Patent ID: 8107957

Claim:
A method, for handling simultaneous rings, comprising: receiving, at a first network interface module, a first detection signal associated with a first network, wherein the first detection signal is generated by the first network in response to a communications device coming into proximity to the first network; generating, at a first presence interface module, a first presence signal associated with the first network, wherein the first presence signal varies in response to a condition of a first connection between the communications device and the first network; sending, from the first presence interface module, the first presence signal to a network selection module; evaluating, at the network selection module, the first presence signal to assess whether the condition of the first connection permits ongoing communication on the first network; if the network selection module determines that the condition of the first connection permits ongoing communication on the first network, and in response to one of an incoming call and a message sent to a number selected from a group of numbers consisting of (i) a primary number associated with the communications device and (ii) an identified number associated with an other communications device, the first network providing simultaneous rings to: the primary number associated with the communications device; and the associated with the other communications device; and if the network selection module determines that the condition of the first connection does not permit ongoing communication on the first network, the first network initiating hand over to a second network.