Method and apparatus for providing awareness-triggered push

• US 6,311,206 B1
• Filed: 01/13/1999
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yu, Philip Shi-lung, Malkin, Peter Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/231,081
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/224, 709/202, 709/219, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and a computer program device for pushing data from at least one source entity to at least one client entity over a network, a client entity being characterized as having a particular operating state. The method and computer program device comprise the steps of: transferring data from the at least one source entity to a push proxy entity for subsequent transmission of the data to the client entity; requesting a notification regarding the particular state of the client entity; monitoring a state of the client entity until the client entity is in the particular operating state and sending a notification communicating the state to the push proxy entity; and transferring data to the client entity in response to receiving the notification. The state notification may specify push information, which may be used to determine a least expensive device to which to transfer given data. The state notification also reduces the network-polling load by initiating each poll.

Claims

1. A method for pushing data from at least one source entity to at least one client entity over a network, a client entity being characterized as having a particular operating state, said method comprising the steps of:

a. transferring data from said at least one source entity to a push proxy entity for subsequent transmission of said data to said client entity;

b. requesting a notification regarding said particular state of said client entity;

c. monitoring a state of said client entity until said client entity is in said particular operating state and sending a notification communicating said state to said push proxy entity; and

d. transferring data to said client entity in response to receiving said notification.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said source entity includes said push proxy entity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein data is transferred using information specified in said notification.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said particular operating state includes said client entity being connected to said network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said particular operating state includes a type of connection of said client entity to said network.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said particular operating state includes a specific client entity being connected to said network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said particular operating state includes a type of connection of said specific client entity to said network.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein said particular operating state includes a specific user being connected to said network, an address of said specific user'"'"'s current device is returned in said notification.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said particular operating state includes said specific user using a particular client entity.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein said particular operating state includes said client entity running a particular application.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said particular operating state includes a manner in which said client is running a particular application.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein said particular operating state is determined by actively monitoring said client entity.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said active monitoring of said client entity is performed by polling of said client entity on said network.

14. The method of claim 3, wherein said particular operating state is determined by a communication from said client entity.

15. The method of claim 3, wherein said particular operating state is determined by a communication from one or more entities in said network.

16. The method of claim 3, further including a step of determining a least expensive method to transfer said data to said client entity based upon said particular operating state.

17. A system for pushing data from at least one source device to at least one client over a network, a client device being characterized as having a particular operating state, said system comprising the steps of:

a. a push proxy device for receiving data to be pushed to said client from said at least one source device and requesting a notification regarding said particular state of said client entity from a monitoring device in response to receipt of said data;

b. said monitoring device determining a state of said client entity until said client entity is in said particular operating state and sending a notification communicating said state to said push proxy device; and

c. said push proxy device transferring data to said client device in response to receiving said notification.

18. The means of claim 17, wherein said source entity includes said push proxy entity.

19. A computer program device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for pushing data from at least one source entity to at least one client entity over a network, a client entity being characterized as having a particular operating state, said method comprising the steps of:

a. transferring data from said at least one source entity to a push proxy entity for subsequent transmission of said data to said client entity;

b. requesting a notification regarding said particular state of said client entity;

c. monitoring a state of said client entity until said client entity is in said particular operating state and sending a notification communicating said state to said push proxy entity; and

d. transferring data to said client entity in response to receiving said notification.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said source entity includes said push proxy entity.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein data is transferred using information specified in said notification.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said particular operating state includes said client entity being connected to said network.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said particular operating state includes a type of connection of said client entity to said network.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said particular operating state includes a specific client entity being connected to said network.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said particular operating state includes a type of connection of said specific client entity to said network.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein said particular operating state includes a specific user being connected to said network, an address of said specific user'"'"'s current device is returned in said notification.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said particular operating state includes said specific user using a particular client entity.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein said particular operating state includes said client entity running a particular application.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said particular operating state includes a manner in which said client is running a particular application.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein said particular operating state is determined by actively monitoring said client entity.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said active monitoring of said client entity is performed by polling of said client entity on said network.

32. The method of claim 21, wherein said particular operating state is determined by a communication from said client entity.

33. The method of claim 21, wherein said particular operating state is determined by a communication from one or more entities in said network.

34. The method of claim 21, further including a step of determining a least expensive method to transfer said data to said client entity based upon said particular operating state.