System and method for notifying users of an event using alerts

• US 7,162,223 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2004
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: TeamOn Systems Incorporated (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Kamat, Harshad N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Danh C.
• Application Number:
  US10/780,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20050181836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 455/567, 455/414.3, 455/414.1, 455/414.4, 455/445, 455/414.2, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 709/228, 709/246, 709/227, 709/223, 709/224, 709/207.16, 709/373.01, 707/102, 707/100, 707/104.1, 379/265.09, 379/266.01, 379/373.01, 715/739
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

An alert engine module receives an alert for an event in a generic communications format and delivers an alert for the event to a target address in a communications format that is preferred by a user based on the alert content. The generic format can be an e-mail message, such as a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) message. The alert engine can be operative to transform the alert based on a header and/or format of a target address.

Claims

1. A system for notifying a user of an event comprising:

at least one server that receives and stores a data or voice message and based on header information for the data or voice message, generates an alert as an event corresponding to the stored data or voice message in a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) that is less than the stored data or voice message; and

an alert engine module that receives the alert as the SMTP message corresponding to a stored message on the at least one server and transforms the alert one time from the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) into a communications format that is preferred by a user and delivers the alert to a target address preferred by a user, wherein the user is able to retrieve later the stored message on the at least one server based on the received alert.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said alert engine module is operative to transform the alert based on a header and/or format of a target address.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said alert engine module is operative to deliver the alert to an appropriate gateway for the communications format.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said target address comprises a mobile device.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said alert engine module is operative for transforming the alert based on the type of mobile device.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said communications format comprises a Short Messaging Service (SMS) message.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said SMS message comprises a default message for an alert.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein said communications format comprises a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) message.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein said communications format comprises an email message.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein said communications format comprises an Over-the-Air (OTA) message.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein said communications format comprises a PocketPC (PPC) message.

12. A system for notifying a user of an event by an alert comprising:

at least one server that receives and stores data or voice messages and based on header information for the data or voice messages, generates alerts as events corresponding to the stored data or voice messages in a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) that is less than the stored data or voice messages;

an input queue that receives and queues a plurality of the alerts corresponding to the stored messages on the at least one server; and

an alert engine module that pulls the alerts from the input queue and transforms each alert one time from the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) into a communications format that is preferred by a user based on alert content and delivers each alert for a respective event to a target address in the communications format preferred by a user, wherein the user is able to retrieve later the stored message on the at least one server based on the received alert.

13. A system according to claim 12, and further comprising an output queue for queuing alerts for delivery in a preferred format.

14. A system according to claim 12, wherein said alert engine module is operative to transform the alert based on a header and/or format of a target address.

15. A system according to claim 12, wherein said alert engine module is operative to deliver the alert to an appropriate gateway for the communications format.

16. A system according to claim 12, wherein said target address comprises a mobile device.

17. A system according to claim 12, wherein said alert engine is operative for transforming the received alert based on the type of mobile device.

18. A system according to claim 12, wherein said communications format comprises a Short Messaging Service (SMS) message.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein said SMS message is a default message.

20. A system according to claim 12, wherein said communications format comprises a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) message.

21. A system according to claim 12, wherein said communications format comprises an email message.

22. A system according to claim 12, wherein said communications format comprises an Over-the-Air (OTA) message.

23. A system according to claim 12, wherein said communications format comprises a PocketPC (PPC) message.

24. A method of notifying a user of an event comprising the steps of:

receiving and storing a data or voice message within a server, and based on header information for the data or voice message, generating an alert as an event corresponding to the stored data or voice message in a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) that is less than the stored data or voice message;

receiving the alert within an alert engine module;

transforming the alert one time from the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) into a communications format that is preferred by a user and delivering the alert from the alert engine module to a target address in the communications format that is preferred by a user; and

later retrieving the stored message on the at least one server based on the received alert.

25. A method according to claim 24, and further comprising the step of transforming the alert based on a header and/or format of the target address.

26. A method according to claim 24, and further comprising the step of delivering the alert to an appropriate gateway for the communications format.

27. A method according to claim 24, and further comprising the step of delivering the alert to a mobile device.

28. A method according to claim 27, and further comprising the step of delivering the alert in a communications format based on the type of mobile device.

29. A method according to claim 27, wherein said communications format comprises a Short Messaging Service (SMS) message.

30. A method according to claim 29, wherein said SMS message is a default message.

31. A method according to claim 24, wherein said communications format comprises a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) message.

32. A method according to claim 24, wherein said communications format comprises an email message.

33. A method according to claim 24, wherein said communications format comprises an Over-the-Air (OTA) message.