COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE AND METHOD

摘要

A communications device is arranged to execute a plurality of applications programs which are operable to communicate via a communications network. The communications device includes a message manager operable to control the communication of subscription messages between the applications programs on the communications device and the communications network to subscribe to messaging events. The messaging events provide message information in response to predetermined conditions occurring as determined by entities within the communications network. The message manager comprises a subscription table for storing an association between messaging events and the applications programs, which have subscribed to the messaging events and is operable to receive an instruction from one of the applications programs to subscribe to a messaging event and to determine from the subscription table whether one or more of the other applications programs has currently subscribed to the messaging event. If the subscription table does not include an association between one or more of the other applications programs and the messaging event, the message manager communicates a message in accordance with the subscription instruction to the communications network to subscribe to the messaging event, and stores an association between the messaging event for which the applications program sent the subscription instruction and an identifier of the applications program which sent the subscription instruction. The message manager is operable, upon receipt of an incoming message generated in accordance with the messaging event, to communicate the message information contained in the received incoming message to one or more of the applications programs, which have subscribed to the messaging event. The one or more of the applications programs which have subscribed to the messaging events are determined by the message manager in accordance with the association between the messaging event and one or more of the applications programs identified in the subscription table.