Method and system for the mass sending of messages

• US 10,200,532 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2017
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartcom Labs OY
• Original Assignee: Bookit Oy Ajanvarauspalvelu
• Inventors: Salonen, Jukka Kalevi
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo, Stella L.
• Application Number:
  US15/797,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20180054521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 455466
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A method and system for sending messages in a telecommunications network, in which digital messages which contain information on the desired reply address are mass sent, and messages, which are sent on the basis of the reply-address information are received. The reply-address information of each mass-sent message is converted to correspond to a predefined dialog, in which the stage of the dialog defines unequivocally the reply-address information, so that the transmission and reception of the messages are implemented in different parts of the telecommunications system.

Claims

1. A system for managing communications in a telecommunications system, the system comprising:

a server coupled to the telecommunication system to transmit a large number of first messages with corresponding content to a first plurality of recipients, wherein the first messages contain information and each include a specified first reply address altered from a sender address, wherein the specified first reply addresses are addresses to which first replies to the first messages are sent by the plurality of recipients,

wherein the system receives the first replies to the messages from at least some of the first plurality of recipients at the specified reply addresses included in the messages,

wherein the server or another server included in the system transmits a large number of second messages to the plurality of recipients from whom first replies to the first messages were received, herein second plurality of recipients, all second messages having corresponding content but different content as in the first messages,

wherein at least one of the first messages intended for a particular one of the first plurality of recipients is routed differently in the telecommunications system from the reply from the particular one of the first plurality of recipients, and

wherein, the server or another server also included in system, analyzes the reply addresses for the received replies to determine which transmitted messages the replies correspond to, wherein a combination of the sender address and the reply address is used in the analysis to determine which transmitted messages the replies correspond to.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitted messages are digital messages.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications system includes a plurality of telecommunications networks.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the messages is a Short Message System message.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the messages is a Multimedia Message.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one message included in the transmitted messages is an electronic-mail message.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the server converts the reply-address into a national address in a recipient'"'"'s own country.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the national address is a national telephone number.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the reply addresses are included in a sender field of the messages wherein each specified reply address for each transmitted message corresponds to a predefined dialogue.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the server sends multiple messages to a recipient included in the plurality of message recipients, wherein the multiple messages and any corresponding received replies are included within a message session with the communication recipient.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the servers in the system differentiates replies to messages within the message session with the message recipient based on addresses at which the replies are received.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the second messages contain information and each include a specified second reply address altered from a sender address and being different from the first reply address, wherein the specified second reply addresses are addresses to which second replies to the second messages are sent by the second plurality of recipients, and

at least one of the second messages intended for a particular one of the second plurality of recipients is routed differently in the telecommunications system from the reply from the particular one of the second plurality of recipients.

13. A method for managing communications in a telecommunications system from a server coupled to the telecommunication system, the method comprising:

transmitting a large number of first messages with corresponding content to a first plurality of recipients, wherein the first messages contain information and each include a specified first reply address altered from a sender address, wherein the specified first reply addresses are addresses to which first replies to the first messages are sent by the plurality of recipients;

receiving the first replies to the messages from at least some of the first plurality of recipients at the specified reply addresses included in the messages;

transmitting a large number of second messages to the plurality of recipients from whom first replies to the first messages were received, herein second plurality of recipients, all second messages having corresponding content but different content as in the first messages, wherein the second messages contain information and each include a specified second reply address altered from a sender address and being different from the first reply address, wherein the specified second reply addresses are addresses to which second replies to the second messages are sent by the second plurality of recipients;

wherein at least one of the first messages intended for a particular one of the first plurality of recipients is routed differently in the telecommunications system from the reply from the particular one of the first plurality of recipients, and

analyzing, by the server or another server also included in the telecommunications system, the reply addresses for the received replies to determine which transmitted messages the replies correspond to, wherein a combination of the sender address and the reply address is used in the analysis to determine which transmitted messages the replies correspond to.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmitted messages are digital messages.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the telecommunications system includes a plurality of telecommunications networks.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the messages is a Short Message System message.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the messages is a Multimedia System message.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one message included in the transmitted communications is an electronic-mail message.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising converting the reply-address into a national address in a communication recipient'"'"'s own country.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the national address is a national telephone number.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the reply addresses are included in a sender field of the communications wherein each specified reply address for each transmitted message corresponds to a predefined dialogue.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising sending multiple messages to a recipient included in the plurality of recipients, wherein the multiple messages and any corresponding received replies are included within a message session with the recipient.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising differentiating replies to messages within the message session with the recipient based on addresses at which the replies are received.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the second messages contain information and each include a specified second reply address altered from a sender address and being different from the first reply address, wherein the specified second reply addresses are addresses to which second replies to the second messages are sent by the second plurality of recipients, and

at least one of the second messages intended for a particular one of the second plurality of recipients is routed differently in the telecommunications system from the reply from the particular one of the second plurality of recipients.