Service application with pull notification

• US 6,292,825 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1998
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Karkala, Ajay Kumar Reddy, Chang, David Yu, Wang, John Shih-Yuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/190,557
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• 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

Abstract

A method and implementing computer system is provided in which an event/notification channel of a service provider will send a brief “notification” of an arrival of a full or complete event/notification message which has been received in an event/notification channel, to all relevant pull consumers to inform the consumers that a more detailed message concerning an event being monitored has just arrived. The brief notification can be repeated for a predetermined number of times which is defined by the consumer. After sending a brief notification a predetermined number of times, the event/notification channel assumes that the pull consumer is not operational or no longer interested in the event and the event can then be discarded by the event/notification channel. The brief notification sent to the pull consumers may identify any attachments and the consumer may elect to receive the full event notification message without any or with only selected ones of the attachments. The consumer may direct the service provider to delete the attachments when the full notification is retrieved by the consumer, or the service provider may be programmed to automatically delete any attachments after a certain amount of time following retrieval of the event message by a consumer.

Claims

1. A method for use in a communication system wherein event messages are sent from a supplier to a consumer of information, said method comprising:

sending an event message from said supplier;

storing said event message at a storage location remote from said consumer until said consumer requests delivery of said event message;

sending a notification message to said consumer prior to said delivery request by said consumer, said notification message including predetermined notice information, said predetermined notice information including descriptive information related to said event message;

listing notification messages for viewing by said consumer at a consumer terminal;

enabling a consumer selection to delete selected portions of said event message; and

sending only non-deleted portions of said event message to said consumer terminal in response to said consumer selection.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said notification messages are listed according to a predetermined priority schedule.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including:

enabling said consumer to select from said listing of said notification messages to identify any of said corresponding event messages to be sent from said storage location to said consumer.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 and further including:

sending said identified event message corresponding to said selected notification message from said storage location to said consumer terminal in response to said selection by said consumer.

5. The method as set forth in claim 2 and further including:

enabling said consumer to select from said listing of said notification messages to identify any of said corresponding event messages to be sent from said storage location to said consumer.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5 and further including:

sending said identified event message corresponding to said selected notification message from said storage location to said consumer terminal in response to said selection by said consumer.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including:

enabling a consumer select portions of said event message for delivery to said consumer; and

sending only said selected portions of said event message to said consumer terminal in response to said consumer selection.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including:

filtering said notification message such that only notification messages having predetermined selected characteristics are sent to said consumer.

9. A method for use in a communication system wherein event messages are sent from a supplier to a consumer of information, said method comprising:

sending an event message from said supplier;

storing said event message at a storage location remote from said consumer until said consumer requests delivery of said event message;

sending a notification message to said consumer prior to said delivery request by said consumer, said notification message including predetermined notice information, said predetermined notice information including descriptive information related to said event message;

enabling a consumer selection to delete selected portions of said event message;

sending only non-deleted portions of said event message to said consumer terminal in response to said consumer selection; and

deleting said event messages from said storage location after a predetermined period of time following said storing.

10. A storage medium including machine readable coded indicia, said storage medium being selectively coupled to a reading device, said reading device being selectively coupled to processing circuitry within a computer system, said reading device being selectively operable to read said machine readable coded indicia and provide program signals representative thereof, said program signals being effective to send event messages from a supplier to a consumer of information, said program signals being selectively operable to accomplish the steps of:

sending an event message from said supplier;

storing said event message at a storage location remote from said consumer until said consumer requests delivery of said event message;

sending a notification message to said consumer prior to said delivery request by said consumer, said notification message including predetermined notice information, said predetermined notice information including descriptive information related to said event message;

listing notification messages for viewing by said consumer at a consumer terminal;

enabling a consumer selection to delete selected portions of said event message; and

sending only non-deleted portions of said event message to said consumer terminal in response to said consumer selection.

11. A communication system for use in sending event messages from a supplier to a consumer of information, said system comprising:

at least one supplier terminal;

a storage device; and

a consumer terminal, said supplier terminal and said storage device being located remotely from said consumer terminal, said supplier terminal being selectively operable for sending an event message addressed to said consumer terminal;

means for storing said event message in said storage device until said consumer requests delivery of said event message;

means for sending a notification message to said consumer terminal prior to said delivery request by said consumer, said notification message including predetermined notice information, said predetermined notice information including descriptive information related to said event message;

means for listing notification messages for viewing by said consumer at a consumer terminal;

enabling a consumer selection to delete selected portions of said event message; and

sending only non-deleted portions of said event message to said consumer terminal in response to said consumer selection.