Selectively sending notifications to mobile devices

• US 9,569,426 B1
• Filed: 07/25/2016
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bostick, James E., Ganci, John M. Jr., Keen, Martin G., Rakshit, Sarbajit K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rego, Dominic
• Application Number:
  US15/218,223
• Time in Patent Office: 204 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.2, 455/418, 455/186.1, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• 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 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/12 Inter-network notification

Abstract

A computer-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product selectively sends push notifications to mobile devices. One or more processors determine that a push notification of a mobile device event is to be issued to one or more mobile devices from a set of mobile devices. The processor(s) receive a status of applications running on at least one mobile device from the set of mobile devices and an extent of user engagement for at least one of the applications. The processor(s) associate a content with the push notification, and parse and evaluate the content. The processor(s) select a mobile device from the set of mobile devices based on the status of the applications, the extent of user engagement, and the parsed evaluated content, and then transmit the push notification to that mobile device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of selectively sending push notifications to mobile devices, the computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, that a push notification of a mobile device event is to be issued to one or more mobile devices from a set of mobile devices;

receiving, by one or more processors, a status of applications running on at least one mobile device from the set of mobile devices;

receiving, by one or more processors, an extent of user engagement for at least one of the applications;

associating, by one or more processors, a content with the push notification;

parsing and evaluating, by one or more processors, the content that is associated with the push notification;

selecting, by one or more processors, a first mobile device from the set of mobile devices towards which the push notification is to be issued, wherein the first mobile device is selected based on the status of the applications, the extent of user engagement, and the parsed evaluated content; and

transmitting, by one or more processors, the push notification to the first mobile device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a message describing an interaction of a user with the first mobile device; and

using, by one or more processors, the interaction to select a second mobile device from the set of mobile devices towards which a future push notification is issued.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each mobile device from the mobile devices is a different type of mobile device compared to other mobile devices from the set of mobile devices.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

parsing and evaluating, by one or more processors, the content by a natural language processing (NLP) engine, wherein the NLP engine determines a context of the content.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the push notification provides notification of a software-based event, wherein the software-based event is from a group consisting of an incoming text message, an incoming e-mail, a calendar alert, a timer alarm, an incoming phone call, an incoming software update, a weather report, and an error message related to the status of the applications.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a sensor reading from a hardware sensor in the first mobile device, wherein the hardware sensor detects a physical condition of hardware in the first mobile device;

including, by one or more processors, the sensor reading in the content that is associated with the push notification; and

using, by one or more processors, the sensor reading to select a second mobile device from the set of mobile devices towards which a future push notification is issued.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by one or more processors, a push notification type for the push notification;

identifying, by one or more processors, an application type for the application involved in the user engagement;

comparing, by one or more processors, the push notification type to the application type; and

in response, by one or more processors, to the push notification type matching the application type according to predefined criteria, authorizing the push notification to be transmitted to the first mobile device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by one or more processors, a push notification type for the push notification;

identifying, by one or more processors, an application type for the application involved in the user engagement;

comparing, by one or more processors, the push notification type to the application type; and

in response to the push notification type not matching the application type according to predefined criteria, blocking, by one or more processors, the push notification from being further transmitted to the first mobile device.

9. A computer program product for selectively sending notifications to mobile devices, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code readable and executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

determining that a push notification of a mobile device event is to be issued to one or more mobile devices from a set of mobile devices;

receiving a status of applications running on at least one mobile device from the set of mobile devices;

receiving an extent of user engagement for at least one of the applications;

associating a content with the push notification;

parsing and evaluating the content that is associated with the push notification;

selecting a first mobile device from the set of mobile devices towards which the push notification is to be issued, wherein the first mobile device is selected based on the status of the applications, the extent of user engagement, and the parsed evaluated content; and

transmitting the push notification to the first mobile device.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a message describing an interaction of a user with the first mobile device; and

using the interaction to select a second mobile device from the set of mobile devices towards which a future push notification is issued.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein each mobile device from the mobile devices is a different type of mobile device compared to other mobile devices from the set of mobile devices.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

parsing and evaluating the content by a natural language processing (NLP) engine, wherein the NLP engine determines a context of the content.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the push notification provides notification of a software-based event, wherein the software-based event is from a group consisting of an incoming text message, an incoming e-mail, a calendar alert, a timer alarm, an incoming phone call, an incoming software update, a weather report, and an error message related to the status of the applications.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a sensor reading from a hardware sensor in the first mobile device, wherein the hardware sensor detects a physical condition of hardware in the first mobile device;

including the sensor reading in the content that is associated with the push notification; and

using the sensor reading to select a second mobile device from the set of mobile devices towards which a future push notification is issued.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a push notification type for the push notification;

identifying an application type for the application involved in the user engagement;

comparing the push notification type to the application type; and

in response to the push notification type matching the application type according to predefined criteria, authorizing the push notification to be transmitted to the first mobile device.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a push notification type for the push notification;

identifying an application type for the application involved in the user engagement;

comparing the push notification type to the application type; and

in response to the push notification type not matching the application type according to predefined criteria, blocking the push notification from being further transmitted to the first mobile device.

17. A computer system comprising:

a processor, a computer readable memory, and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions to determine that a push notification of a mobile device event is to be issued to one or more mobile devices from a set of mobile devices;

second program instructions to receive a status of applications running on at least one mobile device from the set of mobile devices;

third program instructions to receive an extent of user engagement for at least one of the applications;

fourth program instructions to associate a content with the push notification;

fifth program instructions to parse and evaluate the content that is associated with the push notification;

sixth program instructions to select a first mobile device from the set of mobile devices towards which the push notification is to be issued, wherein the first mobile device is selected based on the status of the applications, the extent of user engagement, and the parsed evaluated content; and

seventh program instructions to transmit the push notification to the first mobile device; and

wherein

the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium for execution by one or more processors via the computer readable memory.

18. The computer system of claim 17, further comprising:

eighth program instructions to receive a message describing an interaction of a user with the first mobile device; and

ninth program instructions to use the interaction to select a second mobile device from the set of mobile devices towards which a future push notification is issued; and

wherein

the eighth and ninth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium for execution by one or more processors via the computer readable memory.

19. The computer system of claim 17, wherein each mobile device from the mobile devices is a different type of mobile device compared to other mobile devices from the set of mobile devices.

20. The computer system of claim 17, further comprising:

eighth program instructions to receive a sensor reading from a hardware sensor in the first mobile device, wherein the hardware sensor detects a physical condition of hardware in the first mobile device;

ninth program instructions to include the sensor reading in the content that is associated with the push notification; and

tenth program instructions to use the sensor reading to select a second mobile device from the set of mobile devices towards which a future push notification is issued; and

wherein

the eighth, ninth, and tenth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium for execution by one or more processors via the computer readable memory.