Method and Apparatus for Managing Multimedia Messages

• US 20070298770A1
• Filed: 12/27/2005
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Wuk, Lee, Kyung-Tak, Sung, Sang-Kyung, Seshadri, Thirumalai
• Granted Patent: US 7,869,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for managing multimedia messages. If receiving a request to set a retrieval reminder for a specific multimedia message from an MS, an MMS relay/server sets a reminder time for the specific multimedia message to a reminder time included in the request to set the retrieval reminder. If a current time corresponds to the reminder time, the MMS relay/server notifies the MS of retrieving the specific multimedia message. If receiving a request to extend an expiry time of the specific multimedia message from the MS, the relay/server sets the expiry time of the specific multimedia message to an expiry time included in the request to extend the expiry time.

Claims

1. A method for managing multimedia messages by an mobile station in an MMS system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a notification from an MMS relay/server that a multimedia message has arrived and waits for retrieval;

receiving a request to set a retrieval reminder for a specific multimedia message from a user;

setting a reminder time for the specific multimedia message to a reminder time according to a user'"'"'s selection; and

if a current time corresponds to the reminder time, notifying the user of retrieving the specific multimedia message.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of setting the reminder time for the specific multimedia message to the reminder time according to the user'"'"'s selection comprises the step of, if a reminder time selected by the user occurs before an expiry time of the specific multimedia message, setting the reminder time for the specific multimedia message to the reminder time selected by the user.

3. A method for managing multimedia messages in an MMS system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to set a retrieval reminder for a specific multimedia message from a mobile station;

setting a reminder time for the specific multimedia message to a reminder time included in the request to set the retrieval reminder; and

if a current time corresponds to the reminder time, notifying the mobile station of retrieving the specific multimedia message.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising the step of, if a request to modify the reminder time set for the specific multimedia message is received from the mobile station, modifying the reminder time of the specific multimedia message to a remind time included in the request to modify the reminder time.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising the step of, if a request to view the reminder time of the specific multimedia message is received from the mobile station, transmitting the reminder time set for the specific multimedia message to the mobile station.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the request to set the retrieval reminder and the request to modify the reminder time are executed through an MM1_reminder_alter transaction.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the request to view the reminder time is executed through an MM1_reminder_listview transaction.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the specific multimedia message is a multimedia message stored in an MM box.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the request to set the retrieval reminder and the request to modify the reminder time are executed through an MM1_mmbox_store transaction including a “

Reminder Time”

information element.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the request to view the reminder time is executed through an MM1_mmbox_listview transaction including an “

Attributes list”

information element having reminder time conditions, a “

Reminder Time Start”

information element and a “

Reminder Time End”

information element.

11. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the request to set the retrieval reminder for the specific multimedia message is received in response to a notification about reception of the specific multimedia message.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the request to set the retrieval reminder is executed through an MM1 notification transaction including an “

Allow Reminder”

information element and a “

Reminder Time”

information element.

13. The method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to extend an expiry time of the specific multimedia message from the mobile station; and

setting the expiry time of the specific multimedia message to an expiry time included in the request to extend the expiry time.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the request to extend the expiry time is executed through an MM1_expiry_extend transaction.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the specific multimedia message is a multimedia message stored in an MM box.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the request to extend the expiry time is executed through an MM1_mmbox_store transaction including an “

Expiry Time”

information element.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the request to extend the expiry time is received in response to a notification according to the reminder.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the request to extend the expiry time is executed through an MM1_notification transaction including an “

Expiry Time”

information element.

19. An apparatus for managing multimedia messages in an MMS system, the apparatus comprising:

a mobile station for requesting a retrieval reminder for a specific multimedia message; and

an MMS relay/server for setting a reminder time for the specific multimedia message to a reminder time included in the request to set the retrieval reminder, and notifying the mobile station of retrieving the specific multimedia message if a current time corresponds to the reminder time.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein if a request to modify the reminder time set for the specific multimedia message is received from the mobile station, the MMS relay/server modifies the reminder time of the specific multimedia message to a remind time included in the request to modify the reminder time.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein if a request to view the reminder time of the specific multimedia message is received from the mobile station, the MMS relay/server transmits the reminder time set for the specific multimedia message to the mobile station.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein the request to set the retrieval reminder and the request to modify the reminder time are executed through an MM1_reminder_alter transaction.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein the request to view the reminder time is executed through an MM1_reminder_listview transaction.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein the specific multimedia message is a multimedia message stored in an MM box.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the request to set the retrieval reminder and the request to modify the reminder time are executed through an MM1_mmbox_store transaction including a “

Reminder Time”

information element.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the request to view the reminder time is executed through an MM1_mmbox_listview transaction including an “

Attributes list”

information element having reminder time conditions, a “

Reminder Time Start”

information element and a “

Reminder Time End”

information element.

27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein the request to set the retrieval reminder for the specific multimedia message is received in response to a notification about reception of the specific multimedia message.

28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the request to set the retrieval reminder is executed through an MM1_notification transaction including an “

Allow Reminder”

information element and a “

Reminder Time”

information element.

29. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein if receiving a request to extend an expiry time of the specific multimedia message from the mobile station, the MMS relay/server sets the expiry time of the specific multimedia message to an expiry time included in the request to extend the expiry time.

30. The apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein the request to extend the expiry time is executed through an MM1_expiry_extend transaction.

31. The apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein the specific multimedia message is a multimedia message stored in an MM box.

32. The apparatus as claimed in claim 31, wherein the request to extend the expiry time is executed through an MM1_mmbox_store transaction including an “

Expiry Time”

information element.

33. The apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein the request to extend the expiry time is received in response to a notification according to the reminder.

34. The apparatus as claimed in claim 33, wherein the request to extend the expiry time is executed through an MM1_notification transaction including an “

Expiry Time”

information element.