Polling-based secure network message notification system and method with performance enhancing features

• US 20120036208A1
• Filed: 07/01/2011
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Desktop Alert Inc.
• Original Assignee: Desktop Alert Inc.
• Inventors: Beisel, Philipp W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,172,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1863 comprising mechanisms for improved reliability, e.g. status reports arrangements for detecting or preventing errors by carrying supervisory signal the return channel H04L1/16
• 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 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

A method for the dissemination of an alert message to a plurality of personal computers using a network communications protocol from a server is disclosed that includes a first step wherein the client contacts the central server and requests the value of said alert ID number in said memory, a second step wherein said server transmits said value to said client, a third step wherein said client compares a stored value at the client with the value of the transmitted alert ID number, and if said transmitted value exceeds said stored value, a fourth step wherein said client transmits a second message to said server and requests for the server to transmit all unread alert messages in a GetUnreadAlerts SOAP request from said server that are specific to said client.

Claims

1. An improved method for the dissemination of an alert message to a plurality of personal computers using a network communications protocol, said computers comprising clients, each said clients subscribing to a central server, said server comprising an alert message cache, said server adapted to receive and store alert messages, and said server adapted to generate and store alert ID numbers, said method comprising,

a first step wherein said client contacts the central server and requests the value of said alert ID number in said memory, said value reflecting the number of alert messages received by said central server,

a second step wherein said server transmits said value to said client,

a third step wherein said client compares a stored value at the client with the value of the transmitted alert ID number, and

if said transmitted value exceeds said stored value, a fourth step wherein said client transmits a second message to said server and requests for the server to transmit all unread alert messages in a GetUnreadAlerts request from said server that are specific to said client, and

if there are unread alert messages specific to said client in said server, a fifth step wherein said server sends to client all unread alert messages specific to the client, and,

a further step wherein said client updates the stored value in its memory to reflect the number of additional unread alert messaged transmitted from said server to said client in response to said second message.

2. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said client will contact said server at predetermined polling frequencies.

3. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said communications between said clients and said servers uses a SOAP protocol.

4. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said first communications between said clients and said servers uses a HTTP protocol and said second message from said client requesting unread alerts uses a SOAP protocol.

5. The method recited in claim 4 wherein said first communications between said clients and said servers uses a HTTP GET protocol and said second message from said client requesting unread alerts uses a SOAP protocol.

6. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said communication proceeds according to an RCP protocol.

7. The method recited in claim 6 further comprises a RPC/UDP protocol.

8. The method recited in claim 6 further comprises a RPC/TCP protocol.

9. An improved method for the dissemination of alert messages to a plurality of personal computers using a network communications protocols, said computers comprising clients, each said clients subscribing to a central server, said server comprising a memory adapted to receive and store alert messages, and alert ID number numbers and to assign an ID number value to each alert message received by said server, said method comprising,

a first step wherein a client transmits a GetUnreadAlerts SOAP request that includes authentication data,

second step wherein in response to said GetUnreadAlerts SOAP request from said client, said server transmits a protocol number and a temporary user token, wherein in response request unread alert messages and communicate to said server it intends to communicate with the Conventional SOAP protocol, or in response to receiving protocol number 2, said client may proceed with the improved protocol in claim 1, and wherein said temporary token comprises a value created in response to said first GetUnreadAlerts authenticated SOAP message, and a further step where said temporary token value is transmitted to said server and a further step wherein said server compares said value with the value of the token stored at said server and if the values are equal, the communication will proceed and if the values are not equal and error message is generated that requires the client to obtain a new token.

10. The method recited in claim 9 wherein said temporary tokens change values each time that a client contacts said server.

11. The method recited in claim 9, wherein said token changes value after a predetermined time period has elapsed.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said alert message comprises:

the date the message was received by said server, a time the message was received by said server, a date the message was sent to said client, a time the message was sent to said client, content of the message and combinations thereof.

13. A system for providing alert messages to a plurality of clients using a polling-based network, said system comprising a plurality of clients, at least one server in communication with said clients using a network connection, said central server provided with input devices to receive alert messages, and a database, said database for storing said alert messages, and said processor having programming instructions to create and store an alert ID value corresponding to alert messages stored in said database, and said clients adapted to communicate with said server using an RCP communications protocol wherein said protocol further comprises a first communication from said client to said server requesting a Get Alert Messages using a SOAP communications protocol and wherein said client is transmitted an Alert ID message value from said server to said client, and if said Alert ID message value matches a stored message value, the client will further request from said server any alert messages to which it subscribes.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said server further comprising an application programming interface controls the administrator interface and provides at least one instruction to the administrator interface for creating said alert messages and transmitting said alert messages to the user contact devices.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising display devices at said clients and at said server wherein said client displays, display said alter messages.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein said database is an SQL™

database, MySQL™

database, an Oracle™

database, another industry standard database, or combinations thereof.