Inbound roamer multimedia messaging systems

• US 20050233740A1
• Filed: 03/10/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mobileum, Incorporated fka Roamware
• Original Assignee: Mobileum, Incorporated fka Roamware
• Inventors: Jiang, Yue Jun
• Granted Patent: US 7,496,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/432.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Inbound Roamer Multimedia Messaging Systems (“IRMMS”) are described that transfer Welcome Multimedia Messages (“MM”) (“WMM”) or Welcome Roaming Content (“WRC”) to devices of inbound roamers. The IRMMS transfers MMs to inbound roamers without involving components of the corresponding home network (HPMN). The MMs include text messages, music clips, voice clips, video clips, photographs, and drawings, but are not so limited. Use of the IRMMS eliminates payment by a VPMN with which a subscriber is roaming to the subscriber'"'"'s HPMN because components of the HPMN are not included in the transfer of the MMs. Thus, charges typically incurred by the VPMN for transmission of free WMM/WRC sent to the inbound roamer via the HPMN are avoided.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a visited network coupled to a home network; and

a roaming system coupled to the visited network, wherein the roaming system monitors at least one roaming link, detects registration of a mobile station with the visited network, receives at the visited network identification information of the mobile station, the identification information including a subscription status of at least one service, and provides the mobile station with access to multimedia messaging services (MMS) via at least one component of the visited network, wherein the access is in accordance with the subscription status and exclusive of components of a home network of the mobile station.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the visited network is a cellular network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein receiving information of the mobile station comprises receiving information from Mobile Application Part (MAP) transaction messages between the mobile station and at least one of the visited network and the home network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile station includes at least one of a cellular telephone, personal computer, portable computing device, portable telephone, portable communication device, subscriber device, and personal digital assistant.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one service includes General Packet Radio Service (GPRS).

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification information further includes capabilities of the mobile station.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the subscription status includes at least one of presence of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) subscription, absence of the GPRS subscription, presence of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) roaming relationship between the visited network and the home network, and absence of the GPRS roaming relationship.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the roaming system providing the mobile station with access to the MMS further comprises:

requesting a profile of the mobile station;

receiving the profile; and

determining capabilities of the mobile station in response to information of the profile.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the roaming system providing the mobile station with access to the MMS further comprises:

intercepting a packet data protocol (PDP) session between the mobile station and the home network; and

identifying from information of the intercepted PDP session a request for access to at least one of a first set of MMS content and a second set of MMS content.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising mimicking at least one component of the home network to provide access to at least one uniform resource locator (URL) of the first set of MMS content when the request is for access to the first set of MMS content.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising relaying information of the PDP session to the home network to provide access to at least one uniform resource locator (URL) of the second set of MMS content when the request is for access to the second set of MMS content.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the roaming system providing the mobile station with access to the MMS further comprises:

transferring at least one communication configuration to the mobile station from the visited network, the communication configuration corresponding to the visited network; and

defining a communication routing at a component of the visited network, the communication routing controlling routing through at least one component of the visited network of a request for access to at least one of a first set of MMS content and a second set of MMS content.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

transferring a request from the visited network to the mobile station for a device profile URL of the mobile station; and

receiving the device profile URL at the visited network from the mobile station.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the communication configuration includes at least one of an MMS, wireless application protocol (WAP), and GPRS configuration.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the roaming system providing the mobile station with access to the MMS further comprises:

transferring at least one communication configuration to the mobile station from the visited network, the communication configuration corresponding to the visited network;

receiving an acknowledge message from the mobile station in response to the transferring; and

defining a communication routing at a component of the visited network, the communication routing controlling routing through at least one component of the visited network of a request for access to at least one of a first set of MMS content and a second set of MMS content.

16. A device comprising:

a monitor that monitors at least one roaming link;

a detector coupled to the monitor for detecting registration of the mobile station with a visited network;

a receiver coupled to the visited network that receives identification information of the mobile station, the identification information including a subscription status of at least one service; and

a node coupled to the visited network that provides the mobile station with access to multimedia messaging services (MMS) via at least one component of the visited network, wherein the access is in accordance with the subscription status and exclusive of components of a home network of the mobile station.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the at least one service includes General Packet Radio Service (GPRS).

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the subscription status includes at least one of presence of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) subscription and presence of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) roaming relationship between the visited network and the home network.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein in providing the mobile station with access to the MMS the node:

requests a profile of the mobile station;

receives the profile; and

determines capabilities of the mobile station in response to information of the profile.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein the node:

intercepts a packet data protocol (PDP) session between the mobile station and the home network; and

identifies from information of the intercepted PDP session a request for access to at least one of a first set of MMS content and a second set of MMS content.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the node mimics at least one component of the home network to provide access to at least one uniform resource locator (URL) of the first set of MMS content when the request is for access to the first set of MMS content.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein the node relays information of the PDP session to the home network to provide access to at least one uniform resource locator (URL) of the second set of MMS content when the request is for access to the second set of MMS content.

23. The device of claim 16, wherein in providing the mobile station with access to MMS the node:

transfers at least one communication configuration to the mobile station from the visited network, the communication configuration corresponding to the visited network; and

defines a communication routing at a component of the visited network, the communication routing controlling routing through at least one component of the visited network of a request for access to at least one of a first set of MMS content and a second set of MMS content.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the node:

transfers a request from the visited network to the mobile station for a device profile URL of the mobile station; and

receives the device profile URL from the mobile station.

25. The device of claim 23, wherein the communication configuration includes at least one of an MMS, wireless application protocol (WAP), and GPRS configuration.

26. The device of claim 16, wherein in providing the mobile station with access to MMS the node:

transfers at least one communication configuration to the mobile station from the visited network, the communication configuration corresponding to the visited network;

receives an acknowledge message from the mobile station in response to the transferring; and

defines a communication routing at a component of the visited network, the communication routing controlling routing through at least one component of the visited network of a request for access to at least one of a first set of MMS content and a second set of MMS content.

27. A device comprising:

means for monitoring at least one roaming link;

means for detecting through the monitoring registration of the mobile station with a visited network;

means for receiving at the visited network identification information of the mobile station, the identification information including a subscription status of at least one service; and

means for providing the mobile station with access to multimedia messaging services (MMS) via at least one component of the visited network, wherein the access is in accordance with the subscription status and exclusive of components of a home network of the mobile station.

28. A method comprising:

monitoring at least one roaming link;

detecting through the monitoring registration of the mobile station with a visited network;

receiving at the visited network identification information of the mobile station, the identification information including a subscription status of at least one service; and

providing the mobile station with access to multimedia messaging services (MMS) via at least one component of the visited network, wherein the access is in accordance with the subscription status and exclusive of components of a home network of the mobile station.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the at least one service includes General Packet Radio Service (GPRS).

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the identification information further includes capabilities of the mobile station.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the subscription status includes at least one of presence of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) subscription and absence of the GPRS subscription.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the subscription status includes at least one of presence of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) roaming relationship between the visited network and the home network and absence of the GPRS roaming relationship.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein providing the mobile station with access to the MMS further comprises:

requesting a profile of the mobile station;

receiving the profile; and

determining capabilities of the mobile station in response to information of the profile.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein providing the mobile station with access to the MMS further comprises:

intercepting a packet data protocol (PDP) session between the mobile station and the home network; and

identifying from information of the intercepted PDP session a request for access to at least one of a first set of MMS content and a second set of MMS content.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising mimicking at least one component of the home network to provide access to at least one uniform resource locator (URL) of the first set of MMS content when the request is for access to the first set of MMS content.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising relaying information of the PDP session to the home network to provide access to at least one uniform resource locator (URL) of the second set of MMS content when the request is for access to the second set of MMS content.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the first set of MMS content includes MMS content the visited network provides to the mobile station free of charge.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the second set of MMS content includes MMS content the visited network provides to the mobile station free of charge.

39. The method of claim 28, wherein the subscription status of the mobile device includes a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) subscription and a GPRS roaming relationship between the visited network and the home network.

40. The method of claim 28, wherein providing the mobile station with access to MMS further comprises:

transferring at least one communication configuration to the mobile station from the visited network, the communication configuration corresponding to the visited network; and

defining a communication routing at a component of the visited network, the communication routing controlling routing through at least one component of the visited network of a request for access to at least one of a first set of MMS content and a second set of MMS content.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the first set of MMS content includes MMS content the visited network provides to the mobile station free of charge and the second set of MMS content includes MMS content the visited network provides to the mobile station free of charge, the MMS content further including at least one uniform resource locator (URL).

42. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

transferring a request from the visited network to the mobile station for a device profile URL of the mobile station; and

receiving the device profile URL at the visited network from the mobile station.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein the communication configuration includes at least one of an MMS, wireless application protocol (WAP), and GPRS configuration, wherein transfer of the communication configuration is via over-the-air provisioning (OTAP).

44. The method of claim 40, wherein the subscription status of the mobile device includes a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) roaming subscription without a GPRS roaming relationship between the visited network and the home network.

45. The method of claim 28, wherein providing the mobile station with access to MMS further comprises:

transferring at least one communication configuration to the mobile station from the visited network, the communication configuration corresponding to the visited network;

receiving an acknowledge message from the mobile station in response to the transferring; and

defining a communication routing at a component of the visited network, the communication routing controlling routing through at least one component of the visited network of a request for access to at least one of a first set of MMS content and a second set of MMS content.