Mobile instant messaging conferencing method and system

• US 20050233737A1
• Filed: 03/28/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Original Assignee: Daniel J. Lin
• Inventors: Lin, Daniel J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,672,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• 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 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A server-based architecture for instant messaging conferencing is presented. Session-based instant messaging conferencing is established by transmitting necessary server network address information through page-mode based messaging services to establish connections among the various mobile devices with the server.

Claims

1. A method of initiating a conferencing session among mobile devices that support a data packet-based communications service over a digital mobile network system, the method comprising:

transmitting a request to a server'"'"'s network address and listening port to establish a reliable session-based connection;

establishing the reliable session-based connection with the server;

receiving session identifying information associated with the conferencing session from the server;

transmitting an invitation message containing the server'"'"'s network address and the session identifying information to a participating mobile device through a page-mode messaging service, wherein the participating mobile device is located by providing to the page-mode messaging service a unique identification number that is used by the digital mobile network system to locate the participating mobile device; and

participating in the conference session through the reliable session-based connection with the participating mobile device, which has established its own reliable session-based connection with the server by transmitting its own request, containing the session identifying information, to the server'"'"'s network address.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data packet-based communications service is GPRS and the digital mobile network system is GSM.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the server'"'"'s network address is an IP address and the listening port is a TCP port.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the page-mode messaging service is SMS.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the unique identification number is a telephone number.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the session identifying information includes a second listening port number generated by and opened at the server.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the session identifying information is a session identification number generated by the server.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the reliable session-based connection is a TCP connection.

9. A method of joining a conferencing session among mobile devices that support a data packet-based communications service over a digital mobile network system, the method comprising:

opening a listening port to receive invitation messages through a page-mode messaging service;

receiving, at the listening port and through the page-mode messaging service, an invitation message from an initiating mobile device to participate in the conferencing session, wherein such invitation message contains a server'"'"'s network address and session identifying information;

transmitting a request to the server'"'"'s network address to establish a reliable session-based connection;

establishing the reliable session-based connection with the server; and

participating in the conference session through the reliable session-based connection with the server with other mobile devices that have established their own reliable session-based connections with the server by transmitting their own request to the server'"'"'s network address to establish their own reliable session-based connection.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the data packet-based communications service is GPRS and the digital mobile network system is GSM.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the server'"'"'s network address is an IP address.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the page-mode messaging service is SMS and the listening port is an SMS port.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the session identifying information includes a second listening port number at the server and the request to the server'"'"'s network address to establish a reliable session-based connection is transmitted to the second listening port number.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the session identifying information is a session identification number generated by the server and the session identification number is transmitted to the server upon establishing the reliable session-based connection with the server.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the reliable session-based connection is a TCP connection.

16. A method of managing a conferencing session at a server for mobile devices that support a data packet-based communications service over a digital mobile network system, the method comprising:

opening a listening port to receive invitation messages through the data packet-based communications service;

establishing a first reliable session-based connection with an initiating mobile device;

generating session identifying information associated with the conferencing session;

transmitting the session identifying information to the initiating mobile device through the reliable session based connection;

receiving a request to establish a second reliable session-based connection from a participating mobile device that has obtained the server'"'"'s network address and the session identifying information from the initiating mobile device through a page-mode messaging service wherein the participating mobile device is located by providing to the page-mode messaging service a unique identification number that is used by the digital mobile network system to locate the participating mobile device.

establishing a second reliable session-based connection with the participating mobile device;

associating the first reliable session-based connection with the second reliable session-based connection through the session identifying information; and

establishing the conferencing session by forwarding messages received from the initiating mobile device or the participating mobile device to the participating mobile device or initiating mobile device, respectively, through the first reliable session-based connection and second reliable session-based connection respectively.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the data packet-based communications service is GPRS and the digital mobile network system is GSM.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the server'"'"'s network address is an IP address and the listening port is a TCP port.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the page-mode messaging service is SMS.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the session identifying information includes a second listening port number at the server and the method further comprises opening the second listening port at the server to receive requests from participating mobile devices to establish reliable session-based connections.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the session identifying information is a session identification number which is transmitted to the server by the participating mobile device through the second reliable session-based

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the first reliable session-based connection and the second reliable session-based connection are TCP connections.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein the unique identification number is a telephone number.

24. A method of managing a conferencing session at a server for mobile devices that support a data packet-based communications service over a digital mobile network system, the method comprising:

opening a listening port to receive invitation messages through a page-mode messaging service;

receiving, at the listening port and through the page-mode messaging service, a first network address, a first port number and session identifying information from an initiating mobile device;

establishing a first reliable virtual connection with the initiating mobile device by connecting to the initiating mobile device through the first network address and the first port number;

receiving, at the listening port and through the page-mode messaging service, a second network address, a second port number and the session identifying information from a participating mobile device;

establishing a second reliable virtual connection with the participating mobile device by connecting to the participating mobile device through the second network address and the second port number;

associating the participating mobile device with the initiating mobile device through the session identifying information; and

establishing the conferencing session by forwarding messages received from the initiating mobile device or the participating mobile device to the participating mobile device or initiating mobile device, respectively, through the first reliable virtual connection and second reliable virtual connection respectively.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the data packet-based communications service is GPRS and the digital mobile network system is GSM.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the page-mode messaging service is SMS and the listening port is an SMS port.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the unique identification number is a telephone number.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the first network address and second network address are IP addresses and the first port number and second port number are TCP port numbers.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein the session identifying information includes a personal conference number and a PIN number.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein the first reliable session-based connection and the second reliable session based connection are TCP connections.