Offline alerts mechanism

• US 9,203,879 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Austin-Lane, Christopher Emery
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABU ROUMI, MAHRAN Y
• Application Number:
  US13/616,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20130173735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A communications system including one or more alert gates and an alert controller. Each alert gate is configured to detect a different type of alert feed corresponding to a particular kind of alert. The alert controller is connected to the alert gates and operable to receive detected alerts from the alert gates and to deliver the detected alerts to a user of the communications system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, using one or more processors, an alert in accordance with an alert registration, wherein the alert registration;

is associated with a particular subscriber of an online communication system that allows subscribers to communicate, share information, and interact with other subscribers, and

is associated with a particular client application;

determining that a client system associated with the particular subscriber is online but not running the particular client application; and

enabling presentation of a notification of the alert to the subscriber when the client system is online but not running the particular client application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert registration comprises one or more offline notifications preferences.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving the one or more offline notifications preferences from the subscriber.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert registration comprises one or more conditions for tripping the alert.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein detecting the alert comprises detecting the one or more conditions for tripping the alert.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling presentation of the notification of the alert to the subscriber comprises enabling presentation of the notification by way of an offline device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the offline device comprises a mobile device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the offline device comprises a telephone.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving data representative of the alert from a remote server.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling presentation of an alert registration user interface to the subscriber.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving input from the subscriber by way of the alert registration user interface.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating the alert registration based at least in part on the input.

13. A method comprising:

receiving data representative of an alert subscription, wherein the alert subscription represents a request, from a subscriber of an online communication system that allows subscribers to communicate, share information, and interact with other subscribers, to receive a particular type of alert and comprises one or more conditions associated with the particular type of alert;

detecting, using one or more processors, a triggering of the one or more conditions of the alert subscription; and

sending an alert to a client system when the client system is online but not running a client application associated with the alert subscription.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein sending the alert to a client system comprises sending the alert to an offline device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the offline device comprises a mobile device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the offline device comprises a telephone.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising monitoring an alert feed to detect the triggering of the one or more conditions.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising enabling presentation of an alert registration user interface to the subscriber.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving, by way of the alert registration user interface, one or more alert preferences from the subscriber.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more alert preferences comprise one or more offline notification preferences.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising generating the alert subscription based at least in part on the one or more alert preferences.

22. A mobile device comprising:

a display device;

one or more processors;

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium; and

one or more instructions stored in the non-transitory computer readable storage medium that when executed, by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

detect an alert in accordance with an alert registration, wherein the alert registration;

is associated with a particular subscriber of an online communication system that allows subscribers to communicate, share information, and interact with other subscribers, and

is associated with a particular client application;

determine that the mobile device is online but not running the particular client application; and

present a notification of the alert to the subscriber when the mobile device is online but not running the particular client application.

23. The mobile device of claim 22, wherein the alert registration comprises one or more offline notifications preferences.

24. The mobile device of claim 23, wherein the alert registration further comprises one or more conditions for tripping the alert.

25. The mobile device of claim 22, wherein the mobile device is a telephone.

26. The mobile device of claim 22, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to receive data representative of the alert from a remote server.

27. The mobile device of claim 22, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to present an alert registration user interface to the subscriber.

28. The mobile device of claim 27, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to receive input from the subscriber by way of the alert registration user interface.

29. The mobile device of claim 28, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to generate the alert registration based at least in part on the input.