Methods and Apparatus for Communication of Notifications

• US 20080107057A1
• Filed: 04/12/2007
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Collins, Bruce, Chen, An Mei, Kannan, Prasanna
• Granted Patent: US 8,942,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• 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 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/025 Indirect paging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for communication of notifications are disclosed. A disclosed method for communicating notifications from a server to a device includes sending a primary message including data indicating notification status information; and sending notification messages apart from the primary message addressed to specific groups of devices. Similarly, another disclosed method for obtaining notifications in a device from a server includes monitoring the primary message including current notification status information, comparing the current notification information status information with a previous notification status information to determine if a change in notification status information has occurred, and obtaining addressed notification information when a change in the notification status information has been determined. By using a primary message with abbreviated information to communicate whether changes to notification information have occurred without the need for further processing and/or addressed notification messages, system resources can be conserved. Corresponding apparatus are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for delivering notification information to one or more wireless devices, comprising:

sending a primary message comprising data indicating notification status information; and

sending one or more notification messages separate from the primary message, each of the one or more notification messages addressed to at least one of the one or more wireless devices.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification status information comprises a current notification version.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the current notification version is a number configured to communicate changes in the notification information to the one or more wireless devices in an abbreviated manner.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification status information comprises a notification number indicating a number of the one or more notification messages.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more notification messages comprise at least first address information corresponding to a respective address class and second address information corresponding to particular groups of wireless devices.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein the second address information corresponds to a one or more group addresses within the respective address class.

7. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein the second address information is further configured to communicate notification data to one or more wireless devices.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

modifying the notification status information when a change in the notification information occurs.

9. An apparatus for conveying system state information to a wireless device, comprising:

means for sending a primary message comprising data indicating notification status information; and

means for sending one or more notification messages separate from the primary message, each of the one or more notification messages addressed to at least one of the one or more wireless devices.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the notification status information comprises a current notification version.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the current notification version is a number configured to communicate changes in the notification information to the one or more wireless devices in an abbreviated manner.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the notification status information comprises a notification number indicating a number of the one or more notification messages.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the one or more notification messages comprise at least first address information corresponding to a respective address class and second address information corresponding to particular groups of devices.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the second address information corresponds to one or more group addresses within the respective address class.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the second address information is further configured to communicate notification data to one or more wireless devices

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

means for modifying the notification status information when a change in the notification information occurs.

17. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing a computer to send a primary message comprising data indicating notification status information; and

code for causing the computer to send one or more notification messages separate from the primary message, each of the one or more notification messages addressed to at least one of the one or more wireless.

18. The computer program product as defined in claim 17, wherein the notification status information comprises a current notification version.

19. The computer program product as defined in claim 18, wherein the current notification version is a number configured to communicate changes in the notification information to the one or more wireless devices in an abbreviated manner.

20. The computer program product as defined in claim 17, wherein the notification status information comprises a notification number indicating a number of the one or more notification messages.

21. The computer program product as defined in claim 17, wherein the one or more notification messages comprise at least first address information corresponding to a respective address class and second address information corresponding to particular groups of devices.

22. The computer program product as defined in claim 21, wherein the second address information corresponds to one or more group addresses within the respective address class.

23. The computer program product as defined in claim 21, wherein the second address information is further configured to communicate notification data to one or more wireless devices.

24. The computer program product as defined in claim 17, the computer-readable medium further comprising

code for causing the computer to modify the notification status information when a change in the notification information occurs.

25. A server processor for conveying system state information to a wireless device, comprising:

a first module for sending a first primary message comprising data indicating notification status information; and

a second module for sending one or more notification messages separate from the primary message, each of the one or more notification messages addressed to at least one of the one or more wireless devices.

26. The server processor as defined in claim 25, wherein the notification status information comprises a current notification version.

27. The server processor as defined in claim 26, wherein the current notification version is a number configured to communicate changes in the notification information to the one or more wireless devices in an abbreviated manner.

28. The server processor as defined in claim 25, wherein the notification status information comprises a notification number indicating a number of the one or more notification messages.

29. The server processor as defined in claim 25, wherein the one or more notification messages comprise at least first address information corresponding to a respective address class and second address information corresponding to particular groups of devices.

30. The server processor as defined in claim 29, wherein the second address information corresponds to one or more group addresses within the respective address class.

31. The server processor as defined in claim 29, wherein the second address information is further configured to communicate notification data to one or more wireless devices

32. The server processor as defined in claim 25, further comprising:

a third module for modifying the notification status information when a change in the notification information occurs.

33. A method for obtaining notification information in a wireless device, comprising:

monitoring a primary message comprising current notification status information;

comparing the current notification information status information with a previous notification status information to determine if a change in the notification status information has occurred; and

obtaining at least one addressed notification information when a change in the notification status information has been determined.

34. The method as defined in claim 33, wherein the notification status information comprises a current notification version that is compared with a previous notification version of the previous notification status information.

35. The method as defined in claim 33, wherein obtaining the at least one addressed notification information comprises monitoring a notification flow containing the at least one addressed notification information.

36. The method as defined in claim 33, wherein the at least one addressed notification message comprises at least first address information corresponding to a respective address class and second address information corresponding to one or more group addresses within the address class.

37. The method as defined in claim 33, further comprising:

determining a number of notification messages of the at least one addressed notification information.

38. The method as defined in claim 37, further comprising:

determining the number of notification messages from the primary message.

39. The method as defined in claim 33, further comprising:

determining if the at least one addressed notification information is relevant to the wireless device; and

processing the at least one addressed notification information when the information is determined to be relevant to the wireless device.

40. An apparatus for receiving notification information, comprising:

means for monitoring a primary message comprising current notification status information;

means for comparing the current notification information status information with a previous notification status information to determine if a change in the notification status information has occurred; and

means for obtaining at least one addressed notification information when a change in the notification status information has been determined.

41. The apparatus as defined in claim 40, wherein the notification status information comprises a current notification version that is compared with a previous notification version of the previous notification status information.

42. The apparatus as defined in claim 40, wherein the means for obtaining the at least one addressed notification information comprises means for monitoring a notification flow containing the at least one addressed notification information.

43. The apparatus as defined in claim 40, wherein the at least one addressed notification message comprises at least first address information corresponding to a respective address class and second address information corresponding to one or more group addresses within an address class.

44. The apparatus as defined in claim 40, further comprising:

means for determining a number of notification messages of the at least one addressed notification information.

45. The apparatus as defined in claim 44, further comprising:

means for determining the number of notification messages from the primary message.

46. The apparatus as defined in claim 40, further comprising:

means for determining if the at least one addressed notification information is relevant to the wireless device; and

means for processing the at least one addressed notification information when the information is determined to be relevant to the wireless device.

47. A computer program product, comprising:

computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing a computer to monitor a primary message comprising current notification status information;

code for causing the computer to compare the current notification information status information with a previous notification status information to determine if a change in the notification status information has occurred; and

code for causing the computer to obtain at least one addressed notification information when a change in the notification status information has been determined.

48. The computer program product as defined in claim 47, wherein the notification status information comprises a current notification version that is compared with a previous notification version of the previous notification status information.

49. The computer program product as defined in claim 47, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

code for causing a computer to obtain the at least one addressed notification information by monitoring a notification flow containing the at least one addressed notification information.

50. The computer program product as defined in claim 47, wherein the at least one addressed notification message comprises at least first address information corresponding to a respective address class and second address information corresponding to one or more group addresses within an address class.

51. The computer program product as defined in claim 47, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

code for causing a computer to determine a number of notification messages of the at least one addressed notification information.

52. The computer program product as defined in claim 51, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

code for causing a computer to determine the number of notification messages from the primary message.

53. The computer program product as defined in claim 51, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

code for causing a computer to determine the number of notification messages by monitoring a notification flow containing one or more notification messages if a change in the notification status information has been determined.

54. The computer program product as defined in claim 47, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:

code for causing a computer to determine if the at least one addressed notification information is relevant to the wireless device; and

code for causing a computer to process the at least one addressed notification information when the information is determined to be relevant to the wireless device.

55. A wireless device for receiving notification information, comprising:

a first module for monitoring a primary message comprising current notification status information;

a second module for comparing the current notification information status information with a previous notification status information to determine if a change in the notification status information has occurred; and

a third module for obtaining at least one addressed notification information when a change in the notification status information has been determined.

56. The device as defined in claim 55, wherein the notification status information comprises a current notification version that is compared with a previous notification version of the previous notification status information.

57. The device as defined in claim 55, wherein obtaining the at least one addressed notification information comprises monitoring a notification flow containing the at least one addressed notification information.

58. The device as defined in claim 55, wherein the at least one addressed notification message comprises at least first address information corresponding to a respective address class and second address information corresponding to one or more group addresses within an address class.

59. The device as defined in claim 55, further comprising:

a fourth module for determining a number of notification messages of the at least one addressed notification information.

60. The device as defined in claim 59, further comprising:

a fifth module for determining the number of notification messages from the primary message.

61. The device as defined in claim 55, further comprising:

a fourth module for determining if the at least one addressed notification information is relevant to the wireless device; and

a fifth module for processing the at least one addressed notification information when the information is determined to be relevant to the wireless device.