METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING MESSAGING GATEWAY SERVICES

• US 20110053618A1
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Lin, Zhijian, Steinbach, Lodema, Pasetes, Eli, Tan, Wei Guang, Kupsh, Jerry
• Granted Patent: US 8,600,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

An approach is provided for messaging gateway services. It is determined whether a user profile specifies opting to receive content. The content is selectively forwarded, according to a multimedia protocol, to a device of a user as a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message or a short messaging service (SMS) message based on the determination, wherein the multimedia protocol supports both MMS messaging and SMS messaging.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining whether a user profile specifies opting to receive content; and

selectively forwarding, according to a multimedia protocol, the content to a device of a user as a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message or a short messaging service (SMS) message based on the determination,

wherein the multimedia protocol supports both MMS messaging and SMS messaging.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request associated with the user indicating whether the user opts to receive content from a content provider, wherein the request identifies the content provider via a short code; and

selectively updating the user profile to include the short code.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

generating an identifier for validating the request;

forwarding the identifier to the device;

receiving a validation request to validate the request, wherein the validation request specifies the identifier, the short code, and addressing information associated with the device; and

validating the request based on the identifier, the short code, and the addressing information,

wherein the user profile is updated if the request is validated.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the request is received via a portal interface or via an SMS message.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, according to the multimedia protocol, the content from a content provider as part of a messaging request, wherein the messaging request includes addressing information corresponding to the device and an identifier of the content provider;

validating the messaging request based on the identifier; and

selectively retrieving the user profile based on the addressing information.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving event data indicating that addressing information associated with the device is deactivated;

generating a request to remove the addressing information from a distribution list; and

transmitting, via the multimedia protocol, the request to a content provider.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the multimedia protocol utilizes hypertext transmission protocol or hypertext transmission protocol secure as a transport protocol.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to determine whether a user profile specifies opting to receive content; and

a communication interface configured to selectively forward, according to a multimedia protocol, the content to a device of a user as a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message or a short messaging service (SMS) message based on the determination,

wherein the multimedia protocol supports both MMS messaging and SMS messaging.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the communication interface is further configured to receive a request associated with the user indicating whether the user opts to receive content from a content provider, wherein the request identifies the content provider via a short code, and the processor is further configured to selectively update the user profile to include the short code.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to generate an identifier for validating the request and the communication interface is further configured to forward the identifier to the device and to receive a validation request to validate the request, wherein the validation request specifies the identifier, the short code, and addressing information associated with the device, and the processor is further configured to validate the request based on the identifier, the short code and the addressing information, wherein the user profile is updated if the request is validated.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the request is received via portal interface or via an SMS message.

12. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the communication interface is further configured to receive, according to the multimedia protocol, the content from a content provider as part of a messaging request, wherein the messaging request includes addressing information corresponding to the device and an identifier of the content provider, and the processor is further configured to validate the messaging request based on the identifier, wherein the communication interface is further configured to selectively retrieve the user profile based on the addressing information.

13. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the communication interface is further configured to receive event data indicating that addressing information associated with the device is deactivated and the processor is further configured to generate a request to remove the addressing information from a distribution list, and the communication interface is further configured to transmit, via the multimedia protocol, the request to a content provider.

14. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the multimedia protocol utilizes hypertext transmission protocol or hypertext transmission protocol secure as a transport protocol.

15. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus is a networking node provisioned between the content provider and the device.

16. A method comprising:

receiving a request corresponding to a user specifying whether the user opts to receive content associated with a value-added service, wherein the request includes an identifier relating to the value-added service;

updating, based on the identifier, a user profile of the user;

receiving, according to a messaging protocol, a messaging request from an application corresponding to the value-added service, wherein the messaging request includes the content and specifies addressing information corresponding to a device of the user; and

selectively forwarding, according to the messaging protocol, the content as a message to the device based on the addressing information,

wherein the messaging protocol supports both multimedia messaging service (MMS) messaging and short messaging service (SMS) messaging.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising:

receiving the identifier from a provider of the value-added service;

provisioning the identifier to a networking node serving as a gateway between the application and the device, wherein the networking node stores the identifier to a list of identifiers corresponding to a plurality of applications permitted to transmit MMS and SMS messages to users including the user; and

validating, based on the identifier, the messaging request to selectively forward the content to the device.

18. A method according to claim 19, further comprising:

blocking the content from being forwarded to the device if the user profile specifies that the user opts not to receive the content or addressing information associated with the device is deactivated; and

transmitting a delivery report to the application indicating whether or not the content was blocked.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the identifier is a short code identifier and the addressing information is a mobile directory number.

20. A method according to claim 16, wherein the message is either an MMS message or an SMS message.