Free-hand mobile messaging-method and device

• US 20020159600A1
• Filed: 07/27/2001
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mavenir Ltd. (Mavenir Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Comverse Network Systems Limited
• Inventors: Weiner, Moshe
• Granted Patent: US 8,054,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/58 including a multilanguage function
• 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 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A communication system and device that enables free-hand drawn SMS (Short Messaging Service) messages to be transmitted and received from/to various user devices. A buffer device is inserted within a GSM compatible handset providing a buffer for both conventional SMS messages created by typing a message on the keypad of the handset and for free-hand drawn SMS messages created by drawing or writing the free-hand message on a data entry device. An optional OCR (Optical Character Recognition) facility can be provided in either the buffer device inserted within the handset or in a network server that receives the transmitted message and processes it for proper routing to the intended recipient.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a master microprocessor;

a security identity module operably connected to the master microprocessor through a bus;

buffering device operable to communicate with said master microprocessor,

wherein said master microprocessor is operable to receive messages from the buffering device or the security identity module.

2. A communication device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a message entry device operable to provide said buffering device with a free-hand drawn message entered by a user with said message entry device.

3. A communication device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a character recognition device operable to recognize handwritten characters provided in said messages and convert the hand written characters into text.

4. A communication device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said buffering device comprises:

a quantizer operable to transform each of said messages into a collection of quantized messages

5. A communication device as set forth in claim 4, wherein said buffering device further comprises:

a memory module operable to store said messages; and

an encoder operable to encode said messages prior to transmitting them.

6. A communication device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bus is defined by GSM standard 11.11.

7. A communication device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said buffering device is operably connected to said bus between the master microprocessor and the security identity module.

8. A communication device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said communication device is compatible with GSM (Global System for Mobil Communication) standards.

9. A communication device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said communication device is a GSM telephone.

10. A communication device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said communication device is a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).

11. A communication device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said communication device is a wireless device.

12. A communication device as set forth in claim 5, wherein said buffering device further comprises:

a decoder operable to decode received messages.

13. A communication device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said message entry device comprises:

a free-hand writing area in which said free-hand drawn message can be entered.

14. A communication device as set forth in claim 13, wherein said message entry device further comprises:

a create portion operable to place said communication device in a freehand message entry mode when activated; and

a save portion operable to store said free-hand drawn message into said buffering device.

15. A communication device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said freehand drawn messages comprise handwritten text, hand-drawn pictures, or both.

16. A communication device as set forth in claim 15, wherein said message entry device comprises:

a text included portion operable to notify the master microprocessor that an optical character recognition function should be performed on the free-hand drawn message; and

a language portion operable to notify the master microprocessor that the optical character recognition facility to be performed is different than a default language associated with the communication device.

18. A GSM compatible communication device as set forth in claim 17, wherein said free-hand created messages can be transmitted as an SMS message, a facsimile message or an e-mail message.

20. A method for creating and sending SMS messages as set forth in claim 19, said method further comprising:

performing optical character recognition on said free-hand message.

21. A method for creating and sending SMS messages as set forth in claim 19, said method further comprising:

determining whether an SMS message being entered into said GSM compatible communication device is a standard SMS message or a free-hand drawn SMS message; and

processing said SMS message being entered with said buffering device if it is determined that said SMS message is a free-hand drawn message.

17. A GSM compatible communication device comprising:

a master microprocessor;

a security identity module operably connected to the master microprocessor through a bus, said security identity module comprising a memory portion and a slave microprocessor; and

a buffering device operable to communicate with said master microprocessor and said slave microprocessor,

wherein said buffering device is further operable to receive standard SMS messages input using a keypad on the communication device and free-hand created messages input using a free-hand compatible data entry device.

19. A method for creating and sending SMS messages, said method comprising:

inputting a free-hand message to a GSM compatible communication device;

storing said free-hand message in a buffering device within said GSM compatible communication device;

processing said free-hand message to be compatible with standard SMS message standards; and

transmitting the processed free-hand message.

22. A method for creating and sending an SMS message from a GSM compatible communication device, said method comprising:

activating a message create function on said communication device, wherein said message create function is associated with a free-hand drawn message input device;

entering a free-hand drawn message using said free-hand drawn message input device;

activating a message ready function on said communication device indicating that message entry is complete;

storing the free-hand drawn message in a buffering device; and

quantizing the stored message into a set of sub-messages each with a predetermined maximum size.

23. A method as set forth in claim 22, further comprising:

indicating whether the free-hand drawn message entered using said freehand drawn message input device contains text; and

performing optical character recognition on said entered message if said entered message contains text.

24. A method as set forth in claim 23, wherein said optical character recognition is performed within said GSM compatible communication device.

25. A method as set forth in claim 23, wherein said optical character recognition is performed within a network server external from said GSM compatible communication device.

26. A method as set forth in claim 23, further comprising:

if the free-hand drawn message includes text, indicating a language associated with the text;

performing said optical character recognition on said text in the language indicated.

27. A method as set forth in claim 22, further comprising encoding said quantized message.

28. A method as set forth in claim 27, further comprising:

sending said encoded free-hand message from said communications device to a messaging service center;

relaying the encoded free-hand message from said messaging service center to a free-hand messaging server;

decoding said encoded free-hand message; and

forwarding said decoded free-hand message from said free-hand messaging server to said messaging service center; and

forwarding said decoded free-hand message from said messaging service center to an intended recipient.

29. A method for receiving an SMS message from a communication device, said method comprising:

receiving an encoded free-hand drawn SMS message from a free-hand messaging server;

transferring said encoded free-hand drawn SMS message to a buffering device operably connected to a microprocessor and a security identity module;

decoding said encoded free-hand drawn SMS message in said buffering device.

30. An SMS message transmission system comprising:

a plurality of user devices capable of sending and/or receiving SMS messages;

at least one base station operable to receive SMS messages from said user devices;

a network connected to the one or more base stations operable to process free-hand drawn SMS message sent from a sender user device and route the free-hand drawn SMS message to an intended recipient user device.

31. An SMS message transmission system as set forth in claim 30, wherein said network comprises:

a mobile switching center;

a short message service center operable to process standard SMS messages; and

a free-hand messaging server operable to process SMS messages created using free-hand drawing or writing.

32. An SMS message transmission system as set forth in claim 31, wherein said free-hand messaging server comprises an OCR portion operable to perform optical character recognition on said free-hand drawn SMS messages.

33. An SMS message transmission system as set forth in claim 31, wherein said free-hand messaging server comprises:

a short message service center interface portion operable to interface said free-hand messaging server with said short message service center;

a concatenation module operable to concatenate said free-hand drawn SMS messages into messages having a predetermined maximum length; and

a decoding module operable to decode said free-hand drawn SMS messages.

35. An SMS message transmission system as set forth in claim 33, further comprising a signature authentication module operable to receive and store baseline user signatures and use the stored baseline signatures to authenticate signatures presented over the network.

37. A method as claimed in claim 36, further comprising:

having said mobile user enter a previously provided code to identify the baseline signature with the mobile user.

38. A device as claimed in claim 34 further comprising:

a quantizer operable to divide said free-hand drawn message into a plurality of sub messages.

39. A device as claimed in claim 34 further comprising:

a second conversion device operable to convert text portions of said freehand drawn message into ASCII characters.

40. A device as claimed in claim 39 wherein said second conversion device is further operable to receive a language command from said data entry device and further convert said free-hand drawn message into a language corresponding to said language command.

41. A device as claimed in claim 34, wherein said communication device is a GSM compatible device and said first conversion device is located within said GSM compatible device.

42. A device as claimed in claim 41, wherein said first conversion device is operably connected to a SIM connector, wherein said SIM connector complies with GSM standard 11.11.

46. A communication device as claimed in claim 34, wherein said different format is a standard SMS format.

51. An message transmission system as claimed in claim 30 wherein said user devices comprise mobile devices and desktop computers.

52. An message transmission system as claimed in claim 30 wherein said SMS messages are generated using a computer program.

34. A communication device comprising:

a data entry device operable to enter a free-hand drawn message;

a first conversion device operable to convert said free-hand drawn message into a message of a different format

36. A method for providing a digital signature, said method comprising:

entering a baseline signature on a mobile device using a free-hand drawn SMS the baseline signature on a free-hand signature server;

authenticating a subsequent signature received by said free-hand signature server by determining whether said subsequent signature was drawn by the mobile user who entered the baseline signature.

43. A network server comprising:

an interface module operable to receive free-hand drawn messages from a short messaging service center; and

a decoder operable to decode said free-hand drawn messages.

44. A network server as claimed in claim 43, further comprising:

a concatenation module operable to generate a full message from a plurality of concatenated free-hand drawn messages.

45. A network server as claimed in claim 44, further comprising:

a handwriting recognition module operable to convert said free-hand drawn messages into ASCII characters.

50. A communication device as claimed in claim 49, wherein said message received by said receiving portion is a standard SMS message.

47. A message transmission system 31, wherein said free-hand messaging server comprises:

a short message service center interface portion operable to interface said free-hand messaging server with said short message service center;

a concatenation module operable to concatenate said free-hand drawn SMS messages into messages having a predetermined maximum length; and

a decoding module operable to decode said free-hand drawn SMS messages.

48. A message transmission system comprising:

a plurality of user devices capable of sending and/or receiving messages;

at least one base station operable to receive said messages from said user devices;

a network connected to the one or more base stations operable to process free-hand drawn message sent from a sender user device and route the free-hand drawn message to an intended recipient user device; and

a signature authentication module operable to receive and store baseline user signatures and use the stored baseline signatures to authenticate signatures presented over the network.

49. A communication device comprising:

a receiving portion operable to receive a message;

a first conversion device operable to convert said message into a freehand drawn message.