State change alerts mechanism

Abstract

A communications system including one or more alert gates and an alert controller. Each alert gate is configured to detect a different type of alert feed corresponding to a particular kind of alert. The alert controller is connected to the alert gates and operable to receive detected alerts from the alert gates and to deliver the detected alerts to a user of the communications system.

1 . A method comprising:
 detecting an alert associated with a client application;   determining that a user has requested to receive alert notifications when the client application is not running;   determining, using at least one processor, that a client device associated with the user is not running the client application; and   sending, to the client device, an alert notification associated with the detected alert.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving an alert registration associated with the user and the client application. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising updating a user profile associated with the user based on the received alert registration. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the alert registration comprises one or more alert notification preferences. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving data representative of the alert from a remote server. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the alert comprises one of a third party alert, a weather alert, a calendar alert, or a news alert. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the client application comprises a messaging application. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the client device comprises a mobile device. 
     
     
         9 . A method comprising:
 detecting an alert associated with a user;   determining that the user has requested to receive alert notifications when a client application is not running on a client device associated with the user;   determining, using at least one processor, that the client device is not running the client application; and   sending, to the client device, an alert notification associated with the detected alert.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein sending, to the client device, an alert notification associated with the detected alert further comprises sending the alert notification to a telephone number associated with the user. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 receiving a request from the user to receive alert notifications via the telephone number; and   updating a profile of the user to associate the telephone number with the user.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein sending, to the client device, an alert notification associated with the detected alert further comprises sending the alert notification to an email address associated with the user. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 receiving a request from the user to receive alert notifications via the email address; and   updating a profile of the user to associate the email address with the user.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising receiving an alert registration representing a request to receive a particular type of alert and comprising one or more conditions for tripping the particular type of alert. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising monitoring an alert feed in accordance with the received alert registration. 
     
     
         16 . A system comprising:
 at least one processor; and   at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:   detect an alert associated with a client application;   determine that a user has requested to receive alert notifications when the client application is not running;   determine that a client device associated with the user is not running the client application; and   send, to the client device, an alert notification associated with the detected alert.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:
 receive an alert registration associated with the user and the client application; and   maintain a user profile associated with the user comprising the received alert registration.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to update the user profile associated with the user based on the received alert registration. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to send the alert notification to a telephone number associated with the user. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 18 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to send the alert notification to an email address associated with the user.