Messaging system and method with transcoder filtering of baseline message representations

• US 20030187930A1
• Filed: 03/27/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Trevathan, Matthew Bunkley, Richards, Patrick James Jr., Ghaffar, Aamir, Ross, John Wayne Jr., Smith, Daniel Melvin
• Granted Patent: US 6,978,316 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

A messaging system and method suitable for use with wireless mobile terminals. The system includes a message server for receiving and sending messages and converting messages to a baseline such as an XML representation; a message processor for controlling the system'"'"'s operation; a database for storing information about messaging capabilities of mobile terminals; and a transcoder for filtering the baseline representation according to the capability of a mobile terminal. A subscriber enters a profile that includes the messaging capability of the mobile terminal, which is stored in the database. When the server receives a message for the subscriber'"'"'s terminal, it converts the message to the baseline. The transcoder filters the baseline according to the capability of the terminal, and returns the result to the server for format and protocol conversion and sending to the terminal.

Claims

1. A messaging-system method, comprising the steps of:

converting a message addressed to a terminal to a baseline representation of the message;

determining a messaging capability of the terminal; and

filtering the baseline representation of the message according to the messaging capability of the terminal, to provide a filtered baseline representation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of converting the filtered baseline representation to a filtered message that conforms to a format and protocol employed by the terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of converting to a baseline representation is performed by a message server, and the step of converting to a filtered message is performed by an alternative message server.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the terminal is a mobile terminal, and further comprising a step of sending the filtered message to the mobile terminal over a wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a profile that includes the messaging capability of the terminal; and

storing the profile in a database;

and further wherein the step of determining a messaging capability of the terminal includes a step of reading the messaging capability from the profile stored in the database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is a push message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the baseline representation of the message includes an XML representation of the message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is an electronic mail message that includes an attachment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the attachment includes an image.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the attachment includes a word processor document.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the attachment includes a spreadsheet.

12. A messaging-system method, comprising the steps of:

receiving a profile that includes a messaging capability of a mobile terminal;

storing the profile in a database;

receiving a push message addressed to the mobile terminal;

converting the push message to an XML baseline representation of the push message;

reading the messaging capability of the mobile terminal from the profile stored in the database;

filtering the XML baseline representation of the push message according to the messaging capability of the mobile terminal read from the profile, to provide a filtered baseline representation;

converting the filtered baseline representation to a filtered message that conforms to a format and protocol employed by the mobile terminal; and

sending the filtered message to the mobile terminal over a wireless network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of converting to an XML baseline representation is performed by a message server, and the step of converting to a filtered message is performed by an alternative message server.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the push message is an electronic mail message that includes an attachment.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the attachment includes an image.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the attachment includes a word processor document.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the attachment includes a spreadsheet.

18. A messaging system, comprising:

a message server for receiving and sending messages, for converting a received message to a baseline representation, and for converting a filtered baseline representation to a filtered message that conforms to a format and protocol employed by a mobile terminal;

a database for storing a messaging capability of the mobile terminal; and

a transcoder for filtering the baseline representation according to the messaging capability of the mobile terminal stored in the database, to provide the filtered baseline representation.

19. The messaging system of claim 18, wherein the baseline representation includes an XML representation of the message.

20. The messaging system of claim 18, wherein the message is a push message.

21. The messaging system of claim 18, wherein the message is an electronic mail message that includes an attachment.

22. The messaging system of claim 21, wherein the attachment includes an image.

23. The messaging system of claim 21, wherein the attachment includes a word processor document.

24. The messaging system of claim 21, wherein the attachment includes a spreadsheet.