Reception notification control method and system

• US 7,933,963 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Shinji, Funato, Daichi, Yoshikawa, Kunio, Onishi, Taku, Miyake, Motoharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Boutah; Alina N
• Assistant Examiner(s): John; Clarence
• Application Number:
  US12/209,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20090019125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 370/352, 455/3.01
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1432 Metric aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

A reception notification control method is provided in which an information server that stores information addressed to reception terminals and performs reception notification, via a network apparatus, on each of the reception terminals to which the information stored in the information server is addressed. After receiving, via the network apparatus, a predetermined connection request from a reception terminal to which stored information is addressed, the information server performs the reception notification on the reception terminal.

Claims

1. A reception notification control method for making a reception notification, via a network apparatus, to reception terminals from an information server that stores information addressed to each of the reception terminals, the method comprising:

storing, in the information server, information addressed to an arbitrary reception terminal;

classifying the information addressed to each of the reception terminals, arriving at the information server, into instant delivery information which requires instant delivery and non-instant delivery information which does not require instant delivery, based on identification information which is added to the information addressed to each of the reception terminals at a distribution source of said information, when storing said information in the information server; and

making a reception notification of the non-instant delivery information addressed to said arbitrary reception terminal from the information server, via the network apparatus, to the arbitrary reception terminal, the reception notification being triggered by a HTTP connection request transmitted from the arbitrary reception terminal and received via the network apparatus for establishing a HTTP packet link therebetween to receive a service unrelated to e-mail retrieval, the reception notification of the information server being provided via the established HTTP packet link between the arbitrary reception terminal and the network apparatus thereby avoiding a further HTTP packet link establishment to the information server for receiving the reception notification;

wherein the reception notification is provided together with the unrelated service.

2. The reception notification control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of making the reception notification includes:

determining, when storing the information addressed to the arbitrary reception terminal in the information server, whether the arbitrary reception terminal, to which the information is addressed, is in communication with the network apparatus via a HTTP packet link, based on intrinsic information of the arbitrary reception terminal included in the information; and

making the reception notification to the arbitrary reception terminal from the information server when it is determined that the arbitrary reception terminal is in communication with the network apparatus via the HTTP packet link.

3. The reception notification control method as claimed claim 1, wherein the step of making the reception notification includes:

holding, in the information server, information having predetermined identification information attached thereto among the classified information; and

making the reception notification to the arbitrary reception terminal, upon receipt of a predetermined HTTP connection request, via the network apparatus, from the arbitrary reception terminal to which the held information is addressed.

4. The reception notification control method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the predetermined identification information indicates whether the information to be distributed requires instant delivery.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reception notification identifies information corresponding to the arbitrary reception terminal.

6. The reception notification control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification information which is added includes a discount flag added to each non-instant delivery information indicating that the non-instant delivery information is deliverable at a lower communication price rate than the instant delivery information.

7. A reception notification control method in which an information server that stores e-mail addressed to reception terminals, makes a reception notification to each of the reception terminals via a network apparatus, with a node device interposed between the network apparatus and the information server, the method comprising:

classifying the e-mail addressed to each of the reception terminals, arriving at the information server, into instant delivery e-mail which requires instant delivery and non-instant delivery e-mail which does not require instant delivery, based on identification information which is added to the e-mail addressed to each of the reception terminals at a distribution source of said e-mail, when storing said e-mail in the information server;

determining a communication state of an arbitrary reception terminal in accordance with a control signal that is transmitted when a HTTP packet link is established between the arbitrary reception terminal and the network apparatus, inquiring the information server whether the information server stores e-mail addressed to the arbitrary reception terminal when it is determined that the arbitrary reception terminal has established the HTTP packet link with the network apparatus to receive a service unrelated to e-mail retrieval; and

making a reception notification of the non-instant delivery e-mail addressed to the arbitrary reception terminal depending on a result of the inquiry over the established HTTP packet link together with the unrelated service,

each of said determining and said making being carried out by the node device.

8. A reception notification control method as claimed claim 7, wherein the step of making the reception notification includes:

registering, in the node device, the communication state of the arbitrary reception terminal in a call information management table, when it is determined that the arbitrary reception terminal is in communication with the network apparatus;

acquiring, in the node device, the communication state of the arbitrary reception terminal from the call information management table, when a call for the arbitrary reception terminal is received from the information server; and

making the reception notification from the node device to the arbitrary reception terminal using a predetermined packet link that is established in advance, when it is determined that the arbitrary reception terminal is in communication with the network apparatus.

9. The reception notification control method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the node device is provided with a packet conversion function that enables the node device to make a communication with the arbitrary reception terminal via the network apparatus.

10. The reception notification control method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the communication between the network apparatus and the node device is made via a protocol conversion device that has a packet conversion function and enables the node device to make a communication with the arbitrary reception terminal via the network apparatus.

11. The reception notification control method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the information server and the node device are separate devices.

12. A reception notification control method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the identification information which is added includes a discount flag added to each non-instant delivery e-mail indicating that the non-instant delivery e-mail is deliverable at a lower communication price rate than the instant delivery e-mail.

13. A reception notification system for making a reception notification, via a network apparatus, to reception terminals from an information server that stores e-mail addressed to each of the reception terminals, the system comprising:

a classifying part configured to classify the e-mail addressed to each of the reception terminals, arriving at the information server, into instant delivery e-mail which requires instant delivery and non-instant delivery e-mail which does not require instant delivery, based on identification information which is added to the e-mail addressed to each of the reception terminals at a distribution source of said e-mail, when storing said e-mail in the information server;

a reception notification trigger receiving part configured to receive a HTTP connection request for establishing an HTTP packet link, the request being transmitted from an arbitrary reception terminal to which e-mail stored in the information server is addressed and received via the network apparatus; and

a reception notifying part configured to make a reception notification of the non-instant delivery e-mail addressed to the arbitrary reception terminal, the reception notification being triggered when the reception notification trigger receiving part receives the HTTP connection request,

the reception notification trigger receiving part and the reception notifying part being provided in the information server and the reception notification packet being provided via the HTTP packet link established between the arbitrary reception terminal and the network apparatus for delivering a service unrelated to e-mail retrieval, thereby avoiding a further packet link establishment to the information server for receiving the reception notification as the reception notification being provided together with the unrelated service.

14. The reception notification system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

a determining part included in the information server and configured to determine, when storing the e-mail addressed to the arbitrary reception terminal in the information server, whether the arbitrary reception terminal, to which the e-mail is addressed, has established the HTTP packet link with the network apparatus, based on intrinsic information of the arbitrary reception terminal included in the e-mail,

wherein the reception notifying makes the reception notification to the arbitrary reception terminal when the determining part determines that the arbitrary reception terminal has established the HTTP packet link with the network apparatus.

15. The reception notification system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

an e-mail holding part included in the information server and configured to hold e-mail having predetermined identification information among the e-mail classified by the classifying part,

wherein the reception notification part makes the reception notification to the arbitrary reception terminal, upon receipt of a predetermined HTTP connection request, via the network apparatus, from the arbitrary reception terminal to which the e-mail held by the e-mail holding part is addressed.

16. The reception notification system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the predetermined identification information indicates whether the e-mail to be distributed requires instant delivery.

17. A reception notification system in which an information server that stores e-mail addressed to reception terminals and makes a reception notification to each of the reception terminals via a network apparatus with a node device interposed between the network apparatus and the information server, the system comprising:

a classifying part configured to classify the e-mail addressed to each of the reception terminals, arriving at the information server, into instant delivery e-mail which requires instant delivery and non-instant delivery e-mail which does not require instant delivery, based on identification information which is added to the e-mail addressed to each of the reception terminals at a distribution source of said e-mail, when storing said e-mail in the information server;

a communication state determining part configured to determine a communication state of an arbitrary reception terminal in accordance with a control signal that is transmitted when a HTTP packet link is established between the arbitrary reception terminal and the network apparatus to access a service unrelated to e-mail retrieval;

a stored information inquiring part configured to inquire the information server whether the information server stores e-mail addressed to the arbitrary reception terminal, when the communication state determining part determines that the arbitrary reception terminal has established the HTTP packet link with the network apparatus; and

a reception notifying part configured to make a reception notification of the non-instant delivery e-mail addressed to the arbitrary reception terminal depending on a result of the inquiry made by the stored information inquiring part and the reception notification being provided via the HTTP packet link between the arbitrary reception terminal and the network apparatus thereby avoiding a further packet link establishment to the information server for receiving the reception notification as the reception notification is provided together with the unrelated service;

each of the communication state determining part, the stored information inquiring part, and the reception notifying part being provided in the node device.

18. A reception notification as claimed in claim 17, further comprising:

a call information managing part, included in the node device, and configured to register the communication state of the arbitrary reception terminal in a call information management table, when the communication state determining part determines that the arbitrary reception terminal is in communication with the network apparatus; and

a communication state acquiring part, included in the node device, and configured to acquire the communication state of the arbitrary reception terminal from the call information management table, when a call for the arbitrary reception terminal is received from the information server.

19. An information server for making a reception notification to reception terminals via a network apparatus, comprising:

a storage part configured to store e-mail addressed to each of reception terminals;

a classifying part configured to classify the e-mail addressed to each of the reception terminals, arriving at the information server, into instant delivery e-mail which requires instant delivery and non-instant delivery e-mail which does not require instant delivery, based on identification information which is added to the e-mail addressed to each of the reception terminals at a distribution source of said e-mail, when storing said e-mail in the information server,

a reception notification trigger receiving part configured to receive a HTTP connection request that is for establishing a HTTP packet link and is transmitted from an arbitrary reception terminal to which e-mail stored in the storage part is addressed for accessing a service unrelated to e-mail retrieval, via the network apparatus; and

a reception notifying part configured to make a reception notification of the non-instant delivery e-mail addressed to the arbitrary reception terminal when the reception notification trigger receiving part receives the HTTP connection request and the reception notification being provided via the HTTP packet link between the arbitrary reception terminal and the network apparatus thereby avoiding a further packet link establishment to the information server for receiving the reception notification as the reception notification is provided together with the unrelated service.

20. The information server as claimed in claim 19, further comprising:

an information holding part configured to hold e-mail having predetermined identification information among the e-mail classified by the classifying part,

wherein the reception notifying part makes the reception notification to the arbitrary reception terminal, upon receipt of a predetermined HTTP connection request, via the network apparatus, from the arbitrary reception terminal to which the e-mail held by the information holding part is addressed.

21. The information server as claimed in claim 20, wherein the predetermined identification information indicates whether the e-mail to be distributed requires instant delivery.

22. The information server as claimed in claim 19, wherein the identification information which is added includes a discount flag added to each non-instant delivery e-mail indicating that the non-instant delivery e-mail is deliverable at a lower communication price rate than the instant delivery e-mail.

23. A node device for a reception notification system in which an information server that stores e-mail addressed to reception terminals and makes a reception notification to each of the reception terminals via a network apparatus with the node device interposed between the network apparatus and the information server,

said information server comprising a classifying part configured to classify the e-mail addressed to each of the reception terminals, arriving at the information server, into instant delivery e-mail which requires instant delivery and non-instant delivery e-mail which does not require instant delivery, based on identification information which is added to the e-mail addressed to each of the reception terminals at a distribution source of said e-mail, when storing said e-mail in the information server;

the node device comprising;

a communication state determining part configured to determine a communication state of an arbitrary reception terminal in accordance with a control signal that is transmitted when a HTTP packet link is established between the arbitrary reception terminal and the network apparatus to accessing a service unrelated to e-mail retrieval;

a stored information inquiring part configured to query the information server as to whether the information server stores e-mail addressed to the arbitrary reception terminal, when the communication state determining part determines that the arbitrary reception terminal has established the HTTP packet link with the network apparatus; and

a reception notifying part configured to make a reception notification of the non-instant delivery e-mail addressed to the arbitrary reception terminal depending on a result of the inquiry made by the stored information inquiring part and the reception notification being provided via the HTTP packet link between the arbitrary reception terminal and the network apparatus thereby avoiding a further packet link establishment to the information server for receiving the reception notification as the reception notification is provided with the unrelated service.