Multi-user multimedia messaging services

• US 20050220064A1
• Filed: 05/06/2003
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Keller, Ralf, Lohmar, Thorsten, Hundscheidt, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 8,401,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/342
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

Methods, devices, and computer programs for improving the efficiency of multi-user multimedia messaging services are disclosed. A multimedia message is sent from an originator user device to an originator server and further to one or more recipient servers to which recipient user devices as addressed are associated to. The one or more recipient servers execute a multicast delivery for distributing the multimedia message to the recipient user devices and/or an improved reporting of a transmission state of the multimedia message by receiving status messages from the recipient user devices, each status message comprising an indication of an individual transmission state of the multi media message at one of the recipient user devices, aggregating the indications into a report representing the transmission state of the multimedia message, and sending the report to the originator server.

Claims

1. A method for efficient transmission of a multimedia message from an originator user device to recipient user devices, the method comprising the steps of

sending a first message from the originator user device to an originator server, the first message comprising the multimedia message and an indication of addresses of the recipient user devices,

identifying a recipient server associated to the recipient user devices based on the indication of the addresses,

sending the first message to the recipient server,

identifying the recipient user devices based on the indication of the addresses,

executing a multicast delivery of the multimedia message to the recipient user devices by allocating a multicast address,

sending the multicast address to the recipient user devices,

embedding the multimedia message in an object suitable for a multicast transmission,

preparing by the recipient user devices for a reception of the object,

joining by the recipient user devices a multicast group according to the multicast address, and

sending the object via the multicast transmission to the recipient user devices.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the execution of the multicast delivery is based on the number of recipient user devices.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the recipient user devices receive in conjunction with the multicast address at least one item from a group comprising,

a description of an error protection scheme, a time window, a transaction key, charging information, an Uniform Resource Locator, an Uniform Resource Indicator, a logical name of a multicast group connected to the multicast address, a transmission start time, and a number of transmissions.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the originator server and the recipient server resolves the addresses of the recipient user devices from the indication of addresses.

2. (canceled)

6. A method for efficient reporting of a transmission state of a multimedia message addressed to recipient user devices, the method comprising the steps of,

receiving from an originator server the multimedia message at a recipient server,

sending the multimedia message to the addressed recipient user devices associated with the recipient server,

receiving status messages each comprising an indication of an individual transmission state of the multimedia message at one of the recipient user devices,

aggregating the indications into a report representing the transmission state of the multimedia message, and

sending the report to the originator server.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the indications for the individual transmission state comprises,

at least one item from a group, comprising,

an acknowledgement of a notification about the multimedia message, an acknowledgment of a delivery of the multimedia message and an acknowledgment of a reading of the multimedia message.

8. The method according to claim 7, the indications being compiled according to a request originating from at least one entity from a group comprising,

the originator user device, the originator server and the recipient server and

the compiled indications are aggregated.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the originator server receives the multimedia message from the originator user device.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the request is modifiable or one or more requests are addable to the request.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein those of the status messages that are received within a time interval are used for the report.

13. The method according to claim 7, wherein one or more of the indications are relatable to one or more addresses of the recipient user devices and the report comprises the one or more addresses related to the transmission state.

14. The method according to claim 7, wherein the report is processed for statistical and/or charging purposes.

15. The method according to claim 7, wherein the recipient user devices are associated to more than one recipient server and the originator server sends the multimedia message to the more than one recipient server and receives more than one report each representing the transmission state of the multimedia message related to the respective recipient server, and the originator server aggregates the more than one reports into a further report representing the transmission state of the multimedia message.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the originator user device comprises an originator multimedia message service user agent.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the recipient user devices each comprise a recipient multimedia message service user agent.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the originator server is an originator multimedia message service relay server.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the recipient server is a recipient multimedia message service relay server.

10. (canceled)

20. A recipient server for efficient transmission of a multimedia message to recipient user devices, the recipient server comprising

a receiving unit for receiving messages,

a transmission unit for sending messages, and

a processing unit for processing messages and information, wherein the recipient server is adapted to receive a first message comprising

the multimedia message and

an indication of addresses of the recipient user devices, to identify the recipient user devices based on the indication of the addresses, and to execute a multicast delivery of the multicast message to the recipient user devices, wherein the recipient server is adapted to allocate a multicast address, to send the multicast address to the recipient user devices, to embed the multimedia message in an object suitable for a multicast transmission, and to send the object via the multicast transmission to the recipient user devices.

21. The recipient server according to claim 20, wherein the recipient server is adapted to base the execution of the multicast delivery on the number of recipient user devices.

22. The recipient server according to claim 20, wherein the recipient server is adapted to send in conjunction with the multicast address at least one item from a group comprising,

a description of an error protection scheme, a time window, a transaction key, charging information, an Uniform Resource Locator, an Uniform Resource Indicator, a logical name of a multicast group connected to the multicast address, a transmission start time, and a number of transmission.

23. The recipient server according to claim 20, wherein the recipient server is adapted to resolve the addresses of the recipient user devices from the indication of addresses.

24. A recipient server for efficient reporting of a transmission state of a multimedia message addressed to recipient user devices, the recipient server comprising

a receiving unit for receiving messages,

a transmission unit for sending messages, and

a processing unit for processing messages and information, wherein the recipient server is adapted to receive from an originator server the multimedia message, to send the multimedia message to the addressed recipient user devices associated to the recipient server, to receive status messages each comprising an indication of an individual transmission state of the multimedia message at one of the recipient user devices, to aggregate the indications into a report representing the transmission state of the multimedia message, and to send the report to the originator server.

25. The recipient server according to claim 24, wherein the recipient server is adapted to compile the indications according to a request originating from at least one entity from a group comprising an originator user device, the originator server, and the recipient server and to aggregate the compiled indications.

26. The recipient server according to claim 24, wherein the recipient server is adapted to modify the request and to compile the indications according to the modified request or to add one or more requests and to compile the indications according to the added one or more requests.

27. The recipient server according to claim 24, wherein the recipient server is adapted to use those of the status messages for the report that are received within a time interval.

28. The recipient server according to claim 24, wherein the recipient server is adapted to relate one or more of the indications to one or more addresses of the recipient user devices and to relate the one or more addresses to the transmission state in the report.

29. The recipient server according to claim 24, wherein the recipient server is adapted to process the report for statistical and/or charging purposes.

30. The recipient server according to claim 24, wherein the recipient server is a recipient multimedia message service relay server.

31-37. -37. (canceled)

38. A computer program loadable into a processing unit of a recipient server, the computer program comprising code adapted to

process a received first message comprising the multimedia message and an indication of addresses of the recipient user devices,

to identify the recipient user devices based on the indication of the addresses and to execute a multicast delivery of the multicast message to the recipient user devices, wherein the code is adapted to allocate a multicast address, to embed the multimedia message in an object suitable for a multicast transmission, to send the multicast address in a notification message to the recipient user devices for joining to a multicast group and for preparing of the reception of the object and to send the object via the multicast transmission ot the recipient user devices.

42. The computer program according to claim 38, further comprising code adapted to resolve the addresses of the recipient user devices from the indication of addresses.

43. The computer program according to claim 38 further comprising code adapted for efficient reporting of a transmission state of the multimedia message addressed to the recipient user devices, wherein the code is adapted to process received status messages each comprising an indication of an individual transmission state of the multimedia message at one of the recipient user devices, to aggregate the indications into a report representing the transmission state of the multimedia message and to send the report to the originator server.

44. The computer program according to claim 43, further comprising code adapted to compile the indications according to a request originating from at least one entity from a group comprising the originator user device, the originator server, and the recipient server and to aggregate the compiled indications.

45. The computer program according to claim 43, further comprising code adapted to modify the request and to compile the indications according to the modified request or to add one or more requests and to compile the indications according to the added one or more requests.

39. The computer program according to claim 39, further comprising code adapted to base the execution of the multicast delivery on the number of recipient user devices.

41. The computer program according to claim 39 further comprising;

code adapted to send, in conjunction with the multicast address, at least one item from a group comprising,

a description of an error protection scheme, a time window, a transaction key, charging information, a Uniform Resource Locator, a Uniform Resource Indicator, a logical name of a multicast group connected to the multicast address, a transmission start time and a number of transmission.

40. (canceled)