METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AGGREGATING COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20100205260A1
• Filed: 02/12/2009
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semtech Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sierra Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Daskalopoulos, Vasilios Vasilios, Vos, Gustav Gerald
• Granted Patent: US 8,924,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/256 NAT traversal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing

Abstract

The present invention provides for method, system, and apparatus for facilitating communication between a first set of networked devices, such as client devices, and a second networked device, such as a server. A query message is transmitted from a representative device of the first set of networked devices, to the second networked device. The representative device may be selected in several ways. A response message may be transmitted from the second networked device, the message comprising an indication of devices from the first set of networked devices for which communications are pending. The response message is processed and devices identified in the response message are notified.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating communication between a first set of two or more networked devices and a second networked device, the method comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting a query message from a representative device to the second networked device, the representative device belonging to the first set of two or more networked devices; and

b) providing one or more responses to the query message by the second networked device, wherein the one or more responses facilitate transmission of one or more communications pending from the second networked device to a member of the first set of two or more networked devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing one or more responses includes transmitting a response message from the second networked device, the response message comprising an indication of a subset of the first set of two or more networked devices for which one or more communications are pending, the method further comprising the steps of:

c) processing the response message to identify one or more networked devices belonging to the subset; and

d) sending a notification to each networked device identified in the subset.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

selecting the representative device from the first set of two or more networked devices, wherein selecting is performed based on predetermined criteria.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the response message is received and processed at the representative device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the representative device sends the notification to each networked device in the subset of the first set of two or more networked devices.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein upon reception of the notification the networked device queries the second networked device for the one or more communications pending.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the query message defines which networked devices of the first set of networked devices are associated with the representative device.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the query message defines a maximum number of indications for inclusion in the response message.

9. A system for facilitating communication between a first set of two or more networked devices and a second networked device, the system comprising:

a) means for transmitting a query message from a representative device to the second networked device, the representative device belonging to the first set of two or more networked devices; and

b) means for providing one or more responses to the query message by the second networked device, wherein the one or more responses are configured to facilitate transmission of one or more communications pending from the second networked device to members of the first set of two or more networked devices.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for providing one or more responses by the second networked device includes means for transmitting a response message from the second networked device, the response message comprising an indication of a subset of the first set of two or more networked devices for which one or more communications are pending, the system further comprising:

c) means for processing the response message to identify one or more networked devices belonging to the subset; and

d) means for notifying networked devices identified therein.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the response message is received and processed by the representative device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the representative device sends the notification to each networked device in the subset of the first set of two or more networked devices.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein upon reception of the notification the networked device is configured to query the second networked device for the one or more communications pending.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the query message defines which networked devices of the first set of networked devices are associated with the representative device.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the query message defines a maximum number of indications for inclusion in the response message.

16. A computer readable medium having recorded thereon statements and instructions for execution by one or more computers to carry out a method for facilitating communication between a first set of two or more networked devices and a second networked device, the method comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting a query message from a representative device to the second networked device, the representative device belonging to the first set of two or more networked devices; and

b) providing one or more responses to the query message by the second networked device, wherein the one or more responses facilitate transmission of one or more communications pending from the second networked device to a member of the first set of two or more networked devices;

c) processing the response message to identify one or more networked devices belonging to the subset; and

d) sending a notification to each networked device identified in the subset.