Patent ID: 8843606

Claim:
A method for managing load in a server enabled to perform requested events for a plurality of electronic communication devices, each of said plurality of electronic communication devices enabled to transmit to said server, at a respective given time and at a respective given frequency, a request to perform a respective event, said method implementable at said server, said method comprising: receiving a plurality of requests to perform said requested events from said plurality of electronic communication devices in a one-to-one relationship; selecting a subset of said plurality of electronic communication devices based on at least one of: selecting a percentage of said plurality of requests; randomly selecting; or selecting based on a priority assigned to at least one of said plurality of electronic communication devices; determining that said load on said server is above a threshold load value during a given time period when said plurality of requests are received at said server, said given time period occurring in a peak period for receiving the plurality of requests, wherein said determining that said load on said server is above said threshold load value comprises at least one of: determining that said server is busy in said given time period; determining that a number of said plurality of requests arriving at said server in said given time period is above a given threshold number; or determining that a percentage of resources in use at said server in said given time period is above a given threshold percentage; in response to said determining, transmitting a delay time to each of said subset of said plurality of electronic communication devices, said delay time causing each said electronic communication device in said subset to change said respective given time to a respective new time based on said delay time, such that a next request is transmitted from each said electronic communication device in said subset to said server at said respective new time, wherein said delay time comprises a given length of time and said new time comprises said delay time added to said respective given time, or said delay time comprises an absolute time value and said new time comprises said absolute time value; and, repeating said determining step and said transmitting step until said load is distributed across a second given period of time such that said load is below said threshold load value across said second period of time, said second given period of time being longer than said given period of time, said second given time period comprising the peak period and at least one off-peak period.