Server for communicating with multi-mode devices using multi-mode applications

• US 9,277,033 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2007
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Smith, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US11/763,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20080311886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,182 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Multi-mode communication devices capable of multiple wireless and/or wired network communication modes can be configured to communicate for backend services (e.g. Web Services, database, events) via a network gateway to operate in response to available modes. For example, for some activities, the devices are configured to communicate in any available mode while for other activities (e.g. high bandwidth communications), they are restricted to certain mode(s). Component applications for execution by the devices can specify message delivery properties to indicate the mode(s) to be used. The network gateway comprises at least one communication subsystem for communicating with the multi-mode device in accordance with selectable modes of communication; a message processor for processing messages for sending to the multi-mode communication device; and a mode selector for selecting a mode for sending a particular message in response to delivery mode properties received from the multi-mode communication device.

Claims

1. A gateway server comprising;

a message processor configured to process a first message and a second message received at the gateway server from a single application of a communication device, the first message comprising a first delivery mode property that defines a first mode of communication for communicating a first response message responsive to the first message and the second message comprising a second delivery mode property that defines a second mode of communication for communicating a second response message responsive to the second message,

wherein the second delivery mode property of the second message restricts delivery of services requested by the second message to a subset of communication modes operable by the communication device; and

a mode selector at the gateway server configured to communicate the first response message in accordance with the first delivery mode and the second response message in accordance with the second delivery mode.

2. The gateway server of claim 1 comprising a queue manager for queuing and managing message communications with the communication device.

3. The gateway server of claim 2 wherein the queue manager manages messages in accordance with timeout properties for delivering messages to the device thereby to reduce communication network gateway server resource consumption.

4. The gateway server of claim 2 wherein the queue manager manages queues comprising pointers to message content for communicating to the device thereby to avoid storing the content at the server while waiting to communicate.

5. The gateway server of claim 1 wherein some of the communication modes operate in accordance with a mobile telephone standard and some of the communication modes operate in accordance with a wireless LAN (wLAN) standard.

14. The gateway server of claim 1 wherein the second delivery mode is a high bandwidth, low cost mode of communication.

6. A method comprising:

processing at a gateway server a first message and a second message received from a single application of a communication device, the first message comprising a first delivery mode property that defines a first mode of communication for communicating a first response message responsive to the first message and the second message comprising a second delivery mode property that defines a second mode of communication for communicating a second response message responsive to the second message,

wherein the second delivery mode property of the second message restricts delivery of services requested by the second message to a subset of communication modes operable by the communication device; and

communicating the first response message in accordance with the first delivery mode and the second response message in accordance with the second delivery mode.

7. The method of claim 6 comprising queuing and managing message communications with the communication device.

8. The method of claim 7 comprising at least one of:

(a) managing messages in accordance with timeout properties for delivering messages thereby to reduce gateway server resource consumption; and

(b) managing queues comprising pointers to message content for communicating to the device thereby to reduce gateway server resource consumption.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein some of the communication modes operate in accordance with a mobile telephone standard and some of the communication modes operate in accordance with a wireless LAN (I J\) standard.

15. The method of claim 6 wherein the second delivery mode is a high bandwidth, low cost mode of communication.

10. A non-transitory computer memory comprising instruc for execution by a processor of a gateway server, the execution of the instructions causing the gateway server to:

process a first message and a second message received from a single application of a communication device, the first message comprising a first delivery mode property that defines a first mode of communication for communicating a first response message responsive to the first message and the second message comprising a second delivery mode property that defines a second mode of communication for communicating a second response message responsive to the second message,

wherein the second delivery mode property of the second message restricts delivery of services requested by the second message to a subset of communication modes operable by the communication device; and

communicate the first response message in accordance with the first delivery mode and the second response message in accordance with the second delivery mode.

11. The computer memory of claim 10 comprising instructions Which when executed by a processor of the gateway server cause the server to queue and manage message communications with the communication device.

12. The computer memory of claim 11 comprising instructions which when executed by a processor of the gateway server cause the server to, at least one of:

(a) manage messages in accordance with timeout properties for delivering messages thereby to reduce gateway server resource consumption; and

(b) manage queues comprising pointers to message content for communicating to the device thereby to reduce gateway server resource consumption.

13. The computer memory of claim 10 wherein some of the communication modes operate in accordance with a mobile telephone standard and some of the communication modes operate in accordance with a wireless LAN (wLAN) standard.

16. The computer memory of claim 10 wherein the second delivery mode is a high bandwidth, low cost mode of communication.