Method and system for detecting availability of a wireless device

• US 20040219908A1
• Filed: 04/29/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mavenir Ltd. (Mavenir Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Comverse Limited (Mavenir Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ganor, Tamir
• Granted Patent: US 7,826,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• 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 method and system for determining availability of a target device in a CDMA environment includes sending a message from a source device for determining the availability of a target device, wherein an intermediary device generates an interrogation command upon receipt of the message. The intermediary device uses the interrogation command to interrogate an HLR in the CDMA environment in order to determine the availability of the target device, such that the intermediary device alerts the source device when the target device becomes available.

Claims

1. A method for detecting availability of a target device in a mobile communications network, comprising interrogating a database in response to a first message sent from a source device to determine whether the target device is available, said database including data that represents the availability of the target device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the target device is available, notifying the source device that the target device is available; and

if the target device is unavailable, notifying the source device when the target device becomes available.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the target device becomes available by activating the target device within the mobile communications network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the target device becomes available by moving into an area serviced by the mobile communications network.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending a second message from the source device to the target device when the source device is notified that the target device is available.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising establishing communication between the source device and the target device when the source device is notified that the target device is available.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communications network is a CDMA network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message is an SMS class 0 message.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the second message is an SMS message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the interrogating is initiated by an SMSC.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the database is a HLR of the mobile communications network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the source device is at least one of a computer and a mobile phone.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the target device is at least one of a computer and a mobile phone.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the target device is a wireless device.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the data representing the availability of the target device based on whether the target device is currently active in the mobile communications network.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising if the target device is unavailable, reinterrogating the database to determine if the target device is available.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising delaying the reinterrogating for a predetermined interval of time.

18. A system for detecting availability of a target device in a communications network, comprising:

a source device sending a first message via the communications network;

a database storing data describing the availability of the target device; and

an intermediary device, responsive to receipt of the first message by generating a command for interrogating the database to determine the availability of the target device,

wherein if the device is determined to be available, the intermediary device informs the source device that the device is available.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein if the device is determined to be unavailable, the intermediary device requests that the database send an alert when the device becomes available.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the alert is sent to the intermediary device, and the intermediary device informs the source device that the target device is available.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the alert is sent to the source device.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein when the source device is informed that the target device is available, the source device sends a second message to the device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the second message is an SMS message.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein when the source device is informed that the target device is available, communication is established between the source device and the target device.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the database stores data describing the target device as available if the target device is active in the communications network.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the communications network is a CDMA network.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein the first message is an SMS class 0 message.

28. The system of claim 18, wherein the intermediary device is an SMSC.

29. The system of claim 18, wherein the database is a HLR.

30. The system of claim 18, wherein the source device is at least one of a computer and a mobile phone.

31. The system of claim 18, wherein the target device is at least one of a computer and a mobile phone.

32. The system of claim 18, wherein the target device is a wireless device.

33. The system of claim 18, wherein the communications network is a mobile communications network.

34. A system for detecting availability of a target device in a communications network, comprising:

a source device sending a first message via the communications network;

a database storing data describing the availability of the target device; and

an intermediary device, responsive to receipt of the first message by generating a command for interrogating the database to determine the availability of the target device,

wherein if the target device is determined to be available, the intermediary device informs the source device that the target device is available; and

wherein if the target device is determined to be unavailable, the intermediary device resends the command to the database to determine the availability of the target device.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein if the target device is determined to be unavailable, the intermediary device delays for a predetermined interval of time before resending the command to the database to determine the availability of the target device.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein when the source device is informed that the target device is available, the source device sends a second message to the target device.