TeleCommunication Systems, a provider of wireless communications technology, has announced the US Patent and Trademark Office has issued the company patent for Wireless Chat Automatic Status Tracking.
According to TeleCommunication Systems (TCS), the patent describes a means for automatically providing the presence and/or location information of a mobile instant messaging (IM) subscriber. Traditional desktop IM systems allow an internet subscriber to automatically notify a chat group or IM buddy list when the user goes on-line or off-line.
TCS has said that its invention enables automatic IM presence detection of a mobile device that can be seamlessly integrated into instant messaging chat sessions. Without the invention, a wireless user would have to manually notify the chat group or buddy list of his/her availability.
TCS now holds 71 patents with 222 applications pending.
Drew Morin, senior vice president and chief technical officer for TCS, said: TCS’s invention allows the presence of the mobile subscriber to be automatically communicated to a group or buddy list. The status information of a wireless user is also increasingly being used by other mobile applications to send relevant information that depends upon the user’s location or presence in the network.