U.S. patent application number 13/417421 was filed with the patent office on 2012-07-12 for apparatus and method for delivering messages over multiple mediums.
This patent application is currently assigned to RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED. Invention is credited to Ahmed Hassan, Daryl Martin, J.F. Sean Wilson.
Application Number | 20120176905 13/417421 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39169540 |
Filed Date | 2012-07-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120176905 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Martin; Daryl ; et
al. |
July 12, 2012 |
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DELIVERING MESSAGES OVER MULTIPLE
MEDIUMS
Abstract
A method of and device for transmitting a data message to a
communication device configured to receive data through a plurality
of communications mediums, including: assigning a first priority to
a first component of the data message and a second priority to a
second component of the data message; sending the first message
component to the communication device over an available
communications medium; and queuing the second component for
delivery via a communication medium having a lower relative data
transmission cost than the medium over which the first component
was sent.
Inventors: |
Martin; Daryl; (Kitchener,
CA) ; Hassan; Ahmed; (Waterloo, CA) ; Wilson;
J.F. Sean; (Waterloo, CA) |
Assignee: |
RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
Waterloo
CA
|
Family ID: |
39169540 |
Appl. No.: |
13/417421 |
Filed: |
March 12, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11530093 |
Sep 8, 2006 |
8150933 |
|
|
13417421 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
370/238 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 88/06 20130101;
H04W 88/184 20130101; H04L 51/38 20130101; H04W 92/02 20130101;
H04W 4/12 20130101; H04L 51/14 20130101; H04L 12/5692 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
370/238 |
International
Class: |
H04L 12/26 20060101
H04L012/26 |
Claims
1. A method of transmitting a data message to a communication
device configured to receive data through a plurality of
communications mediums, the method comprising: assigning a first
priority to a first component of the data message and a second
priority to a second component of the data message; sending the
first message component to the communication device over an
available communications medium; and queuing the second component
for delivery via a communication medium having a lower relative
data transmission cost than the medium over which the first
component was sent.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising when at least two of
the plurality of communications mediums are available, selecting
the available communications medium having the lowest relative data
transmission cost for sending the first message component.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising when at least two of
the plurality of communication mediums having lower relative data
transmission costs than the medium over which the first component
was sent are available, selecting the available medium having the
lowest data transmission cost for sending the second message
component.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising when none of the lower
relative data transmission cost communications mediums are
available and the second component is queued for an amount of time
exceeding a timer setting, sending the second component to the
communication device over any one of the plurality of
communications mediums that is available.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising when none of the lower
relative data transmission cost communications mediums are
available and the second component is queued, receiving a user
request for the second component and, in response, sending the
second component to the communication device over any one of the
plurality of communications mediums that is available.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the first message
component comprises creating a message notification, the message
notification containing the first message component, and sending
the message notification to the communication device.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first component is sent over
a cellular-type wireless communications network.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first component comprises at
least a subject line of the data message.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the second component comprises at
least one of a message body, an attachment, and graphical
content.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first component and the
second component are assigned priorities according to one or more
rules defined by a system administrator.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first component and the
second component are assigned priorities according to one or more
rules defined by a user of the communication device.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the data message comprises
webpage content.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first component includes
text content, and wherein the second component includes image
data.
14. A first communication device for transmitting a data message to
a second communication device that is configured to receive data
from the first communication device through a plurality of
communications mediums, said first communication device comprising
a processor configured to: assign a first priority to a first
component of the data message and a second priority to a second
component of the data message; send the first message component to
the second communication device over an available communications
medium; and queue the second component for delivery via a
communication medium having a lower relative data transmission cost
than the medium over which the first component was sent.
15. The first communication device of claim 14 wherein when at
least two of the plurality of communications mediums are available,
the processor is further configured to select the available
communications medium having the lowest relative data transmission
cost for sending the first message component.
16. The first communication device of claim 14 wherein when at
least two of the plurality of communication mediums having lower
relative data transmission costs than the medium over which the
first component was sent are available, the processor is further
configured to select the available medium having the lowest data
transmission cost for sending the second message component.
17. The first communication device of claim 14 wherein when none of
the lower relative data transmission cost communications mediums
are available and the second component is queued for an amount of
time exceeding a timer setting, the processor is further configured
to send the second component to the second communication device
over any one of the plurality of communications mediums that is
available.
18. The first communication device of claim 14 wherein when none of
the lower relative data transmission cost communications mediums
are available and the second component is queued, the processor is
further configured to receive, from the second communication
device, a request for the second component and, in response, send
the second component to the second communication device over any
one of the plurality of communications mediums that is
available.
19. The first communication device of claim 14 wherein the
processor is configured to send the first message component by
creating a message notification, the message notification
containing the first message component, and sending the message
notification to the second communication device.
20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program
code executable by a processor for transmitting data to a
communication device that is configured to receive a data message
through a plurality of communications mediums, the code comprising
instructions for: assigning a first priority to a first component
of the data message and a second priority to a second component of
the data message; sending the first message component to the
communication device over an available communications medium; and
queuing the second component for delivery via a communication
medium having a lower relative data transmission cost than the
medium over which the first component was sent.
Description
[0001] This Application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/530,093 filed Sep. 8, 2006.
FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY
[0002] The present application relates generally to communication
systems and, more particularly, to a communication mechanism and
methods for message delivery to mobile or handheld devices over
multiple mediums.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Communication networks and systems for mobile devices, such
as mobile computers and mobile handheld communication devices, are
currently experiencing challenges related to bandwidth bottlenecks
because of the relatively narrow bandwidth available in
conventional cellular modem data transmissions, for example, as
compared to broadband Internet connections. Additionally, the
availability of public wireless networking access points has
proliferated. While desktop and laptop computers often have easy
access to broadband networking and the Internet, mobile handheld
devices remain constricted by the expensive, narrow bandwidth
available in the cellular network. The high monthly cost of
cellular communication remains a deterrent that dissuades many
potential users from adopting new wireless handheld technologies.
Even with the application of state-of-the-art data compression and
data optimization techniques, a high data overhead remains a
challenge for meaningful data transmission to portable handheld
devices.
[0004] In another aspect, conventional handheld communication
devices offer little or no control of data delivery among various
mediums, e.g. of whether a particular piece of data should be sent
using a cellular connection or a wireless local area (WLAN) network
connection when available.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings,
which show, by way of example, embodiments and in which:
[0006] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communications system
suitable for providing a message delivery mechanism according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a mobile
electronic device for use with the communications system of FIG.
1;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an exemplary
implementation for the mobile electronic communication device of
FIG. 2;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a method for
message delivery according to the present disclosure; and
[0010] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another embodiment of a method
for message delivery according to the present disclosure.
[0011] Like reference numerals are used in the drawings to denote
like elements and features.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] According to an example embodiment there is provided a
method of transmitting a data message to a communication device
configured to receive data through a plurality of communications
mediums, the method comprising: assigning a first priority to a
first component of the data message and a second priority to a
second component of the data message; sending the first message
component to the communication device over an available
communications medium; and queuing the second component for
delivery via a communication medium having a lower relative data
transmission cost than the medium over which the first component
was sent.
[0013] According to an example embodiment, there is provided a
first communication device for transmitting a data message to a
second communication device that is configured to receive data from
the first communication device through a plurality of
communications mediums, said first communication device comprising
a processor configured to: assign a first priority to a first
component of the data message and a second priority to a second
component of the data message; send the first message component to
the second communication device over an available communications
medium; and queue the second component for delivery via a
communication medium having a lower relative data transmission cost
than the medium over which the first component was sent.
[0014] According to an example embodiment is a non-transitory
computer-readable medium comprising program code executable by a
processor for transmitting data to a communication device that is
configured to receive a data message through a plurality of
communications mediums, the code comprising instructions for:
assigning a first priority to a first component of the data message
and a second priority to a second component of the data message;
sending the first message component to the communication device
over an available communications medium; and queuing the second
component for delivery via a communication medium having a lower
relative data transmission cost than the medium over which the
first component was sent.
[0015] Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which shows in block
diagram form a communication system 100 comprising a data delivery
mechanism according to one embodiment. The communication system 100
comprises a wireless Wide Area Network (WAN) 102, a Wireless Local
Area Network (WLAN) 104, and/or other communication interfaces or
connections 106.
[0016] The communications system 100 also includes a wireless
network gateway 110 and one or more network provider systems 112.
The wireless network gateway 110 provides translation and routing
services between the one or more network provider systems 112 and
the WAN 102 to facilitate communication with users of the network
provider system 112, by way of mobile electronic devices 200 and
other types of communication devices (denoted generally by
reference 210) connected, directly or indirectly, to the network
provider system 112. The mobile communication devices 200 are
indicated individually by references 200a, 200b, 200c . . . 200n.
The mobile communication devices 200 are utilized by users (e.g.,
subscribers) to access services from the network provider system
112. An embodiment of the mobile communication device 200 is
described in further detail below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
The other types of communication devices 210, indicated
individually by references 210a . . . 210m, may include, for
example, laptop computers with a wireless communication capability
or communication-enabled personal digital assistants (PDA's).
[0017] In one configuration or implementation, the wireless WAN 102
comprises a packet-based cellular network having a number of base
stations 108 (one of which is shown in FIG. 1) with each of the
base stations 108 providing wireless Radio Frequency (RF) coverage
to a corresponding area or cell. The wireless WAN 102 is typically
operated by a cellular network service provider that sells
subscription packages to users of the mobile electronic devices
200. The wireless WAN 102 may comprise any one of a number of
different types of networks including, by way of non-limiting
example, Mobitex Radio Network, DataTAC, GSM (Global System for
Mobile Communication), GPRS (General Packet Radio System), TDMA
(Time Division Multiple Access), CDMA (Code Division Multiple
Access), CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data), CDMA2000, iDEN
(integrated Digital Enhanced Network), EDGE (Enhanced Data rates
for GSM Evolution), or UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications
Systems).
[0018] The WLAN 104 may be implemented in accordance with IEEE
802.11 standards such as 802.11b and/or 802.11g; however it will be
appreciated that other communications protocols may be used for the
WLAN 104. The WLAN 104 includes a number of wireless RF Access
Points (AP) 114 (one of which is depicted in FIG. 1) that
collectively provide a WLAN coverage area. In one embodiment, the
WLAN 104 is operated by an enterprise (for example, a business or a
university) and the access points 114 are connected to an access
point or AP interface 116. The AP interface 116 provides
translation and routing services between the access points 114 and
the network provider system 112 to facilitate communication between
the mobile electronic devices 200 and the other devices 210
connected, directly or indirectly, to the network provider system
112. The AP interface 114 may be implemented by a computer, for
example, a server running a suitable software program. In at least
some example embodiments, the WLAN 104 is connected to the
enterprise network 120 such that communications between the network
provider system 112 and the WLAN 104 are effected through the
enterprise network 120.
[0019] According to one embodiment, the other communication
interfaces 106 are implemented using a physical or short-range
interface 118. The physical or short-range interface 118 may
comprise Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Firewire.TM., an
infrared (IR), or short-range radio frequency (RF) communication
(e.g. Bluetooth) connection, or combinations of the forgoing
implemented to exchange information between the network provider
system 112 and the mobile communication device 200. By way of
example, in at least some example embodiments, the user associated
with a particular mobile communications device 200 will have a
computer workstation 123 such as a desktop or laptop computer
designated for his or her use that is connected to the enterprise
network 120 by a wired connection or through WLAN access point
interface 116. The communications interface 118 can include a
short-range connection between the user's mobile device 200 and the
user's computer workstation 123. Thus, in such an embodiment, the
communications link between the mobile device 200 and the network
provider system 112 includes a short-range communications link over
a communications interface 118 with the user's computer
workstation, and a further communications link between the computer
workstation 123 and the mobile delivery module 122 through the
enterprise network 120.
[0020] The network provider system 112 comprises a server that
according to one embodiment is located behind a firewall (not
shown). The network provider system 112 provides access for the
mobile communication devices 200, through either the wireless WAN
102, the WLAN 104, or the communication interface 106 to the
devices connected, for example, through an enterprise network 120
(e.g., an intranet), to the network provider system 112. As shown,
the network provider system 112 includes a mobile data delivery
module 122 which, as will be described in more detail below,
provides functionality to prioritize content and information
received from devices connected to the network provider system 112
for transmission over either the wireless WAN 102, the WLAN 104, or
the communication interface 106 to the mobile communication devices
200. According to one embodiment, the mobile data delivery module
122 of the network provider system 112 selectively prioritizes the
content being sent to the mobile electronic devices 200 based on
whether the content should be sent over: (i) the wireless WAN 102;
(ii) the WLAN 104 or (iii) the communication interface 106, as will
be described in more detail below. In one embodiment, the
functionality of the mobile data delivery module 122 is implemented
in a computer program, or computer code modules or components,
which are executed by a processor or processors in the module 122.
The particular implementation details of such a computer program or
code will be within the understanding of those skilled in the art.
In another embodiment, the mobile data delivery module 122 may be
implemented on a separate computer or processor from the network
provider system 112.
[0021] The enterprise network 120 may be connected to the network
provider system 112 through the Internet, an intranet or a direct
connection, such as the communications interface 118. According to
one embodiment, the enterprise network 120 comprises an intranet
for a corporation or other type of organization. In at least some
embodiments, the network provider system 112 is part of the
enterprise network 120, and is located behind a corporate firewall
and connected to the wireless network gateway 110 through the
Internet. For this embodiment, an application/content server 124 is
connected to the enterprise network 120 and also to another network
such as a WAN 126. The WAN 126 may connect with other networks. The
WAN 126 may include the Internet, a direct connection, a LAN, a
wireless communication link, or any combination thereof. Content
providers, such as Web servers, may be connected to the WAN 126,
for example, an origin server 128 as shown in FIG. 1. For the
embodiment shown in FIG. 1, an email server 130 is connected to and
can be part of the enterprise network 120. The email server 130 is
configured to direct or redirect email messages received over the
WAN 126 and internally within the enterprise network 120 to be
addressed to the mobile communication devices 200.
[0022] The mobile data delivery module 122 provides HTTP
connectivity between the wireless WAN 102 and the WLAN 104 and the
communication interface 106 and devices and/or networks connected
directly or indirectly to the network provider system 112. The
network 120, the application/content server 124, the WAN 126 and
the origin server 128 comprise collectively, individually or in
various combinations a content source for the network provider
system 112. It will be appreciated that the embodiment depicted in
FIG. 1 comprises but one possible configuration for a
communications system according to the present disclosure.
[0023] Reference is next made to FIG. 2, which shows an embodiment
of the mobile electronic communication device 200. According to
this embodiment, the mobile electronic communication device 200
comprises a hand-held, two-way, mobile communication device having
at least data capabilities and voice communication capabilities
available as options. The mobile electronic device 200 may comprise
a data communication device, a multiple-mode communication device
configured for both data and voice communication, a mobile
telephone, a mobile communication device, a PDA enabled for
wireless communications, or a wireless modem operating in
conjunction with a computer system or systems.
[0024] According to this embodiment, the mobile electronic
communication device 200 is configured to operate within the
wireless WAN 102 (FIG. 1) and the WLAN 104 (FIG. 1). As shown in
FIG. 2, the mobile device 200 includes a WAN communications
subsystem 202 for communicating with the wireless WAN 102 and a
WLAN communications subsystem 204 for communicating with the WLAN
104 (i.e., via the access points 114 (FIG. 1)). The wireless WAN
102 and the WLAN 104 may have coverage areas that at least
partially overlap. For example, the coverage area of the wireless
WAN 102 may be much larger than that of the WLAN 104 and may
overlap all or a large percentage of the coverage area of the WLAN
104. The WLAN 104 may also have sole coverage in some regions that
are dead spots in the wireless WAN 102. For example, some interior
locations of an enterprise's buildings may be impenetrable to
signals transmitted by the WAN 102. Typically, the channel
resources, such as bandwidth available for providing content to the
mobile communication devices 200, will be greater over the WLAN 104
than over the wireless WAN 102. The mobile electronic device 200
may also be configured to communicate with the physical interface
118 (FIG. 1). For example, the mobile electronic device 200 may
include an auxiliary input/output (I/O) 206, a serial port
interface 208, or a short-range communication (e.g., Bluetooth)
interface 210. An exemplary implementation for the mobile
electronic communication device 200 is described in greater detail
below with reference to FIG. 3.
[0025] According to this embodiment, the mobile electronic
communication device 200 is configured to communicate with the
network provider system 112 through alternative communications
paths that include the following alternative communications
mediums: (i) over the WLAN 104 (FIG. 1) when the device 200 is
within the coverage area of the WLAN 104, or (ii) over the
short-range interface 118 (FIG. 1) when the device 200 is within
physical proximity to the user's workstation such that the mobile
electronic device 200 can be connected to the desktop computer by a
physical interface or a short-range wireless interface; or (iii)
over the wireless WAN 102 (FIG. 1) when the device 200 is inside
the coverage area of the wireless WAN 102 and outside the coverage
area of the WLAN 104 (FIG. 1) and away from the user's desktop
workstation. According to this configuration, the mobile electronic
communication device 200 connects through the lower-cost WLAN 104
or short-range interface 118 rather than through the more expensive
wireless WAN 102. Content received by the mobile data delivery
module 122 (FIG. 1) that is destined for the mobile electronic
device 200 is delivered either through the WAN 102 (FIG. 1), the
WLAN 104 (FIG. 1) or the communication interface 106 (FIG. 1)
according to a number of different criteria that are established by
the system administrator and/or the user of the mobile electronic
communication device 200, as will be described in more detail
below.
[0026] Reference is next made to FIG. 3, which shows in greater
detail an embodiment of the mobile electronic communication device
200. As shown, the mobile electronic communication device 200
includes a microprocessor 302, a wireless WAN communication
subsystem 202 for two-way communications with the wireless WAN 102
(FIG. 1), and a WLAN communications subsystem 204 for two-way
communications with the WLAN 104 (FIG. 1). The communications
subsystems 202 and 204 include respective antennas (not shown), RF
transceivers (not shown), in addition to signal processing
capabilities, implemented, for example, by a digital signal
processor (not shown), as will be understood by those skilled in
the art. The microprocessor 302 operates under stored program
control and executes a computer program or code modules stored, for
example, as firmware in a program memory 308. In known manner, the
program memory 308 may comprise a non-volatile memory device, such
as flash memory. The mobile communication device 200 also includes
a random access memory or RAM 310 and a user interface comprising a
display module 312 and a keyboard 314. The RAM 310 is used for
storing communication data, data for the display module 312,
program or runtime variables, and other types of data or
information, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The
RAM 310 may also be used to store and execute downloaded program
modules or code components. The device 200 also includes a speaker
316 and a microphone 318, which, for example, are used for
telephony or voice communication functions. As shown, the device
200 includes an auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystem 206 and a
serial port 208. The auxiliary I/O subsystem 206 may comprise an
external communications link or interface, for example, an Ethernet
connection.
[0027] The serial port 208 may be implemented as a USB-type port.
The software (i.e., the operating system 330 or the applications
340) may further include a program or code module for synchronizing
the mobile electronic device 200 with a desktop computer (not
shown) running a compatible synchronization program. The
synchronization operation may comprise a number of functions
including downloading program or code module updates, synchronizing
the user's email on the device 200 with the user's email on the
desktop computer, synchronizing a user-defined contacts lists, and
providing other types of information exchange. The serial port 208
may also be used as a communication channel for data transfer with
the network provider system 112 (FIG. 1), whenever the connection
is established.
[0028] The computer program(s) or code modules stored in the
program memory 310 comprise two general categories of software:
operating system software indicated by reference 330 and software
applications indicated by reference 340. The software applications
340 may include a range of applications, including, for example, an
address book application, a messaging application, a calendar
application, and/or a notepad application. As shown, the software
applications 340 may also include other software applications 342,
a Web browser 344 (i.e., for a Web-enabled mobile electronic
communication device 200), an email message application 346, a push
content viewing application 348, and/or a voice communication (i.e.
telephony) module 350. Each of the software applications 340 may
include layout information defining the placement of particular
fields and graphic elements (e.g. text fields, input fields, icons,
etc.) in the user interface (i.e. the display module 312) according
to the application.
[0029] Referring still to FIG. 3, the mobile communication device
200 may also include a short-range communication interface 210 and
a wireless communication interface 326. The short-range
communications interface 210 provides for communication between the
mobile electronic device 200 and other types of systems or devices.
For example, the short-range communication interface 210 may
comprise an infrared communication interface. The wireless
communication interface 326 comprises an interface for
communicating with other types of wireless networks, for example, a
wireless network such as an orthogonal frequency division
multiplexed (OFDM) network or a satellite network (not shown).
[0030] According to one embodiment, the software for the operating
system 330 and a predetermined set of applications that control
basic device operations including at least data and voice
communication applications, for example, the email message
application 346 and the voice communication module 350, are
installed on the mobile electronic communication device 200 during
the manufacturing or assembly process. Additional applications
and/or upgrades to the operating system 330 or software
applications 340 may be loaded onto the mobile electronic
communication device 200 through the network communication
interface (i.e., the wireless WAN 102 (FIG. 1), the WLAN 104 (FIG.
1), or the communication interface 106 (FIG. 1)). Applications or
upgrades may also be loaded onto the device 200 using the auxiliary
I/O subsystem 206, the serial port 208, the short-range
communication subsystem 210 or the other wireless communication
interface 326. The downloaded programs or code modules may be
permanently installed, for example, written into the program memory
(i.e. the flash memory 308), or written into and executed from the
RAM 310.
[0031] The mobile electronic communication device 200 provides two
principal modes of communication: a voice communication mode and a
data communication mode. In voice communication mode, the device
200 provides telephony functions and operates as a typical cellular
phone. As described above, the telephony functions in the device
200 are provided by a combination of firmware (i.e., the voice
communication module 350) and hardware (i.e., the microphone 318,
the speaker 316 and the keyboard or keypad 314). In data
communication mode, a received signal such as an email message or a
Web page download is received and pre-processed by the WLAN
communication module 204 or the WAN communication module 202, and
then input by the microprocessor 302 for further processing, for
example by the email message application 346. The email message
application 346 is also used by the user to compose, edit and send
email messages, using the keyboard 314 and the display 312.
[0032] Reference is next made to FIG. 4, which shows in flowchart
form an embodiment of a method 400 for processing data according to
the present invention. According to an embodiment, the method 400
provides a mechanism for determining an appropriate delivery medium
or communication channel for data intended for the mobile
electronic communication device 200. According to this embodiment,
the method 400 or a process embodying the method 400 is implemented
in software (e.g., a computer program, computer code modules or
code components) executed by the mobile data delivery module 122
(FIG. 1) and/or the network provider system 112 (FIG. 1). The
software executed by the mobile data delivery module 122 and/or the
network provider system 112 may include settings (e.g., server-side
rules, filters, etc.) that are configurable by a network
administrator and/or the users of the mobile electronic
communication devices 200 (FIG. 1). However, it will be understood
that the method 400 may be implemented apart from the network
provider system 112 in the communications system 100.
[0033] According to the method 400, data intended for the mobile
electronic communication device 200 (FIG. 1) is designated using
priorities. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, data intended for
the mobile electronic communication device 200 is designated either
as low-priority data or as high-priority data. In some embodiments,
certain types or classes of data are assigned or associated with a
default priority level prior to the execution of method 400, for
example by the user of the device 200, or by an IT administrator.
Data designated as low priority is delivered utilizing a low-cost
delivery mechanism (i.e., medium or channel), as indicated by block
402 in FIG. 4. Data designated as high priority is delivered
utilizing any suitable channel, possibly including a higher-cost
delivery mechanism (i.e., medium or channel), as indicated by block
404 in FIG. 4. In another embodiment, the handling of priority
designated data may be based on the bandwidth of the available
channels. For example, low-priority data may be delivered using
high-bandwidth channels and high-priority data may be delivered
using any suitable channel, possibly including low-bandwidth
channels. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that
the prioritization of data for delivery may be used to manage IT
resources in any suitable manner, whether the desired measurable is
cost, bandwidth, etc. For example, the mobile device 200 may be
configured to subscribe to a weather service such that weather data
obtained from a origin server 128 is periodically provided to the
device 200. The user of the device 200 can identify such data as
low priority, so that the weather data will only be delivered to
the device over a lower cost communications medium.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 4, when data that is addressed to mobile
device 200 is received by the network provider system 112 (FIG. 1),
then the first step in decision block 406 involves checking to
determine if the target mobile electronic device 200 is connected
to the WLAN system 104 (FIG. 1) or one of the physical or
short-range communication interfaces 106 (FIG. 1), for example, a
cradle or USB connection. If the mobile electronic device 200 is
connected to either the WLAN system 104 (FIG. 1) or the
communication interface 106 (FIG. 1), and if a minimum desired
quality of service (QOS) (e.g., signal strength) is present, the
data is exchanged through the WLAN system 104 or the communication
interface 106 using the low-cost delivery medium or channel as
indicated by the block 402. In other words, if lower-cost mediums
or "free networks" are available (e.g., the WLAN system 104 or the
communication interface 106) and a minimum acceptable QOS can be
maintained, normally the preference will be to use the lower-cost
mediums, as opposed to costly mediums (e.g., the WAN 102 such as a
cellular subscriber service) for all types of data. If the mobile
device 200 is not connected to either the WLAN system 104 or the
communication interface 106 (as determined in decision step 406) or
if a connection is detected but a minimum desired QOS is not
present, then a data prioritization method is employed, and the
next step in decision block 408 involves checking whether the data
to be sent to the mobile electronic device 200 comprises an email
message. If the data is not an email message, then a check is made
in decision block 410 to determine whether the type of data to be
delivered has previously been designated as high-priority data
(e.g., weather data, news data, office file update data, scheduling
data, or any other type of data falling within a category
determined by the user or a system administrator). If the data to
be delivered is of the type previously designated as high-priority
data (decision block 410), then the data is delivered immediately
or on an urgent basis to the mobile electronic device 200 in step
404 using a higher-cost delivery medium (i.e., the WAN 102 (FIG.
1)). If the data to be delivered has not been previously designated
as high-priority data (decision block 410), then the data is
delivered to the mobile electronic device 200 using the low-cost
delivery medium as indicated by step 402. According to this
embodiment, the low-cost delivery medium comprises the WLAN 104
(FIG. 1) or the communication interface 106 (FIG. 1), and if a
connection is not immediately available through the WLAN 104 or
communication interface 106 then the data is queued and the data
delivery is subsequently completed when the mobile electronic
device 200 is coupled to either the WLAN 104 (FIG. 1) or the
communication interface 106 (FIG. 1). Where both a connection
through WLAN and a connection through communications interface 106
exist simultaneously between the device 200 and the network
provider system 112, the system 112 can be, in an example
embodiment, preconfigured to use one of the two connections as the
default low-cost choice.
[0035] If the data to be delivered is determined to be an email
message (decision block 408), then the next step in decision block
412 involves determining if the email message comprises a
high-priority message. For example, a high-priority message may be
a message from a particular sender, a message concerning subjects
designated as high priority, or a message flagged by the sender as
high priority. In some embodiments, all email messages are by
default considered to be high priority. If the email message is not
a high-priority message (decision block 412), then the email
message is delivered using the low-cost delivery mechanism in step
402. If the email message is determined to be a high-priority
message (decision block 412), then the next operation involves
extracting information from the email message for the message
notification, then sending the message notification in step 414.
The message notification in step 414 is transmitted using the
higher-cost mechanism (e.g., the WAN 102 (FIG. 1)), again, assuming
low-cost delivery mechanisms are not available, as had been
determined at the step 406. According to this embodiment, the
message notification includes information extracted from the email
messages such as, for example, the sender's name and the subject of
the email and may also include a brief summary of the content of
the email (for example, the first few lines of the email of to a
predetermined number of characters), and/or the names of any files
that may be attached to the email. In such an embodiment, the user
interface presented on the mobile device 10 for displaying incoming
messages could include a preview pane that displays the first few
lines of the email contained in the message notification along with
the sender name and at least part of the subject line.
Alternatively, just the sender name along with part of the subject
line could be displayed in the incoming messages interface, and the
remaining message notification content could be displayed once the
user has selected or opened the message notification from the
incoming messages list.
[0036] The message notification is intended to provide the user of
the mobile communication device 200 with sufficient information to
decide if the entire message should be delivered immediately, which
in turn will cause the mobile device 200 to send a request back to
the network provider system 112 requesting immediate delivery of
the entire email message. According to one embodiment, the message
notification displayed at the mobile device 200 includes a prompt
for the user to respond (for example a user selectable "read now"
option can be presented to the user). In another embodiment, the
prompt is implicit in the message notification for the user to
indicate immediate delivery (by selecting or opening the message
notification) or delayed delivery of the email message (by ignoring
the message notification). As indicated in decision block 416, if a
request is received back from the mobile device 200 indicated that
the message is desired immediately, then the next operation
involves delivering the entire email message using the most
suitable delivery mechanism that is currently available, even if
that mechanism is the higher-cost delivery mechanism (i.e., as
indicated in step 404, the WAN 102). If the user decides that the
entire message is not needed immediately (for example, by
transmitting a "read later" reply or "low priority" reply in
response to a prompt), then the message is flagged as low priority
and is delivered at a later time using the low-cost delivery
mechanism in the 402. The user may also set all messages as high
priority so that message notifications are sent out for all email
according to step 414
[0037] Reference is next made to FIG. 5, which shows in flowchart
form another embodiment of a method 500 for processing data.
According to one embodiment, the method 500 provides a mechanism
for determining a delivery priority for a data message and
determining an appropriate delivery medium or communication channel
based on that priority for data intended for the mobile electronic
communication device 200. According to this embodiment, the method
500 or a process embodying the method 500 is implemented in
software (e.g., a computer program, computer code modules or code
components) executed by the mobile data delivery module 122 (FIG.
1) and/or the network provider system 112 (FIG. 1). The software
executed by the mobile data delivery module 122 and/or the network
provider system 112 may include settings (e.g., server-side rules,
filters, etc.) that are configurable by a network administrator
and/or the users of the mobile electronic communication devices 200
(FIG. 1). However, it will be understood that the method 500 may be
implemented apart from the network provider system 112 in the
communications system 100.
[0038] According to the method 500, data intended for the mobile
electronic communication device 200 (FIG. 1) is designated using
priorities. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, data intended for
the mobile electronic communication device 200 is designated either
as low-priority data (as indicated by block 502) or as
high-priority data (as indicated by block 504). Data designated as
low priority is delivered utilizing an acceptable medium (i.e., a
low-cost delivery mechanism, medium or channel), as indicated by
block 522 in FIG. 5. Data designated as high priority is delivered
utilizing any medium or channel, possibly including a higher-cost
delivery mechanism (i.e., medium or channel), as indicated by block
518 in FIG. 5. In another embodiment, the handling of
priority-designated data may be based on the bandwidth of the
available channels. For example, low-priority data may be delivered
using high-bandwidth channels and high-priority data may be
delivered using any suitable channel, possibly including
low-bandwidth channels. It will be understood by those skilled in
the art that the prioritization of data for delivery, as shown
within the dashed block indicated by reference 503 in FIG. 5, may
be used to manage IT resources in any suitable manner, whether the
desired measurable is cost, bandwidth, etc.
[0039] As shown in FIG. 5, a first step 501 of the method 500
involves selecting sets of acceptable communication mediums for use
for a particular priority level of data to be sent to the mobile
electronic device 200. In one example embodiment, this step is
performed in advance by the device user and/or a system
administrator, when the user or system administrator determines
which mediums of communication are potentially available for use by
the mobile electronic device 200 and what data types of data should
be transmitted using what mediums under certain conditions. Thus,
step 501 includes setting up a set of rules to be used for
selecting a suitable communications channel for transmitting data
to the device 10. As shown in FIG. 5, when data is received by the
network provider system 112 (FIG. 1), the first step in decision
block 506 involves checking whether the data to be sent to the
mobile electronic device 200 comprises an email message. If the
data is not an email message, then a check is made in decision
block 508 to determine whether the type of data to be delivered
(i.e., the content type) has previously been designated as
high-priority data for urgent delivery (for example, different data
types associated with different services can be pre-associated with
different urgency levels--weather data and news data may be low
urgency, with stock price data, office file update data and
scheduling data being high urgency, and other types of data falling
within a category determined by the user or a system
administrator). If the data to be delivered is of the type
previously designated for urgent delivery (decision block 508),
then the priority related to the data is set to high priority (step
504). If the data to be delivered has not been previously
designated for urgent delivery (decision block 508), then the data
priority is set to low priority, indicated by step 502. In some
example embodiments, the priority for data corresponds directly to
its predetermined urgency level, in which case when a determination
is made in step 506 that the data is not an email message, the
method can proceed directly from step 506 to step 516 without
intervening priority assigning steps 508, 502 or 504, and use the
predetermined urgency level for the type of data as the priority
level.
[0040] Turning again to decision step 506, if the data to be
delivered is determined to be an email message, then the next step
in decision block 510 involves determining if the email message
comprises a high-priority message. By way of example, a
high-priority message may be a message from a particular sender, a
message concerning subjects designated as high priority, or a
message flagged as high-priority by the sender. In some example
embodiments, all email messages are considered by default to be
high priority messages, or the user may set all messages as high
priority so that message notifications are sent out for all email
according.
[0041] If the email message is not a high-priority message
(decision block 510), then the email message priority is set to low
priority (step 502). If the email message is determined to be a
high-priority message (decision block 510), then the next operation
involves extracting data from the email message to create a message
notification, then sending a message notification in step 512. The
message notification in step 512 is transmitted using any available
medium, which may include the higher-cost mediums (e.g., the WAN
102 (FIG. 1)). The message notification is typically sent using the
lowest cost available medium at that particular point in time. The
message notification can include the same information as described
above in respect of method 400 and is intended to provide the user
of the mobile communication device 200 with sufficient information
to decide if the entire message should be delivered immediately.
The message notification can be presented on the mobile device 200
in the same manner as described above in respect of method 200--for
example, in one embodiment, the message notification includes a
prompt for the user to respond. In another embodiment, the prompt
is implicit in the message notification for the user to indicate
immediate delivery (by opening the message notification) or delayed
delivery (by ignoring the message notification) of the remainder of
the email message. If the user indicates a desire to view the
entire message immediately, a message is sent back to the network
provider system 112 from the communications device 200 indicating
that desire and, as per decision block 514, then the next operation
involves setting the message priority as high priority in step 504.
If the user decides that the entire message is not needed
immediately, then the message is flagged as low priority (step
502). In example embodiments the message will be considered low
priority until the network provider system receives a request for
the message in step 514.
[0042] Next, decision block 516 checks the priority that was
previously set for the data message in the prioritization process
503. If the priority of the data message is high priority, the data
is delivered using any available medium (step 518). In one
embodiment, this means that the step 518 delivers the data message
to the mobile communication device 200 using any one of the
available communications mediums (e.g., through either the WAN 102
(FIG. 1), the WLAN 104 (FIG. 1), or the communication interface 106
(FIG. 1), with the WAN 102 being the least preferable medium). If
the priority of the data message is low priority, as determined at
the step 516, then it is determined if an acceptable medium of
delivery of the data message is available (step 520). In one
embodiment, acceptable mediums of delivery for low-priority data
messages include the WLAN 104 and the communication interface 106.
If an acceptable medium of delivery is available for the
low-priority data message as determined by the step 520, then the
data message is delivered using one of the available acceptable
mediums (step 522). If an acceptable medium of delivery is not
available, then the data message is queued to be sent when one of
the acceptable mediums is available (step 524).
[0043] Embodiments are not limited to a two-tier system of
prioritization or a unidirectional implementation. In another
embodiment, a series of priorities may be assigned to the various
types of data, as well as the various delivery mediums. For
example, the WAN 102 may be designated as being primarily for
high-priority data, the WLAN 104 for high or medium-priority data,
and the communication interface 106 for high, medium, and
low-priority data. Different priority designations may be assigned
to different types of data or content types, such as email, meeting
requests, browser channels, etc., and each priority designation has
a preferred method of delivery, as described in relation to the
method 400, above. In one embodiment, a ranking of delivery methods
is organized as follows: 1. the WAN 102; 2. SMS connections; 3. the
WLAN 104; 4. Bluetooth connections; 5. connections with the cradle,
etc., with higher numbers being the more cost-effective mediums to
use. The methods described above may be designed to include any
number of mediums and types of data, according to the design
criteria of a particular application.
[0044] Additionally, the same prioritization method may be applied
to communications originating from the mobile electronic device 200
destined for the communication system 100. Again, different
priority designations may be assigned to different types of data,
such as email, meeting requests, browser requests, etc., and each
priority designation has a preferred method of delivery, as
described in relation to the method 400, above. In one embodiment,
a ranking of delivery methods is organized as follows: 1. the WAN
102; 2. the WLAN 104; 3. Bluetooth connections; 4. connections with
the cradle, etc., with higher numbers being the more cost effective
mediums to use. In one embodiment, when low cost mediums are not
available to the mobile electronic device 200 (e.g., only the WAN
102 is available), the mobile electronic device 200 employs a
method, similar to the method 400 or method 500 described in
connection with FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, to decide which outgoing data is
immediately sent out over the WAN 102 and which outgoing data is
queued to be sent when one of the lower cost mediums is available.
In one example, the user of the mobile electronic device 200 may
make a decision when an email is composed related to the priority
of the email message. If the email message is of high priority, the
email message is sent immediately using the lowest cost available
method of transmission. If the email message is of low priority and
only the high cost medium such as the WAN 102 is available, the
message is queued for later transmission.
[0045] In operation, the method 400 of FIG. 4 and method 500 of
FIG. 5 may be adapted and implemented according to any one of the
following exemplary applications or scenarios.
[0046] In one scenario, a person sending or receiving an e-mail may
have the ability to designate priorities to various message
components. For example, if a user A typically receives emails from
another user B, the user A or the user B may wish to define a rule
to allow only the subject, and other relevant header information to
be delivered to the user A over an immediately available medium
(i.e., the cheapest delivery method of the WAN 102, the WLAN 104,
or the communication interface 106 currently available). Meanwhile,
the body of the message is queued for delivery via a lower-priority
medium or, if the user A requests the body before a lower priority
medium becomes available, the message is delivered through the
next-best available medium. Message components that may be
designated using different priorities include the subject line, the
message body, attachments, graphical content within the messages,
etc. Each of these message components may be assigned its own
priority. This scenario is also applicable to other data, such as
Web page viewing. For example, when the user is browsing the Web,
text content may be delivered via the cheapest available medium of
the WAN 102, the WLAN 104, and the communication interface 106, but
images or graphics are set by default to be delivered via the
cheaper medium (e.g., the WLAN 104 or the communication interface
106) unless requested otherwise by the user. As described above, by
carefully scrutinizing the various components of the content to be
delivered to the mobile electronic device 200 and assigning these
various components different priorities, cost savings are
available.
[0047] In another scenario, a user who is frequently away from his
or her desk or office may encounter a situation in which data
designated as low-priority data is infrequently sent to the mobile
electronic device 200 because the low-cost mediums are rarely
available. In this situation, a timer may be implemented. While the
timer may be set to any value, typically the user of the mobile
electronic device 200 sets the timer to be a fraction of his or her
working day (e.g., between 10 minutes and 8 hours). Low-priority
data that sits in the queue awaiting a low cost delivery medium for
an amount of time that exceeds the timer setting would then be
delivered over any available medium so that data does not become
stale; this can be done by re-designating the data as being of high
priority. Again, this same implementation of using a timer to
ensure data does not become stale may be applied to low-priority
data originating at the mobile electronic device 200 that was
queued for later transmission.
[0048] In yet another scenario, the user (i.e., subscriber) for one
of the mobile communication devices 200 does not wish to receive
push content (e.g., weather updates) on his or her device 200 over
the WAN 102 (FIG. 1) because of the cost associated with using the
WAN 102 and such content is only to be sent to the mobile
electronic device 200 through either the WLAN 104 (FIG. 1) or the
communication interface or connection 106 (FIG. 1).
[0049] In another scenario, a user wants messages from certain
senders, as designated in the user's address book, to be
automatically delivered, for example, by either the WAN 102 (FIG.
1), the WLAN 104 (FIG. 1) or the communication interface 106 (FIG.
1). The communication mechanism may be selected by whichever one is
available, or the user may establish or set a preference, for
example, the WAN 102 (FIG. 1) for immediate availability, or the
WLAN 104 (FIG. 1) for lower-cost transmission. Emails from other
users are designated as lower-priority messages and are transferred
to the mobile electronic communication device 200 (FIG. 1) using
the WLAN 104 (FIG. 1) or the communication interface 106 (FIG. 1)
when a connection is available or is established, for example, when
the user either docks (i.e., connects) the mobile electronic device
200 at a workstation or enters an available WLAN zone (e.g., a "hot
spot" in an office). Again, in this scenario the same rules may
apply to email messages originating from the mobile electronic
device 200.
[0050] In yet another scenario, a user exceeds his allocated
monthly bandwidth or usage time for the WAN 102 (FIG. 1) and as a
result wants to control the amount of data being transferred over
the WAN 102 (FIG. 1) to the mobile electronic device 200 in order
to reduce or eliminate excess time or data transfer charges, for
example, until the next billing cycle begins. Likewise, the user
may wish to control the amount of data being transferred over the
WAN 102 and originating at the mobile electronic device 200.
[0051] In a further scenario or application, a system administrator
configures the network provider system 112 (FIG. 1) according to
the following two axioms: (a) message notifications are set to the
highest priority and are delivered instantly through any medium
available (e.g., through either the WAN 102 (FIG. 1), the WLAN 104
(FIG. 1), or the communication interface 106 (FIG. 1)), with the
WAN 102 being the least preferable route. The content of a message
notification (as described above) is configurable and provides
sufficient information for the user to decide if the email is to be
read (e.g., whether the email be transferred to the mobile
electronic device 200 over the WAN 102 if the WAN 102 is the only
medium currently available); (b) if the user decides, after reading
the message notification, that the entire message is not to be read
(for example, by transmitting a reply to a prompt), the network
provider system 112 (FIG. 1) schedules the message for delivery
using the lowest-cost path (i.e., the WLAN 104 or the communication
interface 106).
[0052] According to another embodiment, the user configures the
device 200 to handle different types of services with the services
having different priorities resulting in the use of different
delivery mediums (e.g., communication networks or channels). In one
scenario, weather updates are set for one per day and restricted to
delivery over the WLAN 104 (FIG. 1) or the communication interface
106 (FIG. 1) when the user is in the office and such connections
are available. In another scenario, the user controls the amount of
bandwidth used on the WAN 102 (FIG. 1) by setting periodic (e.g.,
daily or monthly) bandwidth allowances and assigning several
different priorities (e.g., very low, low, medium, high, and very
high) to different types of data. The network provider system 112
dynamically manages the data and delivers as much data as possible
based on the assigned priorities without exceeding the WAN 102
bandwidth that has been allocated to the mobile electronic device
200.
[0053] While the embodiments presented have been described in the
context of communication networks, it is to be appreciated that the
communication techniques and prioritization mechanisms are
applicable to other types of communications systems. For example, a
communication system where a user or subscriber can obtain (i.e.,
download) information from a server over two or more communication
channels or links, and the communication channels have defined cost
or speed differences. A prioritization and/or data delivery
mechanism as described above is used to establish a preference or a
priority for one of the communication channels or links based on
speed of data transfer and/or cost of data transfer.
[0054] The described embodiments may be embodied in other specific
forms without departing from the spirit or essential
characteristics thereof. Certain adaptations and modifications of
the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art.
Therefore, the presently discussed embodiments are considered to be
illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being
indicated by the appended claims rather the foregoing description,
and all changes which come within the meaning and range of
equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced
therein.
* * * * *