System and method for pushing data to a mobile device

• US 7,970,860 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2009
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Kline, Robert, Shenfield, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder; Patrice L
• Assistant Examiner(s): BILGRAMI, ASGHAR H
• Application Number:
  US12/497,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20090268672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/219, 709/240
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• 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]

Abstract

A system for handling information requests from mobile devices includes a memory, a state prediction module, and a push module. The memory is operable to store data requests received from the mobile devices. The state prediction module is operable to access the memory to predict forecasted data requests for a mobile device based on the stored data requests. The push module is operable to receive the forecasted data requests from the state prediction module and in response request and receive response data related to the forecasted data requests and prepare the response data for transmission to the mobile device over a wireless network.

Claims

1. A system for handling data requests from mobile devices, the system comprising:

a memory operable to store data requests received from the mobile devices;

a state prediction module operable to receive a data request from each of the mobile devices and in response access the memory and predict a forecasted data request based on the received data request and the stored data requests; and

a push module operable to receive the received data request and the forecasted data request from the state prediction module and in response request and receive response data related to the received data request and the forecasted data request and prepare the response data for transmission to the mobile device over a wireless network;

the prediction module configured to;

predict, in an atomic mode, the forecasted data request based on historical information of a particular group of homogeneous users;

predict, in a group mode, the forecasted data request based on a population of the mobile devices that is larger than said particular group; and

operate first in the atomic mode, and then determine whether to switch to the group mode based on strength of the atomic-mode-based prediction.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said particular group consists of a single mobile device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said particular group of homogenous users comprises employees of a particular division of a company.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said particular group comprises users with similar data request histories.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said population comprises all users of the mobile devices.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the determination of whether to switch to the group mode based on strength of the atomic-mode-based prediction is based on insufficient information being available from the particular mobile device.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the determination of whether to switch to the group mode based on strength of the atomic-mode-based prediction is based on a probability of the prediction not exceeding a threshold.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the prediction module is further configured to determine whether the group mode forecasted data request is valid, and if not then to request and receive the response data related to the received data request and not the forecasted data request.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the prediction module is further configured, in a training mode, to observe requests by the mobile devices to develop a prediction algorithm in which each vertex weight represents the number or frequency of transitions along each edge direction during a training period.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the prediction module is further configured, in a training mode, to define one or more collection frames during which time states are collected for the mobile devices, and to generate or adjust prediction data at the expiration of the respective collection frame.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the prediction module is further configured, in the training mode, after the expiration of the respective collection frame, to evaluate the prediction data to determine whether to define another collection frame for further adjustment of the prediction data or to transition to an operational mode.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the mobile devices includes a client program cache and a separate push cache, and is configured to store the response data to the received data request in the client program cache, and to store the response data to the forecasted data request in the push cache.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein each response data in the push cache has associated expiry data, and the mobile device is configured not to execute a data request for data in the push cache if the respective expiry data indicates stale data.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the predictive module and the push module are parts of a wireless gateway.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the predicting of the forecasted data request is based on what data the mobile device is currently requesting.