Messaging system and service

• US 20060194595A1
• Filed: 05/06/2004
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Leino, Pasi, Ohrling, Antti, Myllynen, Harri
• Granted Patent: US 8,243,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• 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 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are concerned with modification of messages en route to a destination. One such modification is the addition of third party material, such as advertisement data, to a message. Conventionally, such a modification of messages occurs in accordance with some input from the sender of the message, and, to enable the sender to indicate the nature of the desired modification, the terminal corresponding to the sender has to be equipped with bespoke software. A service located in the network then receives the sender'"'"'s message and decodes the indicated modification in order to decide how to modify the message. When there are many subscribers to this service, each terminal needs to be adapted to allow indication of the desired modification to the message, and, if the adaptation is made by pushing data to such terminals over the network, this presents problems in terms of scalability and network traffic. In one aspect of the invention embodiments provide a method of modifying a message sent through a data communications network, the message including transmission data identifying one or more destinations of said message and a message body identifying content thereof which is specified by a sending party, the method including: selecting data, in response to receiving a said message, on the basis of at least one parameter that is not directly related to the location of the sending party, wherein the said selected data are not directly related to the content of the message; modifying said message so as to include the selected data therein; and transmitting the modified message to said one or more destinations in accordance with the transmission data. Thus in embodiments of the invention, decisions as to the nature of the modification of the message are made in accordance with a parameter that is unrelated to messages that are composed by die user, and thus no modifications are required to be made to subscriber'"'"'s terminals.

Claims

1. A method of modifying a message sent through a data communications network, the message including transmission data identifying one or more destinations of said message and a message body identifying content thereof which is specified by a sending party, the method including:

identifying a recipient of said message on the basis of the transmission data;

selecting data, in response to receiving a said message, on the basis of the identified recipient, wherein the said selected data are not directly related to the content of the message;

appending the selected data to the message content such that the message body is modified; and

transmitting the modified message to said one or more destinations in accordance with the transmission data.

2. A method according to claim 1, including selecting data from a store of selectable data.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the store is one of a plurality of stores, each store being associated with a different subject and each having selectable data therein, and wherein an identifier identifying one of the subjects has been received prior to receipt of the said message, the identifier thereby identifying a store from which data are to be selected.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the selectable data are specified in advance of receipt of the said message.

5. A method according to claim 1, including selecting data in accordance with a time and/or data associated with the said message.

6. A method according to claim 5, including selecting data in accordance with a time of transmission or reception of the said message.

7. A method according to claim 5, including reviewing a schedule identifying entertainment activities, and selecting data in accordance with an entertainment activity that overlaps, at least in part, with a time of transmission or reception of the said message.

8. A method according to claim 1, including selecting data from advertisement data.

9. A method according to claim 1 in which said selection of data is performed on the basis of at least one parameter that is not directly related to the location of the sending party.

12. A method according to claim 1, including selecting data on the basis of one or more characteristics of the identified recipient, and wherein the characteristics include any one of location, context, weather, age, and preference information associated with the recipient.

13. A method according to claim 12, including, in response to identifying from the transmission data that there is a plurality of recipients of the said message, identifying characteristics common to at least two of the recipients, and selecting data on the basis of said common characteristics.

14. A method according to claim 1, including comparing the selected data with data identifying subject matter that the recipient is not interested in, and, in the event that the selected data matches data corresponding to the identified subject matter, the message is not modified prior to transmission to the recipient.

15. A method according to claim 1, including recording the number of modified messages that have been transmitted to a recipient and comparing the recorded number with a specified number of messages, and, in the event that the recorded number of messages matches the specified number of messages, the message is not modified prior to transmission to the recipient.

16. A method according to claim 1, including recording the data that have been included in the transmitted messages and comparing the recorded data with the data selected for inclusion in the message, and, in the event that the recorded data match the selected data, the repeating the step of selecting data.

17. A method according to claim 1, the method including receiving location data indicative of a location and selecting data on the basis of the location data.

18. A method according to claim 1, including selecting data at random.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein the message sent through the data communications network is a short message service message and the modifying step includes retrieving the content of the message, creating a multimedia message service comprising said modified message body.

10-11. -11. (canceled)

20-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A store-and-forward network system arranged to store a data message, the data message comprising transmission data identifying at least one recipient of said data message and a message body identifying content thereof which is specified by a sending party, the store-and-forward network system being arranged to forward the same to the identified recipient in dependence on status data corresponding to a terminal associated therewith, the store-and-forward network system comprising:

selection means arranged to select data on the basis of the identified recipient;

a message modifier, arranged, in response to receiving a said data message, to append the selected data to the message content such that the message body is modified wherein the said selected data are not directly related to the content of the message;

a signal monitor arranged to monitor for a signal indicative of the status of the terminal associated with the recipient of said modified data message; and

a message transmitter arranged to transmit said stored message in response to receipt of a transmission trigger signal.

27. A data messaging system for use in a data communications network, the data messaging system comprising:

a store arranged to store data in respect of one or more terminals;

a message creator arranged to create a configuration message identifying a store-and-forward network system and to transmit said configuration message to at least one selected terminal selectable from the store of terminals; and

a store-and-forward network system according to claim 26;

wherein the data messaging system is arranged, in use, such that the message creator selects a terminal from the store and creates and sends, to the selected terminal, a configuration message identifying a network node corresponding thereto, wherein, in response to receipt of the configuration message by the selected terminal, subsequent data messages sent by the selected terminal are stored and forwarded by the store-and-forward network system specified in the configuration message.

28. (canceled)

29. A method of modifying a message sent through a data communications network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a second network node, a message from a first network node, the message having a message body comprising first data, and transmission data identifying a destination of said message, wherein the first data have been created by an information service;

selecting second data, in response to receiving said message on the basis of the destination of the message;

appending the second data to the first data such that the message body is modified; and

transmitting the modified message to said destination in accordance with the transmission data.

30. A method according to claim 29, in which said message body is created in response to conditions satisfying one or more criteria.

31. A method according to claim 29, in which the second data are selected on the basis of at least one parameter that is extrinsic to the first data.

32. A method according to claim 29 including transmitting the message to a store-and-forward network node for forwarding to the, or each, recipient.

36. A method according to claim 29, including selecting said second data from a plurality of stores, each store being associated with a different subject and each having selectable data therein, and wherein an identifier identifying one of the subjects has been received prior to receipt of the said message, the identifier thereby identifying a store from which data are to be selected.

37. A method according to claim 36, wherein the selectable data are specified in advance of receipt of the said message at the second network node.

38. A method according to claim 29, including selecting said second data in accordance with a time and/or data associated with the said message.

40. A method according to claim 38, including reviewing a schedule identifying entertainment activities, and selecting said second data in accordance with an entertainment activity that overlaps, at least in part, with a time of transmission or reception of the said message.

33-35. -35. (canceled)

39. (canceled)

41-44. -44. (canceled)