GENERIC PAGING SERVICE FOR THIRD-PARTY APPLICATIONS OVER WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20110105154A1
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, Byoung-Jo
• Granted Patent: US 8,655,392 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

System(s), method(s), and device(s) that provide generic paging service for applications, including third-party applications, over a wireless network are presented. A mobile device generates a token that is used to prove an existing relationship with, and is provided to, an application server, which can relate to a third-party application. The server includes a paging initiator component that presents the token to a paging coordinator component in the network to facilitate proving the server'"'"'s relationship with, and triggering paging of, the mobile device, without the server having to establish a prior relationship with the network. The paging coordinator component can verify the token to ensure that the initiated paging event is a legitimate paging, and, when verified, transmits the paging to the mobile device. In response, the mobile device can switch out of power-saving dormant mode and establish an IP connection to the server to retrieve a notification(s).

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a network that facilitates communication associated with at least one communication device; and

a paging coordinator component that receives a token from a server in relation to initiation of a page of the at least one communication device, and determines whether to page the at least one communication device based at least in part on whether the token is verified.

2. The system of claim 1, the server is associated with at least one of an application, a service, or a function that is associated with a third party, which does not have a relationship with the network and the paging coordinator component.

3. The system of claim 1, the paging coordinator component generates and transmits a page to the at least one communication device when the paging coordinator component determines that the token is verified based at least in part on predefined paging criteria.

4. The system of claim 3, the token comprises an identifier associated with the at least one communication device, an identifier associated with the server, and a shared secret between the paging coordinator component and the at least one communication device.

5. The system of claim 3, the predefined paging criteria provides that a token is verified when the identifier associated with the at least one communication device contained in the token matches an identifier known to be associated with the at least one communication device by the paging coordinator component.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein at least the identifier associated with the at least one communication device is modified when the token is generated based at least in part on at least one of the shared secret between the paging coordinator component and the at least one communication device, or a shared secret between the server and the at least one communication device.

7. The system of claim 6, the paging coordinator component identifies the at least the identifier associated with the at least one communication device in the token using the at least one of the shared secret between the paging coordinator component and the at least one communication device, or a shared secret between the server and the at least one communication device.

8. The system of claim 1, the paging coordinator component does not issue a page to the at least one communication device when the paging coordinator component determines that the token is not verified.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the at least one communication device which communicates with the server at desired times, wherein the at least one communication device further comprising;

at least one client application that generates the token comprising an identifier associated with the at least one communication device, an identifier associated with the server, and a shared secret between the paging coordinator component and the at least one communication device.

10. The system of claim 9, the client application modifies at least the identifier associated with the at least one communication device to hide an actual value of the identifier associated with the at least one communication device from at least the server.

11. The system of claim 10, the client application modifies the at least the identifier associated with the at least one communication device using a hash function or value.

12. The system of claim 9, the client application transfers the at least one communication device from a dormant state to an active state or a semi-active state in response to the page of the at least one communication device and determines whether to initiate a connection with the server.

13. The system of claim 1, the at least one communication device is at least one of a cellular phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a computer, a television, a gaming console, a set-top box, or a printer.

14. A method for paging associated with a mobile communication device, comprising:

receiving a token relating to initiating paging of the mobile communication device; and

determining whether to page the mobile communication device based at least in part on the token.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving the token from a paging initiator that is associated with at least one of an application, a service, or a function, which is associated with a third party that does not have a relationship with a network and a paging coordinator component.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

obtaining a shared secret between the mobile communication device and a paging coordinator component associated with a network;

discovering information, comprising an identifier associated with the mobile communication device, in the token using at least the shared secret;

verifying the token as valid when the discovered information matches information associated with the mobile communication device, which is known to the paging coordinator component, to prove that a relationship exists between the mobile communication device and a paging initiator initiating the paging of the mobile communication device;

locating the mobile communication device when the token is verified as valid; and

paging the mobile communication device when the token is verified as valid.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transferring the mobile communication device from a dormant state to an active state or a semi-active state in response to paging of the mobile communication device; and

at least one of;

connecting to a paging initiator that initiated the paging of the mobile communication device, or

deciding to not connect to the paging initiator at a current time.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

establishing a relationship between the mobile communication device and a paging initiator;

generating the token based at least in part on a shared secret; and

transmitting the token to the paging initiator to facilitate paging of the mobile communication device by the paging initiator.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

establishing a relationship between the mobile communication device and a paging initiator;

receiving the token; and

presenting the token to the paging coordinator component to initiate the paging of the mobile communication device.

20. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a token relating to initiating paging of a communication device; and

means for determining whether to page the communication device based at least in part on the token.