Presence Aggregation Interworking Function for Multi-Domain Contact Sync
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication systems fail to accurately aggregate and distribute user presence information across multiple autonomous systems and domains, leading to inaccurate representation of user availability and synchronization issues with contact information across disparate systems.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize a Presence Aggregation Interworking Function (PAIF) device to aggregate presence state information from different user identities across various domains and systems, format it into a compatible format, and communicate it to a Lync Presence server, which then distributes the aggregated information to interested devices, ensuring synchronized presence and contact lists across multiple autonomous systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If presence information is aggregated across multiple autonomous systems, then user availability representation accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a presence aggregation server as an intermediary component that sits between multiple autonomous communication systems. This server collects presence information from different systems, aggregates it according to defined rules, and provides unified presence status to users. The intermediary handles the complexity of cross-system aggregation centrally, allowing individual systems to remain simple while achieving accurate aggregated presence representation.
2Reliability
If contact information is synchronized across autonomous systems, then communication service reliability is improved, but information synchronization complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The presence aggregation server also functions as a contact information synchronization intermediary. It collects contact lists from multiple autonomous systems, normalizes the data formats, and distributes synchronized contact information to users across systems. This central coordination mechanism ensures reliable contact information availability while managing synchronization complexity in one location rather than requiring complex peer-to-peer synchronization between all systems.
3Loss of information
If presence information from multiple domains is aggregated, then user activity representation completeness is improved, but data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms presence information from multiple domains by changing its parameters and format to a unified representation. The aggregation server normalizes different presence data formats into a common structure, applies aggregation rules to combine presence states from multiple user identities, and produces a consolidated presence status. This parameter transformation approach enables complete user activity representation while managing data processing complexity through standardized transformations.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for aggregating and distributing contact information for a user with multiple user identifiers in a plurality of domains. In one embodiment a set of user identifiers corresponding to a first user includes a first user identifier corresponding to a first domain and a second user identifier corresponding to a second domain. A request is made using the first user identifier for contacts associated in the first domain with the first user identifier and a request is made using the second user identifier, for contacts associated in the second domain with the second user identifier. An aggregated contact list corresponding to the first user is generated from a first contact list received from the first domain and from a second contact list received from the second domain. In some embodiments the aggregated contact list and associated user presence information is distributed to the first and second domains.