Automatic Multi-App Presence Updates Before Network Interface Deactivation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users of communication terminals face the inconvenience of having to manually update their presence status across multiple social networking applications when network interfaces are deactivated, such as when switching to Airplane Mode or losing network coverage, which is tedious and inefficient.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that automatically updates a user's presence status across multiple communication applications by detecting impending network interface deactivation in the terminal, sending a notification to a status update server, and having the server manage the status updates for each application with predefined specific presence states, ensuring timely notification to contacts of temporary unreachability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the user manually updates presence status for each social networking application when network interface is deactivated, then the presence status is updated accurately, but the operation becomes tedious and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepresence status update accuracyVSAvoiduser operation convenience
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs automatic presence status updates without requiring user intervention. The terminal device detects network interface deactivation events and automatically sends notifications to the server, which then updates presence statuses across multiple applications autonomously, eliminating the need for manual user actions while maintaining accurate status updates.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

A server acts as an intermediary between the terminal device and multiple social networking applications. The server receives event notifications from the terminal and coordinates the presence status updates across different applications, simplifying the user's task to a single automatic notification rather than multiple manual updates.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the user connects successively to each server platform to modify status, then the presence status is updated for each application, but the process is tedious and inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepresence status update completenessVSAvoidtime required for status updates
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal device detects network interface deactivation events before the actual disconnection occurs and proactively sends event notifications to the server. This preliminary action allows the server to initiate presence status updates across multiple applications in advance, ensuring complete status updates are made before the user actually loses connectivity, thereby eliminating the need for successive connections to each platform.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The server consolidates multiple presence status update operations into a single coordinated process. Instead of requiring separate connections to each application server, the terminal sends one event notification that triggers a combined update across all registered social networking applications, significantly reducing the time required while ensuring complete status synchronization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Loss of energy

If the terminal deactivates network interface to save power or data, then energy or data consumption is reduced, but the user cannot update presence status for communication applications

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidpresence status information
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system detects network interface deactivation events before the actual disconnection occurs and sends event notifications to the server in advance. This allows presence status information to be updated across all communication applications before the network interface is deactivated, ensuring that contacts are notified of the upcoming unavailability without requiring the network interface to remain active during the update process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The event notification mechanism allows the presence status update process to be completed rapidly before network disconnection occurs. The server processes multiple application updates in a single coordinated operation, rushing through the necessary information synchronization before the network interface deactivation takes effect, thus preventing loss of presence status information while maintaining energy savings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #21Skipping (Rushing through)

Data Source

PatentEP4173254B1Method for updating a presence status of a user of a communication terminal for a set of communication applications
Publication Date: 2025.09.10 ORANGE SA
  • EP4173254B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4173254B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4173254B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Method and system for updating a presence status of a user of a communication terminal for a set of at least one communication application, the terminal being connected to a communication network via at least one network interface. Said method comprises the following actions: detecting (T1) in the terminal a functional event a consequence of which is a future deactivation of the network interface; sending (T2), by the terminal to a server in the network referred to as the "status update server", a notification of the network interface deactivation event referred to as the "event notification", said event notification including an identifier of the user; following receipt (S3) of the event notification by the server, determining (S4) from the identifier of the user, for each of the communication applications, a specific presence status corresponding to the detected event; sending (S5) by the server, to each network platform respectively hosting at least one of the communication applications, a request to update a current presence status of the user for the communication application in question, with the specific presence status for the communication application in question.