Patent ID: 8665870

Claim:
A method for handling push messages, comprising: in a first electronic device, performing operations for: sending a push message to a second electronic device, wherein one of the push message or an acknowledge message sent from the second electronic device to the first electronic device in response to receiving the push message is buffered in network hardware on a network connection between the first electronic device and the second electronic device and is not forwarded because less than a threshold amount of data has been buffered in the network hardware; and when an acknowledge message has not been received from the second electronic device within a first predetermined time, sending at least one dummy packet to the second electronic device, wherein at least one of the dummy packet or a corresponding response packet sent from the second electronic device to the first electronic device in response to receiving the dummy packet is buffered in the network hardware, causing an amount of buffered data in the network hardware to exceed the threshold amount of data so that the buffered push message or acknowledge message is forwarded.