Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING REGISTRATION OF SERVICES FOR AN
ELECTRONIC DEVICE
FIELD OF DISCLOSURE
[0001] The disclosure described herein relates to a system and method for
managing
registrations to services for an electronic device, such as an electronic
communication device. In,
particular, the disclosure described herein relates to managing access
communications for the
device when it is initiating a signon request to a service provided by a
server in a network.
BACKGROUND
[0002] As wireless communication devices are portable, they can connect and
communicate
with several different wireless communication networks as they roam. A
wireless mobile
communication device typically can access a plurality of different networks,
such as voice and
data networks.
[0003] In a given network, a series of servers may provide services, such as
local private
branch exchange (PBX) services and voice mail services. When a wireless device
enters a
network, a series of messages is generated and sent between the device and the
various servers in
the network. Such messages can comprise negotiations with one or more servers
to allow access
to their respective services. Such streams of negotiations can occupy many
computational and
communication processing cycles for the device and servers as connections are
negotiated.
[0004] There is a need for a system and method which addresses deficiencies
managing
access to such servers.
SUMMARY
[0005] In a first aspect of an embodiment of this disclosure, a method for
managing access to
a server in a network for a wireless electronic device through an interface
server in the network
is provided. The method comprises: after receiving at the interface server
from the device a
notification for access to one or more services or servers in the network,
identifying one or more
capabilities of the device, and analyzing the capabilities with operating
parameters of the
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services or servers to identify a set of the services or servers that are
compatible with the
capabilities; sending a set of access requests from the interface server to a
set of servers
associated with the set of one or more services or servers; monitoring for
responses from the set
of servers to the set of access requests; and generating and sending a
response to the device
providing information relating to the responses from the set of servers.
[0006] In the method, the request from the device may be provided in a session
initiation
protocol (SIP) message; and the response to the request may be provided in
another SIP message.
[0007] In the method, the response to the device may aggregate the information
relating to
the responses from the set of servers.
[0008] In the method, one or more capabilities of the device may be identified
by analyzing
data in the notification or other data.
[0009] In the method, the device may generate the notification when the device
enters the
network.
[0010] In the method, analyzing the capabilities with operating parameters of
the services or
servers may identify a server that was not included in the notification from
the device.
[0011] The method may further comprise: receiving updated information
regarding a
capability of the device; at the interface entity, analyzing the updated
information with operating
parameters of the services or servers to identify a revised set of the
services or servers that are
compatible with the updated information; generating and sending a supplemental
set of access
requests to a second set of servers associated with the supplemental set of
services or servers;
monitoring for supplemental responses from the second set of servers to the
supplemental set of
access requests; and generating and sending a supplemental response to the
device providing
information relating to the supplemental responses from the second set of
servers.
[0012] In the method, the updated information may be provided from a message
received
from the device.
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[0013] In the method, data relating to the operating parameters of the
services or servers may
be provided to the interface server from a presence server in the network.
[0014] In the method, the interface server may provide network server
information received
from the presence server to the device.
[0015] In the method, one capability may be a voice communication capability
and one of
the servers may include a voice mail server.
[0016] In a second aspect, a method for managing access to a server in a
network for an
electronic device is provided. The method comprises: at the device, upon entry
to the network
identifying a set of servers in the network that can provide services to the
device; at the device,
generating and sending an access request for the set of servers to an
interface entity in the
network, the set of access requests produced from an analysis of a status of
at least one capability
of the device; and at the device, receiving a response to the access request
from the interface
server, the response including the access information from the set of servers.
[0017] In the method, the interface entity may: receive the access request and
then generate
and send a set of access requests to the set of servers; monitor for responses
from the servers to
the set of access requests; extract access information from the responses or
requests; and
generate and send the response to the request for access to the device.
[0018] In a third aspect, an interface server for managing access to a server
in a network for
an electronic device is provided. The interface server comprises: a connection
to servers in the
network; a communication link to the device; a microprocessor; a device
communication module
providing instructions to the microprocessor; an analysis module providing
instructions to the
microprocessor to identify a set of the servers to associate with the device
after analyzing the one
or more capabilities with operating parameters of the servers; and a server
communication
module providing instructions to the microprocessor. The server communication
module sends a
set of access requests from the interface server to the set of the servers;
monitors for responses
from the set of servers to the set of access requests; and generates and sends
a response to the
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device providing information relating to the responses from the set of
servers. The device
communication module receive a request from the device for access to one or
more of the servers
and extract any data relating to one or more capabilities of the device from
the request; and
generates and sends a response to the request for access to the device.
[0019] In the server, data relating to the operating parameters of the one or
more services or
servers may be provided to the interface server from a presence server in the
network.
[0020] The interface server may provide network server information received
from the
presence server to the device.
[0021] In other aspects, various combinations of sets and subsets of the above
aspects are
provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of
example
only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0023] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a device in communication with a
communication network where the network provides services through a
plurality of servers, accessed in part, by an interface server;
[0024] Fig. 2 is a flowchart of exemplary processes executed by the device of
Fig. 1,
when requesting a subscription to one or more servers through the
interface server;
[0025] Fig. 3 is a flowchart of exemplary processes executed by the interface
server of
Fig. 1, when it receives a request from the device per Fig. 2;
[0026] Fig. 4 is a message flowchart of exemplary messages generated by the
device,
interface server and servers of Fig. 1, when the device is requesting
services from the servers;
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[0027] Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of the device of Fig. 1; and
[0028] Fig. 6 is a block diagram of certain internal components of the device
in Fig. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT
[0029] The description which follows and the embodiments described therein are
provided
by way of illustration of an example or examples of particular embodiments of
the principles of
the present disclosure. These examples are provided for the purposes of
explanation and not
limitation of those principles and of the present disclosure. In the
description which follows, like
parts are marked throughout the specification and the drawings with the same
respective
reference numerals.
[0030] Generally, an embodiment provides a system and method to manage access
to one or
more services in a network for an electronic device, such as but not limited
to a (handheld)
wireless communication device. The services are provided through one or more
servers logically
connected to the network. Exemplary servers include a private branch exchange
(PBX), a voice
mail server, a Voice over IP (VoIP) gateway, presence server, and other
application servers. An
interface entity, such as an interface server, is provided in the network as
an intermediary for the
device and the servers to manage subscriptions and registrations for the
device that are provided
by the servers. In being an intermediary, the interface server can receive
subscription requests
from the electronic device intended for the servers and can forward them to
the identified
servers; the interface server also can receive replies from the servers,
aggregate them and provide
one or more responses to the device. A notable feature is the aggregation of
messaging sent to
disparate services on behalf of particular wireless device(s).
[0031] In one embodiment, an application or module provided in software,
firmware or
hardware is provided on the device or on an interface server in a network.
Additionally, the
application and module can be provided in both the device and the server. The
module can track
an environment and operating conditions on the device based on an analysis of
data stored by
and signals received by the device. The environment and operating conditions
may include data
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relating to the time of day, the location of the device, the communication
links currently
established with the device, etc. The current environment and operating
conditions of the device
can be periodically evaluated against a set of predefined trigger conditions
which relate to a set
of applications or services provided in the network. Upon the satisfaction of
a trigger condition
for a particular application provided in the network, then the device (and its
underlying
application) may be registered with a server in the network that is managing
the application. The
module control may control the initial registration of the device to the
application, any
subsequent re-registrations and any de-registrations. In addition, the module
may obtain network
presence information regarding servers in the network. This may be done at
power up of the
device or when the device enters the network. That presence information may be
used as part of
the evaluation of trigger conditions for applications by the module. Also, the
device may
provide a notification to the module when notable conditions change on the
device. For
example, a notification can be sent when the device gains or loses Wi-Fi
signal coverage.
[0032] In processing communications among the device, the module and the
servers, various
network communication protocols may be used for communications within elements
in the
network for an embodiment. The embodiment uses Session Initiation Protocol
(SIP), which is
used in setting up and tearing down multimedia communication sessions. The SIP
protocol is an
application layer protocol in the OSI-architecture model. The SIP protocol is
defined in IETF
RFC 3261, incorporated herein by reference.
[0033] First, a description is provided on a network and an exemplary
communication device
that accesses servers in the network for voice and data services according to
an embodiment.
Thereafter, specific features of an embodiment are discussed.
[0034] For the network, referring to Fig. 1, system 100 shows device 102 in
communication
with network 104. Device 102 is a communication device having any of data and
voice
communication capabilities; it may be a multiple-mode device capable of voice,
data and other
types of communications. Device 102 may be a wireless handheld device, cell
phone, smart
phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), and/or computer (either desktop or
portable) having a
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(wireless) network card, network adapter and/or network interface controller
(NIC) installed
therein.
[0035] Device 102 is shown as communicating with several networks, each of
which may be
implemented in any known network architecture topology. Exemplary networks are
described
below.
[0036] Network 104 provides a suite of applications, services and data to its
connected
devices (e.g., device 102) through its associated servers 106a, 106b, 106c
(collectively "servers
106"). Devices (such as device 102) connect to network 104 through wireless
connections or
through an external connection through Internet 110.
[0037] Wireless network 112 provides another communication link for device 102
to
network 104. Network 112 provides communications between device 102 and device
102b.
Wireless network 112 may be a data-centric network, a voice-centric network,
or a dual-mode
network. In one embodiment, wireless network 112 is implemented as a Wi-Fi
network
generally following standards set by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee,
known as IEEE
802, through its working group "11". The 802.11 standard defines media access
control (MAC)
and physical (PHY) layers in the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) protocol
model for
WLAN. Wireless network 112 includes an antenna and supporting radio
transmission equipment
known to those skilled in the art. Access point (AP) 114 is shown in network
104 and in an
embodiment AP 114 is an IEEE 802.11 radio receiver/transmitter (or
transceiver) and functions
as a bridge between network 112 and network 104.
[0038] Cellular network 116 provides device 102 with another communication
network
allowing it to communicate with network 104. The coverage area of network 116
may overlap
with the coverage areas of network 112. Cellular network 116 provides voice
and data services
to devices 102. Data-centric technologies for cellular network 116 include the
Mobitex
(trademark) Radio Network ("Mobitex") and the DataTAC (trademark) Radio
Network
("DataTAC"). Voice-centric technologies for cellular network 116 include
Personal
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Communication Systems (PCS) networks like Global System for Mobile
Communications
(GSM) and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems. Certain networks
provide
multiple systems. For example, dual-mode wireless networks include Code
Division Multiple
Access (CDMA) networks, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) networks, and so-
called third-
generation (3G) networks, such as Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution
(EDGE) and
Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems (UMTS). Other network
communication
technologies that may be employed include, for example, Ultra Mobile Broadband
(UMB),
Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), etc.
Access point
118 may provide an interface communication point between network 116 and
network 104.
[00391 Now, further detail is provided on exemplary servers 106 in network
104. Each
server may communicate directly with elements communicating within network 104
(such as
device 102 and other servers 106).
[00401 Private Branch Exchange (PBX) server 106a provides a messaging client
allowing
device 102 to establish local voice and data transmissions within network 104
and with exterior
devices and networks. PBX server 106a provides a connection with a PSTN (not
shown) for
routing incoming and outgoing voice calls for network 104 and its associated
enterprise. On one
side, PBX server 106a is connected to an external telephone system, such as
the PSTN, via direct
inward dialling (DID) trunks. In an embodiment, PBX server 106a may use ISDN
signalling
protocols for establishing and breaking circuit-switched connections through
the PSTN and
related signalling and communications.
[00411 Voice mail server 106b provides storage, retrieval and processing of
voice mail data
files which may be processed by PBX server 106a or a VoIP (Voice over
Internet) system (not
shown) associated with network 104. Voice mail server 106b may also notify the
user when a
voice mail message is left in his mailbox. The notification is known as MWI
(Message Waiting
Indication).
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[0042] Presence server 106c provides storage and forwarding of presence
information of a
device, such as device 102, to other devices and / or servers in network 104.
Presence server
106c provides a platform that gathers presence information from multiple
service providers in
network 104 and selectively distributes the presence information among such
providers and other
applications operating in network 104.
[0043] Email server 106d provides storage, retrieval and processing of emails,
SMS, MMS
and other data files which may be processed by network 104. Other servers 106d
may be
provided (e.g. video streaming servers, etc.).
[0044] With components of an exemplary network identified, further detail is
provided on
notable features of an embodiment. An embodiment manages how device 102
contacts and
communicates with servers 106 in network 104. In particular, instead of device
102 making
individual communication dialogs with a series of servers 106, an embodiment
provides interface
server 108 to handle communications between device 102 and servers 106 that
are connected to
interface server 108. Interface server 108 streamlines the communications that
device 102 would
have to generate, receive and process when compared with the total in manage,
to reduce the
total amount of communications processed by device 102 when communicating with
servers 106
that are connected to interface server 108. Device 102 provides notification
messages to server
108 indicating when a change in a capability of device 102 has occurred, for
example, a change
in a Wi-Fi connection for device 102. Interface server 108 analyzes this
status information
against trigger conditions for the servers 106 to identify a list of servers
106 that can be
connected to device 102. Thereafter, interface server 108 operates as an
interface for
communications between device 102 and servers 106.
[0045] The streamlining may be effected by grouping messages together (either
from or to
device 102) to reduce the total amount of messages transmitted. This may
reduce the amount of
communications that device 102 needs to generate and send, thereby reducing
communication
traffic and conserving battery power for device 102.
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[0046] Notably, providing interface server 108 assists in reducing the total
amount of
communications that device 102 would have to process when device 102 initiates
service
requests with servers 106. Service requests may be initiated when device 102
first come in
contact with network 104 (at that time, device 102 likely would not have
established a
connection with any server 106 in network 104). As an alternative to sending
initial connection
requests to each server 106 in network 104, device 102 initiates a
communication dialog with
interface server 108 to request connections to servers 106 that are connected
to interface server
108. Then, interface server 108 determines what servers 106 should be
connected to device 102.
This dialog may replace or supplement a series of individual connection
request dialogs between
device 102 and servers 106.
[0047] Other servers in network 104 may provide video streaming facilities,
backup
facilities, etc. For example video server 122 may be provided in network 104.
It may accessed
by device 102 separately from interface server 108.
[0048] Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, when device 102 makes a request to
interface server 108
for connections to servers 106 connected to interface server 108, a
determination is made as to
the current capabilities of device 102, which may include capabilities
relating to available
networks, processing capacities, storage capacities, power reserves of device
102 or other
markers. This determination is based on any one or more of. status information
that device 102
determines through a self-assessment; information that device 102 provides to
interface server
108; status information of network 104; information that interface server 108
derives about
device 102; status information of servers 106; and status information that
server 108 requests of
device 102, relating to the current operational capabilities of device 102.
[0049] In processing a subscription dialog for servers 106, either
contemporaneously or
shortly after receiving a request (e.g. upon entry to network 104), device 102
sends a request for
such services to interface server 108. The request may include data relating
to the capabilities of
device 102. Data relating to capabilities of device 102 and services provided
by servers 106 may
be stored in database 120, accessible by interface server 108. Interface
server 108 may then
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analyze the communication capabilities of device 102 against technical
requirements of servers
106. From that analysis, server 108 can identify a list of servers 106 that
device 102 can
communicate with, based on the identified capabilities of device 102 and
requirements of servers
106. As such, server 108 may utilize capability information of device 102 to
register, re-register
or subscribe to other servers 106 in network 104 on behalf of device 102. Once
a set of servers
106 is identified as having services that are compatible with the identified
capabilities of device
102, interface server 108 generates and sends a series of connection requests
to each identified
server 106 on behalf of device 102 (servers 106 that are not compatible with
the capabilities of
device 102 are not sent connection requests). Each server 106 then processes
its received request
and its local log-in module determines whether to grant access to device 102
and generates and
sends a response back to server 108. As responses are provided by servers 106,
an aggregate
response is provided in one communication from interface server 108 to device
102. When
device 102 receives the response, information regarding individual responses
from servers 106 is
extracted. Each individual response from a given server 106 is used to update
how device 102
reacts to its original request for service from that server 106. Once a
response is provided,
device 102 may communicate with interface 108 and interface server 108 will
communicate with
servers 106 on behalf of device 102. In other embodiments, device 102 may also
or alternatively
communicate directly with server 106.
[00501 In one embodiment, a single connection request is sent from device 102
to interface
server 108 and a single response regarding established connections is sent
from server 106 to
device 102. This provides a reduction in communications from a series of
individual
communications (e.g., connection requests from device 102 to server 108)
between device 102
and each server 106 to a single "request and response" communication dialog
between device
102 and interface server 108. In other embodiments, a single request from
device 102 may be
replaced with two or more requests. Preferably, the total number of request
transmissions (and /
or transmission bandwidth) is less than the total number of individual
requests needed to contact
each server 106. Also, in other embodiments, the single response from server
106 may be
replaced with two or more responses. Again, preferably the total number of
response
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transmissions is less than the total number of individual responses sent from
all of the servers
106.
[00511 Interface server may utilize one of several triggers to determine when
to send a
response to device 102. Interface server 108 may wait until a certain number
of responses are
received from servers 106, or all responses are received, or a timer condition
is met. Interface
server 108 may not forward certain responses from a server 106 to device 102
if data in the
responses has been deemed by server 108 to not be needed by device 102.
However,
additionally and/or alternatively, interface server 108 may send periodic
messages to device 102,
which include the responses it has received since its last message to device
102. Other dialogs
may be provided for other events, such as a change in the capabilities of
device 102, network 104
and / or servers 106.
[00521 Further detail is provided on an exemplary communication dialog among
device 102,
server 108 and servers 106 in an embodiment. Dialogs among device 102, server
108 and
servers 106 may be implemented using messages following SIP protocols and
messages to set-
up, manage, and terminate sessions between device 102 and services provided by
servers 106.
SIP has been standardized and is governed primarily by the IETF as a protocol
for setting up and
managing sessions. Device 102 may be any hardware or software component that
can terminate
a communication session that could include, but is not limited to, a SIP
session. Exemplary SIP
messages include SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, NOTIFY, RE-SUBSCRIBE, REGISTER,
DE-REGISTER and RE-REGISTER. Further detail on aspects SIP messages are
provided in the
IETF publication "SIP-Specific Event Notification", RFC 3265, June 2002 and
RFC 3261
"Session Initiation Protocol".
[00531 In other embodiments, a collection of protocols may be used among
elements in
network 104. There can be one protocol domain (SIP) between interface server
108 and other
servers 106 and another protocol domain (non-SIP) between device 102 and
interface server 108.
For the purposes of illustration, an embodiment described herein is based on a
network
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employing SIP messaging among all components. An embodiment may use a
communication
protocol other than SIP protocol.
[0054] Referring to Fig. 4, message flow diagram 400 shows an exemplary dialog
between
device 102 and interface server 108; and dialogs between interface server 108
and PBX 106a,
voice mail server 106b and presence server 106c, such as when device 102 has
entered network
104 and is initiating a subscription request for servers 106 through interface
server 108.
[0055] For example, when device 102 enters network 104, device 102 may have
completed
an analysis of its current status and identified a list of potential services
that match its capabilities
to have from network 104. Using that list of potential services, device 102
sends a SUBSCRIBE
message to interface server 108 indicating the services from which device 102
it is requesting
services and / or a list of the capabilities of device 102. Exemplary services
include, but are not
limited to, Vol?, voice mail services and presence information from presence
server 106c.
Interface server 108 receives the SUBSCRIBE message and sends a "200 OK"
message to
device 102 to confirm that the subscription request has been received. This
message does not
confirm that any services have been provided to device 102.
[0056] Next, interface server 108 analyzes the contents of the SUBSCRIBE
message, then
identifies servers 106 that are: connected to interface server 108 and have
services that are
compatible with the capabilities of device 102. For each server 106 that has a
service that is
compatible with the information extracted from the SUBSCRIBE message, a
separate
REGISTER and / or SUBSCRIBE message is sent from interface server 108 to
servers 106. See
messages 3-5.
[0057] SUBSCRIBE messages may not be sent to every server 106 that can provide
a service
to device 102. For example, if it is determined that device 102 can
communicate with a
GPRS/EDGE network to provide a voice/data communication link, then providing a
connection
to VoIP server 106 in network 102 may be considered redundant in one
embodiment. As such,
even if device 102 provides a request for VoIP access in its SUBSCRIBE
message, interface
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server 108 may not forward that request to the VoIP server. Alternatively, for
example, if it is
determined that device 102 can only communicate with the Wi-Fi/LTE network,
then this may
be a sufficient condition to initiate a connection request to VoIP server 106.
[0058] The SIP REGISTER request creates a binding between the addressing
scheme of
device 102 as expressed in the SIP URI of device 102 and one or more contact
addresses
specified in the SIP REGISTER request, namely the target server 106.
[0059] When interface server 108 provides a NOTIFY message to device 102, the
message
can indicate whether access to that service is allowed. For example, message 7
indicates to
device 102 that VoIP service is active as a result of the "200 OK" message 5
sent from PBX
server 106a to interface server 108.
[0060] Other message series, such as "500 Server Error", as specified in the
SIP protocol
may be used according to a particular situation. It will be appreciated that
each message series
will have its own expected send and reply message flow.
[0061] After each server 106 receives its REGISTER / SUBSCRIBE message, it may
send a
"200 OK" message to interface server 108 if its services are available. If the
registration/subscription is not accepted by a particular server 106, that
server 106 may reject the
request or may request additional information, such as authentication
information from interface
server 108. Interface server 108 may reconstruct the request if the additional
information is
available and may resend a registration/subscription message; otherwise it may
simply notify
device 102 about the failure.
[0062] The status of a given server 106 may be any one or: active, terminated,
unknown, or
another state. An "active" state means that the server is active and that
device 102 has the
appropriate capabilities to use the services of the server. A "terminated"
state indicates that the
server has terminated its services for some reasons. Interface server 108 may
need to take
correction action(s) when this status is received, including resending
REGISTER/SUBSCRIBE
messages to the server 106 and notifying device 102. An "unknown" state
indicates that the
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current state of capabilities of server 106 is unknown. The statue of a
particular server 106 may
be encoded in a "200 OK" message sent by the server 106 to interface server
108. In other
embodiments, a different message may be sent (e.g. a message sent only on
failure conditions)
or no "OK" message may be sent.
[0063] As each "200 OK" is received by interface server 108 from each server
106, interface
server 108 analyzes these messages for their source and content and builds a
NOTIFY message
for device 102 containing a list of servers 106 that are able to communicate
with device 102.
This would include any servers 106 that provided an "active" indicator in its
OK message. There
are several triggers that can be used to determine when server 108 sends a
NOTIFY to device
102: once a predetermined number of responses has been received by interface
server 108 from
servers 106 (e.g. 1, 2, ... all responses received); when a predetermined
number of responses
remain outstanding; or at periodic intervals.
[0064] Interface server 108 generates and sends device 102 NOTIFY messages
that contain
the status of registration/subscriptions of servers 106. As each "200 OK"
message is received by
device 102 from interface server 108, device 102 extracts the source server
106 information
therefrom and uses that information to update its records regarding available
servers. Device
102 may then begin to access the identified service or server 106 through
interface server 108.
[0065] In Fig. 4 exemplary Notify message 11 generated by server 108 contains
data relating
to the servers 106 that have confirmed that they can provide services to
device 102. These
confirmations were received after the previous Notify message was sent by
serer 108, per
message 7. Message 11 indicates that two active servers 106 are available to
device 102: voice
mail server 106b and presence server 106c. However, as an additional piece of
information in
message 11, a message waiting indicator (MWI) indicator is provided on behalf
of voice mail
server 106b. This indicates that voice mail server 106b has a recorded message
for device 102.
As such, when device 102 receives and decodes this message, device 102 can
then request this
recorded message (through interface server 106). If device 102 does not
receive a notification
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request for a requested service (for instance MWI), device 102 may consider
that the related
service is inactive until an opposite state is confirmed to device 102 in a
latter message.
[00661 If a server 106 has a change in its status that affects its services or
availability, that
server 106 may generate and send a message to interface server 108. Server
108, in turn, may
send a message to device 102. When device 102 receives that message (or when
it determines
that an identified server 106 has had a change in status through other
notifications or analysis),
device 102 may send a RE-SUBSCRIBE request to interface server 108. The
request may also
contain information about servers with unchanged statuses.
[00671 If a server 106 terminates a service (e.g. Registration), it will send
a NOTIFY request
to the interface server 108 as a NOTIFY (regEvent, terminated) signal. When
interface server
108 receives the NOTIFY, it generates provides a response to server 106 as a
"200 OK"
message. Also, interface server 108 propagates this status update to device
102, sending for
example a NOTIFY with VoIP inactive message. Device 102 then responds with a
"200 OK"
message to interface server 108. If device 108 wishes to re-subscribe then a
resubscription
message exchange would be initiated.
[00681 Interface server 108 may have a local database containing configuration
information
for device 102 and servers 106. This database may be statically configured or
may be based on
execution of a program or database access.
[00691 Other conditions that dialogs will be generated using interface server
108 as an
intermediary include a condition where a failure occurs at either device 102
and / or interface
server 108. Each is discussed in turn.
[0070] If device 102 experiences an internal failure that affects its ability
to use one of the
requested or confirmed services, then device 102 generates and sends a message
to interface
server 108. Interface server 108 then updates its data relating to the status
of device 102 and an
analysis of subscribed services for device 102 against the revised capability
information of
device 102 is conducted to identify a set of servers 106 that are affected by
this change in status.
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If a service should be terminated or changed, then a DE-REGISTER and/or
UNSUBSCRIBE
message is sent from interface server 108 to those servers 106.
[0071] If interface server 108 experiences an internal failure causing it to
lose
communications with either of device 102 and / or any servers 106, then
interface server 108
may generate and send a message to either or both of device 102 and servers
106. This message
may be a NOTIFY message to the device or DE-REGISTER or UNSUBSCRIBE towards
the
106 servers.
[0072] It will be appreciated that other communication dialogs between device
102 and
interface server 108 may be provided, including a forward function, where
requests for services
by device 102 are forwarded to another interface server 108 and a suspend
function, where one
or more selected services provided by servers 106 are suspended.
[0073] It will be appreciated that in one embodiment, the interface server may
provide these
functions through software, hardware and / or firmware operating on or with
its microprocessor.
The interface server has a communication connection to the servers in the
network; and a second
communication link to the electronic device. The interface server may have a
device
communication module that, through instructions provided to the
microprocessor, receives the
request from the device for access to one or more services or servers; and
generates and sends a
response to the request for access to the device. The interface server may
also have a server
communication module to analyze a status of at least one capability of the
electronic device;
generate and send a set of access requests to a set of servers of the one or
more services or
servers that it can access; monitor for responses from the servers; extract
access information
from said the responses; and process the access information for the response
for the device. The
interface server produces the set of access requests from an analysis of said
status of at the
capabilities of the electronic device.
[0074] Further detail is now provided on data and an algorithm that interface
server 108 uses
to analyze determined capabilities of device 102 against services provided by
servers 106.
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[00751 One notable piece of information in conducting this analysis is the
status information
of components of device 102. It will be appreciated that this status
information device 102 may
be communicated through various communication techniques, including messages
that contain
status flags and semaphores. One or more status flags (such as a "network XXX
is
accessible/not accessible" flag) can be embedded or attached to data
communications sent
between interface server 108 and device 102. As such, when a message, such as
a SIP message,
is sent from device 102 to interface server 108, an additional status flag may
be attached to the
message. Additionally, device 102 may periodically send a status message (e.g.
networks XXX
are accessible/not accessible) to interface server 108. Alternatively,
interface server 108 may
obtain other status information about other servers and devices in network 102
and make a
determination of the capabilities of device 102.
[00761 Once a level of capability information of device 102 is provided, this
information can
be mapped against requirements or trigger conditions for requesting services
from one or more
servers 106. One embodiment utilizes a mapping of the identified capabilities
of device 102
against the services of servers 106, such as provided in Table A:
Table A
Device 102 Capability Service / Server
PBX 106a Voice Mail 106b Presence 106c
WiFi connection needed needed needed
GRPS/EDGE not needed needed needed
Connection
BlackBerry Enterprise needed needed needed
Connection
Available Memory 1 MB 2 MB 3 MB
Available Battery 20% 20% 20%
Power
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[0077] It will be appreciated that two or more capabilities may be considered
to determine
when a service is requested. The data in this table may be stored in a
database and may be
periodically updated.
[0078] Another matrix may track capabilities of device 102 that are not
currently provided
by device 102 as necessary condition(s) to request a particular service from
servers 106, such as
provided in Table B:
Table B
Absent Device 102 Service
Capability
WiFi connection PBX 106a Voice Mail 106b Presence 106c
GRPS/EDGE if no connection, then
Connection a connection to PBX
106a is needed
BlackBerry Enterprise if no connection, then if no connection, then if no
connection, then
Connection a connection to PBX a connection to voice a connection to
106a is needed mail 106b is needed presence 106c is
needed
[0079] Again, it will be appreciated that two or more capabilities may be
considered to
determine when a service is requested.
[0080] Another matrix may track the services of servers 106 against the
capabilities of
device 102 to determine when a request a particular service from servers 106
is needed such as
provided in Table C:
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Table C
Service Device Capability
WiFi connection GRPS/EDGE Enterprise connection
connection
PBX 106a not needed not needed not needed
Voice Mail 106b needed not needed needed
Presence 106c needed needed needed
[0081] Again, it will be appreciated that two or more capabilities may be
considered to
determine when a service is requested.
[0082] Once an analysis of capability data for device 102 is complete,
interface server 108
builds and sends individual messages to the identified servers 106. Interface
server 108 has a
series of modules to store the evaluation matrices, receive messages from
device 102 and servers
106 and build and send messages to device 102 and servers 106.
[0083] Further detail is now provided on components of device 102 that are
related to
processes relating to an embodiment. Referring to Fig. 5, electronic device
102 is based on a
computing platform having functionality of an enhanced personal digital
assistant with cellphone
and e-mail features. It is, however, to be understood that electronic device
102 can be based on
construction design and functionality of other electronic devices, such as
smart telephones,
desktop computers, pagers or laptops having telephony equipment. In a present
embodiment,
electronic device 102 includes a housing 500, an LCD 502, speaker 504, an LED
indicator 506,
trackball 508, an ESC ("escape") key 510, keypad 512, a telephone headset
comprised of an ear
bud 514 and a microphone 516. Trackball 508 and ESC key 510 can be inwardly
depressed as a
means to provide additional input to device 102. ESC key 510 may be depressed
along the path
of arrow "A".
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[00841 It will be understood that housing 500 can be made from any suitable
material as will
occur to those of skill in the art and may be suitably formed to house and
hold all components of
device 102.
[0085] Device 102 is operable to conduct wireless telephone calls, using any
known wireless
phone system such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) system,
Code
Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, CDMA 2000 system, Cellular Digital
Packet Data
(CDPD) system and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) system. Other wireless
phone
systems can include Bluetooth and the many forms of 802.11 wireless broadband,
like 802.11 a,
802.1 lb, 802.11g, etc. that support voice. Other embodiments include Voice
over IP (VoIP) type
streaming data communications that can simulate circuit-switched phone calls.
Ear bud 514 can
be used to listen to phone calls and other sound messages and microphone 516
can be used to
speak into and input sound messages to device 102.
[0086] Referring to Fig. 6, functional components of device 102 are provided
in schematic
600. The functional components are generally electronic, structural or electro-
mechanical
devices. In particular, microprocessor 602 is provided to control and receive
almost all data,
transmissions, inputs and outputs related to device 102. Microprocessor 602 is
shown
schematically as coupled to keypad 512 and other internal devices.
Microprocessor 602
preferably controls the overall operation of the device 102 and its
components. Exemplary
microprocessors for microprocessor 602 include microprocessors in the Data 950
(trademark)
series, the 6200 series and the PXA900 series, all available at one time from
Intel Corporation.
Microprocessor 602 is connected to other elements in device 102 through a
series of electrical
connections to its various input and output pins. Microprocessor 602 has an
IRQ input line
which allows it to receive signals from various devices. Appropriate interrupt
firmware is
provided which receives and reacts to the signals detected on the IRQ line.
[0087] In addition to the microprocessor 602, other internal devices of the
device 102 are
shown schematically in Fig. 6 These include: display 502; speaker 504; keypad
512;
communication sub-system 604; short-range communication sub-system 606;
auxiliary UO
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devices 608; serial port 610; microphone port 612 for microphone 516; flash
memory 614 (which
provides persistent storage of data including local data relating to the
status flags used by an
embodiment); random access memory (RAM) 616; clock 618 and other device sub-
systems (not
shown). Device 102 is preferably a two-way radio frequency (RF) communication
device having
voice and data communication capabilities. In addition, device 102 preferably
has the capability
to communicate with other computer systems via the Internet. Device 102 may
have a SIM card
(not shown).
[00881 Operating system software executed by the microprocessor 602 is
preferably stored in
a computer-readable medium, such as flash memory 614, but may be stored in
other types of
memory devices, such as read-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element. In
addition,
system software, specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be
temporarily loaded into a
volatile store, such as RAM 616. Communication signals received by the mobile
device may
also be stored to RAM 616.
[00891 Microprocessor 602, in addition to its operating system functions,
enables execution
of software applications on device 102. A set of software (or firmware)
applications, generally
identified as applications 620, that control basic device operations, such as
voice communication
module 620A and data communication module 620B, may be installed on the device
102 during
manufacture or downloaded thereafter. Calendar application 620C and address
book application
620D provide useful tracking tools for the user of device 102. Status module
620E monitors and
evaluates the status of various capabilities of device 102 (e.g. its
communication connections,
battery power, available memory) and updates data stored on device 102 with
this information.
Module 620E may also generate and send communications to external devices
(such as interface
server 108) regarding this information on a periodic basis or as statuses
change. As well,
additional software modules, such as software module 620N, which may be for
instance a
personal information manager (PIM) application, may be installed during
manufacture or
downloaded thereafter into device 102. Data associated with each application
can be stored in
flash memory 614.
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[00901 Data communication module 620B may comprise processes that implement
features,
processes and applications for device 102 as provided and described earlier,
allowing device 102
to generate track status of various components of device 102 and to generate
and send messages
to external devices (such as interface server 108).
[0091] Communication functions, including data and voice communications, are
performed
through the communication sub-system 604 and the short-range communication sub-
system 606.
Collectively, sub-systems 604 and 606 provide the signal-level interface for
all communication
technologies processed by device 102. Various applications 620 provide the
operational controls
to further process and log the communications. Communication sub-system 604
includes
receiver 622, transmitter 624 and one or more antennas, illustrated as receive
antenna 726 and
transmit antenna 728. In addition, communication sub-system 604 also includes
processing
modules, such as digital signal processor (DSP) 630 and local oscillators
(LOs) 632. The
specific design and implementation of communication sub-system 604 is
dependent upon the
communication network in which device 102 is intended to operate. For example,
communication sub-system 604 of device 102 may operate with the Mobitex (trade-
mark),
DataTAC (trade-mark) or General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) mobile data
communication
networks and also operate with any of a variety of voice communication
networks, such as
Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA),
Code
Division Multiple Access (CDMA), CDMA 2000, Personal Communication Service
(PCS),
Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), etc. Other types of data and
voice
(telephonic) networks, both separate and integrated, may also be utilized with
device 102. In any
event, communication sub-system 604 provides device 102 with the capability of
communicating
with other devices using various communication technologies, including instant
messaging (IM)
systems, text messaging (TM) systems and short message service (SMS) systems.
[0092] In addition to processing communication signals, DSP 630 provides
control of
receiver 622 and transmitter 624. For example, gains applied to communication
signals in
receiver 622 and transmitter 624 may be adaptively controlled through
automatic gain-control
algorithms implemented in DSP 630.
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[0093] Short-range communication sub-system 606 enables communication between
device
104 and other proximate systems or devices, which need not necessarily be
similar devices. For
example, the short-range communication sub-system may. include an infrared
device and
associated circuits and components, or a Bluetooth (trade-mark) communication
module to
provide for communication with similarly enabled systems.
[0094] Powering the entire electronics of the mobile handheld communication
device is
power source 634. In one embodiment, the power source 634 includes one or more
batteries. In
another embodiment, the power source 634 is a single battery pack, especially
a rechargeable
battery pack. A power switch (not shown) provides an "on/off' switch for
device 102. A power
source interface (not shown) may be provided in hardware, firmware, software
or a combination
of such elements to selectively control access of components in device 102 to
power source 634.
Upon activation of the power switch an application 620 is initiated to turn on
device 102. Upon
deactivation of the power switch, an application 620 is initiated to turn off
device 102. Power to
device 102 may also be controlled by other devices and by software
applications 620. Other
components in device 102 include GPS module 640 and light sensor 642.
[0095] The embodiments have been described for a system that provides an
interface server
to provide intermediary processing of communications between a device and
servers in a
network. It will be appreciated that embodiments may implement the features in
any
communication protocol or system. It will be appreciated that any features of
interface server as
described herein may be incorporated into a device or a component of another
server in network
104.
[0096] It will be appreciated that the embodiments relating to devices,
servers and systems
may be implemented in a combination of electronic hardware, firmware and
software. The
firmware and software may be implemented as a series of processes and/or
modules that provide
the functionalities described herein. The algorithms and processes described
herein may be
executed in different order(s). Interrupt routines may be used. Data may be
stored in volatile
and non-volatile devices described herein and may be updated by the hardware,
firmware and/or
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software. Other network embodiments may use non-client server architectures
for management
of communications.
[00971 The present disclosure is defined by the claims appended hereto, with
the foregoing
description being merely illustrative of embodiments of the present
disclosure. Those of
ordinary skill may envisage certain modifications to the foregoing embodiments
which, although
not explicitly discussed herein, do not depart from the scope of the present
disclosure, as defined
by the appended claims.
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