Method and a system for submitting messages deposited in an inbox of a messaging service

• US 20050018821A1
• Filed: 07/20/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Brun, Arnaud, Darsin, Bruno, Rouge, Thierry
• Granted Patent: US 7,292,679 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.130
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

This invention relates to a system and to a method for submitting a message (MSG) to a telecommunications terminal (2) of an addressee, which message has been deposited by a caller in an inbox (12) of a messaging server (1) of the addressee. The method comprises the following successive steps:

• • a step of sending a request to search for an illustration (8) from the voice messaging server (1) to a directory device (3),
  • a step of sending said illustration (8) from the directory device (3) to the messaging server (1),
  • a step of sending the deposited message (MSG) and said illustration (8) from the messaging server (1) to a multimedia messaging server centre (MMSC), and
  • a step of sending a multimedia message (MMS) containing at least said deposited message (MSG) and said illustration (8) from the multimedia messaging server centre (MMSC) to the terminal (2).

Claims

1. A method of submitting a message (MSG) to a telecommunications terminal (2) belonging to an addressee, which message has been deposited by a caller in an inbox (12) of a messaging server (1) of the addressee, the method comprising the following successive steps:

a first step (36) of sending a request to search for an illustration (8) from the voice messaging server (1) to a directory device (3),

a second step (40) of sending said illustration (8) from the directory device (3) to the messaging server (1),

a third step (42) of sending the deposited message (MSG) and said illustration (8) from the messaging server (1) to a multimedia messaging server centre (MMSC), and

a fourth step (46) of sending a multimedia message (MMS) containing at least said deposited message (MSG) and said illustration (8) from the multimedia messaging server centre (MMSC) to the terminal (2) of said addressee for direct consultation thereof on the telecommunications terminal (2) of the addressee.

2. A message submission method according to claim 1, wherein the illustration (8) is characteristic of the caller and the illustration search request contains means (7) for identifying the caller.

3. A message submission method according to claim 1, wherein said messaging server (1) is a voice messaging server, said deposited message (MSG) containing voice data.

4. A message submission method according to claim 2, further comprising a step (38) of searching for said illustration (8)in a database (6) of the directory device (3) on the basis of said identification means (7) and a step (44) of processing of the deposited message (MSG) and said illustration (8) by the multimedia messaging server centre (MMSC) to include them in a multimedia message (MMS).

5. A message submission method according to claim 4, including a preliminary step of storing the caller identification means (7) and an illustration (8) associated with said identification means in the database (5) of the directory device (3).

6. A message submission method according to claim 2, wherein the illustration (8) characteristic of the caller comprises a photo or a logo.

7. A message submission method according to claim 2, wherein said illustration (8) is replaced by a specific illustration if there is no stored illustration associated with the caller in said database (5).

8. A message submission method according to claim 2, wherein said illustration (8) is replaced by an alternative illustration characteristic of communication in a secret mode if the caller has activated a calling line offering refusal mode.

9. A message submission method according to claim 1, wherein the deposited message (MSG) also contains text data.

10. A message submission method according to claim 4, further comprising a step (32) of analyzing the deposited message (MSG) and/or the inbox (12), done by a processing unit (16) of the messaging server (1) to establish information relating to said message or messages, the second sending step also comprises sending said information relating to said message or messages, and the processing step (14) comprises a step of introducing said information into said multimedia message (MMS).

11. A message submission method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of storing the deposited message (MSG) and the illustration in the inbox (12) of the messaging server (1) if the terminal (2) of the addressee cannot be contacted.

12. A message submission method according to claim 1, wherein the illustration comprises the logo of an operator or a promotional image.

13. A system for submitting a message deposited by a sender in an inbox (12) of a messaging server (1) of an addressee equipped with a telecommunications terminal (2), the system comprising:

in said messaging server (1);

a communications interface (14) to a multimedia messaging server centre (MMSC) for transmitting said deposited message (MSG) to said multimedia messaging server centre (MMSC), and

in the telecommunications terminal (2) of the addressee;

a communications interface (27) with said multimedia messaging server (MMSC) for receiving said multimedia message (MMS) containing said deposited message (MSG),

a multimedia message (MMS) multimedia client module (28) for reproducing said deposited message (MSG) directly on said telecommunications terminal (2).

14. A submission system according to claim 13, wherein the messaging server (1) is adapted to communicate with a directory device (3) to request an illustration (8) associated with the caller, said directory device comprising:

a database (5) comprising storage spaces (6) adapted to store illustrations, and

means (9) for searching for an illustration (8) in said database on the basis of identification means (7) sent by the messaging server (1).

15. A message submission system according to claim 13, wherein the telecommunications network (2) is a mobile telephone network and/or a fixed telephone network.

16. A message submission system according to claim 13, wherein the communications interface of the messaging server is an XML interface and the system includes a gateway server (20) for converting the communications protocol into a protocol readable by the multimedia message server centre (MMSC).