Enhanced push notification services

• US 8,595,345 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2011
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mfluent, LLC
• Original Assignee: Mfluent, LLC
• Inventors: Wilson, Christopher Robert, Lee, Jin Woo
• Primary Examiner(s): Zong, Ruolei
• Application Number:
  US13/116,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20120303774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709224-229, 709204-207
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/143 Termination or inactivation of sessions, e.g. event-controlled end of session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

A push notification server operates on a client device to manage push notifications that the client device receives from various push servers. In some embodiments, the push notification server may receive a notification message on behalf of an application and determine how to handle the notification message based on whether the application is operating on the client device. If the application is operating on the client device, the push notification server may deliver the notification message to the application. If the application is not operating on the client device, the push notification server may deregister the application from the push notification service, and/or display user information associated with the application in order to inform the user that the application is not operating.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a push notification server, operating on a client device, receiving a connection termination message, wherein the connection termination message seeks to terminate an application that is registered with a push notification service, wherein the push notification server receives the connection termination message from a push notification gateway that facilitates the push notification service, and wherein the push notification server polls the push notification gateway at a polling interval in order to receive messages from the push notification gateway;

the push notification server determining that a remaining battery life of the client device is below a battery life threshold and that the client device is not being charged;

in response to determining that the remaining battery life of the client device is below the battery life threshold and that the client device is not being charged, the push notification server increasing the length of the polling interval;

in response to receiving the connection termination message, the push notification server determining whether the application is operating on the client device;

if the application is operating on the client device, the push notification server notifying the application that the connection termination message was received; and

if the application is not operating on the client device, the push notification server deregistering the application from the push notification service, after deregistering the application from the push notification service, the push notification server determining that no applications operating on the client device are registered with the push notification service, in response to determining that no applications operating on the client device are registered with the push notification service, the push notification server stopping the polling of the push notification gateway.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the push notification server receiving a second connection termination message, wherein the second connection termination message seeks to terminate a second application that is registered with the push notification service;

in response to receiving the second connection termination message, the push notification server determining whether the second application is operating on the client device;

if the second application is operating on the client device, the push notification server notifying the second application that the second connection termination message was received; and

if the second application is not operating on the client device, the push notification server deregistering the second application from the push notification service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application registers with a port of a short message service (SMS) push registry on the client device, wherein the push notification server receives and stores a reference to the port, and wherein the push notification server uses the port to deliver messages to the application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the application is operating on the client device, and wherein notifying the application that the connection termination message was received comprises:

translating at least part of the connection termination message to a format compatible with the SMS push registry; and

forwarding the translated connection termination message to the application via the port.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the connection termination message contains an application identifier for the application and a data string, and wherein translating the at least part of the connection termination message to the format compatible with the SMS push registry comprises:

using the application identifier to look up the port; and

before forwarding the translated connection termination message to the application via the port, converting the data string in the connection termination message to a Wireless Messaging API (WMA) TextMessage object in the translated connection termination message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is configured with user information that the application uses to register with an application service associated with the application, and wherein the push notification server stores the user information, the method further comprising:

while the application is not operating on the client device, the push notification server retrieving the stored user information and displaying the stored user information on a user interface of the client device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the application determining whether the application is registered with the push notification service;

if the application is registered with the push notification service, the application displaying a non-login dialog on a user interface of the client device; and

if the application is not registered with the push notification service, the application displaying a login dialog on the user interface of the client device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the application is not registered with the push notification service, the method further comprising:

in response to input received via the login dialog, the application registering with the push notification service via the push notification server, wherein the received input includes user information, and wherein registering with the push notification service comprises the application providing the user information to the push notification server for the push notification server to store.

9. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by a client device, cause the client device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a connection termination message, wherein the connection termination message seeks to terminate an application that is registered with a push notification service, wherein the connection termination message is received from a push notification gateway that facilitates the push notification service, and wherein the client device polls the push notification gateway at a polling interval in order to receive messages from the push notification gateway;

determining that a remaining battery life of the client device is below a battery life threshold and that the client device is not being charged;

in response to determining that the remaining battery life of the client device is below the battery life threshold and that the client device is not being charged, increasing the length of the polling interval;

in response to receiving the connection termination message, determining whether the application is operating on the client device;

if the application is operating on the client device, notifying the application that the connection termination message was received; and

if the application is not operating on the client device, deregistering the application from the push notification service, after deregistering the application from the push notification service, determining that no applications operating on the client device are registered with the push notification service, and in response to determining that no applications operating on the client device are registered with the push notification service, the client device stopping the polling of the push notification gateway.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the application registers with a port of a short message service (SMS) push registry on the client device, wherein the client device receives and stores a reference to the port, and wherein the client device uses the port to deliver messages to the application.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the application is operating on the client device, and wherein notifying the application that the connection termination message was received comprises:

translating at least part of the connection termination message to a format compatible with the SMS push registry; and

forwarding the translated connection termination message to the application via the port.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the connection termination message contains an application identifier for the application and a data string, and wherein translating the at least part of the connection termination message to the format compatible with the SMS push registry comprises:

using the application identifier to look up the port; and

before forwarding the translated connection termination message to the application via the port, converting the data string in the connection termination message to a Wireless Messaging API (WMA) TextMessage object in the translated connection termination message.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the application is configured with user information that the application uses to register with an application service associated with the application, wherein the client device stores the user information independently from the application, and wherein the computer-readable medium has stored thereon further program instructions that, when executed by the client device, cause the client device to perform operations comprising:

while the application is not operating on the client device, retrieving the stored user information and displaying the stored user information on a user interface of the client device.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the application is not registered with the push notification service, and wherein the computer-readable medium has stored thereon further program instructions that, when executed by the client device, cause the client device to perform operations comprising:

in response to input received via a login dialog, the application registering with the push notification service, wherein the received input includes the user information.

15. A method comprising:

a push notification server, operating on a client device, receiving a connection termination message, wherein the connection termination message seeks to terminate an application that is registered with a push notification service, wherein the application registers with a port of a short message service (SMS) push registry on the client device, wherein the push notification server receives and stores a reference to the port, and wherein the push notification server uses the port to deliver messages to the application;

in response to receiving the connection termination message, the push notification server determining whether the application is operating on the client device;

if the application is operating on the client device, the push notification server notifying the application that the connection termination message was received, wherein notifying the application that the connection termination message was received comprises translating at least part of the connection termination message to a format compatible with the SMS push registry, and forwarding the translated connection termination message to the application via the port; and

if the application is not operating on the client device, the push notification server deregistering the application from the push notification service.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

the push notification server receiving a second connection termination message, wherein the second connection termination message seeks to terminate a second application that is registered with the push notification service;

in response to receiving the second connection termination message, the push notification server determining whether the second application is operating on the client device;

if the second application is operating on the client device, the push notification server notifying the second application that the second connection termination message was received; and

if the second application is not operating on the client device, the push notification server deregistering the second application from the push notification service.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the connection termination message contains an application identifier for the application and a data string, and wherein translating the at least part of the connection termination message to the format compatible with the SMS push registry comprises:

using the application identifier to look up the port; and

before forwarding the translated connection termination message to the application via the port, converting the data string in the connection termination message to a Wireless Messaging API (WMA) TextMessage object in the translated connection termination message.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the application is configured with user information that the application uses to register with an application service associated with the application, and wherein the push notification server stores the user information, the method further comprising:

while the application is not operating on the client device, the push notification server retrieving the stored user information and displaying the stored user information on a user interface of the client device.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

the application determining whether the application is registered with the push notification service;

if the application is registered with the push notification service, the application displaying a non-login dialog on a user interface of the client device; and

if the application is not registered with the push notification service, the application displaying a login dialog on the user interface of the client device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the application is not registered with the push notification service, the method further comprising:

in response to input received via the login dialog, the application registering with the push notification service via the push notification server, wherein the received input includes user information, and wherein registering with the push notification service comprises the application providing the user information to the push notification server for the push notification server to store.