Messaging applications router

• US 20030003932A1
• Filed: 07/25/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Markport Limited (Mavenir Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Markport Limited (Mavenir Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Murtagh, John, Corrigan, Louis, Cunningham, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,215,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• 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

Abstract

A messaging applications router (MAR, 1) has router notes (RNs) which interface with external short message service centers (SMSCs). A management node (MN, 12) and each router node maintain a DNS server, and in the routing nodes the DNS servers are linked with a routing agent (RA). Each router node binds to SMSCs transparently to the ESMEs depending upon current load distribution and configuration settings.

Claims

1. A messaging applications router comprising:

means (10) for interfacing with a plurality of external short message entities (ESMEs) for receiving mobile terminating messages generated by ESMEs and for sending mobile originating messages addressed to ESMEs;

means (10) for interfacing with a plurality of short message service centres (SMSCs) for receiving mobile originating messages addressed to ESMEs and for sending mobile terminating messages;

routing means (10) comprising means for routing said messages;

a management means comprising means for setting a routing configuration, and

a user interface comprising means for receiving user configuration settings and for outputting routing data.

2. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 1, wherein the routing means comprises means for interfacing with SMSCs transparently to the ESMEs whereby SMSCs can be added or deleted without affecting the ESMEs.

3. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 1, wherein the routing means comprises a plurality of router nodes (10).

4. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 3, wherein the router node comprises:

a routing agent for bidirectional routing of messages, and

a domain name server (DNS).

5. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 4, wherein the router node comprises means for sending bind requests to each SMSC associated with an ESME.

6. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 4, wherein each router node has an address.

7. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 6, wherein the address is an IP address.

8. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a DNS server comprising means for providing an address of a least busy router node.

9. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 8, wherein the DNS server comprises means for providing an address to a requesting ESME.

10. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 8, wherein the DNS server comprises means for polling router nodes to determine loading.

11. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 7, wherein the routing means comprises an external address distributor comprising means for routing signals for load-balancing.

12. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 1, wherein the router comprises means for routing messages to more than one SMSC according to a load balancing process.

13. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 1, wherein the routing means comprises means for receiving operator inputs indicating available SMSCs and means for automatically detecting available SMSCs.

14. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 13, wherein the routing means comprises means for retrieving SMSC fault data in an SMSC, such as SS7 fault data.

15. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user interface node (11) comprises means for generating and outputting real time client data indicating message traffic and bound ESMEs.

16. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 15, wherein the user interface node (11) comprises means for generating and outputting real time client data indicating router node (10) traffic.

17. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user interface node (11) comprises a configuration management client comprising means for configuring ESME parameters, SMSC parameters, and router node (10) configuration.

18. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 1, wherein the management means comprises means for forwarding configuration data to the router nodes (10).

19. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 1, wherein the management node comprise an SNMP sub-agent for managing an alarm and statistics database.

20. A messaging applications router as claimed in claim 1, wherein the management means comprises an event handler for receiving and logging event information from the router nodes.

21. A computer program product comprising software code for causing operation of a digital computer as a messaging applications router as claimed in claim 1.

22. A messaging applications router substantially as described with reference to the drawings.