System and method for pushing information from a host system to a mobile data communication device in a wireless data network
View Patent ↗A system and method for redirecting data from a host system (or messaging server) to one or more mobile data communication devices via a wireless packet data network is provided in which the wireless packet data network dynamically assigns addresses to the one or more mobile data communication devices on an as-needed basis. A redirector application operating at the host system is configured by each user to continuously redirect certain data to the wireless packet data network, as the data is received (or otherwise altered) at the host system. Two methods are provided for communicating the redirected data from the network to the mobile device. In a first method, the mobile device is configured to periodically contact a store-and-forward server within the wireless network, which, when contacted, assigns a network address to the mobile device and then transmits the stored, redirected data to the mobile device. In a second method, the network transmits a connection request command to the mobile device via a parallel voice network, or via a command channel, or other type of low-bandwidth data channel. The mobile device then contacts the data network and requests a network address so that the store-and-forward server can send the redirected data to the mobile device.
1. A method operable at a store-and-forward server associated with a wide area packet network and an Internet Protocol (IP)-based wireless network, the method comprising:
maintaining, at the store-and-forward server, a mapping between a temporary Internet Protocol (IP) address of a mobile data communication device and a unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device;
maintaining, at the store-and-forward server, a mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and a phone number associated with the mobile data communication device;
receiving a message redirected from a message server over the wide area packet network, the message contained in an envelope that includes the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device; and
upon determining that the temporary IP address of the mobile data communication device is invalid, performing the following:
transmitting a connection request command to the phone number of the mobile data communication device to instruct the mobile data communication device to acquire an IP address;
receiving from the mobile data communication device a new IP address assigned to the mobile data communication device; and
using the new IP address received from the mobile data communication device, transmitting the message to the mobile data communication device over the IP-based wireless network.
2. The method as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising: upon determining that the temporary IP address of the mobile data communication device is valid, transmitting the message to the mobile data communication device over the IP-based wireless network using the temporary IP address as destination information.
3. The method as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising: updating the mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and the mobile data communication device's IP address.
4. The method as set forth in claim 3 , further comprising: upon updating the mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and the mobile data communication device's IP address, setting an inactivity timer with respect to the mobile data communication device's IP address.
5. The method as set forth in claim 3 , further comprising: upon updating the mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and the mobile data communication device's IP address, setting an out-of-range timer with respect to the mobile data communication device's IP address.
6. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and the phone number associated with the mobile data communication device is initialized based on information provided by the mobile data communication device to the store-and-forward server at startup.
7. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the phone number associated with the mobile data communication device is a Short Message Service (SMS) phone number.
8. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device is at least one of a Personal Identification Number (PIN), International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSN) and Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number (MSISDN).
9. A store-and-forward server associated with a wide area packet network and an Internet Protocol (IP)-based wireless network, the store-and-forward server comprising:
means configured to maintain a mapping between a temporary Internet Protocol (IP) address of a mobile data communication device and a unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device;
means configured to maintain a mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and a phone number associated with the mobile data communication device;
means for processing a message redirected from a message server over the wide area packet network, the message contained in an envelope that includes the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device; and
means, responsive to determining that the temporary IP address of the mobile data communication device is invalid, for performing the following:
transmitting a connection request command to the phone number of the mobile data communication device to instruct the mobile data communication device to acquire an IP address;
receiving from the mobile data communication device a new IP address assigned to the mobile data communication device; and
using the new IP address received from the mobile data communication device, transmitting the message to the mobile data communication device over the IP-based wireless network.
10. The store-and-forward server as set forth in claim 9 , further comprising means, responsive to determining that the temporary IP address of the mobile data communication device is valid, for transmitting the message to the mobile data communication device over the IP-based wireless network using the temporary IP address as destination information.
11. The store-and-forward server as set forth in claim 9 , further comprising means for updating the mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and the mobile data communication device's IP address.
12. The store-and-forward server as set forth in claim 11 , further comprising means, responsive to updating the mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and the mobile data communication device's IP address, for setting an inactivity timer with respect to the mobile data communication device's IP address.
13. The store-and-forward server as set forth in claim 11 , further comprising means, responsive to updating the mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and the mobile data communication device's IP address, for setting an out-of-range timer with respect to the mobile data communication device's IP address.
14. The store-and-forward server as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and the phone number associated with the mobile data communication device is initialized based on information provided by the mobile data communication device to the store-and-forward server at startup.
15. The store-and-forward server as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the phone number associated with the mobile data communication device is a Short Message Service (SMS) phone number.
16. The store-and-forward server as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device is at least one of a Personal Identification Number (PIN), International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSN) and Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number (MSISDN).
17. A non-transitory computer-accessible medium having a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a processing entity, effectuate communication of information between a message server and a mobile data communication device via a wide area packet network and an Internet Protocol (IP)-based wireless network, the non-transitory computer-accessible medium comprising:
a code portion configured to maintain a mapping between a temporary Internet Protocol (IP) address of a mobile data communication device and a unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device;
a code portion configured to maintain a mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and a phone number associated with the mobile data communication device;
a code portion configured to process a message redirected from the message server over the wide area packet network, the message contained in an envelope that includes the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device; and
a code portion, responsive to determining that the temporary IP address of the mobile data communication device is invalid, configured to perform the following:
transmitting a connection request command to the phone number of the mobile data communication device to instruct the mobile data communication device to acquire an IP address;
processing a new IP address received from the mobile data communication device that has been obtained from the IP-based wireless network; and
using the new IP address received from the mobile data communication device, transmitting the message to the mobile data communication device over the IP-based wireless network.
18. The non-transitory computer-accessible medium as set forth in claim 17 , further comprising a code portion, responsive to determining that the temporary IP address of the mobile data communication device is valid, configured to transmit the message to the mobile data communication device over the IP-based wireless network using the temporary IP address as destination information.
19. The non-transitory computer-accessible medium as set forth in claim 17 , further comprising a code portion configured for updating the mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and the mobile data communication device's IP address.
20. The non-transitory computer-accessible medium as set forth in claim 19 , further comprising a code portion, responsive to updating the mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and the mobile data communication device's IP address, configured for setting an inactivity timer with respect to the mobile data communication device's IP address.
21. The non-transitory computer-accessible medium as set forth in claim 19 , further comprising a code portion, responsive to updating the mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and the mobile data communication device's IP address, configured for setting an out-of-range timer with respect to the mobile data communication device's IP address.
22. The non-transitory computer-accessible medium as set forth in claim 17 , wherein the mapping between the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device and the phone number associated with the mobile data communication device is initialized based on information provided by the mobile data communication device to the store-and-forward server at startup.
23. The non-transitory computer-accessible medium as set forth in claim 17 , wherein the phone number associated with the mobile data communication device is a Short Message Service (SMS) phone number.
24. The non-transitory computer-accessible medium as set forth in claim 17 , wherein the unique permanent identifier of the mobile data communication device is at least one of a Personal Identification Number (PIN), International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSN) and Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number (MSISDN).