A Method, Nodes and a Communication Device for Handling Feedback Information

• US 20160119411A1
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Niemoeller, Joerg, Trnkvist, Robert, Fersman, Elena, Goedde, Curtis, Liang, Hongxin
• Granted Patent: US 9,705,975 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/16 Arrangements for providing special services to substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54

Abstract

A method for and a feedback node capable of making feedback information provided from communication devices accessible to an application server, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server, the feedback node comprising a processor and a memory comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes the feedback node to: receive a second set of instructions from the application server, instructing the feedback node, under which conditions to provide feedback information from at least one of the communication devices to the application server; received feedback information from the at least one communication device, and forward the received feedback information to the application server according the second set of instructions.

Claims

1-44. -44. (canceled)

45. A method executed in an application server for accessing feedback information from communication devices, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server, the method comprising:

transmitting a first set of instructions to at least one of the communication devices, instructing the at least one communication device under which conditions to provide the feedback information from the at least one communication device to the application server via a feedback node, wherein the feedback node is a node other than the node via which user content associated with the service is provided from the application server to the at least one communication device, and

receiving feedback information provided from the at least one communication device via the feedback node, according to the first set of instructions.

46. The method according to claim 45, wherein the first set of instructions is transmitted to the at least one communication device via the feedback node.

47. The method according to claim 45, comprising an initial step of:

transmitting, for each of the at least one service, to the feedback node, a respective plug-in, the plug-in being configured to handle protocol conversions between the respective service and the feedback node.

48. The method according to claim 45, comprising an initial step of:

adding, to each of the at least one service, a respective adapter layer, the adapter layer being configured to support a protocol applied by the feedback node.

49. The method according to claim 45, comprising the further step of:

transmitting a second set of instructions to the feedback node, instructing the feedback node under which conditions to provide feedback information from the at least one of the communication devices, and

receiving feedback information provided from the at least one of the communication devices via the feedback node, according to the second set of instructions.

50. The method according to claim 49, wherein at least one of the first and second set of instructions comprise aggregation instructions instructing the application server or the at least one communication device under which conditions to aggregate and transmit feedback information provided from the at least one communication device towards the application server.

51. The method according to claim 45, comprising the further steps of:

executing an action, based on the received feedback information, and

transmitting data resulting from the executed action to the at least one communication device, via the feedback node.

52. A method executed in a feedback node for making feedback information provided from communication devices accessible to an application server, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server, the method comprising:

receiving a second set of instructions from the application server, instructing the feedback node, being a node other than the node via which user content associated with the service is provided to at least one of the communication device, under which conditions to provide feedback information from at least one of the communication devices to the application server;

receiving feedback information from the at least one communication device, and

forwarding the received feedback information to the application server, according the second set of instructions.

53. The method according to claim 52, comprising the further steps of:

receiving a first set of instructions from the application server, instructing at least one of the communication devices under which conditions to provide feedback information from the respective communication device to the application server via the feedback node, and

forwarding the first set of instructions to the at least one communication device.

54. The method according to claim 52, further comprising, following the reception of the second set of instructions:

recognizing a trigger to request feedback information from at least one of the communication devices, according to the second set of instructions,

transmitting the triggered request for feedback information,

receiving feedback information in response to the request,

and forwarding the received feedback information, according to the second set of instructions.

55. A method executed in a communication device for making feedback information provided from the communication device accessible to an application server, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server to the communication device, the method comprising:

receiving a first set of instructions from the application server, instructing the communication device under which conditions to provide feedback information from the communication device to the application server via the feedback node, the feedback node being a node other than the node via which user content associated with the service is provided to the communication device;

acquiring feedback information associated with the at least one service,

determining, based on the first set of instructions, that the feedback information is to be provided to the application server via the feedback node, and

providing thefeedback information towards the application server via the feedback node according to the first set of instructions.

56. The method according to claim 55, wherein the providing step comprises aggregating the acquired feedback information together with additional feedback information according to aggregation instructions provided in the first set of instructions, before the feedback information is transmitted towards the application server via the feedback node.

57. The method according to claim 56, wherein the aggregation instructions comprise instructions to aggregate feedback information according to at least one of:

aggregating all feedback information associated with a specific communication device and one or more specific applications running on that communication device, and

aggregating all feedback information associated with a specific application from a specific group of communication devices.

58. The method according to claim 55, comprising the further step of acquiring the feedback information upon identifying the occurrence of a trigger event indicated in the first set of instructions.

59. The method according to claim 55, comprising the further step of acquiring the feedback information upon receiving a request for feedback information from the feedback node.

60. The method according to claim 55, wherein the first set of instructions comprise instructions to provide feedback information to the application server via the feedback node according to at least one of:

upon determining by the communication device that a channel other than any channel used by the feedback node for providing feedback information from the communication device to the application server is un-accessible;

upon determining by the communication device that the capacity of a channel other than any channel used by the feedback node for providing feedback information from the communication device to the application server has fallen below a certain threshold value;

upon predicting by the communication device that the capacity of a channel other than any channel used by the feedback node for providing feedback information from the communication device to the application server is about to fall below a certain threshold value;

at a specified time interval, and

upon receiving a request for specific feedback information from the application server.

61. The method according to claim 55, wherein the first set of instructions comprise instructions to provide feedback information to the application server according to at least one of:

at a specific time interval, and

upon receiving a request for specific feedback information from the application server.

62. An application server configured to access feedback information from communication devices, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server, the application server comprising a processor and a memory storing executable code, which when executed by the processor causes the application server to:

transmit a first set of instructions to at least one of the communication devices, instructing the at least one communication device under which conditions to provide the feedback information from the at least one communication device to the application server via a feedback node, wherein the feedback node is a node other than the node via which user content associated with the service is provided from the application server to the at least one communication device, and

receive feedback information provided from the at least one communication device via the feedback node, according to the first set of instructions.

63. The application server according to claim 62, further comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes the application server to transmit the first set of instructions to the at least one communication device via the feedback node.

64. The application server according to claim 62, further comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes the application server to transmit, for each of the at least one service, to the feedback node, a respective plug-in, the plug-in being configured to handle protocol conversions between the respective service and the feedback node.

65. The application server according to claim 62, further comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes the application server to add, to each of the at least one service, a respective adapter layer, the adapter layer being configured to support a protocol applied by the feedback node.

66. The application server according to claim 62, further comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes the application server to:

transmit a second set of instructions to the feedback node, instructing the feedback node under which conditions to provide feedback information from the at least one of the communication devices, and

receive feedback information provided from the at least one of the communication devices via the feedback node according to the second set of instructions.

67. The application server according to claim 66, further comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes the application server to provide at least one of the first and second sets of instructions comprising aggregation instructions instructing the at least one communication device and/or the feedback node under which conditions to aggregate and transmit feedback information provided from the communication devices towards the application server via the feedback node.

68. The application server according to claim 62, further comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes the application server to:

execute an action based on the received feedback information, and

transmit, to the at least one communication device, via the feedback node, data resulting from the executed action.

69. A first computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for enabling an application server to access feedback information from communication devices, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server, the first computer program comprising executable code which when run on a computer of the application server causes the application server to:

transmit a first set of instructions to at least one of the communication devices, instructing the at least one communication device under which conditions to provide the feedback information from the at least one communication device to the application server via a feedback node, wherein the feedback node is a node other than the node via which user content associated with the service is provided from the application server to the at least one communication device, and

receive feedback information provided from the at least one communication device via the feedback node according to the first set of instructions.

70. A feedback node configured to make feedback information provided from communication devices accessible to an application server, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server, the feedback node comprising a processor and a memory storing executable code which when executed by the processor causes the feedback node to:

receive a second set of instructions from the application server, instructing the feedback node, being a node other than the node via which user content associated with the service is provided to at least one of the communication device, under which conditions to provide feedback information from at least one of the communication devices to the application server;

receive feedback information from the at least one communication device, and

forward the received feedback information to the application server, according the second set of instructions.

71. The feedback node according to claim 70, further comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes the feedback node to receive, from the feedback node, for each of the at least one service, and activate a respective plug-in, the plug-in being configured to handle protocol conversions between the respective service and the feedback node.

72. The feedback node according to claim 70, further comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes the feedback node to aggregate feedback information provided from at least one of the communication devices towards the application server, according to instructions forming part of the second set of instructions.

73. The feedback node according to claim 70, further comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes the feedback node to:

receive a first set of instructions from the application server, instructing at least one of the communication devices under which conditions to provide feedback information from the respective communication device to the application server via the feedback node, and

forward the first set of instructions to the at least one communication device.

74. The feedback node according to claim 70, further comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes the feedback node to recognize a trigger to transmit a request for feedback information to the at least one communication device according to a periodicity indicated in the second set of instructions;

to transmit such a request and to forward feedback information received in response to such a request, as indicated in the second set of instructions.

75. A feedback node configured to make feedback information provided from communication devices accessible to an application server, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server, the feedback node comprising:

a receiving module configured to receive a second set of instructions from the application server, instructing the feedback node, being a node other than the node via which user content associated with the service is provided to at least one of the communication device, under which conditions to provide feedback information from at least one of the communication devices to the application server and for receiving feedback information from the at least one communication device, and

a transmitting module configured to forward the received feedback information to the application server according the second set of instructions.

76. A second computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for enabling a feedback node to make feedback information provided from communication devices accessible to an application server, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server, the second computer program comprising executable code which when run on a computer of the feedback node causes the computer to:

receive a second set of instructions from the application server, instructing the feedback node, being a node other than the node via which user content associated with the service is provided to at least one of the communication device, under which conditions to provide feedback information from at least one of the communication devices to the application server;

receive feedback information from the at least one communication device; and

forward the received feedback information to the application server according the second set of instructions.

77. A communication device configured to make feedback information from the communication device accessible to an application server, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server to the communication device, the communication device comprising a processor and a memory storing executable code which when executed by the processor causes the communication device to:

receive a first set of instructions from the application server, instructing the communication device under which conditions to provide feedback information from the communication device to the application server via the feedback node, the feedback node being a node other than the node via which user content associated with the service is provided to the communication device;

acquire feedback information associated with the at least one service;

determine, based on the first set of instructions, that the feedback information is to be provided to the application server via the feedback node, and

transmit the feedback information towards the application server via the feedback node, according to the first set of instructions.

78. The communication device according to claim 77, further comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes the communication device to transmit the feedback information towards the application server after having aggregated the acquired feedback information together with additional feedback information, according to aggregation instructions provided in the first set of instructions, before the feedback information is transmitted towards the application server via the feedback node.

79. The communication device according to claim 77, further comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes communication device to acquire the feedback information upon identifying the occurrence of a trigger event indicated in the first set of instructions.

80. The communication device according to claim 78, further comprising executable code which when executed by the processor causes communication device to acquire the feedback information upon receiving a request for feedback information from the feedback node.

81. A communication device configured to make feedback information from the communication device accessible to an application server, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server to the communication device, the communication device comprising:

a receiving module configured to receive a first set of instructions from the application server, instructing the communication device under which conditions to provide feedback information from the communication device to the application server via the feedback node, the feedback node being a node other than the node via which user content associated with the service is provided to the communication device;

a feedback module configured to acquire feedback information associated with the at least one service;

a determining module configured to determine, based on the first set of instructions, that the feedback information is to be provided to the application server via the feedback node, and

a transmitting module configured to transmit the feedback information towards the application server via the feedback node, according to the first set of instructions.

82. A third computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for making feedback information provided from the communication device accessible to an application server, the feedback information being associated with at least one service provided by the application server to the communication device, the third computer program comprising executable code which when run on a computer of the feedback node causes the feedback node to:

receive a first set of instructions from the application server, instructing the communication device under which conditions to provide feedback information from the communication device to the application server via the feedback node, the feedback node being a node other than the node via which user content associated with the service is provided to the communication device;

acquire feedback information associated with the at least one service,

determine, based on the first set of instructions, that the feedback information is to be provided to the application server via the feedback node; and

transmit the feedback information towards the application server via the feedback node according to the first set of instructions.