Reception notification control method and system

• US 20030148756A1
• Filed: 12/31/2002
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Funato, Daichi, Yoshikawa, Kunio, Onishi, Taku, Kobayashi, Shinji, Miyake, Motoharu
• Granted Patent: US 7,474,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reception notification control method in which an information server that stores information addressed to reception terminals and performs reception notification, via a network apparatus, on each of the reception terminals to which the information stored in the information server is addressed. After receiving, via the network apparatus, a predetermined connection request from a reception terminal to which stored information is addressed, the information server performs the reception notification on the reception terminal.

Claims

1. A reception notification control method in which an information server that stores information addressed to reception terminals performs reception notification on each of the reception terminals via a network apparatus,

the method comprising the steps of:

storing information addressed to a reception terminal; and

performing reception notification, via the network apparatus, on the reception terminal when receiving a predetermined connection request transmitted from the reception terminal to which the stored information is addressed,

the steps being carried out by the information server.

2. The reception notification control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of performing reception notification on the reception terminal is carried out using a predetermined communication line that has already been established between the reception terminal and the network apparatus.

3. The reception notification control method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, the step of performing reception notification includes the steps of:

determining, from intrinsic information of the reception terminal contained in the information, whether the reception terminal, to which the information is addressed, is in communication with the network apparatus, after storing the information addressed to the reception terminal; and

performing the reception notification on the reception terminal, after determining that the reception terminal is in communication with the network apparatus in the foregoing step,

the steps being carried out by the information server.

4. The reception notification control method as claimed in any of claims 1 through 3, wherein the step of performing reception notification includes the steps of:

classifying information to be stored in accordance with identification information attached to the information by distributors of the information;

holding information having predetermined identification information attached thereto among the classified information; and

performing the reception notification on a reception terminal, upon receipt of a predetermined connection request, via the network apparatus, from the reception terminal to which the held information is addressed,

the steps being carried out by the information server.

5. The reception notification control method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the predetermined identification information indicates whether the information to be distributed requires instant delivery.

6. A reception notification control method in which an information server that stores information addressed to reception terminals and performs reception notification on each of the reception terminals via a network apparatus, with a node device being interposed between the network apparatus and the information server,

the method comprising the steps of:

determining the communication state of a reception terminal in accordance with a control signal that is transmitted when a communication line is established between the reception terminal and the network apparatus;

inquiring of the information server whether there is stored information addressed to the reception terminal, after determining that the reception terminal is in communication with the network apparatus; and

performing reception notification on the reception terminal, depending on the result of the inquiry,

the steps being carried out by the node device.

7. The reception notification control method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of performing reception notification includes the steps of:

registering the communication state of the reception terminal in a call information management table, after determining that the reception terminal is in communication with the network apparatus;

acquiring the communication state of the reception terminal from the call information management table, after receiving a call for the reception terminal from the information server; and

performing the reception notification on the reception terminal using a predetermined communication line that has already been established, when the reception terminal is determined to be in communication with the network apparatus,

the steps being carried out by the node device.

8. The reception notification control method as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the node device is provided with a packet conversion function that enables the node device to have communication with the reception terminal via the network apparatus.

9. A reception notification system in which an information server that stores information addressed to reception terminals and performs reception notification on each of the reception terminals to which the information is addressed,

the system comprising:

a reception notification trigger receiving means that receives a predetermined connection request transmitted from a reception terminal to which information stored in the information server is addressed, the information server storing all information addressed to the reception terminals; and

a reception notifying means that performs reception notification on the reception terminal when the reception notification trigger receiving means receives the connection request,

the reception notification trigger receiving means and the reception notifying means being contained in the information server.

10. The reception notification system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the reception notifying means using a predetermined communication line that has already been established between the reception terminal and the network apparatus, so as to perform the reception notification on the reception terminal.

11. The reception notification system as claimed in claim 9 or 10, further comprising

a determining means that determines whether a reception terminal to which information stored in the information server is addressed in accordance with intrinsic information of the reception terminal contained in the information is in communication with the network apparatus,

the determining means being contained in the information server,

wherein the reception notifying means performs the reception notification on the reception terminal only when the determining means determines that the reception terminal is in communication with the network apparatus.

12. The reception notification system as claimed in any of claims 9 through 11, further comprising:

a classifying storage means that classifies information to be stored in the information server in accordance with identification information attached to the information by distributors of the information; and

an information holding means that holds information having predetermined identification information among the information classified by the classifying storage means,

the classifying storage means and the information holding means being contained in the information server,

wherein the reception notifying means performs the reception notification on the reception terminal, when a predetermined connection request is received, via the network apparatus, from the reception terminal to which the information held by the information holding means is addressed.

13. The reception notification system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the predetermined identification information indicates whether the information to be distributed requires instant delivery.

14. A reception notification system in which an information server that stores information addressed to reception terminals and performs reception notification, via a network apparatus, on each of the reception terminals to which the information is addressed, with a node device being interposed between the network apparatus and the information server,

the system comprising:

a communication state determining means that determines the communication state of a reception terminal in accordance with a control signal transmitted when a communication line is established between the reception terminal and the network apparatus;

a stored information inquiring means that inquires of the information server whether there is stored information addressed to the reception terminal, when the communication state determining means determines that the reception terminal is in communication with the network apparatus; and

a reception notifying means that performs reception notification on the reception terminal depending on the result of the inquiry,

the communication state determining means, the stored information inquiring means, and the reception notifying means being contained in the node device.

15. The reception notification system as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

a call information managing means that registers the communication state of the reception terminal in a call information management table, when the communication state determining means determines that the reception terminal is in communication with the network apparatus; and

a communication state acquiring means that acquires the communication state of the reception terminal from the call information management table, when receiving a cal directed to the reception terminal from the information server,

the call information managing means and the communication state acquiring means being contained in the node device,

wherein the reception notifying means performs the reception notification on the reception terminals using a predetermined communication line that has already been established, when the reception terminal is determined to be in communication with the network apparatus.

16. The reception notification system as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein the node device is provided with a packet conversion function that enables the node device to have communication with the reception terminal via the network apparatus.