WO2023183051A1

WO2023183051A1 - Self-sufficient notification

Info

Publication number: WO2023183051A1
Application number: PCT/US2022/071253
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yiwei ZHAO; Xiaofeng Li
Original assignee: Innopeak Technology, Inc.
Priority date: 2022-03-22
Filing date: 2022-03-22
Publication date: 2023-09-28

Abstract

A self-sufficient notification is provided. In some embodiments, the self-sufficient notification includes instructions sufficient for a notification presentation device to process the self-sufficient notification. The notification presentation device may not have a processing capability to process a notification that is not self-sufficient. In those embodiments, the self-sufficient notification may be provided to a given device for processing even if the given device does not have a capability to process otherwise a notification that is not self-sufficient. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, a self-sufficient notification of a chat message may be provided to a smart TV for process even if the smart TV does not have a capability to process a normal chat message notification.

Description

SELF-SUFFICIENT NOTIFICATION

BACKGROUND

[0001] Notification is generally known. A notification service provides means to send a notice to many persons at once. For example, if a flood were likely, residents of a community could be warned it's time to evacuate. If a school were suddenly closed for the day, students or parents could be told not come to school, or told to report to an alternate location. American Airlines can notify passengers by cellphone two hours before a flight's departure with information on the flight's status and gate number.

[0002] On a smart device, a notification is typically received from a service or is generated by the smart device. Typically, the notification is to notify a user of certain information. The notification is usually presented by the smart device, for example on a display of the smart device. Some smart devices may present the notification audibly (for example, such as a smart speaker) rather than graphically or visually.

[0003] Some smart devices may be associated with some other smart devices. For example, slave/master is a technique used for a wearable device associated with a smartphone. Because the wearable device is limited in its communication and/or processing power, it typically is associated with the smartphone. Thus, the wearable device has to be registered with the smartphone in order for it to be able to receive a notification from the smartphone. In some techniques, the smartphone can be configured to forward the notification to the wearable device for presentation after the wearable device is registered with the smartphone.

SUMMARY

[0004] In some embodiments, a self-sufficient notification is provided for execution and/or presentation. In those embodiments, the self-sufficient notification includes instructions sufficient for a notification presentation device to process the self-sufficient notification. The notification presentation device may not have a processing capability to process a notification that is not self- sufficient. In those embodiments, the self-sufficient notification may be provided to a given device for processing even if the given device does not have a capability to process otherwise a notification that is not self-sufficient. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, a self-sufficient notification of a chat message may be provided to a smart TV for process even if the smart TV does not have a capability to process a normal chat message notification.

[0005] In some embodiments, the self-sufficient notification includes instructions to enable a device in a distributed computing environment to execute an application or app to process the self- sufficient notification. In one embodiment, the instructions in the self-sufficient notification enables the device to implement a light-weight version of the application or app as opposed to a full version of the application or app. In those embodiments, the instructions for implementing a light-weight version of the application or app may include information indicating a source where the light-weight version of application or app can be downloaded by the notification presentation device. In some other embodiments, the instructions may include software codes for execution by the notification presentation device to directly install the self-sufficient notification.

[0006] In some embodiments, a given device in the distributed computing environment is configured to request a source of a notification received by that device to provide a self-sufficient notification. In those embodiments, the given device is configured to determine that it does not have processing capability to process the notification and with that determination, the given device is configured to obtain the source of the notification and generate a request to the source for the self- sufficient notification so that the given device can process the self-sufficient notification. In some other embodiments, the given device, with the determination above, is configured to obtain a lightweight version of the application or app so to process the notification received.

[0007] Other objectives and embodiments are contemplated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] A further understanding of the nature and advantages of various embodiments may be realized by reference to the following figures. In the appended figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.

[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a computing environment for implementing self-sufficient notification in accordance with the present disclosure. [0010] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a processor that can be included in a given client device shown in FIG. 1 for implementing the self-sufficient notification in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a method for implementing a self-sufficient notification in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates another example of a method for implementing a self-sufficient notification in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates one example computer system for implementing various embodiments described and illustrated herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The following detailed description provides many different embodiments or examples to facilitate the understanding of devices and method recited in the claims. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formation of a first feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows may include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact and may also include embodiments in which additional features may be formed between the first and second features, such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

[0015] Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature’s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

NOTIFICATION

[0016] In accordance with the present disclosure, a notification may be referred to a piece of information to be presented to a user to notify' the user of certain information such as a happening in a service. Therefore, for a purpose of the present disclosure, a notification in accordance with the present disclosure is distinguished over a content in an application presented to the user. For example, certain applications or devices may be configured to present a content to the user when the applications are running in the background. In that situation, the presentation of this content is not regarded as a notification in accordance with the present disclosure even though the content is presented to the user unsolicited. As used herein, a notification includes information indicating a happening, which may be related to a (computer) application or (smart device) app, to a service employed by the user, or any information of interest to the user. In that sense, a notification in accordance with the present disclosure is presented to the user to notify the user of this information so to let the user decide whether he/she should take an action in response.

[0017] For example, notification in accordance with the present disclosure includes a notification generated for a user of a chat service. In accordance with the present disclosure, a distinction between an application and an app is made. An application is referred to as software configured to cause a computer, such as desktop or laptop, to perform one or more specific tasks. An app is referred to as software configured to enable a user to perform one or more specific tasks via a smart computing device, such as a smartphone or a tablet. A same software provided by a given service provider may have an application version installable on a computer, and an app version installable on a smartphone or a tablet. The application version and app version may or may not provide identical functionalities to users.

[0018] Thus, the chat app mentioned above is typically installed on a smartphone of a user, which configures the smartphone to communicate with other users via one or more computer servers. The user can send and receive messages from other users via the chat app. A notification is typically generated when a chat message is received by the chat app for the user. This notification typically notifies the user of the incoming message such that the user may open the chat app to view and reply to the chat message.

[0019] As mentioned above, as smart devices become more and more widespread, the user would want a notification, such as the chat message notification, to be presented on a smart device associated with the user. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the user may have a smart TV in his/her living room at home. When the chat message notification is ready to be presented to the user on the smartphone, the user may want this notification to be presented on the smart TV instead. For instance, this can happen when the user is watching the smart TV in the living room while the smartphone is being charged in the kitchen. In addition, the user may also desire to be able to act on chat message notification after it is presented on the smart TV. For instance, the user may want to send a reply to the sender of the chat message through the smart TV. [0020] A challenge for achieving this is that the smart TV may not have a processing capability to process the chat message notification. For example, the smart TV may not have the processing capability to display the chat message notification, to enable the user to view the chat message through an interface provided by the chat message app, and/or to enable the user to write and send the reply to the sender of the chat message. For instance, the smart TV would need to have an operating system that can run the chat app, the chat app to be installed on the smart TV, and the chat app to be run on the smart TV via the operating system. While this may be achieved whenever an app is installed on the smartphone, a version of the app is also installed on the smart TV, this process can be cumbersome to the user.

[0021] For example of such a process, in a smart TV, after the user installs an app on the smartphone, the user would need to configure the smart TV whether a notification for the app would also be presented on the smart TV. After the user indicates that the notification is also to be presented on the smart TV, the smartphone would push a version of the app that can be run on the smart watch to the smart TV. The user can then configure various options for presenting and acting on the notification either on the smart TV or the smartphone.

[0022] As mentioned, this process can be cumbersome for the notifications to be presented on a smart device being used by the user. It is desirable for the user not to configure the smart device and/or the smartphone when an app is installed on the smartphone. The user may acquire a smart device after the app is already installed on the smartphone. For example, it would be inconvenient for the user to configured a given smart device if the user wants that smart device to process a notification for an app already installed on his/her smartphone. Thus, one motivation behind the present disclosure is that it is desirable to let the user not have to configure the smart device for it to process a notification even when the smart device does not a capability to process the notification. For addressing this, novel techniques for implementing a self-sufficient notification such that they can be processed on a given notification presentation device even when the notification presentation device does not have a capability to process the notification without user intervention.

EXAMPLE COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

[0023] With a motivation for the present disclosure having been described, attention is now directed to FIG. 1 , where an example of a computing environment 100 in accordance with the present disclosure is provided. As can be seen, in the computing environment 100, one or more of a computer server 102 is located. It should be understood although only one computer server 102 is illustrated, this is not intended to be limiting. In some other examples, there are more than one computer server 102 in the computing environment 100 where the self-sufficient notification in accordance with the present disclosure is implemented. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the server 102 may be provided by a service provider such as a chat service, a weather tracking service, a banking service, and/or any other services, to facilitate one or more services to a user. For instance, the server 102 may be a server to facilitate a chat service such that users communicate with others through the server 102 - e.g., to send and receive messages addressed to specific users through the server 102.

[0024] As can be seen, the server 102, in various embodiments as shown in this example, is connected with multiple client devices 104 associated with individual users via a network 106. The devices 104 shown in this example, such as devices 104a, b, c and n, are merely illustrative for showing various different types of devices connected to the server 102. In this example, the client device 104a is a laptop computer, the client device 104b is a smartphone, the client device 104c is a tablet, and the client device 104n is a smart TV. It should be understood that the different types of client devices 104 shown in this example are merely illustrative. In some other examples, other types of client devices can be connected to the server 102. For example, a smart speaker, a home control console, a refrigerator with a smart display, and/or any other types of client devices are contemplated to be included in the computing environment 100 in some other examples.

[0025] As can be seen, the server 102 is configured to generate and transmit data to the different client devices connected to the server 102. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the server 102 is configured to generate data to implement the chat service for a user associated with a given client device 104, such as client device 104b. As also can be seen, the server 102, in this example, is configured to generate a notification to the client devices notifying the user of a happening in the chat service provided to the user. It should be understood this is merely illustrative. In some other examples, the server 102 may not be configured to generate a notification and it is rather the individual client devices 104 configured to generate a notification after the data is received from the server 102. For instance, it is contemplated that a chat app on the client device 104b is configured to generate a notification about a chat message received from the server 102 for the user associated with the client device 104b.

[0026] In this example, the individual client devices 104 are configured to transmit notifications about the service provided by the server 102 to other client devices 104 viathe network 106, whether the notifications are generated by the server 102 or generated by the individual client devices. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, after the notification about the chat service is ready to be presented to the user on the client device 104b, the client device 104b is configured to determine that the notification is to be presented on the client device 104n rather than on the client device 104b. [0027] In another example, the individual client devices are configured to request a notification to be transmitted to the client devices 104. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the client device 104n is configured to request the client device 104b to send a notification for presentation to the user about the chat message received by the client device 104b. For instance, the client device 104b is configured to notify the client device 104n that the chat message has been received and the client device 104n then requests the notification to be transmitted to the client device 104n for presentation to the user.

[0028] As will be described, the notifications in the computing environment 100 include self- sufficient notifications in accordance with the present disclosure. As mentioned, a self-sufficient notification is a novel notification provided by the present disclosure. In accordance with the present disclosure, the self-sufficient discussion is configured to be processed on a given client device 104 in the computing environment 100 even if the given client device 104 does not have a processing capability to process a notification having a content of the self-sufficient notification. For instance, the client device 104n, e.g., a smart TV, does not have the chap app installed thereon to be able to present the chat message notification or receive a response from the user to open a chat interface to display the chat message and enable the user to transmit a reply to the chat message. As also mentioned, the self-sufficient notification in accordance with the present disclosure includes instructions enabling the given client device 104 to process the notification. That is, compared with a normal notification, a self-sufficient notification includes instructions for processing the notification on any client device 104.

[0029] In some embodiments, the instructions in the self-sufficient notification include information indicating to a notification presentation device where to obtain software for processing the self-sufficient notification. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, such information can include a link pointing to a source where the notification presentation device is to download a version of an application or app for processing the self-sufficient notification. The notification presentation device in that example can download the version of the application or app and install it on the notification presentation device for processing the self-sufficient notification.

[0030] For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the client device 104n receives a self- sufficient notification including information indicating a link where the client device 104n may download a version of a chat app for processing the self-sufficient notification. According to this instruction, the client device 104n is configured to download this version of the app and installs it on the client device 104n. After the installation, the client device 104n is thus enabled to process the self-sufficient notification, which includes displaying the notification, presenting a chat interface to enable the user to view the chat message and/or transmit a reply to the sender of the chat message, and/or any other activities.

[0031] It should be understood the above-mentioned instruction is merely one example of an instruction in the self-sufficient notification in accordance with the present disclosure. Other examples of such an instruction are contemplated. For example, in some other embodiments, the self-sufficient notification includes an instruction indicating to the notification presentation device that the self-sufficient notification in a section following the instruction includes a version of an application or app for processing the self-sufficient notification. In that example, according to this instruction, the notification presentation device is configured to extract the version of the application or app from the self-sufficient notification and installs it onto the notification presentation device for processing the self-sufficient notification.

[0032] With an example computing environment 100 where a self-sufficient notification in accordance with the present disclosure is applied having been described and illustrated in FIG. 1, attention is now directed to FIG. 2, where an example of a processor 200 that can be included in a given client device 104 shown in FIG. 1 is illustrated. In accordance with the present disclosure, the processor 200 is configured to execute machine-readable instructions configured to cause a given client device 104 shown in FIG. 1 to perform one or more operations for implementing self-sufficient notifications in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in this example, the machine- readable instructions include instructions attributed to various program components including a communication component 202, a notification processing component 204, an application implementation component 206, a notification routing component 208, and/or any other program components.

[0033] The communication component 202 is configured to receive a self-sufficient notification. As mentioned above, a source of the self-sufficient notification received at 202 may vary in different implementation and/or embodiments. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the self- sufficient notification may be generated by the server 102 shown in FIG. 1 and is transmitted to the client device 104b, e.g., a smartphone, associated with the user. In that example, after receiving the self-sufficient notification from the server 102, the client device 104b is configured to determine whether the client service itself should process the self-sufficient notification or some other device in the computing environment 100 should present the self-sufficient notification. PCT patent application no. PCT/US2022/070328, entitled “DISTRIBUTED NOTIFICATION IN A DISTRIBUTED DEVICE ENVIRONMENT” (KTS Ref #: 1262262) describes various embodiments for a given client devices to determine where to process a notification in a distributed computing environment. PCT application no. PCT/US2022/070328 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0034] In that example, the client device 104b determines that the client device 104n should present the self-sufficient notification received and thus forwards the self-sufficient notification to the client device 104n via the communication component 202 of the client device 104b. The client device 104n receives the self-sufficient notification via the communication component 202 on the client device 104n.

[0035] In another example, the self-sufficient notification is generated by the client device 104b after data is received from the server 102. For example, the server 102 sends a chat message for the user to the client device 104b, and the client device 104b determines that it is the client device 104n should present a notification for presentation to the user about the incoming chat message rather than the client device 104b. In that example, the client device 104b is configured to determine that the client device 104n does not have a processing capability to process such a notification and generate a self-sufficient notification for the client device 104n. After the self-sufficient notification is generated, the client device 104b forwards the self-sufficient notification to the client device 104n for processing.

[0036] The notification processing component 204 is configured to process a notification received by the communication component 202. The notification processed by the notification processing component 204 includes a normal notification, self-sufficient notification in accordance with the present disclosure and/or any other types of notifications. As mentioned, a normal notification is a notification that can be processed by a notification presentation device without having to install any software. As also mentioned, self-sufficient notification may be referred to a type of notification that includes one or more instructions indicating to the notification presentation device how to process the self-sufficient notification.

[0037] In some embodiments, the notification processing component 204 is configured to process the notification received by the communication component 202 and determine that the current client device is not to present the notification to the user and another client device is to present the notification to the user. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the notification processing component 204 on the client device 104b is configured to determine the notification about the incoming chat message is to be presented to the user on the client device 104n, rather than on the client device 104b. In that case, the client device 104b also determines that the client device 104n does not have a processing capability to process such a notification. In so determining, the notification processing component 204 on the client device 104b generates a self-sufficient notification such that the client device 104n can process the self-sufficient notification as described and illustrated herein.

[0038] In various embodiments, generating a self-sufficient notification by the notification processing component 204 includes providing one or more instructions in the self-sufficient notification indicating to the notification presentation device how to process the self-sufficient notification. As mentioned, one type of such instructions includes information indicating a link where a version of an application or app can be obtained by the notification presentation device for processing the notification. In an example implementation, this link is an URL link where the version of the application or app is downloadable by the notification presentation device for installation.

[0039] Another type of self-sufficient notification includes information indicating a version of the application or app is included in the self-sufficient notification such that the notification presentation device can extract that version from the self-sufficient notification for installation. In that example, generating the self-sufficient notification includes adding that version of the application or app to the self-sufficient notification. Still another type of self-sufficient notification is a specially generated notification presentable on the notification presentation device. In that example, the notification processing component 204 on the client device 104b is configured to obtain a notification processing capability of the client device 104n and specially generate the self-sufficient notification according to the notification processing capability on the client device 104n.

[0040] F or example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the client device 104b, after receiving a chat message from the server 102, obtains information indicating a notification capability of the client device 104n. In that example, this information indicates that the client device 104n is capable of presenting a notification in HTML5 format. In that example, the notification processing component 204 on the client device 104b is then configured to generate a self-sufficient notification about the incoming chat message in HTML5, and provides an instruction in the self-sufficient notification indicating to the client device 104n that self-sufficient notification is executable as is in HTML5 format by the client device 104n.

[0041] The notification processing component 204 is configured to process a self-sufficient notification. As mentioned, the self-sufficient notification may include at least one instruction indicating to the notification processing component 204 on the notification presentation device how to process the self-sufficient notification. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the notification processing component 204 on the client device 104n is configured to process a self- sufficient notification, whether received from the server 102 or the client device 104b. The at least one instruction may include information indicating a link where the client device 104n can download a version of the chap application or app executable on the client device 104n for processing the self- sufficient notification. According to that instruction, the notification processing component 204 on the client device 104n downloads that version of the chat application or app, and installs it for processing the self-sufficient notification.

[0042] As also mentioned, the at least one instruction may include information indicating to the client device 104n that the version of the chat application or app is included in the self-sufficient notification. In that example, the notification processing component 204 on the client device 104n is configured to extract the chat application or app included in the self-sufficient notification and install it on the client device 104n for processing the self-sufficient notification.

[0043] As still mentioned, the at least one instruction may include information indicating to the client device 104n that the self-sufficient notification includes notification content executable on the client device 104n, for example the notification content is in HTML 5 format. In that example, the notification processing component 204 on the client device 104n is configured to process the self- sufficient notification directly without having to install any application or app on the client device 104n.

[0044] The application implementation component 206 is configured to implement an application or app on a given client device 104 for processing a self-sufficient notification received by the communication component 202. As mentioned, the self-sufficient notification received by the communication component 202 includes at least one instruction indicating to the notification presentation device how to process the self-sufficient notification. The at least one instruction may include information indicating a link or a location in the self-sufficient notification where a version of the application or app can be obtained. In that example, the application implementation component 206 is configured to install the application or app after it is obtained by the notification processing component 204. However, it is not necessarily the only case. As mentioned, in some embodiments, the at least one instruction in the self-sufficient notification indicates to the notification presentation device, such as the client device 104n, that the self-sufficient notification is executable as is. In that example, the application implementation component 206 examines the self-sufficient notification according to that instruction and determines how to implement the execution of the self-sufficient notification. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, this may involve loading software into processor 202 for presenting the self-sufficient notification content in HTML 5 format.

[0045] The notification routing component 208 is configured to route a self-sufficient notification to a given client device in the computing environment 100. As mentioned above, in some embodiments, the notification processing component 204 is configured to determine a notification should be presented on the given client device rather than on the current client device. In that example, a self-sufficient notification may be generated by the notification processing component 204 as described above for the notification presentation device. The self-sufficient notification may include information indicating how to transmit self-sufficient notification in the computing environment 100 to the notification presentation device. For example, as illustration thus nonlimiting, the self-sufficient notification may indicate that the destination of the self-sufficient notification is client device 104n. Such a self-sufficient notification may be first transmitted by the client device 104b to the client device 104c according to a network protocol in the computing environment 100, for example a peer to peer transmission protocol. The notification routing component 208 on the client device 104c, after receiving the self-sufficient notification, understands that the destination of the self-sufficient notification is the client device 104n and is configured to forward the self-sufficient notification to the client device 104n accordingly.

[0046] With an example processor that can be installed in a given client device 104, such as client devices 104a, 104b, 104c or 104n, for implementing a self-sufficient notification having been described and illustrated, attention is now directed to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a method 300 for a self-sufficient notification in accordance with the present disclosure. The operations of method 300 presented below' are intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, method 300 may be accomplished with one or more additional operations not described and/or without one or more of the operations discussed. Additionally, the order in which the operations of method 300 are illustrated in FIG. 3 and described below is not intended to be limiting. FIG. 3 is described and illustrated with reference to FIG. 1.

[0047] In some embodiments, method 300 may be implemented by a device including one or more of the processor, such as the ones shown in FIG. 3. The device may include a digital processor, an analog processor, a digital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuit designed to process information, a state machine, and/or other mechanisms for electronically processing information. The device may execute some or all of the operations of method 300 in response to instructions stored electronically on an electronic storage medium. The device may include one or more components configured through hardware, firmware, and/or software to be designed for execution of one or more of the operations of method 300.

[0048] At 302, data for providing a service to a user is transmitted from the server 102 to client device 104b. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the data transmitted at 302 is a chat message received by the server 102 addressed to the user, who is associated with the client device 104b. In some example implementation, 302 can be implemented by a communication component on the client device 104b substantially the similar to or the same as the communication component 202 described and illustrated herein.

[0049] At 304, a determination is made that the client device 104n should process a notification about the data received at 302, rather than the client device 104b. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, after receiving the chat message, the client device 104b determines that a notification should be presented on client device 104n to let the user view and reply the chat message on client device 104n because the user is using client device 104n and is not using client device 104b. In some example implementation, 304 can be implemented by a notification processing component on the client device 104b substantially the similar to or the same as the notification processing component 204 described and illustrated herein.

[0050] At 306, a determination is made that the client device 104n does not have a processing capability to process the notification received at 302. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, after 304, the client device 104b obtains information indicating a capability of the client device 104n, which indicates that the client device 104n does not have a capability to present a notification about the chat message, providing an interface for the user to view the chat message and to write and transmit a reply to a sender of the chat message. For instance, the client device 104n is a smart TV, which does not have a chat application or app installed on the smart TV. In that instance, the smart TV does not have a processing capability to present a notification about the chat message, and nor does it have a capability of providing a chat interface to facilitate the user to view the chat message, and write and transmit a reply to the sender of the chat message. In some example implementation, 306 can be implemented by a notification processing component on the client device 104b substantially the similar to or the same as the notification processing component 204 described and illustrated herein.

[0051] At 308, a self-sufficient notification is generated to enable the client device 104n to process the self-sufficient notification about the data received at 302. For example, as illustration thus nonlimiting, the client device 104b, after 306, generates the self-sufficient notification by including at least one instruction indicating to the client device 104n how to process the self-sufficient notification. As mentioned, the at least one instruction can include information indicating a link where the client device 104n can obtain a version of the chat application or app that can be installed on the client device 104n. In some example implementation, 308 can be implemented by a notification processing component on the client device 104b substantially the similar to or the same as the notification processing component 204 described and illustrated herein. [0052] At 310, the self-sufficient notification generated at 308 is transmitted to the client device 104n. In some example implementation, 310 can be implemented by a communication component on the client devices 104b and 104n substantially the similar to or the same as the communication component 202 described and illustrated herein.

[0053] At 312, the self-sufficient notification received at 310 is processed. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the self-sufficient notification includes the at least on instruction indicating to the client device 104n a link where a version of a chat application or app installable on the client device 104n can be obtained by the client device 104n. Processing the self-sufficient notification, in this example, includes obtaining such an instruction and initiate a request to obtain the version of the chat application or app. In some example implementation, 312 can be implemented by a notification processing component on the client device 104n substantially the similar to or the same as the notification processing component 204 described and illustrated herein.

[0054] At 3122, as part of 312, the request to obtain the version of the application or app installable on the client device 104n is transmitted according to the at least one instruction in the self-sufficient notification. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the at least one instruction in the self- sufficient notification includes the link indicating that the chat application or app installable on the client device 104n. In this example, the link points to a repository on the server 102 for downloading the version of the chat application or app. As can be seen, the client device 104n transmits the request to the server 102 according to the link indicated in the at least one instruction in the self-sufficient notification. In some example implementation, 3122 can be implemented by a notification processing component on the client device 104n substantially the similar to or the same as the notification processing component 204 described and illustrated herein.

[0055] At 3124, as part of 312, application or app data for processing the self-sufficient notification received at 310 is received from the server 102. As mentioned in the example above, the server 102, after receiving the request for the application or app data at 3122, it sends such data to the client device 104n. In some example implementation, 3124 can be implemented by a communication component on the client device 104n substantially the similar to or the same as the communication component 202 described and illustrated herein.

[0056] With one example of a method for implementing self-sufficient notification having been described and illustrated with FIG. 3, attention is now directed to FIG. 4, where another example of a method 400 for implementing self-sufficient notification is illustrated. The operations of method 400 presented below are intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, method 400 may be accomplished with one or more additional operations not described and/or without one or more of the operations discussed. Additionally, the order in which the operations of method 400 are illustrated in FIG. 4 and described below is not intended to be limiting. FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0057] In some embodiments, method 400 may be implemented by a device including one or more of the processor, such as the ones shown in FIG. 4. The device may include a digital processor, an analog processor, a digital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuit designed to process information, a state machine, and/or other mechanisms for electronically processing information. The device may execute some or all of the operations of method 400 in response to instructions stored electronically on an electronic storage medium. The device may include one or more components configured through hardware, firmware, and/or software to be designed for execution of one or more of the operations of method 400.

[0058] At 402, a notification about a service provided by the server 102 is received at 402. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the notification received at 402 is about a chat message received by sever 102 addressed to a user associated with the client device 104b. In some example implementation, 402 can be implemented by a communication component on the client device 104b substantially the similar to or the same as the communication component 202 described and illustrated herein.

[0059] At 404, a determination is made that the client device 104n should process the notification received at 402, rather than the client device 104b. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, after receiving the notification, the client device 104b determines that the notification should be presented on client device 104n to let the user view and reply the chat message on client device 104n because the user is using client device 104n and is not using client device 104b. In some example implementation, 404 can be implemented by a notification processing component on the client device 104b substantially the similar to or the same as the notification processing component 204 described and illustrated herein.

[0060] At 406, the notification received at 402 is forwarded to the client device 104n. In some example implementation, 406 can be implemented by a communication component on the client devices 104b and 104n substantially the similar to or the same as the communication component 202 described and illustrated herein.

[0061] At 408, the notification received at 406 is processed at the client device 104n. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the processing at 408 involves determining that the client device 104n does not have processing capability to process the notification forwarded from client device 104b. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, in the scenario where a notification about a chat message incoming to the client device 104b, the client device 104n determines that it does not have a capability to present the notification about the chat message, providing an interface for the user to view the chat message and to write and transmit a reply to a sender of the chat message. For instance, the client device 104n is a smart TV, which does not have a chat application or app installed on the smart TV. In that instance, the smart TV does not have a processing capability to present the notification about the chat message, and nor does it have a capability of providing a chat interface to facilitate the user to view the chat message, and write and transmit a reply to the sender of the chat message. In that instance, processing at 408 also includes generating request to obtain an self- sufficient notification for processing on the client device 104n. In some example implementation, 408 can be implemented by a notification processing component on the client device 104n substantially the similar to or the same as the notification processing component 204 described and illustrated herein.

[0062] At 410, a request to obtain the self-sufficient notification is transmitted from the client device 104n to the server 102. As mentioned, the self-sufficient notification in accordance with the present disclosure can include at least one instruction indicating to a notification presentation device that a version of an application or app installable on the notification presentation device is included in the self-sufficient notification. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, after receiving the request, server 102 can generate the self-sufficient notification by including the version of the chat application or app installable on the client device 104n in the self-sufficient notification. In some example implementation, 410 can be implemented by a notification processing component on the client device 104n substantially the similar to or the same as the notification processing component 204 described and illustrated herein.

[0063] At 412, the self-sufficient notification requested at 410 is transmitted from the server 102 to the client device 104n. As mentioned, the self-sufficient notification received 412 by the client device 104n includes at least one instruction indicating to the client device 104n that the self- sufficient notification includes the version of the application or app installable on client device 104n for processing the self-sufficient notification. In some example implementation, 412 can be implemented by a communication component on the client device 104n substantially the similar to or the same as the notification communication component 202 described and illustrated herein.

[0064] At 414, the self-sufficient notification received at 412 is processed. For example, as illustration thus non-limiting, the self-sufficient notification includes the at least on instruction indicating to the client device 104n that a chat application or app installable on the client device 104n is included in the self-sufficient notification. Processing the self-sufficient notification, in this example, includes obtaining such an instruction and extract the version of the chat application or app from the self-sufficient notification according to the instruction. In some example implementation, 412 can be implemented by a notification processing component on the client device 104n substantially the similar to or the same as the notification processing component 204 described and illustrated herein.

EXAMPLE COMPUTER SYSTEM

[0065] Any of the computer systems and embodiments mentioned herein may be implemented by or utilize any suitable number of subsystems. Examples of such subsystems are shown in FIG. 5 in computer system 10, which can be configured to implement various features and/or functions described herein. In some embodiments, a computer system includes a single computer apparatus, where the subsystems can be the components of the computer apparatus. In other embodiments, a computer system can include multiple computer apparatuses, each being a subsystem, with internal components.

[0066] The subsystems shown in FIG. 5 are interconnected via a system bus 75. Additional subsystems such as a printer 74, keyboard 78, storage device(s) 79, monitor 76, which is coupled to display adapter 82, and others are shown. Peripherals and input/output (I/O) devices, which couple to I/O controller 71, can be connected to the computer system by any number of means known in the art such as input/output (I/O) port 77 (e.g., USB, FireWire®). For example, I/O port 77 or external interface 81 (e.g. Ethernet, Wi-Fi, etc.) can be used to connect computer system 10 to a wide area network such as the Internet, a mouse input device, or a scanner. The interconnection via system bus 75 allows the central processor 73 to communicate with each subsystem and to control the execution of instructions from system memory 72 or the storage device(s) 79 (e.g., a fixed disk, such as a hard drive or optical disk), as well as the exchange of information between subsystems. The system memory 72 and/or the storage device(s) 79 may embody a computer readable medium. Any of the data mentioned herein can be output from one component to another component and can be output to the user.

[0067] A computer system can include a plurality of the same components or subsystems, e.g., connected together by external interface 81 or by an internal interface. In some embodiments, computer systems, subsystem, or apparatuses can communicate over a network. In such instances, one computer can be considered a client and another computer a server, where each can be part of a same computer system. A client and a server can each include multiple systems, subsystems, or components. [0068] It should be understood that any of the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in the form of control logic using hardware (e.g. an application specific integrated circuit or field programmable gate array) and/or using computer software with a generally programmable processor in a modular or integrated manner. As used herein, a processor includes a single-core processor, multi-core processor on a same integrated chip, or multiple processing units on a single circuit board or networked. Based on the disclosure and teachings provided herein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will know and appreciate other ways and/or methods to implement embodiments of the present invention using hardware and a combination of hardware and software.

[0069] Any of the software components or functions described in this application may be implemented as software code to be executed by a processor using any suitable computer language such as, for example, Java, C, C++, C#, Objective-C, Swift, or scripting language such as Perl or Python using, for example, conventional or object-oriented techniques. The software code may be stored as a series of instructions or commands on a computer readable medium for storage and/or transmission, suitable media include random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a magnetic medium such as a hard-drive or a floppy disk, or an optical medium such as a compact disk (CD) or DVD (digital versatile disk), flash memory, and the like. The computer readable medium may be any combination of such storage or transmission devices.

[0070] Such programs may also be encoded and transmitted using carrier signals adapted for transmission via wired, optical, and/or wireless networks conforming to a variety of protocols, including the Internet. As such, a computer readable medium according to an embodiment of the present invention may be created using a data signal encoded with such programs. Computer readable media encoded with the program code may be packaged with a compatible device or provided separately from other devices (e.g., via Internet download). Any such computer readable medium may reside on or within a single computer product (e.g. a hard drive, a CD, or an entire computer system), and may be present on or within different computer products within a sy stem or network. A computer system may include a monitor, printer, or other suitable display for providing any of the results mentioned herein to a user.

[0071] Any of the methods described herein may be totally or partially performed with a computer system including one or more processors, which can be configured to perform the steps. Thus, embodiments can be directed to computer systems configured to perform the steps of any of the methods described herein, potentially with different components performing respective steps or a respective group of steps. Although presented as numbered steps, steps of methods herein can be performed at a same time or in a different order. Additionally, portions of these steps may be used with portions of other steps from other methods. Also, all or portions of a step may be optional. Additionally, any of the steps of any of the methods can be performed with modules, circuits, or other means for performing these steps.

[0072] The specific details of particular embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner without departing from the spirit and scope of embodiments of the invention. However, other embodiments of the invention may be directed to specific embodiments relating to each individual aspect, or specific combinations of these individual aspects.

[0073] The above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form described, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teaching above. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

[0074] A recitation of "a", "an" or "the" is intended to mean "one or more" unless specifically indicated to the contrary. The use of “or” is intended to mean an “inclusive or,” and not an “exclusive or” unless specifically indicated to the contrary.

[0075] All patents, patent applications, publications, and descriptions mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. None is admitted to be prior art.

[0076] Having described several example configurations, various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, the above elements may be components of a larger system, wherein other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the invention. Also, a number of steps may be undertaken before, during, or after the above elements are considered.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method for processing a notification, the method being implemented by one or more of an electronic processor configured to execute machine-readable instructions such that when the machine-readable instructions are executed, the electronic processor is caused to perform the method, wherein the method comprises: receiving, at a first client device, data for implementing a service on the first client device; determining, at the first client device, that a second client device is to process a notification about the data received; determining, at the first client device, that the second client device does not have a capability to process the notification; generating, at the first client device, a self-sufficient notification for processing at the second client device, wherein the self-sufficient notification includes an instruction indicating to the second client device how to process the self-sufficient notification; and transmitting, at the first client device, the self-sufficient notification to the second client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction includes information indicating a link where the second client device is to obtain a version of an application or app installable on the second client device for processing the self-sufficient notification.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction includes information indicating that the self-sufficient notification includes a version of an application or app installable on the second client device processing the self-sufficient notification such that the second client device is to extract the version of the application or app from the self-sufficient notification.

4 The method of claim 1, wherein generating the self-sufficient notification comprises: obtaining information indicating a processing capability of the second client device; and implementing the self-sufficient notification according to the processing capability of the second client device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the capability of the second client device indicates that the second client device is capable of supporting presenting a HTML content; and, wherein implementing the self-sufficient notification according to the processing capability of the second client device comprises generating a notification content in HTML.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, at the first client device, the notification from a server providing the service; and, wherein the generation of the self-sufficient notification is based on the notification.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of the second client device does not have the capability to process the notification includes obtaining capability information from the second client device, the capability information indicating the second client device does not have the capability to process the notification.

8. A client device for processing a notification, the client device comprising one or more of an electronic processor configured to execute machine-readable instructions such that when the machine-readable instructions are executed, the electronic processor is caused to perform: receiving data for implementing a service on the client device, wherein the client device is a first client device; determining that a second client device is to process a notification about the data received; determining that the second client device does not have a capability to process the notification; generating a self-sufficient notification for processing at the second client device, wherein the self-sufficient notification includes an instruction indicating to the second client device how to process the self-sufficient notification; and transmitting the self-sufficient notification to the second client device.

9. The client device of claim 8, wherein the instruction includes information indicating a link where the second client device is to obtain a version of an application or app installable on the second client device for processing the self-sufficient notification.

10. The client device of claim 8, wherein the instruction includes information indicating that the self-sufficient notification includes a version of an application or app installable on the second client device processing the self-sufficient notification such that the second client device is to extract the version of the application or app from the self-sufficient notification.

11. The client device of claim 8, wherein generating the self-sufficient notification comprises: obtaining information indicating a processing capability of the second client device; and implementing the self-sufficient notification according to the processing capability of the second client device.

12. The client device of claim 11, wherein the capability of the second client device indicates that the second client device is capable of supporting presenting a HTML content; and, wherein implementing the self-sufficient notification according to the processing capability of the second client device comprises generating a notification content in HTML.

13. The client device of claim 8, wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the electronic processor to perform: receiving the notification from a server providing the service; and, the generation of the self-sufficient notification is based on the notification.

14. The client device of claim 8, wherein the determination of the second client device does not have the capability to process the notification includes obtaining capability information from the second client device, the capability information indicating the second client device does not have the capability to process the notification.

15. A non-transitory medium configured to store machine-readable instructions for processing a notification such that when the machine-readable instructions are executed by an electronic processor, the electronic processor is caused to perform: receiving, at a first client device, data for implementing a service on the first client device; determining, at the first client device, that a second client device is to process a notification about the data received; determining, at the first client device, that the second client device does not have a capability to process the notification; generating, at the first client device, a self-sufficient notification for processing at the second client device, wherein the self-sufficient notification includes an instruction indicating to the second client device how to process the self-sufficient notification; and transmitting, at the first client device, the self-sufficient notification to the second client device.

16. The non-transitory medium of claim 15, wherein the instruction includes information indicating a link where the second client device is to obtain a version of an application or app installable on the second client device for processing the self-sufficient notification.

17. The non-transitory medium of claim 15, wherein the instruction includes information indicating that the self-sufficient notification includes a version of an application or app installable on the second client device processing the self-sufficient notification such that the second client device is to extract the version of the application or app from the self-sufficient notification.

18. The non-transitory medium of claim 15 , wherein generating the self-sufficient notification comprises: obtaining information indicating a processing capability of the second client device; and implementing the self-sufficient notification according to the processing capability of the second client device.

19. The non-transitory medium of claim 18, wherein the capability of the second client device indicates that the second client device is capable of supporting presenting a HTML content; and, wherein implementing the self-sufficient notification according to the processing capability of the second client device comprises generating a notification content in HTML.

20. The non-transitory medium of claim 15, wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed, further cause the electronic processor to perform: receiving, at the first client device, the notification from a server providing the service; and, the generation of the self-sufficient notification is based on the notification.