Method and system for receiving data on a portable device

• US 20070249373A1
• Filed: 04/25/2006
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pereira, Nuno, Tabit, Robert, Beard, Joshua, Foss, Louis
• Granted Patent: US 7,962,159 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Disclosed are a method of and a system for receiving data on a portable device. The method comprises the steps of providing a portable device having a data modem with active and dormant stages, and a short message service (SMS) capability; receiving a pre-defined SMS message and in response thereto, switching said data modem from said dormant stage to said active stage; and thereafter, receiving data through said data modem. The preferred embodiment of the invention uses a cellular PDA type device that can receive phone calls and Short Message Service (SMS) type messages even when the data modem of the PDA is not engaged. In this preferred embodiment, a special SMS message is sent from a back-end server infrastructure of a computer network to the PDA device to tell that device to “wake up” and connect to the network.

Claims

1. A method of receiving data on a portable device, comprising the steps of:

providing a portable device having a data modem with active and dormant stages, and a short message service (SMS) capability;

receiving a pre-defined SMS message and in response thereto, switching said data modem from said dormant stage to said active stage; and

thereafter, receiving data through said data modem.

2. A method according to claim 1, for use with a network server, and further including the step of, in response to receiving said pre-defined SMS message, connecting said data modem to said network server, and wherein the step of receiving data includes the step of receiving said data from said network server.

3. A method according to claim 1, comprising the further step of sending said pre-defined SMS message from a separate device to said portable device.

4. A method according to claim 3, comprising the further step of:

said separate device recognizing that said portable device is in the dormant stage; and

wherein;

the step of sending said pre-defined SMS message includes the step of said separate device sending said pre-defined SMS message in response to recognizing that said portable device is in said dormant stage.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said recognizing step includes the steps of:

said separate device sending an initial message to said portable device; and

said portable device responding to said initial message in a defined way.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the recognizing step includes the further step of said portable device recognizing that said portable device has responded to said initial message in said defined way.

7. A portable communications system, comprising:

a portable communications device having a data modem with active and dormant stages, and providing a short message service (SMS) capability;

a receiver for receiving a pre-defined SMS message; and

means operating, in response to said receiver receiving said pre-defined message, to switch said data modem from said dormant stage to said active stage, and thereafter, to receive data through said data modem.

8. A portable communications system according to claim 7, for use with a network server, and wherein said operating means operates, in response to receiving said pre-defined SMS message, to connect said data modem to said network server, and to receive data from said network server.

9. A portable communications system according to claim 7, further comprising a separate device for sending said pre-defined SMS message to said portable device.

10. A portable communications system according to claim 9, wherein:

said separate device includes recognizing means for recognizing that said portable device is in the dormant stage; and

said separate device sends said pre-defined SMS message in response to said recognizing means recognizing that said portable device is in said dormant stage.

11. A portable communications system according to claim 10, wherein:

said recognizing means includes means for sending an initial message to said portable device; and

said portable device responds to said initial message in a defined way.

12. A portable communications system according to claim 11, wherein the recognizing means further includes means for recognizing that said portable device has responded to said initial message in said defined way.

13. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for receiving data on a portable device having a data modem with active and dormant stages, and a short message service (SMS) capability, said method steps comprising:

in response to said portable device receiving a pre-defined SMS message, switching said data modem from said dormant stage to said active stage; and

thereafter, receiving data through said data modem.

14. A program storage device according to claim 13, for use with a network server, and further including the step of, in response to said portable device receiving said pre-defined SMS message, connecting said data modem to said network server, and wherein the step of receiving data includes the step of receiving said data from said network server.

15. A program storage device according to claim 13, wherein said method steps comprise the further step of sending said pre-defined SMS message from a separate device to said portable device.

16. A program storage device according to claim 15, wherein said method steps comprise the further step of:

said separate device recognizing that said portable device is in the dormant stage; and

wherein;

the step of sending said pre-defined SMS message includes the step of said separate device sending said pre-defined SMS message in response to recognizing that said portable device is in said dormant stage.

17. A program storage device according to claim 16, wherein said recognizing step includes the steps of:

said separate device sending an initial message to said portable device; and

said portable device responding to said initial message in a defined way.

18. A program storage device according to claim 17, wherein the recognizing step includes the further step of said portable device recognizing that said portable device has responded to said initial message in said defined way.