Dispatch Application Utilizing Short Message Service

• US 20080026780A1
• Filed: 10/02/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T BLS Intelectual Property Inc (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hart, John, Smith, Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 7,509,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A dispatch communication and management system method is provided, allowing a dispatcher and remote service technicians to exchange messages over a network in a prescribed format to notify the technicians of new dispatch orders, and to update status information for dispatch orders in corresponding customer service records in a database.

Claims

1. A method of receiving dispatch orders, comprising:

receiving over a public network by a communication device one or multiple related messages corresponding to a dispatch order, the number of messages being determined by the length of the dispatch order;

converting the one or multiple related messages corresponding to the dispatch order to a format representing a job ticket for viewing by a service technician; and

sending over a public network by the communication device a reply message comprising an updated status of the dispatch order, wherein the updated status is one of pending, received, in progress, completed, or problem.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the public network is a wireless network, and the communication device is a mobile communication device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless network is a GPRS network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless network is a GSM network, and the received message and the reply message are formatted according to a short message service (SMS) function of the GSM protocol.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless network is a CDMA network.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless network is a two-way paging network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the job ticket comprises:

a job ticket number, a job location, a description of the job, a priority of the job ticket, and a creation time of the dispatch order.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the received one or multiple related messages and the reply message are formatted into a packet according to an Internet Protocol format for transport over the public network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication device is coupled to a computer, the computer being operative to display a plurality of job tickets received by the communication device.

10. A computer program embodied in a tangible computer readable medium, the computer program comprising executable computer code for executing a method for receiving dispatch orders, comprising:

receiving over a public network by a communication device one or multiple related messages corresponding to a dispatch order, the number of messages being determined by the length of the dispatch order;

converting the one or multiple related messages corresponding to the dispatch order to a format representing a job ticket for viewing by a service technician; and

sending over a public network by the communication device a reply message comprising an updated status of the dispatch order, wherein the updated status is one of pending, received, in progress, completed, or problem.

11. A method of sending dispatch orders, comprising:

creating a new dispatch order;

determining the length of the dispatch order, and, based upon the determined length, formulating the dispatch order into one or multiple related messages;

sending over a public network by a communication device the one or multiple related messages corresponding to the dispatch order; and

receiving over a public network by the communication device a reply message comprising an updated status of the dispatch order, wherein the updated status is one of pending, received, in progress, completed, or problem.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the public network is a wireless network and the communication device is a mobile communication device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless network is a GPRS network.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless network is a GSM network, and the one or multiple related messages and the reply message are formatted according to a short message service (SMS) function of the GSM protocol.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless network is a CDMA network.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless network is a two-way paging network.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the dispatch order comprises:

a ticket number, a service location, a description of services required, a priority of the dispatch order, and a creation time of the dispatch order.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the sent message and the reply message are formatted into a packet according to an Internet Protocol format for transport over the public network.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication device is coupled to a computer, the computer being operative to display a plurality of dispatch orders corresponding to customer service records stored in a memory, wherein the displayed dispatch orders are organized by status.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the message corresponding to the dispatch order is sent to multiple recipients chosen from a database of service technicians.