Generic paging service for third-party applications over wireless networks

• US 8,655,392 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, Byoung-Jo
• Primary Examiner(s): FARAGALLA, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US12/609,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20110105154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 455/458, 455/414.1, 455/411, 455/466
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

System(s), method(s), and device(s) that provide generic paging service for applications, including third-party applications, over a wireless network are presented. A mobile device generates a token that is used to prove an existing relationship with, and is provided to, an application server, which can relate to a third-party application. The server includes a paging initiator component that presents the token to a paging coordinator component in the network to facilitate proving the server'"'"'s relationship with, and triggering paging of, the mobile device, without the server having to establish a prior relationship with the network. The paging coordinator component can verify the token to ensure that the initiated paging event is a legitimate paging, and, when verified, transmits the paging to the mobile device. In response, the mobile device can switch out of power-saving dormant mode and establish an IP connection to the server to retrieve a notification(s).

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the instructions to perform operations, comprising;

receiving a token from a server relating to initiation of a notification to a communication device by the server, wherein the token has originated from the communication device and comprises a first identifier associated with the communication device and a second identifier associated with the server, and wherein, based on a shared secret between the communication device and the system, the first identifier is modified to store a modified identifier value in the token to obscure the first identifier in the token from the server;

determining whether to transmit the notification to the communication device based on whether the token is verified; and

initiating transmission of the notification to the communication device, in response to a determination that the token is verified based on verification of the first identifier, wherein the first identifier is determined from the modified identifier value in the token using the shared secret.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server does not have a pre-existing trust relationship with the system that receives the token from the server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein, the determination that the token is verified based on the verification of the first identifier comprises a determination that the token is verified based on the verification of the first identifier and a defined notification criterion, and wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to a determination that the token is verified based on the verification of the first identifier and the defined notification criterion, generating the notification.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second identifier associated with the server facilitates identification of the server by the system.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the defined notification criterion provides that the token is verified in response to the first identifier contained in the token being determined to be a match with identification data, accessible to the system, to be associated with the communication device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a location of the communication device in response to the token being determined to be verified; and

transmitting the notification to the communication device in response to the token being determined to be verified and in response to the location of the communication device being determined.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining of the first identifier from the modified identifier value in the token using the shared secret comprises determining the first identifier in the token from the modified identifier value using the shared secret to de-obscure the first identifier in the token, wherein the obscuring of the first identifier in the token from the server facilitates preventing the server from determining the first identifier in the token.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise denying transmission of the notification to the communication device in response to a determination that the token is not verified.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is a wireless communication device.

19. The system of claim 6, wherein the transmitting the notification to the communication device further comprises transmitting the notification to the communication device using a layer 2 identity associated with the communication device in accordance with a layer 2 protocol, wherein the notification is a layer 2 message, and wherein information relating to the first identifier is mapped to the layer 2 identity associated with the communication device.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, a token that is used to initiate sending a notification message to a mobile communication device by a server, wherein the token comprises an identifier associated with the mobile communication device and a second identifier associated with the server, and the token is obtained by the server from the mobile communication device, and wherein, based on a shared secret between the mobile communication device and the system, the identifier in the token is modified to a modified identifier value to obscure the identifier in the token from the server;

determining, by the system, whether to send the notification message to the mobile communication device based on whether the token is verified; and

sending the notification message to the mobile communication device, in response to determining the token is verified based on verification of the identifier, wherein the identifier is determined from the modified identifier value in the token using the shared secret.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving the token further comprises receiving the token from the server that does not have a pre-existing trust relationship with the system.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, first information that is the shared secret between the mobile communication device and the system;

determining, by the system, second information in the token using at least the shared secret comprising determining the identifier associated with the mobile communication device;

verifying, by the system, the token as valid in response to determining that the second information matches stored information associated with the mobile communication device, wherein the stored information is employed to facilitate proving that a relationship exists between the mobile communication device and the server initiating the sending of the notification message to the mobile communication device;

locating, by the system, the mobile communication device in response to the token being verified as valid; and

generating, by the system, the notification message to facilitate the sending of the notification message to the mobile communication device in response to the token being verified as valid and in response to the locating of the mobile communication device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising facilitating transferring, by the system, an operating state of the mobile communication device from a dormant state to one type of active state of a set of types of active states in response to the sending of the notification message to the mobile communication device to facilitate connecting the mobile communication device to the server, wherein the set of types of active states comprises an active state and a semi-active state.

14. A computer-readable storage device storing computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

modifying an identifier value of an identifier associated with a communication device, based on a shared secret between the communication device and a communication network device, to generate a modified identifier value that is included in a token to facilitate not revealing the identifier value of the identifier to a server that presents the token to the communication network device in connection with a sending of a message to the communication device by the communication network device, wherein the communication network device determines the identifier value in the token, based on the modified identifier value and the shared secret, to facilitate determining whether the token is verified, based on the identifier value, to facilitate determining whether to send the message to the communication device; and

generating the token comprising information relating to the modified identifier value associated with the identifier, a second identifier associated with the server, and the shared secret.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the modifying the identifier value of the identifier comprises modifying the identifier value of the identifier associated with the communication device using a hash function.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

transferring an operating state of the communication device from a dormant state to one type of active state of a set of types of active states in response to receiving the message from the communication network device, wherein the set of types of active states comprises an active state and a semi-active state; and

determining whether to initiate a connection with the server in response to the receiving of the message from the communication network device.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise randomly generating the modified identifier value that is included in the token.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

randomly generating a different modified identifier value associated with the identifier;

generating a different token comprising information relating to the different modified identifier value and the shared secret, wherein the different modified identifier value facilitates not revealing the identifier value of the identifier to a different server that presents the token to the communication network device in connection with the sending of the message to the communication device by the communication network device; and

transmitting the different token to the different server.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

establishing a relationship between the communication device and the server;

generating the token based on the shared secret; and

transmitting the token to the server to enable the server to present the token to the communication network device to facilitate initiating the sending of the message to the communication device by the communication network device.