Enabling Push Notifications from Websites

• US 20150237151A1
• Filed: 02/20/2014
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lau, Cheuk Wan William, Dolin, Robert M., Yamini, Smriti, Tang, Lan, Jin, Larry, Roberts, Melanie Vanessa
• Granted Patent: US 9,571,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

Techniques for enabling push notifications from websites are described. In at least some embodiments, a push notification generally represents a way for a website to push information to a client device. For instance, a push notification may include content (e.g., text, images, video, audio, and so forth) that a website pushes to a client device. The content can be output via the client device, e.g., independently of an output of the website itself. According to one or more embodiments, a push notification channel is generated that enables notifications to be pushed from a website to a client device. Generally, a push notification channel represents a set of attributes and procedures that enable notifications to be securely and accurately pushed from a website to a client device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

presenting a selectable option for enabling push notification from a website to a client device;

configuring, via one or more computing devices, a push notification channel for the client device in in response to a selection of the selectable option; and

receiving a notification from the website at the client device via the push notification channel and independent of a user navigating to the website or having a browser open.

2. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said presenting comprises presenting the selectable option responsive to a navigation to the website.

3. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said presenting comprises presenting the selectable option responsive to receiving an indication that the website supports push notifications.

4. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said configuring comprises:

obtaining a channel token that enables notifications to be pushed to the client device; and

communicating the channel token to the website.

5. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 4, further comprising authenticating with a notification service that is remote from the client device prior to said obtaining, and wherein said obtaining comprises obtaining the channel token from the notification service.

6. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the notification includes content for updating a tile that is a visual representation of the website.

7. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising updating a visual representation of the website on the client device with the notification and separately from a display of the website.

8. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising outputting the notification via the client device separately from a display of the website.

9. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a channel token included as part of the push notification channel for the website is expired; and

causing the channel token to be refreshed.

11. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein said obtaining comprises obtaining the channel token from a notification service that is separate from the client device, the channel token including an embedded device identifier for the client device.

12. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein said generating comprises embedding a domain name for the website into the channel link.

13. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein said generating comprises embedding user credentials for a user account with the website into the channel link.

14. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein said generating comprises:

obtaining user identification data for a user of the client device;

encrypting the user identification data; and

placing the encrypted user identification data into the channel link.

15. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein the notification indicator comprises a visual representation of the website, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a notification from the website; and

updating the notification indicator based on the notification.

10. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

one or more computer-readable storage media including instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the at least one processor, cause the system perform operations including;

obtaining a channel token to enable push notifications from a website to a client device;

generating a channel link that includes the channel token and an identifier for the website;

mapping the channel link to a notification indicator for the website; and

communicating the channel link to the website to enable the website to push notifications from the website to the notification indicator.

16. One or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request from a website to push a notification to a client device;

retrieving a channel token from the request, the channel token including an identifier for the client device; and

determining whether to allow the notification to be pushed to the client device based at least in part on whether the channel token is determined to be trusted.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 16, further comprising determining whether the channel token is trusted based on whether a domain name indicated in the channel token matches a domain name of the website from which the channel token is received.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 16, further comprising determining whether the channel token is trusted based on one or more of:

whether subject field information in the channel token matches a subject field of a security certificate for the website;

or

whether a thumbprint indicated in the channel token matches a thumbprint of a security certificate for the website.

19. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 16, wherein said determining further comprises determining whether to allow the notification to be pushed to the client device based at least in part on whether a security certificate for the website is determined to be trusted.

20. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an indication that the channel token is revoked; and

preventing the notification from being pushed to the client device based on the channel token being revoked.