Method for sending messages from an mms-system and a device therefor

• US 20040057403A1
• Filed: 08/07/2003
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Trauberg, Markus, Schmidt, Andreas, Jerbi, Belhassen, Laumen, Josef, Niekerk, Sabine Van
• Granted Patent: US 7,069,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• 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: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• 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 4/18 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

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for sending an MMS-message, in particular for sending an e-mail, a fax and/or an SMS, from a first subscriber device (O-UA) in an MMS-enabled system (O-KS) to a second subscriber device (O-UA, R-UA, R-ES, fax, telephone). According to the invention, the MMS-message is converted before being forwarded to the second subscriber device (R-ES, fax, telephone), if the second subscriber device is not connected to an MMS-enabled system (O-KS, R-KS1), or cannot receive MMS-messages. The invention also relates to an interface device (O-RS) for converting and forwarding the MMS-message and to a subscriber device (O-UA) for specifying the message format.

Claims

1. A method for sending an MMS message (MM), in particular for sending an e-mail, a fax, and/or an SMS from a first subscriber device (O-UA) in an MMS-enabled system (O-KS) to a second subscriber device (O-UA, R-UA, R-ES, fax, telephone), characterized in that

the MMS message (MM) is converted and the converted message is forwarded to the second subscriber device (R-ES, fax, telephone) if the second subscriber device is not linked into an MMS-enabled system (O-KS, R-KS1) or is not able to receive MMS messages (MM).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that

the MMS message is converted in accordance with a message transfer format of the second subscriber device (R-ES, fax, telephone).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that

the first subscriber device (O-UA) or the user of the first subscriber device specifies the message transfer format of the second subscriber device (O-UA, R-UA, R-ES, fax, telephone), in particular a message transfer format for MMS, e-mail, facsimile and SMS.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that

the message transfer format of the second subscriber device (R-UA, R-ES, fax, telephone) is specified by means of one or more information elements of the MMS message and/or by means of an extension to the address header field.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that

the one or the plurality of information elements includes:

a recipient address and/or an additional information element of the MMS message (MM).

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that

the additional information element contains an information element name or header field name in binary encoding “

0x1B”

, in accordance with the WAP MMS encapsulation standard, and the following assignment of message formats takes place;

MMS message (MM)=<

octet 128>

,E-mail=<

octet 129>

,Facsimile=<

octet 130>

,SMS=<

octet 131>

,Voice mail=<

octet 132>

.

7. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that

the message transfer format for the second subscriber device (O-UA, R-UA, R-ES, fax, telephone) is determined and/or specified by means of an interface device (O-RS) of the MMS-enabled system (O-KS).

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that

the interface device (O-KS) carries out the conversion of the MMS message (MM) from the first subscriber device (O-UA).

9. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that

when the MMS message (MM) is converted, the message is associated with a transfer protocol for the message transfer format which has been determined and/or specified.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that

the transfer protocol is generated from the information elements of the MMS message (MM).

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that

at least some of the information elements are converted into control information items which can be analyzed by a communication system (R-KS1) of the second subscriber device (R-ES, fax, telephone).

12. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that

at least some of the information elements of the MMS message (MM) are converted and added to the content of the message for the second subscriber device (R-ES, fax, telephone), in particular those information elements which cannot be converted in accordance with claim 11.

13. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that

an interface device (O-RS) of the MMS-enabled system (O-KS) transfers a confirmation report to the first subscriber device (O-UA), which confirmation report relates to the receipt of the MMS message (MM) from the first subscriber device (O-UA) and/or relates to the forwarding of the MMS message (MM) to the second subscriber device (R-UA, R-ES, fax, telephone).

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that

the confirmation report includes a designation of the message transfer format and/or the type of the second subscriber device (O-UA, R-UA, R-ES, fax, telephone) and/or a confirmation of the forwarding using the message transfer format which was specified by the first subscriber device (O-UA).

19. The method as claimed in one of the claims 15 to 18, characterized in that

the method includes one or more of the steps in the claims 1 to 15.

23. The subscriber device as claimed in claim 22, characterized in that

one or more of the method steps which are assigned to the subscriber device can be carried out using the control device in accordance with one of the claims 1 to 21.

25. The interface device as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that

one or more of the method steps which are assigned to the interface device (O-RS) can be carried out using the control device in accordance with one of the claims 1 to 21.

26. A software program for implementing on a subscriber device (O-UA) of an MMS-enabled communication system (O-KS), wherein the software program implements the method steps of the method, which method steps have to be carried out by the subscriber device (O-UA), in accordance with one of the claims 1 to 21.

27. A software program for implementing on an interface device (O-RS) of an MMS-enabled communication system (O-KS), wherein the software program implements the method steps of the method, which method steps have to be carried out by the interface device (O-RS), in accordance with one of the claims 1 to 21.

15. A method for forwarding an MMS message (MM), in particular for forwarding an e-mail, a fax and/or an SMS, from a first subscriber device (O-UA) in an MMS-enabled system (O-KS) to a second subscriber device (O-UA, R-UA, R-ES, fax, telephone), by means of an interface device (O-RS) of the MMS-enabled system (O-KS), wherein the interface device (O-RS) carries out one of, a plurality of, or all of the following steps depending on the result:

a.) checking whether the second subscriber device belongs to the MMS-enabled system (O-KS) and, if this is the case, forwarding the MMS message (MM) to the second subscriber device (O-UA) in the system (O-KS);

b.) checking whether the second subscriber device belongs to another MMS-enabled system (R-KS1) and, if this is the case, forwarding the MMS message (MM) to the second subscriber device (R-UA) in the other system (R-KS1);

c.) checking whether the second subscriber device can be assigned to an e-mail system (R-ES) and, if this is the case, converting the MMS message (MM) into an e-mail format and forwarding the converted message to the second subscriber device (R-ES).

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that subsequent to step c.):

d.) not forwarding the MMS message (MM), and informing the first subscriber device (O-UA) accordingly.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15 or 16, characterized in that

the first subscriber device (O-UA) or the user of the first subscriber device specifies the message transfer format of the second subscriber device (R-UA, R-ES, fax, telephone), in particular a message transfer format for MMS, e-mail, facsimile and SMS, and the following step is carried out subsequent to the step c.) or instead of the step c.):

c1.) forwarding the MMS message (MM), or the message which has been converted into the specified message transfer format, to the second subscriber device, which has been specified by the first subscriber device (O-UA).

18. The method as claimed in claim 15 or 16, characterized in that

the first subscriber device (O-UA) or the user of the first subscriber device specifies the message transfer format of the second subscriber device (R-UA, R-ES, fax, telephone), in particular a message transfer format for MMS, e-mail, facsimile and SMS, and the following step is carried out prior to the step a.):

a0.) forwarding the MMS message (MM), or the message which has been converted into the specified message transfer format, to the second subscriber device, which has been specified by the first subscriber device (O-UA).

20. The method as claimed in one of the claims 15 to 19, characterized in that

the method is carried out in parallel or consecutively for each subscriber device which is to receive the MMS message (MM) from the first subscriber device.

21. The method as claimed in one of the claims 16 to 20, characterized in that

a step for forwarding to a second subscriber device, which second subscriber device has been specified by the first subscriber device (O-UA) and/or the interface device (O-RS), is only carried out if this has not been unsuccessfully attempted in a preceding step.

22. A subscriber device for a communication system (O-KS) for sending MMS messages (MM) to another subscriber device (O-UA, R-UA, R-ES, fax, telephone), wherein information elements or header fields for the MMS message can be generated by a control device of the subscriber device (O-UA), characterized in that

the control device of the subscriber device (O-UA) generates an information element or a header field which designates the message format for the other subscriber device (O-UA, R-UA, R-ES, fax, telephone).

24. An interface device for a communication system (O-KS) for forwarding an MMS message (MM) from a first subscriber device (O-UA) to a second subscriber device (O-UA, R-UA, R-ES, fax, telephone), wherein the interface device (O-RS) has a control device, characterized in that

the MMS message (MM) can be converted by the control device of the interface device (O-RS) into a message corresponding to another message format.