.
12. The wireless communications device of claim 7 wherein the controller is further configured to automatically restore the wireless communications device from the new zone-defined presence status to a previous presence status when the wireless communications device is no longer proximate the predefined zone.
13. The wireless communications device of claim 7 wherein the proximity transceiver comprises a short-range transceiver.