Method of providing multimedia messaging service using unique message identifier

• US 20060282738A1
• Filed: 07/01/2004
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yun, Hong-Seo, Na, Dong-Won, Yoon, Ja-Young, Park, Hee-Won, Sohn, Sang-mok
• Granted Patent: US 7,802,161 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/748
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of providing a multimedia messaging service, which guarantees the uniqueness of a transmitted multimedia message. In the multimedia messaging method using a mobile communication network of the present invention, a multimedia message transmitted from an originating mobile station is stored. A receiving mobile station is informed of the arrival of the multimedia message. The stored multimedia message is transmitted to the receiving mobile station if a download request is received from the receiving mobile station. In this case, the stored multimedia message includes a unique message identifier distinguished from file information of other multimedia messages stored to be retransmissible.

Claims

1. A method of providing a multimedia messaging service using a mobile communication network, comprising the steps of:

a) storing a multimedia message transmitted from an originating mobile station;

b) informing a receiving mobile station of arrival of the multimedia message;

c) transmitting the stored multimedia message to the receiving mobile station if a download request is received from the receiving mobile station; and

wherein the multimedia message stored at step a) includes a unique message identifier distinguished from file information of other multimedia messages stored to be retransmissible.

2. The multimedia messaging service providing method according to claim 1, wherein the unique message identifier for the multimedia message is allocated differently to paid and free contents in such a way that a unique message identifier for free contents includes information used to identify paid and free contents, content production time information and content producer information;

and a unique message identifier for paid contents includes information used to identify paid and free contents, information on whether retransmission is possible, content provider information and price information.

3. The multimedia messaging service providing method according to claim 2, wherein the content production time information includes year, month, day, hour, minute and second information.

4. The multimedia messaging service providing method according to claim 2, wherein the content producer information includes at least a part of a phone number.

5. The multimedia messaging service providing method according to claim 2, wherein the content provider information includes a Content Provider Identifier (CID) and a Content Provider (CP) code.

6. The multimedia messaging service providing method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

d) determining whether a multimedia message whose retransmission is requested is retransmissible with reference to an identifier of the requested multimedia message, if retransmission of the multimedia message previously transmitted is requested;

e) informing the originating mobile station having requested the retransmission of billing information according to retransmission of the multimedia message, if the multimedia message is retransmissible; and

f) transmitting the requested multimedia message to the receiving mobile station, if a confirmation response is received from the originating mobile station having requested the retransmission.

7. A method of providing a multimedia messaging service using an external Video-on-Demand (VOD) server, comprising the steps of:

a) allocating a user'"'"'s unique identifier to a requested moving picture multimedia message and storing the moving picture multimedia message with the unique identifier, if a request for transmission of the moving picture multimedia message is received from an originating mobile station;

b) informing a receiving mobile station of arrival of the moving picture multimedia message;

c) allowing the receiving mobile station to access the external VOD server, if a download request for the stored multimedia message is received from the receiving mobile station;

d) the external VOD server reading the moving picture multimedia message from a database with reference to unique identifier information of the requested multimedia message;

e) the external VOD server transmitting the read moving picture multimedia message in a streaming manner; and

f) the external VOD server informing a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) relay server of termination of the transmission using a message including the unique identifier of the multimedia message, if the transmission of the moving picture multimedia message has terminated.

8. The multimedia messaging service providing method according to claim 7, wherein the step b) is performed so that the MMS relay server generates a file for preview by capturing a preview image from moving pictures of the moving picture message and informs the receiving mobile station of the arrival of the moving picture message using a message including the preview file information.

9. The multimedia messaging service providing method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of the MMS relay server informing a billing center of billing information when billing according to the transmission of the moving picture message is required, if the MMS relay server has been informed of the termination of the streaming transmission of the moving picture message.