Verizon Laboratories Inc.

Verizon Services Corporation

Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.

Timothy Wayne Schmidt

Gregory Wayne Cermak

Douglas Reynold Jones

Margaret Malagon

William David Goodman

Michael Alan Weintraub

Robert Edward Opaluch

Robert A Virzi

William E Garrett, Jr

Edward M Eggerl

Allison Jaynes

Gregory Keith Evans

James Francis Sorce

Rebecca S Burd

Piotr Boni

Joanne Snare LaCourse

Eric Andrew Goodheart

Sandra Kelly Teare

Elizabeth Louise Fuller

Aaron Joseph Dagen

Beth Shelley Davis

Dermot Anthony Murray

Ann Wander Shaub

David Anthony Fay

Groups of consenting users such as families can track where other members of the same group are under agreed upon access arrangements. The locating system can operate in a passive mode. Users do not have to actively sign-in or check-in to the locating system for the locating system to obtain individual location determination estimates. The locating system collects communications device usage information from a plurality of communications networks, e.g., landline, cellular, Wi-Fi, DSL. The locations of communication devices and infrastructure are known. Members of locating groups are associated with various communication devices detected are being used. Approximate locations of an individual member or members of a locating group are inferred from detected device usage information. A location report is generated, e.g., in a map, table, or audio format, indicating the determined location of individuals, and optionally including time tags. The report is provided to authorized members of the locating group.

Passive individual locator method

A service is provided to cell phone subscribers to improve reachability. A home location register node maintains state information on a subscriber's cell phone status. Cell phone status information includes: off; on, registered and available to receive calls; on, registered but busy participating in an ongoing call; on, registered but temporarily unavailable; and on, registered but unattended. Temporarily unavailable is further qualified: poor reception location, high interference, cell throughput saturation, intentional user disposition. Long term unavailability may also be inferred and indicated depending on the device and/or system status. When a call to a subscriber's cell phone cannot be completed or is not answered, the service annunciates the reason to the calling party. The calling party can then make a more informed decision as to when to reattempt the call and is more likely to reattempt the call. The service is provided in conjunction with call forwarding to landlines phones and/or voicemail.

Presence lite

In one of many possible embodiments, a system includes a monitoring portal configured to receive state information descriptive of usage of a plurality of communication services provided on a plurality of communication networks of different types and to make the state information available to a subscriber of the plurality of communication services, in substantially real time.

Monitoring portal systems and methods

Growing community of inventors

Wilton, CT, United States of America

Timothy Wayne Schmidt