Apparatus, and associated method, for facilitating background processing of push content

• US 20070239884A1
• Filed: 03/29/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Shenfield, Michael, Vitanov, Kamen, Bibr, Viera, Fritsch, Brindusa, Karmakar, Srimantee, Matovsky, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,045,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, for a communication device operable pursuant to a push content communication scheme. An instruction detector detects a message containing a instruction by which to operate upon push content. The message is, for instance, generated by a mobile station at which an application associated with the content is resident. Once detected by the instruction detector, a content operator operates upon the content in a manner corresponding to the instruction contained in the detected message. Once operated upon, the content is stored at a storage element, available when an application of which the content is associated, becomes active.

Claims

1. Apparatus for a communication device operable pursuant to a push content communication scheme, said apparatus comprising:

a content operator adapted to receive content communicated pursuant to the push content communication scheme, said content operator configured to operate upon the content in an instructed manner as a background operation;

an instruction detector adapted to receive an indication of content metadata, the content metadata defining the instructed manner by which said content operator is to operate upon the content, said instruction detector configured to instruct said content operator of the instructed manner upon which to operate upon the content.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said content operator is embodied at a first network device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a storage element embodied at the first network device, said storage element configured to store the content, once operated upon as the background operation by said content operator.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the content, operated upon by said content operator, is associated with an application, and wherein the content metadata is originated in conjunction with the application.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the push content scheme pushes content to a mobile station, and wherein the application, with which the content operated upon by said content operator is associated, is resident at the mobile station.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the content metadata detected by said instruction detector is originated at the mobile station.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said instruction detector detects the content metadata directly from the indication of the content metadata.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the indication of the content metadata comprises an XML, Extensible Mark-up Language, message.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the indication of the content metadata comprises a binary message encapsulated in an XML, Extensible Mark-up Language, message.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said content operator and said instruction detector comprise parts of a network-positioned proxy server.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a storage element adapted to receive the content, once operated upon by said content operator as the background operation.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the communication device comprises a first network station connected to a communication network, the communication network having a second network station connected thereto, said storage element embodied at the second network station.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the push content scheme pushes content to a mobile station, and wherein the content, once stored at said storage element, is accessible by the mobile station.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the indication of the content metadata detected by said instruction detector comprises a mobile-station-originated selected content operation.

15. A method for utilizing push content at a communication device operable pursuant to a push content communication scheme, said method comprising the operations of:

detecting an indication of content metadata that defines an instructed manner by which to operate upon the content; and

operating upon the content in the instructed manner as a background operation.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the operation, prior to said operation of detecting, of sending, from a mobile station to the communication device, the indication of the content metadata.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said operation of detecting comprises detecting the content metadata directly from the indication of the content metadata.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising the operation of storing the content, once operated upon during said operation of operating, at a storage element.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said operation of operating upon is performed at a fast network station, wherein said operation of storing is performed at a second network location, said method further comprising the operation of transporting the content from the first network station to the second network station.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising the operation of retrieving, by a mobile station, the content stored at the storage element.