Switch-in of centralised infrastructure for management for wireless communications

• US 7,701,898 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2004
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Owen, Russell N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lim; Steven
• Application Number:
  US10/940,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20060056364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,043 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/351, 370/338, 370/328, 4554351-4353
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

After a wireless device registers with a wireless carrier, a registration process is initiated with a provisioning server. The provisioning server, based on at least one of a device identifier for the wireless device and an identifier of the wireless carrier, retrieves database information from a database. This information may be used by the provisioning server to decide whether to return (i) address information for a relay server which provides centralised management services or (ii) address information for an enterprise network.

Claims

1. A method of handling communications at a server, comprising:

at a processor of said server;

responsive to registration of a wireless device with a wireless carrier network, said wireless device being associated with an enterprise network, receiving from said wireless carrier network a wireless carrier network identifier identifying said wireless carrier network;

based on said wireless carrier network identifier, retrieving database information from a computer database;

based at least in part on said database information, returning one of (i) address information for a server which provides centralised management services including a service of pushing messages received for said wireless device to said wireless device and a service of storing messages intended for said wireless device when said wireless device is unreachable and forwarding stored messages to said wireless device when said wireless device becomes reachable and (ii) address information for said enterprise network.

2. A method of handling communications at a server, comprising:

at a processor of said server;

receiving from a wireless carrier network at least one of a wireless device identifier for a wireless device associated with an enterprise network and a wireless carrier network identifier;

based on at least one of said device identifier and said wireless carrier network identifier, retrieving database information from a computer database wherein said database information comprises capability information for said wireless carrier network defining one or more capabilities of said wireless carrier network;

based at least in part on said capability information, returning to said wireless carrier network one of (i) address information for a server which provides centralised management services including a service of pushing messages received for said wireless device to said wireless device and a service of storing messages intended for said wireless device when said wireless device is unreachable and forwarding stored messages to said wireless device when said wireless device becomes reachable and (ii) address information for said enterprise network.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said capability information comprises an indication of whether or not the wireless carrier network can store and forward messages.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said capability information comprises an indication of whether or not the wireless carrier network uses characteristic identifiers for wireless devices and enterprises in addressing messages.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said capability information comprises an indication of whether or not the wireless carrier network inter-operates with one or more other wireless carrier networks to communicate messages between an enterprise and wireless devices associated with the enterprise.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said capability information comprises an indication of whether or not the wireless carrier network pushes messages to the wireless devices.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein said receiving comprises receiving a registration message from said device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said returning comprises returning in a reply message addressed to a device associated with said device identifier.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said reply message comprises an indicator to prompt a future set-up message from said device.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said indicator indicates a time-out interval.

11. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

receiving load information indicating load on said server which provides centralised management services; and

storing said load information as database information in said database, and

wherein said returning is also based in part on said load information.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

storing a plurality of device identifiers and, for each of said plurality of device identifiers, storing an associated service level indicator; and

wherein said retrieving database information comprises retrieving a given service level indicator associated with said wireless device identifier such that said returning is based in part on said given service level indicator.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said capability information is wireless network capability information and further comprising receiving device capability information and wherein said returning is also based in part on said device capability information.

14. A method of handling communications at a server, comprising:

at a processor of said server;

receiving from a wireless carrier network a wireless device identifier for a wireless device associated with an enterprise network along with device capability information;

based on said device identifier, retrieving database information from a computer database;

based in part on said database information, returning one of (i) address information for a server which provides centralised management services including a service of pushing messages received for said wireless device to said wireless device and a service of storing messages intended for said wireless device when said wireless device is unreachable and forwarding stored messages to said wireless device when said wireless device becomes reachable and (ii) address information for said enterprise network;

where said returning is also based in part on said device capability information.

15. A provisioning server comprising:

a database;

a processor operable to;

responsive to registration of a wireless device, said wireless device being associated with an enterprise network, with a wireless carrier network, receive from said wireless carrier network a wireless carrier network identifier;

based on said wireless carrier network identifier, retrieve database information from said database;

based at least in part on said database information, return one of (i) address information for a server which provides centralised management services including a service of pushing messages received for said wireless device to said wireless device and a service of storing messages intended for said wireless device when said wireless device is unreachable and forwarding stored messages to said wireless device when said wireless device becomes reachable and (ii) address information for said enterprise network.

16. A provisioning server comprising:

a database;

a processor operable to;

receive from a wireless carrier network at least one of a wireless device identifier for a wireless device associated with an enterprise network and a wireless carrier network identifier;

based on at least one of said device identifier and said wireless carrier network identifier, retrieve database information from said database wherein said database information comprises capability information for said wireless carrier network defining one or more capabilities of said wireless carrier network;

based at least in part on said capability information, return to said wireless carrier network one of (i) address information for a server which provides centralised management services including a service of pushing messages received for said wireless device to said wireless device and a service of storing messages intended for said wireless device when said wireless device is unreachable and forwarding stored messages to said wireless device when said wireless device becomes reachable and (ii) address information for said enterprise network.

17. The server of claim 16 wherein said processor is further operable to:

receive load information indicating load on a server which provides centralised management services;

store said load information as database information in said database, and

return to said wireless network said one of (i) address information for a server which provides centralised management services and (ii) address information for an enterprise network based also in part on said load information.

18. The server of claim 16 wherein said processor is also operable to:

store a plurality of device identifiers in said database and, for each of said plurality of device identifiers, store an associated service level indicator; and

wherein said database information retrieved from said database comprises a given service level indicator associated with said wireless device identifier, such that returning said one of (i) address information for a server which provides centralised management services and (ii) address information for an enterprise network is based in part on said given service level indicator.

19. The server of claim 16 wherein said processor is also operable to return a time-out interval.

20. A provisioning server comprising:

a database;

a processor operable to;

receive from a wireless carrier network a wireless device identifier for a wireless device associated with an enterprise network along with device capability information;

based on said device identifier, retrieve database information from said database;

based in part on said database information and in part on said device capability information, return one of (i) address information for a server which provides centralised management services including a service of pushing messages received for said wireless device to said wireless device and a service of storing messages intended for said wireless device when said wireless device is unreachable and forwarding stored messages to said wireless device when said wireless device becomes reachable and (ii) address information for said enterprise network.

21. A computer readable medium containing computer executable instructions which instructions, when executed by a processor of a provisioning server, cause said provisioning server to:

identify from a received message from a wireless carrier network at least one of a wireless carrier network identifier and a wireless device identifier for a wireless device associated with an enterprise network;

retrieve database information from a database based on at least one of said wireless carrier network identifier and said wireless device identifier, wherein said database information comprises capability information for said wireless carrier network defining one or more capabilities of said wireless carrier network;

based at least in part on said capability information, return to said wireless carrier network one of (i) address information for a server which provides centralised management services including a service of pushing messages received for said wireless device to said wireless device and a service of storing messages intended for said wireless device when said wireless device is unreachable and forwarding stored messages to said wireless device when said wireless device becomes reachable and (ii) address information for said enterprise network based at least in part on said database information.

22. A method of handling communications at a server, comprising:

at a processor of said server;

responsive to registration of a wireless device with a first wireless carrier network, said wireless device being associated with an enterprise network, receiving from said first wireless carrier network at least one of a device identifier identifying said wireless device and a first wireless carrier network identifier identifying said first wireless carrier network;

based on at least one of said device identifier and said first wireless carrier network identifier, retrieving database information from a computer database wherein said database information comprises capability information for said first wireless carrier network;

based at least in part on said database information, returning one of (i) address information for a server which provides centralised management services including a service of pushing messages received for said wireless device to said wireless device and a service of storing messages intended for said wireless device when said wireless device is unreachable and forwarding stored messages to said wireless device when said wireless device becomes reachable and (ii) address information for said enterprise network.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

upon subsequent registration of said wireless device with a second wireless carrier network, receiving from said second wireless carrier network at least one of said device identifier and a second wireless carrier network identifier identifying said second wireless carrier network;

based on at least one of said device identifier and said second wireless carrier network identifier, retrieving further database information from said database wherein said further database information comprises capability information for said second wireless carrier network;

based at least in part on said further database information, returning one of (i) address information for said server which provides centralised management services and (ii) address information for said enterprise network.