Method and apparatus for informing wireless clients about updated information

• US 6,654,786 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2000
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Openwave Systems Incorporated (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Boyle, Stephen S., Martin, Jr., Bruce K., Ramasubramani, Seetharaman, King, Peter F., Fox, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US09/651,902
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/225, 709/709, 709/238, 709/310, 709/219, 709/220, 709/250, 370/466, 370/254
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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 unified interface is disclosed for sending update notifications to different wireless clients on different wireless networks. The update notifications may be push notifications or pull notifications. Push notifications include a data payload with updated information. Pull notifications merely specify an address where update information is available. The updated information must be “pulled” using the supplied address. Several maintenance requests are provided for querying notification status, deleting individual notifications, and clearing all notifications addressed to a particular subscriber.

Claims

1. A method of delivering update notifications from a server computer to wireless client devices, said method comprising:

accepting an update notification in a proxy server, said update notification generated by said server computer when said server computer has updated information, said update notification addressed to a particular wireless client device, said proxy server coupled to a first wireless network;

queuing said update notification in a notification queue in said proxy server;

forming a client update notification to comply with characteristics of the first wireless network; and

delivering said client update notification to said particular wireless client device across said first wireless network.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

responding to said an HTTP POST method with an HTTP response with a status code from said proxy server to said server computer.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said HTTP POST further defines said notification request as a push notification having a data payload.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said first wireless network comprises a GSM network and said method further comprises:

sending said client update notification across a Short Messaging System in said wireless network.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a maintenance request from said server.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said maintenance request comprises a delete notification request identifying an earlier update notification, said method further comprising:

deleting said earlier update notification in said proxy server if said earlier update notification is found in said notification queue.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said maintenance request comprises a notification status request identifying an earlier update notification, said method further comprising:

returning status of said earlier update notification from said proxy server if said earlier update notification is found in said notification queue.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said HTTP POST further defines said notification request as a pull notification having an address identifying a location of updated data.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising:

storing said pull notification in a notification queue within said proxy server; and

sending a signal PDU to said particular wireless client device if said wireless client device is on a CDPD wireless network.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising:

fetching said updated data from said address when said particular wireless client device contacts said proxy server.

11. A method of delivering update notifications from server computers to wireless client devices, said method comprising:

receiving in a proxy server an add notification request generated by a server computer having updated information, said add notification request addressed to a particular wireless client device;

queuing said add notification request in a notification queue in said proxy server;

delivering a notification alerting said particular wireless client device of said updated information if said add notification request is a “

pull”

notification request; and

delivering said updated information to said wireless client device across said first wireless network if said add notification request is a “

push”

notification request.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein said add notification request comprises an HTTP POST method.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11 further comprising:

responding to said add notification request with a response from said proxy server to said server computer, said response having a status code.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein said push notification request comprises a data payload of said updated information.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising:

sending a push notification formatted in across a Small Messaging System in a GSM wireless network.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising:

storing a push notification in a notification queue within said proxy server; and

sending a signal PDU to said particular wireless client device if said wireless client device is on a CDPD wireless network.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein said pull notification request comprises an address identifying a location of said updated information.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 further comprising:

storing said pull notification in a notification queue within said proxy server; and

sending a signal PDU to said particular wireless client device if said wireless client device is on a CDPD wireless network.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17 further comprising:

fetching said updated data from said address when said particular wireless client device contacts said proxy server.

20. The method as claimed in claim 11, said method further comprising:

receiving a delete notification request from said server computer in said proxy server, said delete notification request identifying an earlier notification request;

deleting said earlier notification in said proxy server if said earlier notification request is found in said notification queue.

21. The method as claimed in claim 11, said method further comprising:

receiving a notification status request from said server computer in said proxy server, said notification status request identifying an earlier notification request; and

returning status of said earlier notification request in said proxy server if said earlier notification request is found in said notification queue.

22. A proxy server for delivering update notifications from a server computer to wireless client devices on a wireless network, said proxy server comprising:

a wireless network interface, said wireless network interface coupling said proxy server to said wireless network;

a notification interface for accepting an update notification in a proxy server, said update notification generated by said server computer when said server computer has updated information, said update notification addressed to a particular wireless client device;

a notification queue for queuing said update notification in said proxy server; and

a messenger program for forming a client update notification to comply with characteristics of the first wireless network and delivering said client update notification to said particular wireless client device across said wireless network.

23. The proxy server as claimed in claim 22 wherein said messenger program further responds to said update notification with a response with a status code from said proxy server to said server computer.

24. The proxy server as claimed in claim 22 wherein said update notification comprises a push notification request having a data payload.

26. The proxy server as claimed in claim 22 wherein said update notification comprises a pull notification request having an address identifying a location of updated data.

27. The proxy server as claimed in claim 26 wherein said messenger program sends sending a signal PDU to said particular wireless client device if said wireless client device is on a packet-switched wireless network.

28. The proxy server as claimed in claim 26 wherein said messenger program fetches said updated data from said address when said particular wireless client device contacts said proxy server.

29. The proxy server of claim 22 wherein said notification interface receives a delete notification request identifying an earlier update notification and said messenger program deletes said earlier update notification in said proxy server if said earlier update notification is found in said notification queue.

30. The proxy server of claim 22 wherein said notification interface receives a notification status request identifying an earlier update notification and said messenger program returns a status of said earlier notification in said proxy server if said earlier update notification is found in said notification queue.

25. The proxy server as claimed in 24 wherein said wireless network comprises a GSM network and said messenger program sends said client update notification across a Short Messaging System in said wireless network.