Portable Service Discovery Device for Presence Aggregation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The proliferation of communication devices and options complicates identifying the best method and availability of users for communication, as users' presence and device status are invisible to the internet and other users.
Innovation Solution
A user-centric mobile network method that discovers communication resources within range, associates unique resource identifiers with user identifiers, and transmits this information to external entities, along with service and status information, using a portable service discovery device to facilitate communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users communicate through multiple devices and communication options, then communication opportunities increase, but identifying the best method and determining user availability becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a presence server as an intermediary that collects, aggregates, and manages presence information from multiple communication resources. This mediator consolidates the scattered device status information into a unified view, allowing users to determine availability and select communication methods without directly managing the complexity of multiple devices and protocols.
2Adaptability or versatility
If users have multiple communication resources, then communication options increase, but user presence becomes invisible to the internet and other users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges presence information from multiple communication resources (email, instant messaging, voice over IP, etc.) into a single aggregated presence record on the presence server. This combining of previously separate and invisible device states into a unified presence view makes user availability visible and accessible to other users through the internet.
Solution Approach 2:
The presence server acts as an intermediary that publishes aggregated presence information to the internet, making user availability visible to external users. This mediator bridges the gap between private device states and public accessibility, allowing other users to query and receive presence information without direct access to individual devices.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple devices support communication, then communication capability increases, but determining how and where to communicate with a user complicates the process
Solution Approach 1:
The presence server serves as an intermediary that provides a simplified interface for determining how and where to communicate with a user. Instead of directly managing complex queries across multiple devices, users can query the presence server which returns aggregated presence information and recommends appropriate communication methods based on user-defined preferences and current device availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where presence information is continuously updated and published to the presence server. This real-time feedback loop allows the system to automatically determine the best communication method based on current device states, reducing the operational complexity for users who need to initiate communication.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of determining communication resource availability within range of a user-centric mobile network is disclosed. In one embodiment the method comprises discovering communication resources within range of the user-centric mobile network, the communication resources including unique resource identifiers, and transmitting the unique resource identifiers and a user identifier to a server that is accessible from outside the user-centric mobile network. The communication resources may have associated therewith an available service and a current status and the method may further comprise transmitting available service information and current status information to the server. Also disclosed is a service discovery device for use in implementing the method.