Patent Document

FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a wireless gateway server for wireless data devices. More particularly, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to the dynamic update of push applications for wireless data devices to account for changes in device mappings in wireless gateway servers.  
       BACKGROUND INFORMATION  
       [0002]     Wireless data devices, such as the BlackBerry handheld device from RIM Corporation, have proliferated in recent years. The popularity of these devices is based on their ability to receive e-mail and other data remotely so that the user can always be “in touch” with the office.  
         [0003]     Many of these devices have a “push” architecture that eliminates the hassles of the traditional “pull” devices, in which the user must periodically connect to an e-mail server to check for new messages, or click on an embedded Web link to receive data. In contrast, with a push device, e-mail messages and other data such as documents are automatically routed to the handheld device, without the active participation of the user.  
         [0004]     In large corporate or government environments, there are typically multiple wireless gateway servers that allow for communication from networked-based applications to wireless data devices. A wireless data device is typically provisioned on only one of the multiple wireless gateway servers. The application software which pushes messages to the wireless data device must either know, or determine, which wireless gateway server to use in order to forward a message to a particular user&#39;s wireless data device.  
         [0005]     However, due to network growth or management, the provisioning of the wireless data devices on a particular wireless gateway server may change, requiring the application software which pushes data to wireless devices to adjust accordingly. Currently, known wireless data device push applications require manual revisions to adjust for changes, which is time consuming and can introduce human error into the process.  
         [0006]     Based on the foregoing, there is a need for a system and method for automatically adjusting for changes in the mapping/provisioning of wireless data devices to wireless gateway servers.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     One embodiment of the invention is a system for pushing data to a wireless data device. The system receives an identifier for the wireless data device and determines a corresponding gateway server by querying a mapping of wireless data device identifiers to wireless gateway servers. The system then submits a request to push the data to the wireless data device via the determined gateway server. If the gateway server rejects the request to push data to the wireless data device, the system repeatedly submits requests to push data to the wireless data device via a different gateway server until the request is accepted. The system then updates the mapping for the identifier of the wireless data device with the different gateway server which accepted the request to push data to the wireless data device.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of the functional elements of a system for detecting and modifying the provisioning of a wireless data device on a particular wireless gateway server in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of the functionality performed by the system to respond to changes in the mapping of wireless data device PINs to wireless gateway servers in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of the functionality performed by the system to respond to changes in wireless gateway. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0011]     One embodiment of the present invention is a wireless data device system and application that automatically detects the provisioning of a wireless data device on a particular wireless gateway server, and provides for changes to the provisioning. As a result, pushes of data to the wireless data device are optimized.  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of the functional elements of a system  110  for detecting and modifying the provisioning of a wireless data device on a particular wireless gateway server in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The functional elements shown in  FIG. 1  can be implemented with any combination of hardware or software, including software executed by multiple computer systems or servers.  
         [0013]     System  110  includes a wireless gateway  102  that includes one or more wireless gateway servers  150 - 152  that take electronic information produced by system  110  and makes it compatible for transmission across a wireless network  120  by encoding it in transmission protocols applicable to wireless network  120 . Wireless gateway servers  150 - 152  communicate this electronic data to a network operations center  101  across a communications network  121 . Network operations center  101  monitors and manages various computer systems which interface to a carrier&#39;s wireless network  120 . The wirelessly transmitted electronic information is received and displayed by a wireless data device  100 .  
         [0014]     In one embodiment, wireless data device  100  is a BlackBerry handheld device from RIM Corporation, and wireless gateway servers  150 - 152  are BlackBerry Enterprise Servers executing Mobile Data Service. However, other types of wireless data devices and gateway servers can be used in different embodiments of the present invention.  
         [0015]     System  110  further includes a Web server  103  that in one embodiment includes multiple web servers and one or more load balance servers. Web server  103  receives and interprets electronic messages encoded in various internet-compatible protocols, such as HyperText Transfer Protocol (“HTTP”) or File Transfer Protocol (“FTP”).  
         [0016]     An application server  104  includes one or more application programs running on one or more application servers in a clustered environment. Application server  104  contains business rules and program logic, responds to user requests and processes and formats data in a manner consistent with wireless data device  100 .  
         [0017]     System  110  further includes a push server  107  that optimizes the use of multiple wireless gateway servers  150 - 152 . In one embodiment, the number of wireless data devices  100  in communication with wireless gateway servers  150 - 152  can number in the thousands, and each are provisioned on a particular wireless gateway server from the set of multiple wireless gateway servers  150 - 152 . In one embodiment, the functionality of push server  107  may be provided on the same server as application server  104 , or may exist on servers which are distinct from application server  104 .  
         [0018]     A data repository  105  provides long-term data storage for system  110 . The storage may take the form of relational or hierarchical databases, sequential flat file storage, or any other method that allows data to be stored and retrieved.  
         [0019]     A data server  106  allows system  110  to interface with one or more independent external data sources  140  and  141  that provide raw data or processed information, via a communications network  123 . External data source systems  140  and  141  may represent computer data systems such as 3rd party financial or market data systems, news services, or any other source of electronic data that may be transformed and represented in a wireless markup language format or other format for display on wireless data device  100 . In one embodiment, the electronic pushed data is formatted in accordance with the “Push Access Protocol” of the “Wireless Application Protocol”.  
         [0020]     A desktop computer browser  130  or remote terminal  131  in one embodiment can be used to dynamically manage various system  110  elements via a communications link  124 . These management functions can include viewing and altering configuration values for system  110  elements or viewing of diagnostic files or real-time data and statistics.  
         [0021]     Communications networks  121 ,  122 ,  123 , and  124  may be one or more hardwired digital or analog communications links, wireless digital or analog communications links, or any combination thereof, or utilize any other methods for establishing and operating communications links.  
         [0022]     In one embodiment of system  110 , data can be received by wireless data device  100  in two ways: (1) “pull”, which involves the user explicitly requesting the data by, for example, clicking on a link in a microbrowser; and (2) “push”, which involves the user registering to receive data to be sent in the future. With push, the data is delivered to wireless data device  100  without further intervention by the user. The data may be automatically gathered and sent on a regularly scheduled or sporadic basis or it may be published by human intervention and sent to registered users on a regular or sporadic basis.  
         [0023]     In order for wireless data device  100  to receive pushed data, in one embodiment it is provisioned on one of wireless gateway servers  150 - 152 . The wireless gateway server takes data intended for wireless data device  100  (identified by a unique identifying number or identifier, sometimes called a “PIN”) from, for example, data server  106 , and forwards the data and PIN to network operations center  101 . Network operations center  101  then handles transmitting the message over wireless network element  120  to the wireless data device  100  that matches the PIN.  
         [0024]     In an embodiment where wireless data device  100  is provisioned on a single, particular wireless gateway server  150 - 152 , push server  107  has to either know or determine which of wireless gateway servers  150 - 152  to forward a message to for a particular user&#39;s PIN. To facilitate this knowledge, push server  107  maintains a PIN/wireless gateway server map that maps each PIN to its respective gateway server.  
         [0025]     In operation, a user registers to receive data to be published and delivered in the future. Registration can occur by the user submitting a request to application server  104  via wireless data device  100 . Application server  104  stores what data the user wishes to receive, as well as the matching PIN for wireless data device  100 , in data repository  105 .  
         [0026]     For multiple reasons, the assignment of a wireless data device to one particular wireless gateway server  150 - 152  of wireless gateway  102  may change. For example, one of wireless gateway servers  150 - 152  may change because the server becomes non-responsive to service requests, its name is changed by network administrators, it is removed from service, or a new wireless gateway server could be added to wireless gateway  102  due to capacity issues.  
         [0027]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of the functionality performed by system  110  to respond to changes in the mapping of wireless data device PINs to the wireless gateway servers  150 - 152  in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, the functionality is implemented by software stored in memory and executed by a processor. In other embodiments, the functionality can be performed by hardware, or any combination of hardware and software.  
         [0028]      201 : Application server  104  initiates a push of data, such as a document in the form of a message, either as a regularly scheduled push or as a one time request, by sending a push request to push server  107  using communication link  122 .  
         [0029]      202 : Push server  107  determines which wireless gateway server  150 - 152  of wireless gateway  102  to push the message to by querying/searching the PIN/wireless gateway server map for the PIN and corresponding gateway server mapping of wireless data device  100 .  
         [0030]      203 : If a wireless gateway server  150 - 152  is found for the PIN, push server  107  sends a message to the mapped wireless gateway server using communication link  122 .  
         [0031]      204 : If the wireless data device  100  is provisioned on the mapped wireless gateway server  150 - 152 , then the message is accepted for delivery to the wireless data device  100  and the process is done. System  110  determines that the message was successfully accepted in one embodiment by receiving a status code of success on the message submission.  
         [0032]      205 : If the push of the message is not accepted by the mapped wireless gateway server  150 - 152 , then push server  107  loops through the list of wireless gateway servers  150 - 152  of wireless gateway  102  by sending the message to each of the servers  150 - 152  one at a time, while skipping the server that failed at the beginning of block  205 .  
         [0033]      206 : If the wireless data device  100  is provisioned on a wireless gateway server  150 - 152 , the message is accepted for delivery and push server element  107  updates the PIN/wireless gateway server map with the correct gateway server for the PIN. System  110  determines that the message was successfully accepted in one embodiment by receiving a status code of success on the message submission. This function provides system  110  with an automated recovery from wireless data device  100  provisioning from one wireless gateway server to another in wireless gateway  102 .  
         [0034]      207 : If all wireless gateway servers  150 - 152  reject the message, then push server  107  updates the PIN/wireless gateway server map with an “UNKNOWN” value for the server corresponding to the PIN of wireless data device  100 .  
         [0035]      208 : If a wireless gateway server  150 - 152  in wireless gateway  102  is not found for the PIN, push server  107  loops through the list of wireless gateway servers  150 - 152 , sending the message to the wireless gateway servers one at a time.  
         [0036]      209 : If the wireless data device  100  is provisioned on a wireless gateway server  150 - 152 , the message is accepted for delivery and push server  107  updates the PIN/wireless gateway server map with the correct gateway server for the PIN. System  110  determines that the message was successfully accepted in one embodiment by receiving a status code of success on the message submission. This function provides system  110  with automated detection of a new wireless data device  100  being provisioned for the first time on a wireless gateway server  150 - 152  in wireless gateway  102 .  
         [0037]      210 : If all wireless gateway servers  150 - 152  reject the message, then push server  107  updates the PIN/wireless gateway server map with an “UNKNOWN” value for the server corresponding to the PIN of wireless data device  100 .  
         [0038]     Through the use of the PIN/wireless gateway server map, the correct wireless gateway server  150 - 152  for a PIN is more likely to be chosen by push server  107 , thereby optimizing pushes of data to wireless data device  100 . Further, changes in server assignments are self-correcting by system  110  through the automated updates of the PIN/wireless gateway server map.  
         [0039]     In one embodiment of the invention, at any point before a scheduled or sporadic push of data, a system administrator may dynamically update the list of valid wireless gateway servers  150 - 152  that make up wireless gateway  102  by using desktop browser  130  or remote terminal  131 . The list of valid wireless gateway servers may be stored in computer volatile memory on push server  107  for optimized retrieval, as well as in data repository  105  to span shutdowns of push server  107 .  
         [0040]     Dynamic maintenance of the list of valid wireless gateway servers that make up wireless gateway  102  avoids service disruptions of system  110  due to wireless gateway server name changes, additions and removals.  FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of the functionality performed by system  110  to respond to changes in wireless gateway  102 . In one embodiment, the functionality is implemented by software stored in memory and executed by a processor. In other embodiments, the functionality can be performed by hardware, or any combination of hardware and software.  
         [0041]      301 : The list of wireless gateway servers  150 - 152  of wireless gateway  102  may change. For example, one of wireless gateway servers  150 - 152  may change because the server becomes non-responsive, the server is removed from service or a new wireless gateway server could be added to wireless gateway  102  due to capacity issues, or the name or port of a wireless gateway server may change.  
         [0042]      302 : A system administrator dynamically updates the list of valid servers in wireless gateway  102  by using desktop browser  130  or remote terminal  131 .  
         [0043]      303 : Update commands issued through desktop browser  130  travel through network communications  124  to Web server  103 , and then through network communications  122 , to push server  107 .  
         [0044]      304 : Update commands issued through remote terminal  131  travel through network communications  124  and  122  to push server  107 .  
         [0045]      305 : Push server  107  updates its internal memory to reflect the updated wireless gateway servers list.  
         [0046]      306 : Push server  107  writes the updated wireless gateway servers list to data repository  105 .  
         [0047]     As described, embodiments of the present invention dynamically maintain a mapping of PIN/wireless gateway server so that an application can optimally push data to the correct server for a selected PIN. Pushes of data are thus more efficient and user intervention is not required to account for changes in mapping.  
         [0048]     Several embodiments of the present invention are specifically illustrated and/or described herein. However, it will be appreciated that modifications and variations of the present invention are covered by the above teachings and within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention.

Technology Category: h