System and method for notifying users of an event using alerts

• US 8,185,148 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2010
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Kamat, Harshad N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Danh
• Application Number:
  US12/778,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20100222029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/418, 455/426.1, 709/228
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• 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

Abstract

An alert engine module receives an alert for an event in a generic communications format and delivers an alert for the event to a target address in a communications format that is preferred by a user based on the alert content. The generic format can be an e-mail message, such as a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) message. The alert engine can be operative to transform the alert based on a header and/or format of a target address.

Claims

1. A system for notifying a user of an event comprising:

at least one server that receives and stores a data or voice message and based on header information for the data or voice message, generates an alert as an event corresponding to the stored data or voice message in a message format that is less than the stored data or voice message; and

an alert engine module that receives the alert corresponding to a stored message on the at least one server and transforms the alert one time from the message format that is less than the stored data or voice message into a Short Messaging Service (SMS) message.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the alert engine module is operative for delivering the alert as the SMS message to a target address preferred by a user.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the user is able to retrieve later the stored message on the at least one server based on the received alert.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said alert engine module is operative to transform the alert into the SMS message based on a header and/or format of a target address.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said alert engine module is operative to deliver the alert to an appropriate gateway for the SMS message.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said target address comprises a mobile device.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said alert engine module is operative for transforming the alert based on the type of mobile device.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the message format that is less than the stored data or voice message comprises a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

9. A method of notifying a user of an event comprising the steps of:

receiving and storing a data or voice message within a server, and based on header information for the data or voice message, generating an alert as an event corresponding to the stored data or voice message in a message format that is less than the stored data or voice message;

receiving the alert within an alert engine module; and

transforming the alert one time from the message format that is less than the stored data or voice message into a Short Messaging Service (SMS) message.

10. A method according to claim 9, which further comprises delivering the alert as the SMS message from the alert engine module to a target address preferred by a user.

11. A method according to claim 9, which further comprises later retrieving the stored message on the at least one server based on the received alert.

12. A method according to claim 9, and further comprising the step of transforming the alert into the SMS message based on a header and/or format of a target address.

13. A method according to claim 9, and further comprising the step of delivering the alert to an appropriate gateway for the SMS message.

14. A method according to claim 9, and further comprising delivering the alert to a mobile device.

15. A method according to claim 9, wherein the message format that is less than the stored data or voice message comprises a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).