Wireless chat automatic status tracking
A technique and apparatus to provide status tracking of presence and/or location of a mobile, wireless device to a requesting entity even outside of a particular wireless system. This allows wireless service providers the ability to monitor and log changes in the status of mobile stations within and/or outside their networks. Embodiments are disclosed wherein presence and/or location information is provided to entities outside of a particular servicing wireless network using the mechanisms of call processing components of a mobile network (e.g., call setup procedures), and using standard mechanisms currently available to any appropriately conforming Mobile Switching Center (MSC) element. In one disclosed embodiment, a wireless chat tracking system is implemented which utilizes a change in mobile registration status to automatically notify a chat group system outside the wireless network of current status information activity regarding a relevant device, e.g., registration activity or inactivity timeout. In the wireless chat automatic status tracking system, a registration notification (REGNOT) message is either explicitly forwarded or copied to an external IP based application (e.g., to a mobile chat group system). The change in mobile registration is communicated via a suitable signaling link (e.g., SS7, TCP/IP, etc.) between a Home Location Register (HLR) and the chat group system. Therefore, instead of a conventionally closed system using SS7 messages, REGNOT messages are pushed out over TCP/IP connections to external applications (e.g., chat servers) to automatically notify the external system of the location of a particular user.
1. A method for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device, comprising:
receiving an IS-41 conforming registration notification message from a mobile switching center; and
forwarding said IS-41 conforming registration notification message from a service control point over an Internet connection to an external device outside of a wireless network, a wireless chat room device corresponding to said forwarded IS-41 conforming registration notification message being added to a chat room based on said forwarded IS-41 conforming registration notification message.
2. The method for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 1 , wherein:
said registration notification message is a REGNOT message.
3. The method for automatically notifying an external chat server of a presence of a chat session participant according to claim 1 , wherein:
said Internet connection utilizes a TCP/IP protocol.
4. The method for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 1 , wherein:
said registration notification message is additionally forwarded by an SMSC.
5. The method for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
adding a chat room device corresponding to said automatically forwarded registration notification message to a chat room session.
6. The method for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 5 , further comprising:
notifying other chat room devices regarding a presence of said added chat device.
7. The method for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 5 , further comprising:
sending a list of chat room devices to said wireless chat device.
8. The method for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 1 , wherein:
said registration notification message is signaling system #7 compliant and IS-41 compliant.
9. The method for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 1 , wherein:
said registration notification message is IS-41 compliant.
10. Apparatus for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device, comprising:
means for receiving an IS-41 conforming registration notification message from a mobile switching center; and
means for forwarding said IS-41 conforming registration notification message from a service control point over an Internet connection to an external device outside of a wireless network, a wireless chat room device corresponding to said forwarded IS-41 conforming registration notification message being added to a chat room based on said forwarded IS-41 conforming registration notification message.
11. The apparatus for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 10 , wherein:
said registration notification message is a REGNOT message.
12. The apparatus for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 10 , wherein:
said Internet connection utilizes a TCP/IP protocol.
13. The apparatus for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 10 , further comprising:
means for forwarding said registration notification message by an SMSC to said means for forwarding.
14. The apparatus for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 10 , further comprising:
means for adding a chat room device corresponding to said forwarded registration notification message to a chat room session.
15. The apparatus for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 14 , further comprising:
means for notifying other chat room devices regarding a presence of said added chat room device.
16. The apparatus for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 14 , further comprising:
means for sending a list of chat room devices to said wireless chat room device.
17. The apparatus for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 10 , wherein:
said registration notification message is signaling system #7 compliant and IS-41 compliant.
18. The apparatus for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device according to claim 10 , wherein:
said registration notification message is IS-41 compliant.
19. A method for automatically notifying an external device of a presence of a wireless device, comprising:
receiving an IS-41 conforming MSInactivity notification message from a mobile switching center; and
forwarding said IS-41 conforming MSInactivity message from a service control point over an Internet outside of a wireless network, a wireless chat room device corresponding to said forwarded IS-41 conforming MSInactivity notification message being added to a chat room based on said forwarded IS-41 conforming MSInactivity notification message.