Background App Notification Module for Resource-Constrained Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Devices with limited resources, such as user devices and embedded controllers, face challenges in maintaining responsiveness and reducing resource consumption when applications are in a background state, as they are typically unable to receive communications without significant programming modifications.
Innovation Solution
A notification module is configured to receive and process notifications for applications in the background state, generating event notifications that can transition the application from a dormant state to a foreground state, allowing it to process events without requiring special programming, using a rendering engine module to manage state transitions and resource allocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If applications are executed in a background state to reduce resource consumption, then resource usage decreases, but the applications become unable to receive communications and process events
Solution Approach 1:
The notification module is pre-configured with the application's notification URL and event handling capabilities before the application transitions to background state. This preliminary setup ensures that the application can receive and process notifications without needing to be in foreground state, resolving the contradiction between resource saving and communication capability.
Solution Approach 2:
A notification module acts as an intermediary between external communication sources and background applications. This intermediary receives communications, processes them into event notifications, and delivers them to the appropriate background applications, enabling communication without requiring applications to run in foreground.
2Ease of operation
If applications are kept in foreground state to maintain responsiveness, then ability to process events is maintained, but resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically transitions applications between background and foreground states based on their notification needs. Applications remain in background state consuming minimal resources until a notification arrives, at which point they are dynamically activated to process the event, then return to background state. This dynamic state management maintains responsiveness while minimizing resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of continuously running applications in foreground, the system uses periodic activation triggered by notification events. Applications are activated only when needed to process specific events, then return to dormant background state, creating a periodic pattern of activity that maintains responsiveness while reducing overall resource consumption.
3Productivity
If applications are transitioned between background and foreground states, then resource management is optimized, but additional state management complexity is introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The notification module serves multiple functions: it manages application state transitions, receives and processes communications, generates event notifications, and handles application lifecycle events. This multi-functional design consolidates state management complexity into a single universal module, optimizing resource management without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are systems and methods providing notifications to an application in a background state on a device such as a user device. The device may be resource constrained such as having limited memory, processor, power, or other resources for execution of applications. While in a background state, notifications from other applications may be sent to the application in the background state. To other applications, the application in the background state may appear to be operating in the foreground.