Managing notification service connections and displaying icon badges

• US 8,396,463 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2012
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Marcellino, Chris, Santamaria, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US13/416,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20120173645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/550.1, 455/403, 709/206
• US Class Current: 455/418
• 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: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus to manage notification service connections. In one embodiment of the invention, a mobile device schedules a notification service connection message transmission interval for each of a plurality of notification service connections. The mobile device also associates a notification service connection message transmission window with each notification service connection message transmission interval. The mobile device synchronizes transmission of notification service connection messages based on overlapping notification service connection message transmission windows. Responsive to receiving a notification message on one of the notification service connections, an icon badge is displayed on the mobile device for the appropriate application.

Claims

1. A method for managing a plurality of notification service connections, comprising:

scheduling a notification service connection message transmission interval for each of the plurality of notification service connections;

for each notification service connection message transmission interval, associating a notification service connection message transmission window with the notification service connection message transmission interval;

setting and monitoring a notification service connection message transmission timer for each of the plurality of notification service connections;

upon each notification service connection message transmission timer expiring, performing the following,

transmitting a notification service connection message for each notification service connection whose notification service connection message transmission window overlaps the expiration of the notification service connection message transmission timer, and

resetting the notification service connection message transmission timers associated with those notification service connections;

receiving a notification message from a notification service on one of the plurality of notification service connections, wherein the notification message is for an application installed on the mobile device; and

displaying an icon badge according to the notification message on a display of the mobile device for the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the icon badge overlaps an icon corresponding with the application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification service corresponds to a push email service and the application is a push email application, and wherein the notification message alerts a user of the mobile device of new email, and wherein the icon badge indicates a number of unread email messages.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is one of the following:

a push email application, a weather application, a text message application, an instant message application, a social networking application, an application store application, and a news application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is not currently executing on the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of notification services connections is providing a push notification service, wherein transmitting a notification service connection message to those connections providing push notification services includes transmitting a ping message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of notification services connections is providing a pull notification service, wherein transmitting a notification service connection message to those connections providing pull notification services includes transmitting a polling message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the notification service connection message transmission intervals are a different value.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a notification service connection message for all notification service connections at a periodic interval, and resetting each notification service connection message transmission timer.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising optimizing the notification service connection message transmission interval.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is currently executing on the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the application causes the icon badge to be displayed.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

scheduling a mobile device wake in relation to each notification service connection message transmission timer; and

prior to transmitting a notification service connection message, waking the mobile device if the mobile device is in sleep mode.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

if the mobile device is awake within a notification service connection message transmission window, transmitting a notification service connection message for that notification service connection and resetting the notification service connection message transmission timer associated with that notification service connection.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein sleep mode of the mobile device includes a temporarily disabled application processor, and waking the mobile device includes re-enabling the application processor.

16. A machine-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, if executed by a processor, will cause said processor to perform operations for managing a plurality of notification service connections, said operations comprising:

scheduling a notification service connection message transmission interval for each of the plurality of notification service connections;

for each notification service connection message transmission interval, associating a notification service connection message transmission window with the notification service connection message transmission interval;

setting and monitoring a notification service connection message transmission timer for each of the plurality of notification service connections;

upon each notification service connection message transmission timer expiring, performing the following,

transmitting a notification service connection message for each notification service connection whose notification service connection message transmission window overlaps the expiration of the notification service connection message transmission timer, and

resetting the notification service connection message transmission timers associated with those notification service connections;

receiving a notification message from a notification service on one of the plurality of notification service connections, wherein the notification message is for an application installed on the mobile device; and

displaying an icon badge according to the notification message on a display of the mobile device for the application.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the icon badge overlaps an icon corresponding with the application.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the notification service corresponds to a push email service and the application is a push email application, and wherein the notification message alerts a user of the mobile device of new email, and wherein the icon badge indicates a number of unread email messages.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the application is one of the following:

a push email application, a weather application, a text message application, an instant message application, a social networking application, an application store application, and a news application.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the application is not currently executing on the mobile device.

21. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein at least one of the plurality of notification services connections is providing a push notification service, wherein transmitting a notification service connection message to those connections providing push notification services includes transmitting a ping message.

22. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein at least one of the plurality of notification services connections is providing a pull notification service, wherein transmitting a notification service connection message to those connections providing pull notification services includes transmitting a polling message.

23. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein at least some of the notification service connection message transmission intervals are a different value.

24. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising transmitting a notification service connection message for all notification service connections at a periodic interval, and resetting each notification service connection message transmission timer.

25. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising optimizing the notification service connection message transmission interval.

26. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the application is currently executing on the mobile device.

27. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the application causes the icon badge to be displayed.

28. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising:

scheduling a mobile device wake in relation to each notification service connection message transmission timer; and

prior to transmitting a notification service connection message, waking the mobile device if the mobile device is in sleep mode.

29. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 28, further comprising:

if the mobile device is awake within a notification service connection message transmission window, transmitting a notification service connection message for that notification service connection and resetting the notification service connection message transmission timer associated with that notification service connection.

30. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein sleep mode of the mobile device includes a temporarily disabled application processor, and waking the mobile device includes re-enabling the application processor.