Network communication apparatus for providing a user with a paging message
A network communications system comprises a number of user stations, coupled via a data network to a number of service provider host systems. The user stations are registered as client stations at the host system of a service provider, with the host system maintaining a database of registered client station identification data. The host system additionally maintains a directory of the client stations that are on-line at a given time, determined from periodic messages sent to the host by each client station. Callers wishing to contact a client station ( 10 ) user first contact the service provider which, from the directory, determines whether the user is currently on-line. If so, a paging message is generated by the service provider from data supplied by the caller and sent via the network to the client station, the address of which is held in the service provider database.
1. An apparatus for providing communication within a network communications system comprising a plurality of user stations and a service provider host system, wherein at least some of the user stations are registered as client stations with the host system, the apparatus comprising:
a means for periodically identifying each on-line client station to the host system;
a means for maintaining an indication of those client stations on-line;
a means for formatting a message at the host system on receipt of data identifying a client station and additional data specifying a message by formatting the message such that an indication of receipt is generated upon receipt of the message at the identified client station; and
a means for transmitting the paging message to the identified client station.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the message is formatted to generate an on-screen indication of the contents of the message.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
a means for generating a password on registration of a new client station; and
a means for transmitting the password to the new client station.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the means for periodically identifying each on-line client station to the host system includes a means for determining if a client station transmits an identifier for the client station and a corresponding password.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a means for forwarding an acknowledgment signal to the client station that sent the message.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
a means for determining when each on-line client station was last identified by the host system; and
a means for deleting the indication for those client stations that are not identified by the host system within a predetermined period.