Media Instant Messaging for Mobile Device

• US 20080177840A1
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synchronica PLC (Myriad Group AG)
• Original Assignee: OZ Communications Incorporated (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Regnier, Jean, Thorkelsson, Haraldur, Grigoriev, Nikolai
• Granted Patent: US 8,019,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/386 using messaging services or messaging apps using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS G06Q20/3255
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• 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: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

In an instant messaging system, message latency is reduced by initiating traffic channel set-up at a receiving device concurrently while a sending device is generating the instant message. When a user begins generating an instant message, the sending device transmits a service request to a payload and connection server to indicate that an instant message is pending. Upon receipt of the service request, the payload and connection server notifies the receiving device so that the receiving device can initiate traffic channel set-up concurrently while the instant message is being recorded. When the traffic channel is established, the receiving device polls the server. If the instant message is not yet received by the payload and connection server when the polling request is received, the payload and connection server waits a predetermined period of time to receive the pending instant message and forwards the instant message when it is received.

Claims

1. A method of providing an instant message (IM) service, said method comprising:

receiving a first IM service request message from a sending device when an instant message is pending;

creating a message lock for the pending message responsive to said first IM service request message;

initiating traffic channel set-up by a receiving device responsive to said first IM service request message;

receiving a polling request from the receiving device;

determining if a message lock exists for the pending message in response to said polling request from said receiving device;

waiting to receive said pending message from the sending device if a message lock exists;

receiving the pending message from said sending device; and

forwarding the pending message to the receiving device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a second polling request to an IM server if no message lock exists;

receiving a polling response to said second polling request from said IM server; and

forwarding said polling response from said IM server to said receiving device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein forwarding the pending message to the receiving device comprises including the pending message being forwarded to the receiving device within an IMPS transaction using binary XML.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein initiating traffic channel set-up by a receiving device responsive to said IM request message comprises sending a second IM service request to an IM server to initiate communication with said receiving device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said first IM service request comprises an HTTP GET message, and wherein said second IM service request comprises an HTTP POST message.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the received polling request comprises a reduced size polling request, and further comprising maintaining the traffic channel with the receiving device responsive to the reduced size polling request.

7. An instant messaging (IM) server comprising:

a communication interface for receiving IM service requests from a receiving device and polling requests from a sending device;

a control processor operatively connected to the communication interface and configured to;

receive a first IM service request from the sending device via said communication interface;

create a message lock for a pending message responsive to receipt of the first IM service request message from the sending device;

initiate traffic channel set-up by the receiving device responsive to said IM service request message;

receive a polling request from the receiving device via said communication interface;

determine if a message lock exists for the pending message in response to said polling request from said receiving device;

wait to receive said pending message from the sending device if the message lock exists;

receive the pending message from said sending device via said communication interface; and

forward the pending message to the receiving device via the communication interface.

8. The IM server of claim 7 wherein the control processor is further configured to:

send a second polling request to a remote IM server if no message lock exists;

receive a polling response to said second polling request from said remote IM server; and

forward said polling response from said remote IM server to said receiving device.

9. The IM server of claim 7 wherein the control processor is further configured to include the pending message being forwarded to the receiving device within an IMPS transaction using XML.

10. The IM server of claim 7 wherein said control processor initiates traffic channel set-up by a receiving device by sending a third IM service request to a remote IM server to initiate communication with said receiving device.

11. The IM server of claim 10 wherein said first IM service request message comprises an HTTP GET message, and wherein said second IM service request comprises an HTTP POST message.

12. The IM server of claim 7 wherein the received polling request comprises a reduced size polling request, and wherein the controller is further configured to maintain the traffic channel with the receiving device responsive to receiving the reduced size polling request.

13. A method of sending media instant messages (IM) by a mobile device, comprising:

detecting when a media IM is being generated;

sending an IM service request to a media IM server when the media IM generation is detected and before the media IM generation is complete; and

sending the media IM to the media IM server when generating the media IM is complete.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein detecting when a media IM is being generated comprises detecting when the media IM is being generated at the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the media IM being generated at the mobile device comprises a voice instant message, and wherein detecting when the media IM is being generated at the mobile device comprises detecting a state of a record button on the mobile device.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising delaying the start of the media IM generation for a predetermined time period.

17. A mobile device comprising:

an communication interface for communicating with a mobile network over an air interface;

a control processor operatively connected to said communication interface and configured to;

detect when a media instant message (IM) is being generated;

send an IM service request to a media IM server when the media IM generation is detected and before the media IM generation is complete; and

send the media IM to the media IM server when the media generation is complete.

18. The mobile device of claim 17 wherein the media IM comprises a voice IM.

19. The mobile device of claim 18 further comprising a record button actuated by a user, and wherein said control processor detects the state of the record button to determine when the voice IM is being recorded.

20. The mobile device of claim 17 wherein the control processor is further configured to delay the start of the media IM generation for a predetermined time period.