Method and apparatus for transmission of internet control message protocol messages as short message service (SMS) messages in a communications network comprised of mobile stations

• US 20040039782A1
• Filed: 05/28/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reddy, Gautam G., Chitrapu, Prabhakar R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,386,009 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: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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

In one aspect of the invention signal/control messages are embedded as packets in the payloads of SMS messages. The SMS messages are transmitted in a cellular network employing SMPP protocol. SMS messages intended to traverse an TCP/IP network are introduced to the TCP/IP network employing ICMP protocol. The protocol conversions are performed by a message center (MC), such as a SMS center or an SGSN in a cellular network or a WLAN Access Router when the SMS message is forwarded to a WLAN. The SMS messages are typically created by a mobile user, which is also capable of receiving the SMS messages having a signal/control message in the SMS message payload.

Claims

1. A method for the handling of messages of a given format moving between wireless cellular and transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) networks, comprising:

a) converting said messages in said given format in the cellular network to an internet control message protocol (ICMP); and

b) conveying the ICMP messages to the TCP/IP network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) further comprises:

inserting in a header of the ICMP message that it is an SMS message.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(c) conveying the ICMP message traversing the TCP/IP network to a second cellular network; and

(d) converting the ICMP message received in the second cellular network to said given format message.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

conveying said given format message at step (d) to a mobile user in the second cellular network.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the given format message is obtained initially created by a mobile user in said cellular network.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the given format message is created in said cellular network as a short message service (SMS) message.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the SMS message is created by:

generating a ICMP message; and

inserting the ICMP message in a payload of the SMS message.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the ICMP message is conveyed from the TCP/IP network to a wireless local area network (WLAN) system and the ICMP message received in the WLAN system is conveyed to a user employing the ICMP protocol.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said given format message received in the WLAN system is conveyed to a wireless user.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said given format message is initially created as an SMS message.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said converted given format message is conveyed to a mobile user in another cellular network.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said given format message is created by:

creating a ICMP message; and

inserting the ICMP as a payload in a short message service (SMS) message.

13. A method for conveying messages of a given format in a wireless system, comprising:

a mobile user located in a given cellular network;

a) creating an ICMP message;

b) inserting the ICMP message in payload of an SMS message; and

c) communicating the SMS message as a message intended to travel into an TCP/IP network;

a first unit in said given cellular network;

d) receiving said SMS message from said mobile user;

e) converting the SMS message to an ICMP message protocol; and

f) conveying the message obtained at step (e) as a ICMP message.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein step (a) comprises:

g) creating a signal/control ICMP message.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein step (c) further comprises:

g) sending the ICMP message employing SMPP protocol.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein step (e) converts the SMS message sent using SMPP protocol to ICMP protocol.

17. A method for conveying signal/control packets intended to pass through a TCP/IP network, comprising:

a mobile user in a given cellular network;

a) creating an SMS message;

b) inserting the control and data information in the SMS payload; and

c) sending the SMS message intended to traverse the TCP/IP network employing SMPP protocol;

a message center in said given cellular network;

d) receiving the SMS message in SMPP protocol; and

e) introducing the SMS message into the TCP/IP network employing ICMP protocol.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein step (e) further comprises:

inserting in a header of the ICMP message that it is an SMS message.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising a base station in said given cellular network:

forwarding the message obtained at step (c) to the message center.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising another message center in another cellular network:

f) receiving the SMS message employing ICMP protocol obtained at step (e); and

g) converting the SMS message intended for a user in said another cellular network employing SMPP protocol.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising another base station in said another cellular network:

sending the message obtained at step (g) to said user.

22. A method for conveying an SMS message having an ICMP message as a payload to a mobile user in a cellular network from a TCP/IP network, comprising:

a message center in said cellular network;

a) receiving said SMS message employing ICMP protocol; and

b) sending said SMS message employing SMPP protocol to said mobile user.

said mobile user in said cellular network;

c) receiving the message obtained at step (b) in SMPP protocol.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

a base station in said cellular network;

d) receiving said SMS message from said message center; and

e) conveying the SMS message to said mobile user.

24. A method for conveying an SMS message through a TCP/IP network to a wireless device in a WLAN and having an ICMP message as a payload, comprising:

an access router;

a) receiving said SMS message employing ICMP protocol; and

b) sending said SMS message employing ICMP protocol to said wireless device;

said wireless device;

c) receiving the message obtained in step (b) using ICMP protocol.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

a mobile user in a cellular network;

d) creating said SMS message and conveying the SMS message said base station to a base station in said cellular network;

e) receiving said SMS message from said mobile user; and

f) conveying the SMS message to a message center in said cellular network; and

g) said message center transmitting the SMS message to said TCP/IP network employing ICMP protocol.

26. Apparatus for handling messages of a given format moving between wireless cellular and transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) networks, comprising:

means for converting said messages in said given format in the cellular network to an internet control message protocol (ICMP); and

means for conveying the ICMP messages to the TCP/IP network.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 further comprising:

means for conveying the ICMP message traversing the TCP/IP network to a second cellular network; and

means for converting the ICMP message received in the second cellular network to said given format message.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 further comprising:

means for conveying said given format message from said converting means to a mobile user in the second cellular network.

29. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the given format message is initially created by a mobile user in the first-mentioned cellular network.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the given format message is an SMS message created by:

means for generating an ICMP message; and

means for inserting the ICMP message in a payload of the SMS message.

31. The apparatus of claim 26 further comprising:

means for conveying from the TCP/IP network to a wireless local area network (WLAN) system; and

means for forwarding the ICMP message received in the WLAN system to a wireless device.

32. The apparatus of claim 28 further comprising:

a mobile user having means for receiving the given format message using SMPP protocol.

33. The apparatus of claim 26 further comprising:

a mobile user in said given cellular network having means for creating a ICMP message; and

means for inserting the ICMP message as a payload in a short message service (SMS) message.

34. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said means for converting further comprises:

means for inserting into a header of the ICMP message an indication that it is an SMS message.

35. Apparatus for conveying messages of a given format in a wireless system, comprising:

a mobile user located in a given cellular network comprising;

means for creating an ICMP message;

means for inserting the ICMP message in payload of an SMS message; and

means for communicating the SMS message as a message intended to travel into an TCP/IP network;

a first unit in said given cellular network comprising;

means for receiving said SMS message from said mobile user;

means for converting the SMS message to an ICMP message protocol; and

means for conveying the message from said means for converting as an ICMP message.

36. Apparatus of claim 35 wherein said means for communicating further comprises:

means for sending the ICMP message employing SMPP protocol.

37. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the means for converting translates the SMS message sent using SMPP protocol to ICMP protocol.

38. Apparatus for conveying signal/control packets intended to pass through a TCP/IP network, comprising:

a mobile user in a given cellular network, comprising;

means for creating an SMS message;

means for inserting the signal/control packets in the SMS payload; and

means for sending the SMS message intended to traverse the TCP/IP network employing SMPP protocol;

a message center in said given cellular network comprising;

39. The apparatus of claim 38 further comprising a base station in said given cellular network having means for forwarding the message obtained from the mobile user to the message center.

40. The apparatus of claim 38 further comprising another message center in another cellular network, comprising:

means for receiving the SMS message employing ICMP protocol; and

means for converting the SMS message intended for another mobile user in said another cellular network employing SMPP protocol.

41. The apparatus of claim 40 further comprising:

another base station in said another cellular network having means for sending the message obtained from said another message center to said another mobile user.

42. Apparatus for conveying an SMS message having an ICMP message as a payload to a mobile user in a given cellular network from a TCP/IP network, comprising:

a message center;

comprising;

means for receiving said SMS message employing ICMP protocol; and

means for sending said SMS message employing SMPP protocol to said mobile user;

said mobile user comprising;

means for receiving the message obtained from the message center in SMPP protocol.

43. Apparatus conveying an SMS message having an ICMP message as a payload to a wireless device in a WLAN from a TCP/IP network, comprising:

an access router, comprising;

means for receiving said SMS message employing ICMP protocol; and

means for sending said SMS message employing ICMP protocol to said wireless device;

said wireless device comprising;

means for receiving the message obtained from said access router employing ICMP protocol.

44. The apparatus of claim 43 further comprising:

a cellular network supporting SMPP protocol,

a mobile user having means for creating said SMS message and conveying the SMS message to a base station;

said base station having means for conveying the SMS message to a message center; and

said message center conveying said SMS message to said TCP/IP network employing ICMP protocol.

45. The apparatus of claim 43 wherein said means for converting further comprises:

means for inserting into a header of the ICMP message an indication that it is an SMS message.