A method and apparatus for implementing alerts on a browser running on a portable
handheld device is disclosed. The method generates an asynchronous notification
action from the server and in response transmits an alert containing a message
indicating availability of HTML pages that describe the nature of the alert. The
alert is received at a node on a network and translated into the original message.
An alert receipt acknowledgment is transmitted to the server. Access to the alert
HTML page is provided through a URL containing the appropriate query strings necessary
to present the appropriate HTML page. The invention also discloses a wireless local
area network (WLAN) adapter associated with a wireless network that receives paging
signals from a server on the network and returns an acknowledgment signal back
to the server. The invention also discloses a client/server based method of delivering
messages initiated by a client. After a connection is established between a client
and server, the client requests a message from the server. In response, the server
retrieves and returns the message back to the client.
