Gateway Push Notification Relay for Offline Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Devices without cellular connections face challenges in receiving push notifications when there is no Wi-Fi network available, and existing solutions require applications to be running in the background to receive notifications, which is not always feasible.
Innovation Solution
A mobile access gateway system that can send push notifications to associated devices even when the gateway device's application is not running, using a processor and memory to receive notification requests from gateway devices, determine device associations, and initiate push notifications through a push notification server, regardless of the internet connectivity source.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If push notifications are sent to Wi-Fi enabled devices, then devices can receive notifications when connected to Wi-Fi network, but devices cannot receive notifications when no Wi-Fi network is present
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway device as an intermediary between the push notification server and Wi-Fi enabled devices. The gateway device receives push notifications from the server via cellular network and relays them to associated Wi-Fi enabled devices, enabling notification delivery regardless of whether the receiving devices are connected to Wi-Fi or not. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by decoupling the notification delivery mechanism from direct Wi-Fi connectivity requirements.
2Ease of operation
If applications run in background to receive notifications, then notifications can be received without user interaction, but many operating systems do not allow applications to run in background
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway device performs self-service by maintaining its own cellular network connection and push notification server registration independently of the Wi-Fi enabled devices. The gateway automatically receives and forwards notifications without requiring background applications on the receiving devices. This shifts the service provision from the receiving devices to the gateway, eliminating the need for background application execution on client devices.
3Ease of operation
If gateway device manages mobile hotspot access, then authorized users can connect to internet, but managing access to multiple gateway devices becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal device identification and association mechanism that works across multiple gateway devices. Each gateway device is associated with Wi-Fi enabled devices through unique device identifiers, and the push notification system uses these identifiers to route notifications correctly regardless of which gateway device the user is currently connected to. This universal approach simplifies multi-gateway management by providing consistent access control and notification routing across the entire gateway network.
Data Source
AI summary
A gateway device is enabled to initiate sending of push notifications to an associated device. The push notifications can be sent even when a gateway device related application is not running on the device. The push notifications can also be sent to the device whenever it has internet connectivity, even if the internet connectivity is not being provided by the gateway device hotspot. In an embodiment, a mobile access gateway system can receive a notification from the gateway device that is directed to another device. The mobile access gateway system can determine whether or not the gateway device and the other device are related to each other and then instruct a push notification server to send the device a push notification.