Communication system and method of multimedia messaging

• US 20060112169A1
• Filed: 01/14/2004
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Bodlaender, Maarten Peter, Willems, Henricus Xavier
• Application Number:
  US10/543,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20060112169A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4581 Sending message identifiers instead of whole messages notification of incoming messages in packet-switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components

Abstract

The invention relates to multi media messaging for communication units lacking multi media capability. A communication system (100) comprises a first communication unit (101) wherein a text based message is generated comprising a pointer, such as a URL, to a multi media clip on a multi media server (115). The message is communicated to a second communication unit (109), which comprises an extraction processor (111) that extracts the pointer and feeds it to a retrieve processor (113). The retrieve processor (113) retrieves the multi media clip from the multi media server (115) addressed by the URL. A presentation processor (117) subsequently presents the multi media clip to a user. The invention is particularly suitable for multi media messaging from cellular communication units having only capability of text based messaging.

Claims

1. A method (200) of multi media messaging comprising the steps of:

in a first communication unit (101) generating (201) in response to a user input a text based message;

comprising a pointer to a multi media clip on a multi media server (115);

communicating (203, 205) the text based message to a second communication unit (109); and

in the second communication unit (109)

extracting (207) the pointer from the text based message,

retrieving (209) the multi media clip from the multi media server (115) in response to the pointer, and

presenting (211) the multi media clip to a user.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the text based message further comprises a text message part and further comprising the steps of in the second communication unit separating the text message part and presenting the text message part to the user.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 further comprising the step of synchronising the presentation of the text message part and the presentation of the multi media clip.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the step of presenting (211) the text message part comprises presenting the text message part as synthesized speech.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the text based message comprise text based presentation commands and further comprising the step of in the second communication unit (109) setting at least one characteristic of the presentation of the multi media clip in response to the text based presentation command.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the communication (203, 205) of the text based message is through a communication channel having a bandwidth insufficient to support multi media messaging.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first communication unit (101) lacks functionality for supporting multi media messaging.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the text based message is an email message.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first communication unit (101) is a subscriber unit for a cellular communication system.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the text based message is a Short Messaging Service (SMS) message.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the multi media server (115) is part of the second communication unit (109).

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the multi media server (115) is external to the second communication unit (109) and the step of the second communication unit (109) retrieving multi media clip comprises accessing the multi media server (115) through an external communication link.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the external communication link is formed in a network.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the network is the Internet (107).

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the pointer comprises a Uniform Resource Locator pointing to a multi media location.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the pointer comprises an abbreviated URL indication and further comprising the step of in the second communication unit (109) determining a non-abbreviated URL from the abbreviated URL indication.

17. A computer program enabling the carrying out of a method according to claim 1.

18. A record carrier comprising a computer program as claimed in claim 17.

19. A communication system (100) comprising:

a first communication unit (101) comprising means for generating a text based message in response to a user input, the text based message comprising a pointer to a multi media clip on a multi media server (115);

means for communicating the text based message to a second communication unit (109); and

a second communication unit (109) comprising;

means (111) for extracting the pointer from the text based message,

means (113) for retrieving the multi media clip from the multi media server (115) in response to the pointer, and

means (117) for presenting the multi media clip to a user.