Push Notification System for Dynamic Internet Service Entitlement Upgrade
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hospitality establishments face challenges in allowing users to easily upgrade their internet service entitlements without requiring unrealistic actions, such as bookmarking URLs or hijacking network connections, due to limitations in existing methods like pop-ups, HTML frames, and HTTPS connections.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a mobile application's push notification system to monitor user activity and send invitations to upgrade internet service entitlements, allowing users to upgrade seamlessly even when the application is not running, by communicating with a software application on a mobile device to detect usage patterns and send alerts for upgrading from a limited to an upgraded service.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a welcome web page with upgrade buttons is provided after login, then users can upgrade their service entitlement, but users who do not bookmark or save the URL will lose access to the upgrade option
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by sending a push notification to the user's mobile device that contains the upgrade invitation and link in advance of when the user might need it. This ensures the upgrade information is delivered directly to the user without requiring them to remember or bookmark a URL, resolving the contradiction by making the upgrade option available through a different channel before the user potentially loses it.
Solution Approach 2:
The push notification system acts as an intermediary between the hospitality establishment's server and the user's mobile device. Instead of relying on the user to return to a web page, the system uses the push notification service to deliver the upgrade invitation directly to the user's device, bypassing the need for URL bookmarking and ensuring the upgrade option remains accessible.
2Ease of operation
If a minimized browser window with upgrade control panel is opened upon login, then users can access upgrade options, but modern browsers block popups by default and users ignore or close new windows
Solution Approach 1:
The push notification service serves as a reliable intermediary that delivers upgrade invitations to the user's mobile device without being blocked by browser popup filters. This approach bypasses the reliability issues of traditional popup windows while maintaining ease of access to upgrade options.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of opening a new browser window (popup) to present the upgrade option, the system inverts the approach by sending a notification to the user's existing mobile device. This reversal avoids the problem of browsers blocking popups while still providing easy access to upgrade information through the push notification interface.
3Ease of operation
If Internet upgrade options are kept visible by forcing browsing within an HTML frame, then users can see upgrade buttons at all times, but many websites do not operate properly within frames and JavaScript is used to break out
Solution Approach 1:
The push notification system acts as an intermediary that delivers upgrade information without interfering with the user's browsing experience. Unlike HTML frames that force websites to operate in a restricted environment, the push notification approach delivers upgrade invitations separately, allowing websites to function normally while still providing upgrade visibility through the notification channel.
4Ease of operation
If HTTP connections are dynamically hijacked to insert upgrade HTML or JavaScript, then upgrade options can be inserted during browsing, but this is difficult without breaking user sessions and does not work with HTTPS connections
Solution Approach 1:
The push notification service serves as a safe intermediary that delivers upgrade invitations without requiring manipulation of the user's HTTP/HTTPS connections. This approach maintains session integrity and works with encrypted HTTPS connections, unlike connection hijacking methods that risk breaking user sessions and do not work with secure protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
An app server receives a device token from a software application on a mobile device. The device token identifies the mobile device for pushing notification messages of the software application to the mobile device via a push notification system. The mobile device is monitored while accessing the Internet in order to detect when the user may benefit from upgraded access to the Internet. The app server then sends one or more notification message(s) to the user such as by sending a message to the device token of the mobile device via the push notification system or to a display device associated with the user at the hospitality establishment. The notification message invites the user to upgrade their Internet access. The push notification system alerts the user to the notification message via the user interface of the mobile device even when the software application is not running on the mobile device.