Method of accessing the presence imformation on several entities

Abstract

The method allows a user to define groups of entities that will be queried automatically for Presence information by his wireless information device. The user, once he has selected the group to be queried, need do no more than select at one time a ‘Pinging’ function using an on-screen dialog or other menu, which initiates the automatic querying. There is no need to manually query each member of the group for its Presence information.

1 . A method of enabling a wireless information device to access Presence information of several entities, comprising the following steps: 
 (a) storing Presence information for several entities at one or more data stores and making that information accessible;    (b) automatically sending, from the or each data store to the wireless information device, Presence information for entities which meet or match pre-defined Presence criteria, the criteria being defined or selected by a user of the wireless information device by that user selecting pre-defined Presence criteria displayed in one or more menu lists shown on the device and that relate to Presence criteria other than or in addition to physical or logical location, the criteria potentially covering several such entities, and the sending of the information from the or each data store to the wireless information device occurring not as a result of any change in the physical or logical location of the entities but instead directly in response to the user selecting an option displayed on the device that initiates a search for all entities that meet or match the pre-defined Presence criteria at the or each data store.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  in which the menu list is hierarchical and displays at one level a menu list comprising: 
 (a) an option to display criteria based on contacts; and    (b) another option to display criteria based on moods and/or activities;    and displays at a lower level the menu lists with the predefined user selectable Presence criteria.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  in which at least one of the criteria defined or selected by the user is that the entities must be a member of a pre-defined category of contacts of the user, each category being a group category that is potentially populated with several entities.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  in which the criteria to be displayed in one or more menu lists are user definable to enable new criteria to be created and included in the menu lists.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  in which a group of several, linked criteria can be stored as a profile for future re-use.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  in which the criteria are displayed within a contacts or messaging application.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  in which, in addition to selecting from the menu lists, a user can enter free scripted queries that are interpreted by a search engine using AI.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  in which the step of storing Presence information takes place at a server based database, programmed to automatically respond when polled or requested by the wireless information device.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  in which the step of storing Presence information takes places on remote wireless information devices controlled by the owners of that Presence information and those remote devices are programmed to automatically respond when polled or requested by the wireless information device of the user.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  in which the identity of all users requesting or accessing Presence information is logged and automatically sent to a wireless information device controlled by the owner of that Presence information.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  comprising the step of displaying on the wireless information device the names of entities that meet the criteria.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  comprising the step of displaying, on the wireless information device, available communication options between the device and the entities that satisfy the criteria.  
     
     
         13 . A wireless information device programmed to automatically request Presence information for several entities which meet or match pre-defined Presence criteria, the criteria being defined or selected by a user of the wireless information device by that user selecting pre-defined Presence criteria displayed in menu lists shown on the device and that relate to Presence criteria other than or in addition to physical or logical location, the automatic requesting occurring not as a result of any change in the physical or logical location of the entities but instead directly in response to the user selecting an option displayed on the device that initiates a search for all entities that meet or match the pre-defined Presence criteria at the or each data store.  
     
     
         14 . The wireless information device of  claim 13  in which the menu list is hierarchical and displays at one level a menu list comprising: 
 (a) an option to display criteria based on contacts; and    (b) another option to display criteria based on moods and/or activities;    and displays at a lower level the menu lists with the predefined user selectable Presence criteria.    
     
     
         15 . The wireless information device of  claim 13  which requires that at least some of the criteria defined or selected by the user are that the entities must be a member of a pre-defined category of contacts of the user, each category being a group category that is potentially populated with one or more entities.  
     
     
         16 . The wireless information device of  claim 13  in which the criteria displayed in one or more menu lists are user definable to enable new criteria to be created and included in the menu lists.  
     
     
         17 . The wireless information device of  claim 13  in which a group of several, linked criteria can be stored as a profile for future re-use.  
     
     
         18 . The wireless information device of  claim 13  in which the criteria are displayed within a contacts or messaging application  
     
     
         19 . The wireless information device of  claim 13  in which, in addition to selecting from the menu lists, a user can enter free scripted queries that are interpreted by a search engine using AI.  
     
     
         20 . The wireless information device of  claim 13  adapted to: 
 (a) communicate with a server based database which stores Presence information for several entities;    (b) poll or request Presence information from the server;    (c) display Presence information relating to one or more entities which has been sent to the device from the server in response to a request from the device.    
     
     
         21 . The wireless information device of  claim 13  adapted to: 
 (a) communicate with several other wireless information devices, each storing Presence information;    (b) poll or request Presence information from each of the other wireless information devices;    (c) receive and display that Presence information.    
     
     
         22 . The wireless information device of  claim 13  programmed to display the Presence information of one or more entities meeting the criteria, together with a user selectable option to contact the or each entity using voice or message based communication.  
     
     
         23 . The wireless information device of  claim 13  programmed to receive a response from the data store and, using that response, to itself determine what entities satisfy the criteria defined or selected by the user.  
     
     
         24 . The wireless information device of  claim 13  in which the store determines whether a given entity satisfies the criteria.  
     
     
         25 . The wireless information device of  claim 13  in which the criteria can be saved and re-used at a later time.  
     
     
         26 . Computer software which, when running on a wireless information device, causes the device to display: 
 (a) a menu list of pre-defined Presence criteria that relate to Presence criteria other than or in addition to physical or logical location, the criteria potentially covering several entities;    b) an option to initiate a search for all entities that meet or match pre-defined Presence criteria selected from the menu list.    
     
     
         27 . The computer software of  claim 25 , which, when running on the wireless information device, causes the device to operate as a device claimed in  claim 13.