Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CROSS-PLATFORM PRESENCE
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The subject matter of this application is generally related to
communications
systems.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In a communication system suitable for voice calls, a callee's
presence (or
status) can typically be known by the caller after a voice call is made. For
example, if the
dial-tone is busy, the callee is on the phone. A caller may also determine the
presence of a
callee by monitoring the callee's busy lamp. For example, if the callee's busy
lamp signals
red, the callee is likely to be on the phone and therefore not available to
take an incoming
call.
[0003] A voice call can be made by a variety of communication devices.
Example
communication devices may include desk phones, cellular phones, softphones,
and
smartphones. Different communication devices can use different communication
services for
communications. For example, a desk phone may use a fixed-line phone service
to
communicate through a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a cell phone
or a
smartphone may use a mobile telephony service to communicate through a
cellular network,
and a softphone may use a broadband service to communicate though a broadband
network.
In some cases, a voice service user may use more than one communication
device. Since the
communication services used by different communication devices are often
distributed rather
than centralized, a unified presence of the voice service user may not be
available to other
users in the communication system.
SUMMARY
[0004] A plurality of communication devices associated with a user
profile are
identified by a service provider, where the user profile is associated with a
subscriber
subscribing to telecommunication services provided by the service provider.
The service
provider monitors inbound and outbound communications for each of the
plurality of
communication devices, and
determines a device status associated with each of the plurality of
communication devices
based in part on the monitored inbound and outbound communications. A user
availability of
the subscriber is determined by the service provider, based on an aggregate of
the device
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statuses associated with the plurality of communication devices, and the user
availability on
one or more receiving devices is displayed.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG 1 illustrates an example system that provides a cross-platform
presence
server.
[0006] FIG 2A shows an example user interface 200 that includes a cross-
platform
presence application executed on a mobile device.
[0007] FIG 2B shows an example user interface associated with a log in to
a cross-
platform presence application.
[0008] FIG 3A shows an example user interface of a cross-platform
presence
application for showing user appearances.
[0009] FIG 3B shows an example user interface of a cross-platform
presence
application for showing user permissions.
[0010] FIG 4A shows an example user interface for presenting a presence
state.
[0011] FIG 4B shows another example user interface for presenting another
presence
state.
[0012] FIG 5 is a block diagram of a processing device that can be used
to execute
methods and processes disclosed herein.
[0013] FIG 6 is a block diagram of a generic computing system that can be
used to
implement methods and processes disclosed herein.
[0014] Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like
elements.
[0015] Also, all materials and screenshots as described herein are
protected by United
States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted,
displayed,
published or broadcast without the prior written permission of the assignee of
record.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Systems, methods, and computer program products for providing
cross-
platform presence are described. In some implementations, a cross-platform
presence server
can be provided that allows a caller to accurately assess the availability
and/or status of a
callee by evaluating a device status of one or more communication devices
associated with
the callee. The cross-platform presence server can then determine, based on
these device
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statuses, whether a callee is available. The availability of the callee can
subsequently be
displayed on various devices (e.g., on the caller's desk phone, mobile phone,
tablet,
computer, etc.) of individuals who have been granted permission by the callee
to be notified
of the callee's availability (e.g., secretary, co-worker, colleague,
supervisor, caller, etc.).
[0017] Generally, the call state of a callee can be used to determine
whether a call
should be transferred to the callee. For example, when a secretary of a
manager considers
whether to call or transfer a call to the manager in a business environment,
it is useful for the
secretary to understand the call state of the manager. Example call states
include "on the
phone," "phone is ringing," "do not disturb," "unavailable," "busy," "out of
office," "away
from desk," "at home," "mobile," "traveling," and other similar statuses. In
some cases, the
secretary services an incoming call by reading a busy lamp field (BLF) on the
secretary's
telephone corresponding to the manager's phone line that indicates whether the
manager's
phone line is in use. For example, a blinking red light on the manager's BLF
may indicate
that the manager's phone line is in use, which means that the manager is
likely "busy."
Similarly, a green light on the manager's BLF may indicate that the manager's
phone line is
not occupied and the manager is likely "available." In another example, a
yellow light on the
manger's BLF may indicate that the manager is not near the manager's desk
phone (e.g., as
determined by manager's mobile device GPS, IP address, or WiFi network
location) but the
manager is available through the manager's mobile device (e.g., as determined
by state of
applications running on the manager's mobile device), indicating that the
manager is "out of
office" or "away from desk" but available over the manager's mobile device.
[0018] A call state associated with a particular communication device of
the callee
does not always represent the actual availability or "presence" of the callee.
For example, a
constant green light that indicates a callee's desk phone is not in use does
not necessarily
mean that the callee is available to talk, since the callee can be
communicating on another
device (e.g., texting, instant messaging, or calling on a mobile phone).
Therefore,
understanding the communication states of the callee's various communication
devices is
useful to decide how to communicate with a callee.
[0019] The detection of a unified cross-platform presence across various
communication devices of a callee allows incoming calls to be serviced more
expeditiously
and efficiently. For example, the unified cross-platform presence as described
herein allows
office workers to identify the availability of other office workers without
having to call, walk
to, or instant message the co-workers to be contacted. As another example, the
unified cross-
platform presence as described herein reduces hold time and hang-ups by
customers by
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quickly routing customer-related calls to an available representative, which
facilitates a
shorter hold time for customers while allowing lesser customer-related calls
to be transferred
to representatives who are unavailable to service such calls. As yet another
example, the
unified cross-platform presence as described herein increases executives'
productivity by
having administrators (e.g., secretaries or office managers) service all calls
to the executives
with a more accurate knowledge of the executives' availability.
System Overview
[0020] As will be described in greater detail below with respect to Fig.
1, a business
telephony system 100 can be used to provide cross-platform presence and
associated
information. The business telephony system 100 can include, without
limitation, a database
that can store registration information of users of the business telephony
system,
subscriber/user extension information associated with each user, user
security/authorization
information, rules for calculating and presenting business presence, and other
information
associated with providing cross-platform presence. The business telephony
system 100 can
also include a telephone access server (TAS) responsible for tracking status
of calls across
different platforms of the system, one or more session initiation protocol
(SIP) servers for
routing calls from communication devices, and a presence server that can
convert protocols
across different platforms and calculate a unified presence of a system user
based on the
status obtained from other components of the system. The business telephony
system 100
can include other components for the purpose of providing cross-platform
presence.
[0021] An example process of obtaining cross-platform user statuses is
described by
way of the following example. When a user picks up a desk phone whose number,
for
example, is registered to the business telephony system 100 to make a call,
the call can be
directly forwarded to the business telephony system. The business telephony
system 100 can
route the call to the intended callee, associate the calling device to the
caller, and start
tracking and updating status of both the caller and the callee. For example,
the business
telephony system 100 can automatically update the status of the caller
associated with the
"desk phone" as "busy" as soon as the desk phone is in use, even if other
communication
devices associated with the caller are available for use. Further, as will be
described in
greater detail below, the presence update of the caller can be automatically
forwarded to and
displayed on communication devices of other users who are permitted to monitor
the status of
the caller.
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[0022] Communication devices that can be registered and tracked by the
business
telephony system 100 can include, without limitation, any communication device
such as a
desk phone, cellular phone, smartphone, softphone, laptop, or any associated
applications or
services, including for example, communications, scheduling, or calendar
applications. The
device statuses of all communication devices associated with a registered user
can be stored
in a database included in or communicably coupled to the business telephony
system 100. To
determine a presence of a user, the business telephony system 100 can first
gather all the
status information associated with the user's communication devices (e.g.,
retrieve the status
information from the database). Where the statuses across the various
communication
devices are different from each other, the business telephony system 100 can
calculate a
cross-platform status based on a set of rules that define a hierarchy of the
statuses (and
priorities). The priority of a status in the hierarchy can be based on the
importance of the
status. A status that is higher in the hierarchy can override a status that is
lower in the
hierarchy. For example, the status "do not disturb" can override the status
"busy" or "away
from desk." As another example, the status "busy" can override the status
"available." For
example, when a user's status is "do not disturb" on one communication device
and
"available" on another communication device, the cross-platform presence of
the user can be
shown as "do not disturb."
[0023] In some implementations, the business telephony system 100 can
also gather
status information from applications or services associated with the user,
including for
example, a user's communications accounts, social media accounts, calendar
accounts, or
messaging accounts. The business telephony system 100 can present the user
with an option
to share status from those applications or services, and the user can provide
login information
and credentials to the business telephony system 100 so it can gather status
information from
those applications or services. The user can then specify the priority of the
status information
from the applications, services, and communications devices.
[0024] Besides determining cross-platform presence of a user based on the
priority of
call statuses, in some implementations, the cross-platform presence may also
be determined
based on one or more characteristics of the call on different communication
devices
associated with the user. The one or more characteristics can include the
importance of the
call. For example, a call placed on an office desk phone (for business uses)
can be set to have
a higher priority than a call placed on a cell phone (for personal uses). In
this example, when
a user is "busy" on a cell phone, the cell phone call may be interrupted if
there is a call to the
desk phone. In another example, the determination of whether the call may be
interrupted
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may be based on the identity of the individual communicating with the user
(e.g., personal
calls may be interrupted while business calls may not) or the user's mode of
communication
(e.g., instant messaging may be interrupted while telephone calls may not). In
some
implementations, the same call status can be categorized into different sub-
statuses for
different communication devices. For example, when a service user is calling
on an office
desk phone, the status of the user may be identified as "busy (do not
interrupt)." When the
service user is calling on a personal cell phone, the status of the user may
be identified as
"busy (can interrupt)." In some implementations, the "busy (do not interrupt)"
status can
override the "busy (can interrupt)" status. Furthermore, the different sub-
statuses may be
identified based on different BLF presences on the respective communication
devices. For
example, a smartphone with a rich display can show the status "busy (do not
interrupt)" on a
BLF as red, and show the status "busy (can interrupt)" as yellow.
Alternatively, the
smartphone can directly show that another user is on a business call or a
personal call.
[0025] In some implementations, the communication device user can
customize the
rules for calculating and/or displaying his/her cross-platform status. For
example, a user may
have a personal cell phone registered to a cross-platform presence server 155.
However, the
user may not want the status of the cell phone to override any of the statuses
of other
communication devices associated with the user. In such case, the user can
define a rule that
restricts the personal cell phone from reporting status to the presence server
155 or
automatically set the statuses of the personal cell phone with the lowest
priority. In some
implementations, the user can define the set of devices, as well as
applications or services,
from which the user's cross-platform presence may be calculated. For example,
the user may
select an office phone, mobile phone, softphone or other device or application
(e.g.,
Microsoft Outlook account), from which the user's cross-platform presence may
be
calculated. The user may also define priorities and rules between those
devices and
applications for calculating cross-platform presence (e.g., Microsoft Outlook
calendar
availability overrides device availability, or softphone activity results in
"busy (can
interrupt)" status).
[0026] In some implementations, the cross-platform presence of a service
user can be
manually set by the service user through the use of an application programing
interface
(API). In some implementations, a status manually set by a service user can
have the highest
priority and override any other call statuses. For example, even if a user is
free of use of any
of his/her communication devices, if the user manually set his presence as "do
not disturb,"
his/her cross-platform presence can be shown as "do not disturb." In another
example, the
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API may be used by authorized individuals to retrieve the user's cross-
platform presence in
addition to setting the user's cross-platform presence.
[0027] In some implementations, the cross-platform presence information
may
include metadata (including more detailed status information) which may be
available to
different service users based on their respective privileges. When a
general/default cross-
platform presence information of a user is shown to a caller, the caller may
request the
presence server 115 for more detailed status information regarding the user's
presence. The
presence server 115 may send status information with a granularity level based
on the
privileges of the requestor. For example, if the cross-platform presence of a
user is shown as
"busy" to a caller, the caller may request the presence server 115 for more
detailed
information with respect to this status. If the caller can be authenticated by
the presence
server 115, the presence server 115 may send more detailed information to
indicate that the
user is "in a meeting" or "on a business trip." In some implementations, the
presence server
115 can also automatically authenticate the caller and directly provide the
caller with cross-
platform presence information with a corresponding granularity.
[0028] As described above, the cross-platform status can be calculated
for a service
user in various ways. In some implementations, the cross-platform status can
be calculated
for a group of users who are registered to the service (e.g., corporate
department). For
example, a customer service department of a company can have a group of
customer service
representatives (CSRs). The CSRs may be placed in a queue to provide customer
services to
customers based on a time order. When a customer calls in to reach a customer
service
representative, the system or corporate receptionist can use the cross-
platform availability of
the customer service department to determine whether the customer can be
immediately
served. In this example, as long as at least one CSR is available, the cross-
platform presence
of the customer service department can be shown as available, instead of
exposing the
availability of the individual CSRs. In some implementations, the members of a
group from
which cross-platform presence may be calculated may be set by an
administrator.
[0029] Table 1 shows a list of example functions that can be provided
using cross
platform presence information.
Function Example description of function
Colleague presence When a system user's colleagues are available as indicated
by
viewing presences, the user can know when to call them or walk to
their desk.
The user can select which colleagues to monitor and see their names on
the extra line keys he/she assigns to them. The user can expect to see no
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light if his/her colleagues are available, red if they are on the phone,
blinking green if they have an incoming call, yellow if they have a call
on hold. The colors may vary by phone model. Presence can include
user status on any device ¨ digital line, forwarded call, softphone call,
etc.
Colleague transfer A system user is able to transfer a caller to a
colleague's voicemail when
to voicemail the presence of the colleague is shown as "unavailable." For
example,
the user can press *0, followed by an extension, and have a blind
transfer initiated directly to the voicemail greeting of the colleague's
extension. In case of invalid extension or shared group extension, an
error message can be generated.
Receptionist status A receptionist can view multiple employee presences at
a glance. The
viewing receptionist can tell callers if they're available and
transfer calls to them.
The receptionist can add a sidecar to a desk phone. He/she can expect to
see the same red/red blinking/orange lights on the sidecar. Presence can
include employee status on any device ¨ digital line, forwarded call,
softphone call, etc.
Admin call pickup An admin can pick up calls made to his/her boss' line. If
the admin
picks up his/her phone or otherwise initiates a call without selecting a
line key, even if a monitored line is ringing, the admin can get a dial
tone on his/her own line. However if the admin presses a ringing line
key, and is granted the permission to pick up, he/she can pick up the
selected line key. If the admin is not granted pick up permission then
the action of picking up can initiate a call to the monitored user. If a
monitored line is on-hold, the admin can also pick it up by pressing the
line key. If the monitored line is off-hook, the admin cannot pick it up.
Colleague view An office worker can select the employees he/she wants to
see the
configuration presences of The office worker can assign the employees to
the extra
line keys on his/her phone and/or sidecar. He/she can see which
employees are assigned to which corresponding keys. The system can
know how many line keys the office worker has, including installed
sidecars, and display them in a logical fashion. The office worker does
not need to set up the presence view separately for each phone,
softphone, smartphone, etc. A universal user interface can be used for
all his/her communication devices.
Status monitor A system user can turn off the ability for other users to
see his/her
permission status/presence by default.
Line availability A system user can reserve a number of lines on his/her
phone for his/her
own calls, so there is no confusion. The reserved lines cannot be
assigned to monitor his/her colleagues
Assisted The BLF can work the same for communication devices purchased
from
Provisioning different vendors using assisted provisioning.
Monitoring An admin can monitor multiple simultaneous calls made to
his/her
Multiple boss's line. The admin can initially see a busy indicator if
his/her boss
Simultaneous Calls is on call on Line 1. When his/her boss receives a second
call, the
indicator can turn to an incoming (ringing) call indicator to indicate
incoming call on Line 2. If the admin picks up the call then the
indicator can turn back to indicate that Line 1 is "busy."
Table 1
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[0030] Referring to FIG. 1, an example business telephony system 100 is
shown. The
example system 100 can be a service provider that offers various
communications-related
services to subscribers. Such users can include individuals or employees
within a company,
organization, or other business entities. Example users can also include
administrators,
receptionists, and office users.
[0031] As shown, the example system 100 can include a presence server
115, a
signaling media control (SMC) 120, a TAS 125, a telephony answering machine
(TAM) 128,
a network 130, a busy lamp field (BLF) monitor 135, SIP servers 140, 145, a
platform API
150, a computer 155, a database 190, and one or more communication devices.
The
communication devices operating in the example system 100 can include, for
example, desk
phones 160, 170, cell phones 175, softphones 180, and smartphones 185. The
presence
server 115, SMC 120, TAS 125, and TAM 128 are communicably coupled to each
other and
included in a soft switch 110 of the example system 110.
[0032] The presence server 115 can collaborate with one or more other
components
of the soft switch 110, such as the TAS 120, to monitor connections and
communications
across one or more communication devices. Also, the presence server 115 can
determine a
presence of a user based on tracking types of the subscribers and subscriber
devices provided
by other soft switch 110 components. Although shown as one presence server 115
in FIG 1,
the soft switch 110 also can include more than one presence server 115 for
scalability
purposes. Further, the presence server 115 can monitor presences of more than
one user who
is subscribed to the example system 100. Each presence server 115 can be
responsible for
managing presence for at least a portion of the users operating in the example
system 100.
The presence server 115 can also grant permissions to user extensions to use
cross-platform
services provided by the example system 100.
[0033] The soft switch 110 can include call processing logic that can
monitor user
status across different platforms (e.g., voicemail, email, MMS, SMS, other
platform-based
communications, communications applications, social networking applications,
or scheduling
applications). For example, the presence server 115 can be configured by
default to operate
with SIP protocol communication devices. Traditional analog communication
devices can
still be monitored, such as when using an adapter that can translate
information across
different platforms at the presence server 115. The soft switch 110 can
perform a variety of
functionalities. For example, the soft switch 110 can hold calls, decide how
to route calls,
when to play a greeting, when to connect a call, when to ring, when to hang
up, or to perform
any other call-related logic.
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[0034] Similarly, the TAS 125 can keep track of the status of calls made
by the
subscribers of the example system. The TAS 125 can also associate calling
status of a
subscriber to a user extension based on a user/subscriber information list
stored in the
database.
[0035] The TAS 120 can include an SMC 120 and a TAM 128. The TAM 128 can
update the presence server 115 with respect to the state of calls. The
communication between
the TAM 128 and the presence server 115 can be based on an active telephony
control
protocol (TCP) connection. For any of the communication devices (e.g., service
subscribers),
when there is a status change, or an activity performed (e.g., a number is
being dialed, or a
call is made or terminated by a subscriber), the updates can be cached in a
database 190. In
some implementations, a system snapshot regarding the latest statuses of
communication
devices can be taken periodically or based on a system update. The TAM 128 can
stream
information associated with the system snapshot to one or more presence
servers 115 in
parallel to maintain load balancing across different presence servers 115.
Each presence
server 115 can parse the information received and determine status information
that relates to
an extension of the example system 100 associated with the presence server
115. Each
presence server 115 can include subscriber information of the entire example
system 100. In
some implementations, each presence server 115 can store status updates for a
subset of
subscribers associated with that particular presence server 115.
[0036] The SMC 120 can interact with media on the Internet through a
media server
(not shown), in order to allocate media resources. The SMC 120 can also
function to bridge
calls across subscribers operating on different protocols based on a business
logic associated
with the presence server 115.
[0037] As discussed above, information associated with providing user
presences can
be stored in a database 190. Such information can include, for example,
business level call
forwarding logic, service tasks, a set of rules for determining user presence,
user classes and
call status classes, billing capabilities, and other information associated
with the calls.
Further, the database 190 can store registry information of the
users/subscribers. Information
stored in the database 190 can be used to provide a database centric solution
for providing
cross-platform user presence.
[0038] The database 190 can include any memory or database module and may
take
the form of volatile or non-volatile memory including, without limitation,
magnetic media,
optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), removable
media,
or any other suitable local or remote memory component. Database 190 may store
various
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objects or data, including classes, frameworks, applications, backup data,
business objects,
jobs, web pages, web page templates, database tables, repositories storing
business and/or
dynamic information, and any other appropriate information including any
parameters,
variables, algorithms, instructions, rules, constraints, or references thereto
associated with the
purposes of the example system 100. Additionally, the database 190 can include
any other
appropriate data, such as VPN applications, firmware logs and policies,
firewall policies, a
security or access log, print or other reporting files, as well as others.
[0039] Although shown as one BLF monitor 135 in FIG 1, the example system
100
can include more than one BLF monitor 135. At least one BLF monitor 135 can be
associated with a user and/or a communication device. The BLF monitor 135 can
provide
presence information to the user based on preferences of the user and/or
permission for
monitoring presences from other users. One or more BLF monitors 135 can be
associated
with a presence server 115 based on load balancing within the example system
100. The BLF
monitor 135 can monitor the state of calls and subscribers associated with the
calls. In some
implementations, the BLF monitor 135 is associated with a web user interface
(UI). In some
implementations, a BLF agent can also forward subscribed messages monitored on
the BLF
monitor 135 from subscribers to its associated presence server 115. For
example, the BLF
agent can forward information regarding which subscribers are on a call to its
associated
presence server 115.
[0040] The SIP servers (or SIP proxies) 140, 145 can operate with
subscribers using a
SIP protocol. SIP is an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)-defined
signaling protocol
used for controlling communication sessions such as voice and video calls over
Internet
Protocol (IP). The SIP protocol can be used for creating, modifying and
terminating two-
party (unicast) or multiparty (multicast) sessions. Sessions can include one
or several media
streams. The SIP server can also operate with the SMC 120 to locate user
associated media
resources on the Internet.
[0041] The SIP servers 140, 145 can initiate or break down a call,
understand
subscribed messages sent from subscribers, and send the subscribed messages to
the presence
server 115. The SIP servers 140, 145 can also work as load balancers of the
example system
100.
[0042] The SIP servers 140, 145 can connect to different types of devices
over IP to
the soft switch 110. For example, the SIP server 140 can connect subscribers
including IP
enabled desk phones 160, 170, cell phone 175, and softphone 180. The SIP
server 145 can
connect to a smartphone and a computer (e.g., Mac computer or PC). In addition
to the
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digital communication devices as described above, the SIP server 140 can also
connect to
analog devices. For example, at least one of the desk phones 160, 170 can be a
traditional
analog phone. The SIP server can forward calls from analog phones to digital
communication devices in the example system 100. In some implementations,
communication devices, such as desk phones 160, 170, cell phones 175,
softphones 180,
smartphones 185 and computers 155 can directly communicate with the soft
switch 110
though the network 130. For example, desk phones 160, 170 with Internet
Protocol (IP)
capabilities, smartphones 180 and/or softphones 180 can directly connect
though the Internet
to the presence server 115 without going through the SIP servers 140, 145. In
some
implementations, the presence of the communication devices that communicate
directly with
the soft switch 110 though the network 130 can be determined based on using
cross-platform
presence applications. For example, a smartphone 185 user can indicate his/her
current status
by using a cross-platform presence application to send out a text message
directly to the
presence server.
[0043] The SIP servers 140, 145 can be communicably coupled to the soft
switch 110
through the network 130, such that the presence server 115 can be aware of the
connections
across different types of communication devices. For example, when a user is
traveling in his
car, and is making a call through the SIP server 140, the user's status can be
shown as busy
on the user's administrator's phone, or any device that has the permission to
monitor the user.
In some implementations, without modifying the basic functions of a SIP
server, the presence
115 server can include a cross-platform presence adaptor that understands
presence of SIP
subscribers and other types of devices in the example system 100. In some
implementations,
a platform API 150 can be used in conjunction with the presence adaptor to
translate presence
information across platforms. The platform API 150 can also be in direct
communication
with the BLF monitor 135. In some implementations, the BLF monitor 135 can
monitor
subscriber status updates directly from the platform API 150.
[0044] Mobile devices such as a cell phone 175, smartphone 185, mobile
computer,
tablet, etc. can be communicably coupled to the soft switch 110 through the
network 130,
such that the presence server 115 can be aware of the location of the mobile
devices and
status of applications on the mobile devices. For example, when a user is away
from his desk
phones 160, 170, his location can be determined by the location of his mobile
device, using
the GPS, IP address, or WiFi network locations of the mobile device, and the
user's status can
be determined to be "away from desk." In another example, when the user is at
home, as
determined by the location of his mobile device, the user's status can be
determined to be
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"home" or "do not disturb." In some implementations, the mobile device can be
communicably coupled to the soft switch 110 through the network 130 using a
mobile
application installed on the mobile device that shares information about the
location and
usage of the mobile device.
[0045] Although call statuses are described in the above description, the
cross-
platform presence can be determined based on types of services, or any form of
presence/status information that can be communicated through the network 130.
For
example, that status associated with online chatting applications, online
calendar applications,
and/or social network status used by a user may be reported to or pulled by
the presence
server 115 for the determination of the user's cross-platform presence. As for
another
example, when a user is joining a web based conference or having a calendar
appointment,
the corresponding statuses may be automatically or selectively reported to or
pulled by the
presence 115 server for the determination of the user's cross-platform
presence. It will be
understood that the priority of these statuses as compared to the priority of
call statuses can
be determined based on a set of rules stored at or accessible by the presence
server 115 or
customized by the service user. Furthermore, the various presence/statuses
information can
be uploaded/reported by the communication device users through any suitable
API. In some
implementations, the service user can determine which sources (e.g.,
communication devices,
and/or services) of presence/status data to be reported. The service user can
also determine
which sources of presence/status data are allowed to be pulled by the presence
server 115
based on using an API.
[0046] The presence server 115 and the SIP servers 140, 145 can be any
servers that
host one or more applications suitable for performing their respective
functionalities. At a
high level, a server comprises an electronic computing device operable to
receive, transmit,
process, store, or manage data and information associated with the example
system 100. The
SIP servers 140, 145 can be any computer or processing device such as, for
example, a blade
server, general-purpose personal computer (PC), Macintosh, workstation, UNIX-
based
workstation, or any other suitable device. Further, illustrated servers can be
adapted to
execute any operating system, including Linux, UNIX, Windows, Mac OS, or any
other
suitable operating system. According to one embodiment, servers can also
include or be
communicably coupled with a mail server.
[0047] The network 130 can be all or a portion of an enterprise or
secured network,
while in another instance, at least a portion of the network 130 can represent
a connection to
the Internet. In some implementations, a portion of the network 130 can be a
virtual private
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network (VPN). Further, all or a portion of the network 130 can comprise
either a wireline or
wireless link. Example wireless links can include 802.11a/b/g/n, 802.20,
WiMAXO,
Bluetooth0 and/or any other appropriate wireless link. In other words, the
network 130
encompasses any internal or external network, networks, sub-network, or
combination
thereof operable to facilitate communications between various computing
components inside
and outside the illustrated environment. The network 130 can communicate, for
example,
Internet Protocol (IP) packets, Frame Relay frames, Asynchronous Transfer Mode
(ATM)
cells, voice, video, data, and other suitable information between network
addresses. The
network 130 can also include one or more local area networks (LANs), radio
access networks
(RANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide area networks (WANs), all or a
portion of
the Internet, and/or any other communication system or systems at one or more
locations.
[0048] The communications between the components of the system 100 as
illustrated
in FIG 1 are generally bidirectional. For example, not only the communication
devices can
report/upload status information to the presence server 115, they can also
retrieve/download
status information from the presence server 115, or the presence server can
push/feed status
information to the communication devices.
[0049] While FIG. 1 is described as containing or being associated with a
plurality of
elements, not all elements illustrated within example system 100 of FIG. 1 can
be utilized in
each alternative implementation of the present disclosure. Additionally, one
or more of the
elements described herein can be located external to example system 100, while
in other
instances, certain elements can be included within or as a portion of one or
more of the other
described elements, as well as other elements not described in the illustrated
implementation.
Further, certain elements illustrated in FIG. 1 can be combined with other
components, as
well as used for alternative or additional purposes, in addition to those
purposes described
herein.
[0050] FIG 2A shows an example user interface 200 executing a cross-
platform
presence application on a mobile device. The mobile device can be a cellular
phone 175, a
softphone 180, or a smartphone 185 as describe with respect to FIG 1.
Referring to FIG. 2A,
the RingCentral application 210 represents a mobile application compatible
with a system
that can provide cross-platform presence of users within the system (e.g., the
example system
100 described with respect to FIG 1). The RingCentral application 210 can be
used by the
mobile user to visually monitor cross-platform presences of other users. The
application can
be invoked by a user input selecting the RingCentral icon with a pointing
device or touching
it on the touch sensitive screen of the mobile device. The application 210 can
be configured
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to run as a default program and can be activated whenever the mobile device is
first turned
on. If desired, one or more functions of the application 210 can be
implemented as separate
modules that each has its respective icon and can be invoked separately. For
example, the
activation and configuration functions can be implemented as a separate module
from the
telephone/yoicemail module. Once the application 210 is invoked, a user
interface can be
presented offering a user the option to use or configure an existing user
account, or to activate
and configure a new subscriber account.
[0051] FIG 2B shows an example user interface for logging into a cross-
platform
presence application. To log into an existing user account, a user can enter a
user identifier
230 and corresponding authentication password in the password field 250.
[0052] Optionally, the user can enter a temporary disposable number 240
in place of
or in addition to the identifier 230 to access the user account. After
completing the identifier
and password information in the appropriate fields, the user can proceed to
log into the
account by selecting the login button 270 on the user interface 220. In some
implementations, the user can set up the application to remember the
identifier and password,
and automatically populate the requisite fields when the user invokes the
application. An
option to create a new account also can be presented as a button or a link 260
that invokes a
different user interface where a user can enter requisite information to
create and activate a
new account.
[0053] FIG 3A shows an example user interface 300 associated with the
cross-
platform presence application for showing user appearances. The example cross-
platform
presence application can be the RingCentral application 210 described with
respect to FIG
2A. The user interface 300 can include, for example, an appearance tab 310 and
a
permissions tab 320. The appearance tab 310 can be the default tab when the
RingCentral
application 210 is opened. A mobile device user can select the users in the
RingCentral
system that the user wants to monitor. In the example user interface 300, two
lines of John S.
330, and one line of Jane D. 340 are monitored by the mobile user. The mobile
user can also
click the "+Additional Line" button 350 to add extra lines to monitor. A new
line can be
added to the user interface 300 after a permission to monitor is granted to
the user. In some
implementations, only users who have call pick-up permissions can enable the
"Ring on
incoming call" 360 option.
[0054] FIG 3B shows an example user interface associated with the cross-
platform
presence application that allows a user to grant user permissions to other
users. As shown,
the user can select, on the user interface, whether to allow other users to
view the user's
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presence 370. The default value of this option can be "On." Similarly, no
users are checked
by default under the "Users permitted to pick up my calls" option 380. The
user extension
list under the "Users permitted to pick up my calls" option can include users
on the user
account whose statuses are permitted to be monitored by the mobile device
user. If a
permission to pick up a user's call is revoked from a user extension (e.g., by
unchecking the
box to the left of the user extension), and the corresponding user has "Ring
on incoming call"
option 360 enabled, the ring on incoming call function of the associated user
extension can be
automatically disabled.
[0055] It will be understood that although allowing other users to see my
presence
370 is shown to be an "On" and "Off" choice in this example, in some
implementations, a
cross-platform presence application may include a list of service users such
that the
application user can select which service users to share his/her status with.
For the service
users who the application user does not share his/her presence with, the
application user may
not be shown on their communication devices or may be shown as "unavailable."
[0056] FIG 4A shows an example user interface 400A for presenting an
example
presence state. The user interface 400A can be the user interface of a desk
phone (such as the
desk phone 160 or 170 described with respect to FIG 1) used by a business
manager, Bob
Gates. The user identification (ID) 410 of Bob gates (i.e., name and
extension) is shown on a
display 470 of the desk phone. The user interface 400A also includes a BLF 420
that
corresponds to the user ID 410. In some implementations, the BLF 420 can
include a light-
emitting diode (LED) that can indicate the presence of the corresponding user
based on
different colors and/or blinking rates. In the example shown in FIG 4A, the
BLF 420 can
show indications of the user's own presence. For example, no light on the BLF
420 can
indicate that Bob is available, red light can indicate that Bob is busy (e.g.,
Bob is talking on
his cellular phone), purple light can indicate that Bob is at home, blinking
green can indicate
that Bob has an incoming call, blinking purple can indicate that Bob has a
call on hold,
yellow can indicate that Bob is away from his desk but available on a mobile
device, and
blinking yellow can indicate that Bob is traveling in vehicle but available on
a mobile device.
The colors and blinking patterns on the BLF 420 can vary by phone models. In
some
implementations, a user's presence state can be indicated on a phone or
computer display by
name of presence state rather than by light indicator, such as "busy," "do not
disturb," "away
from desk," "at home," "unavailable," etc.
[0057] FIG. 4B shows another example user interface 400B for presenting
another
example presence state. The user interface 400B can be the user interface of a
desk phone
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(such as the desk phone 160 or 170 described with respect to FIG 1) used by a
business
administrator, Jane Smith. The user ID of Jane (e.g., name and extension) 430
and the user
ID of the manager Bob Gates 450 is shown on a display 470 of the desk phone.
The user
interface 400B can also include a BLF 440 that corresponds to Jane's user ID
430, and a BLF
460 that corresponds to Bob's user ID 410. Similar to the BLF 420 described
with respect to
FIG 4A, each of the BLFs 440 and 460 can include an LED that can indicate the
presence of
the corresponding user based on different colors and/or blinking rates. In the
example shown
in FIG 4A, the BLF 420 can show indications of the user's own presence. For
example, no
light on the BLF 420 can indicate that Bob is available; a red light can
indicate that Bob is
busy (e.g., Bob is talking on a cellular phone); a blinking green light can
indicate that Bob
has an incoming call; and a blinking yellow light can indicate that Bob has a
call on hold.
The colors and blinking patterns on the BLF 420 can vary by phone models.
Based on Bob's
presence as indicated by the BLF 460, Jane can transfer calls and answer calls
on Bob's
behalf in order to increase Bob's productivity.
[0058] Although the presences of two users are shown in the example user
interface
400B, the presences of any number of users can be accommodated by a user
interface. For
example, for a desk phone, a sidecar can be added to expand the display of the
user interface
to accommodate more user presences. For a smartphone or a softphone, a list of
user
presences can be shown by the corresponding application on more than one
tab/page.
Furthermore, it will be understood that the presence of a user may be
displayed in various
ways based on the capability of the communication devices. For example, a
softphone may
use text, icons, animations, or voices to indicate a user's presence. In some
implementations,
more sophisticated communication devices can show a presence history of a user
in addition
to the current status of a user.
[0059] FIG 5 shows a flow chart of an example process 500 for determining
cross-
platform presence. The operations described in process 500 are not to be
construed as
necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or
illustrated, unless
specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be
understood that additional
or alternative operations may be employed.
[0060] At 502, a plurality of communication devices, applications, or
services
associated with a user profile can be identified. The user profile can be
associated with a
subscriber subscribing to telecommunication services provided by a service
provider.
[0061] At 504, inbound and outbound communications for each of the
plurality of
communication devices are monitored.
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[0062] At 506, a device status associated with each of the plurality of
communication
devices are determined based on the monitored inbound and outbound
communications, and
optionally, location information of a device.
[0063] At 508, a user availability of the subscriber is determined based
on an
aggregate of the device statuses associated with the plurality of
communication devices, and
optionally, the state of applications or services associated with the user
profile.
[0064] At 510, the user availability is displayed on one or more
receiving devices.
Generic Computing System
[0065] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of computing devices 600, 650 that may
be used to
implement the systems and methods described in this document, as either a
calling device or
receiving device. Computing device 600 can represent various forms of digital
computers,
such as laptops, desktops, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers,
blade servers,
mainframes, and other appropriate computers (e.g., user terminal 66).
Computing device 650
can represent various forms of mobile devices, such as personal digital
assistants, cellular
telephones, smartphones, and other similar computing devices used to place or
receive the
calls. The components shown here, their connections and relationships, and
their functions,
are meant to be exemplary only, and are not meant to limit implementations of
the inventions
described and/or claimed in this document.
[0066] As shown in FIG 6, computing device 600 includes a processor 602,
memory
604, a storage device 606, a high-speed interface 608 connecting to memory 604
and high-
speed expansion ports 610, and a low speed interface 612 connecting to low
speed bus 614
and storage device 606. Each of the components 602, 604, 606, 608, 610, and
612, are
interconnected using various busses, and may be mounted on a common
motherboard or in
other manners as appropriate. The processor 602 can process instructions for
execution
within the computing device 600, including instructions stored in the memory
604 or on the
storage device 606 to display graphical information for a GUI on an external
input/output
device, such as display 616 coupled to high speed interface 608. In other
implementations,
multiple processors and/or multiple buses may be used, as appropriate, along
with multiple
memories and types of memory. Also, multiple computing devices 600 may be
connected,
with each device providing portions of the necessary operations (e.g., as a
server bank, a
group of blade servers, or a multi-processor system).
[0067] The memory 604 stores information within the computing device 600.
In one
implementation, the memory 604 is a computer-readable medium. In one
implementation,
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the memory 604 is a volatile memory unit or units. In another implementation,
the memory
604 is a non-volatile memory unit or units.
[0068] The storage device 606 is capable of providing mass storage for
the computing
device 600. In one implementation, the storage device 606 is a computer-
readable medium.
In various different implementations, the storage device 606 may be a floppy
disk device, a
hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device, a flash memory or
other similar
solid state memory device, or an array of devices, including devices in a
storage area network
or other configurations. In one implementation, a computer program product is
tangibly
embodied in an information carrier. The computer program product contains
instructions
that, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as those described
above. The
information carrier is a computer- or machine-readable medium, such as the
memory 604, the
storage device 606, or memory on processor 602.
[0069] The high speed controller 608 manages bandwidth-intensive
operations for the
computing device 600, while the low speed controller 612 manages lower
bandwidth-
intensive operations. Such allocation of duties is exemplary only. In one
implementation, the
high-speed controller 608 is coupled to memory 604, display 616 (e.g., through
a graphics
processor or accelerator), and to high-speed expansion ports 610, which may
accept various
expansion cards (not shown). In the implementation, low-speed controller 612
is coupled to
storage device 606 and low-speed expansion port 614. The low-speed expansion
port, which
may include various communication ports (e.g., USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet,
wireless Ethernet)
may be coupled to one or more input/output devices, such as a keyboard, a
pointing device, a
scanner, or a networking device such as a switch or router, e.g., through a
network adapter.
[0070] The computing device 600 may be implemented in a number of
different
forms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as a
standard server 620,
or multiple times in a group of such servers. It may also be implemented as
part of a rack
server system 624. In addition, it may be implemented in a personal computer
such as a
laptop computer 622. Alternatively, components from computing device 600 may
be
combined with other components in a mobile device (not shown), such as device
650. Each
of such devices may contain one or more of computing device 600, 650, and an
entire system
may be made up of multiple computing devices 600, 650 communicating with each
other.
[0071] Computing device 650 includes a processor 652, memory 664, an
input/output
device such as a display 654, a communication interface 666, and a transceiver
668, among
other components. The device 650 may also be provided with a storage device,
such as a
microdrive or other device, to provide additional storage. Each of the
components 650, 652,
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664, 654, 666, and 668, are interconnected using various buses, and several of
the
components may be mounted on a common motherboard or in other manners as
appropriate.
[0072] The processor 652 can process instructions for execution within
the computing
device 650, including instructions stored in the memory 664. The processor may
also include
separate analog and digital processors. The processor may provide, for
example, for
coordination of the other components of the device 650, such as control of
user interfaces,
applications run by device 650, and wireless communication by device 650.
[0073] Processor 652 may communicate with a user through control
interface 658 and
display interface 656 coupled to a display 654. The display 654 may be, for
example, a TFT
LCD display or an OLED display, or other appropriate display technology. The
display
interface 656 may comprise appropriate circuitry for driving the display 654
to present
graphical and other information to a user. The control interface 658 may
receive commands
from a user and convert them for submission to the processor 652. In addition,
an external
interface 662 may be provide in communication with processor 652, so as to
enable near area
communication of device 650 with other devices. External interface 662 may
provide, for
example, for wired communication (e.g., via a docking procedure) or for
wireless
communication (e.g., via Bluetooth or other such technologies).
[0074] The memory 664 stores information within the computing device 650.
In one
implementation, the memory 664 is a computer-readable medium. In one
implementation,
the memory 664 is a volatile memory unit or units. In another implementation,
the memory
664 is a non-volatile memory unit or units. Expansion memory 674 may also be
provided
and connected to device 650 through expansion interface 672, which may
include, for
example, a SIMM card interface. Such expansion memory 674 may provide extra
storage
space for device 650, or may also store applications or other information for
device 650.
Specifically, expansion memory 674 may include instructions to carry out or
supplement the
processes described above, and may include secure information also. Thus, for
example,
expansion memory 674 may be provide as a security module for device 650, and
may be
programmed with instructions that permit secure use of device 650. In
addition, secure
applications may be provided via the SIMM cards, along with additional
information, such as
placing identifying information on the SIMM card in a non-hackable manner.
[0075] The memory may include for example, flash memory and/or MRAM
memory,
as discussed below. In one implementation, a computer program product is
tangibly
embodied in an information carrier. The computer program product contains
instructions
that, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as those described
above. The
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information carrier is a computer- or machine-readable medium, such as the
memory 664,
expansion memory 674, or memory on processor 652.
[0076] Device 650 may communicate wirelessly through communication
interface
666, which may include digital signal processing circuitry where necessary.
Communication
interface 666 may provide for communications under various modes or protocols,
such as
GSM voice calls, SMS, EMS, or MMS messaging, CDMA, TDMA, PDC, WCDMA,
CDMA2000, or GPRS, among others. Such communication may occur, for example,
through
radio-frequency transceiver 668. In addition, short-range communication may
occur, such as
using a Bluetooth, WiFi, or other such transceiver (not shown). In addition,
GPS receiver
module 670 may provide additional wireless data to device 650, which may be
used as
appropriate by applications running on device 650.
[0077] Device 650 may also communication audibly using audio codec 660,
which
may receive spoken information from a user and convert it to usable digital
information.
Audio codex 660 may likewise generate audible sound for a user, such as
through a speaker,
e.g., in a handset of device 650. Such sound may include sound from voice
telephone calls,
may include recorded sound (e.g., voice messages, music files, etc.) and may
also include
sound generated by applications operating on device 650.
[0078] The computing device 650 may be implemented in a number of
different
forms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as a
cellular telephone
680. It may also be implemented as part of a smartphone 682, personal digital
assistant, or
other similar mobile device.
[0079] A few implementations have been described in detail above, and
various
modifications are possible. The disclosed subject matter, including the
functional operations
described in this specification, can be implemented in electronic circuitry,
computer
hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them, such as the
structural means
disclosed in this specification and structural equivalents thereof, including
potentially a
program operable to cause one or more data processing apparatus to perform the
operations
described (such as a program encoded in a computer-readable medium, which can
be a
memory device, a storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, or
other physical,
machine-readable medium, or a combination of one or more of them).
[0080] The features described can be implemented in digital electronic
circuitry, or in
computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. In some
implementations, the apparatus can be implemented in a computer program
product tangibly
embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in a machine-readable storage
device, for execution
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by a programmable processor; and method steps can be performed by a
programmable
processor executing a program of instructions to perform functions of the
described
implementations by operating on input data and generating output. In other
implementations,
the apparatus can be implemented in a computer program product tangibly
embodied in an
information carrier for execution by a programmable processor. In some
implementations,
the information carrier can include a propagated signal.
[0081] The described features can be implemented advantageously in one or
more
computer programs that are executable on a programmable system including at
least one
programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to
transmit data
and instructions to, a data storage system, at least one input device, and at
least one output
device. A computer program is a set of instructions that can be used, directly
or indirectly, in
a computer to perform a certain activity or bring about a certain result. A
computer program
can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or
interpreted
languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone
program or as a
module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing
environment.
[0082] Suitable processors for the execution of a program of instructions
include, by
way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and the sole
processor or
one of multiple processors of any kind of computer. Generally, a processor
will receive
instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or
both. The
essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions
and one or more
memories for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also
include, or be
operatively coupled to communicate with, one or more mass storage devices for
storing data
files; such devices include magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and
removable disks;
magneto-optical disks; and optical disks. Storage devices suitable for
tangibly embodying
computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile
memory, including
by way of example semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and
flash
memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable
disks; magneto-
optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can
be
supplemented by, or incorporated in, ASICs (application-specific integrated
circuits).
[0083] To provide for interaction with a user, the features can be
implemented on a
computer having a display device such as a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD
(liquid crystal
display) monitor for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a
pointing device
such as a mouse or a trackball by which the user can provide input to the
computer.
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[0084] The features can be implemented in a computer system that includes
a back-
end component, such as a data server, or that includes a middleware component,
such as an
application server or an Internet server, or that includes a front-end
component, such as a
client computer having a graphical user interface or an Internet browser, or
any combination
of them. The components of the system can be connected by any form or medium
of digital
data communication such as a communication network. Examples of communication
networks include, e.g., a LAN, a WAN, and the computers and networks forming
the
Internet.
[0085] The term "system" encompasses all apparatus, devices, and machines
for
processing data, including by way of example a programmable processor, a
computer, or
multiple processors or computers. The system can include, in addition to
hardware, code that
creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g.,
code that
constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management
system, an operating
system, or a combination of one or more of them.
[0086] A program (also known as a computer program, software, software
application, script, or code) can be written in any form of programming
language, including
compiled or interpreted languages, or declarative or procedural languages, and
it can be
deployed in any form, including as a standalone program or as a module,
component,
subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A
program does not
necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program can be stored in
a portion of a
file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a
markup language
document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in
multiple coordinated
files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, or portions
of code). A
program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple
computers that are
located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by
a communication
network.
[0087] While this specification contains many specifics, these should not
be
construed as limitations on the scope of what can be claimed, but rather as
descriptions of
features that can be specific to particular implementations. Certain features
that are described
in this specification in the context of separate implementations can also be
implemented in
combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are
described in
the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in multiple
implementations
separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features can
be described
above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such,
one or more
23
CA 02870009 2016-02-03
features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the
combination, and the
claimed combination can be directed to a subcombination or variation of a
subcombination.
[0088] In addition, the logic flows depicted in the figures do not require
the particular order
shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In addition, other
steps can be provided, or
steps can be eliminated, from the described flows, and other components can be
added to, or removed
from, the described systems. Accordingly, other implementations are within the
scope of the following
claims.
[0089] Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a
particular order, this
should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the
particular order
shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed,
to achieve desirable
results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing can be
advantageous.
Moreover, the separation of various system components in the implementations
described above
should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations.
[0090] A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. The
scope of the
claims should not be limited by the embodiments set forth in the examples, but
should be given the
broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.
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