Proxied push

• US 10,542,109 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2017
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pollack, Daniel B., Thirumalai, Gokul P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Keller, Michael A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Jsing Forng
• Application Number:
  US15/594,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20180013851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system and method are described for establishing two-way push communication between an intermediate or companion device and a mobile device. Mobile devices register to listen for push notifications delivered through a push notification service from a specified set of providers. The presence of the mobile devices is delivered to the push notification service that maps the mobile devices to connections made between their respective companion devices and the push notification service. If the push notification service determines that a mobile device is “online,” in response to receiving a push notification for the mobile device, a current network connection over which a companion device is listening for push notifications is identified and the push notification is forwarded to the companion device. The companion device then can deliver the push notification to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for proxied communications, the method comprising:

establishing, by a mobile device, a first non-persistent link with an intermediary device, wherein the intermediary device acts as a proxy to send and receive signals on behalf of the mobile device;

initiating, by the mobile device, an application associated with a content provider;

sending a device identifier associated with the mobile device to the content provider via the intermediary device, wherein the intermediary device maintains a persistent link with the content provider;

terminating the first non-persistent link with the intermediary device;

establishing a second non-persistent link with the intermediary device;

receiving a push notification for the application from the intermediary device, wherein the push notification is routed from the content provider to the mobile device via the intermediary device using the device identifier; and

processing the push notification for the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device identifier is sent from the intermediary device to the content provider via a content infrastructure service.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the content infrastructure service generates and stores a mapping between the intermediary device and the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the mapping is further used to route the push notification from the content provider to the mobile device via the intermediary device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an acknowledgment, responsive to receiving the push notification from the intermediary device, acknowledging receipt of the push notification; and

transmitting the acknowledgment to the intermediary device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the push notification is routed from the content provider to the intermediary device via a content infrastructure service, wherein the push notification is stored in a queue by the content infrastructure service.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the intermediary device generates a transport acknowledge command upon receipt of the push notification from the content infrastructure service, and wherein the intermediary device transmits the transport acknowledge command to the content infrastructure service.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

generating an acknowledgment, responsive to receiving the push notification from the intermediary device, acknowledging receipt of the push notification; and

transmitting the acknowledgment to the intermediary device, wherein the intermediary device transmits the acknowledgment to the content infrastructure service.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein responsive to receiving the acknowledgment, the content infrastructure service removes the push notification from the queue.

10. A mobile device comprising:

a processor;

a communications interface; and

a memory storing a set of instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

establish, by the communications interface, a first non-persistent link with an intermediary device, wherein the intermediary device acts as a proxy to send and receive signals on behalf of the mobile device;

initiate an application associated with a content provider;

transmit, using the communications interface, a device identifier associated with the mobile device to the content provider via the intermediary device, wherein the intermediary device maintains a persistent link with the content provider;

terminate the first non-persistent link with the intermediary device;

establish, using the communication interface, a second non-persistent link with the intermediary device;

receive a push notification for the application from the intermediary device, wherein the push notification is routed from the content provider to the mobile device via the intermediary device based at least in part on the device identifier; and

process the push notification for the application.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the device identifier is sent from the intermediary device to the content provider via a content infrastructure service.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the content infrastructure service generates and stores a mapping between the intermediary device and the mobile device.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the mapping is further used to route the push notification from the content provider to the mobile device via the intermediary device.

14. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

generating an acknowledgment, responsive to receiving the push notification from the intermediary device, acknowledging receipt of the push notification; and

transmitting the acknowledgment to the intermediary device.

15. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the push notification is routed from the content provider to the intermediary device via a content infrastructure service, wherein the push notification is stored in a queue by the content infrastructure service.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the intermediary device generates a transport acknowledge command upon receipt of the push notification from the content infrastructure service, and wherein the intermediary device transmits the transport acknowledge command to the content infrastructure service.

17. The mobile device of claim 15, further comprising:

generating an acknowledgment, responsive to receiving the push notification from the intermediary device, acknowledging receipt of the push notification; and

transmitting the acknowledgment to the intermediary device, wherein the intermediary device transmits the acknowledgment to the content infrastructure service.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein responsive to receiving the acknowledgment, the content infrastructure service removes the push notification from the queue.