Server for determining and storing mobile device capability data

• US 8,099,490 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2006
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telcordia Operations Limited
• Original Assignee: Telcordia Operations Limited
• Inventors: Deakin, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sciacca, Scott M
• Application Number:
  US11/347,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20060129638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,171 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/10, 709217-219, 709/220, 709/221, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A handset capability proxy server (1) automatically determines data concerning capabilities of mobile devices and links to users as the devices are used. Event handlers/filters (25, 26) listen to signalling and messaging traffic at different locations in a network. The filter (25, 26) filters out data not relevant to device capability. The handler accesses a RAM cache (37) to dynamically determine if there has been a capability change for a mobile device identifier. It transmits changes to a kernel (10) via a message bus (12). The kernel (10) manages a persistent database (41, 44) of consumer data and device capability data, and automatically notifies subscribed applications in real time.

Claims

1. A mobile device capability server comprising:

a hardware component, said hardware component being configured to non-intrusively observe authentication and registration information exchanged between the mobile device and the network prior to said mobile device having access to network services provided by plural application servers, said authentication and registration information not being destined for, nor originating from, said capability server, said hardware component being configured for automatically identifying device capabilities,

wherein the hardware component automatically notifies plural applications on said plural application servers of changes in device capabilities associated with a mobile device being used by a particular user, and wherein said hardware component, prior to automatically notifying said plural applications, transmits a message to said mobile device and receives a response from said mobile device indicating whether said changes in device capabilities are permanent,

wherein if said response indicates that said changes in device capabilities are permanent, said plural application servers adjust content or format of data presented to said device, and wherein if said response indicates that said changes in device capabilities are not permanent, said plural application servers are not notified of the changes in device capabilities, and

a list of plural applications or servers registered in advance, wherein said notification messages are customized by application or application server with respect to a subset of specific device capabilities of said device capabilities associated with said device, such that said subset of specific device capabilities are sent to a particular application, and wherein each application server is registered and a registration corresponding to each application server includes specific set of corresponding device capabilities that are to be sent to said application server by said capability server.

2. The server as claimed in claim 1, wherein said applications adapt the content or format of data to be sent to said device upon receipt of said notification messages.

3. The server as claimed in claim 1, wherein SS7 or other out of band signaling information is non-intrusively observed.

4. The server as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hardware component being configured to, prior to said plural application servers adjusting, automatically transmit a message to said mobile device to request further information from said mobile device, to receive such further information, and to provide such further information to at least one application server, and wherein said at least one application server uses said information to implement said adjustment.

5. The server as claimed in claim 1, wherein said server and said application servers are configured such that just prior to said application servers pushing any content to said mobile device, said application servers are provided with real time device capability data.

6. A method for use in mobile device capability server comprising:

storing a list of plural applications or application servers that have registered in advance,

non-intrusively observing, in a hardware component, authentication and registration information exchanged between a mobile device and a network prior to said mobile device having access to network services provided by said plural application servers, said authentication and registration information not being destined for, nor originating from, said capability server;

automatically identifying device capabilities in response to said observing;

transmitting a message to said mobile device and receiving a response from said mobile device, said response indicating whether said changes in device capabilities are permanent;

if said response indicates changes in said device capabilities are permanent, automatically notifying plural applications on said plural application servers of changes in device capabilities associated with a mobile device being used by a particular user to cause said plural application servers to adjust content or format of data presented to said device, and if said response indicates that said changes in device capabilities are not permanent, not notifying said plural application servers of said changes in said device capabilities; and

customizing said notification messages by application or application server with respect to a subset of specific device capabilities of said device capabilities associated with said device, such that said subset of specific device capabilities are sent to a particular application, and wherein a registration corresponding to each application server on said list includes a specific set of corresponding device capabilities that are to be sent to said application server by said capability server.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising adapting the content or format of data to be sent to said device upon receipt of said notification messages.

8. The method 6, wherein said observing includes observing SS7 or other out of band signaling.

9. The method of 6, further comprising providing said application servers with real time device capability data just prior to said application servers pushing any content to a mobile device.