Notification Server for Inter-App Event Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile operating systems lack functionality for applications to communicate with each other, leading to instability and potential privacy issues, as applications often rely on workarounds that violate terms of use and privacy policies to track events like application installations.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for tracking event occurrences among applications on a mobile device using a notification module that registers actions with a network-based notification server, employing cryptographically strong hash values to ensure user anonymity and provide feedback on completed actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If applications use workarounds to track event occurrences, then inter-application communication capability is achieved, but system stability deteriorates and privacy policies are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a notification server as an intermediary component that mediates between applications. The server receives notifications from applications about events they want to track, stores this information, and sends notifications back when the tracked events occur. This intermediary approach enables reliable inter-application communication without requiring applications to use unstable workarounds, thereby resolving the contradiction between communication capability and system stability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If applications use workarounds to track event occurrences, then inter-application communication capability is achieved, but privacy policies are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The notification server acts as a privacy-preserving intermediary that processes event tracking without accessing or storing sensitive user information. Applications submit event notifications to the server, which matches them against stored event patterns and returns only the necessary confirmation information. This intermediary architecture enables inter-application communication while maintaining user privacy and complying with privacy policies.
3Reliability
If a notification server is introduced to track events, then reliable event tracking is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The notification server is implemented as a cloud-based intermediary service rather than a complex integrated system. Applications interact with the server through simple notification submission and reception mechanisms, avoiding the need for complex local processing. This approach achieves reliable event tracking while minimizing the complexity burden on individual devices, as the server handles the complex matching and coordination logic centrally.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for tracking event occurrences among applications executing on a mobile device is provided. When an action is initiated, the first application generates a first notification indicator and records it with a notification server. When the action is performed by, for example, a second application, the second application generates a second notification indicator and registers it with the notification server. The notification server may then notify the first application or other entities of the occurrence of the action.