UNIVERSAL MOBILE MANAGER INTERWORKING FOR SHORT MESSAGE SERVICE FEATURE PARITY

• US 20110319075A1
• Filed: 06/25/2010
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Cai, Yigang, SHARMA, ALOK
• Application Number:
  US12/823,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20110319075A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/432.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

The present invention provides a method that is implemented at a mobility management entity. One embodiment of the method includes converting a short message service (SMS) message from a first format to one or more second formats when one or more user profiles stored in a database indicate that one or more destinations of the SMS message use the second format(s).

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

converting, at a mobility management entity, a short message service (SMS) message from a first format to at least one second format when at least one user profile stored in a database indicates that at least one destination of the SMS message uses said at least one second format.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the SMS message comprises converting a text message of 140 octets or less.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each user profile includes information indicating parameters used by a corresponding user for sending or receiving SMS messages.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the parameters used by the corresponding user comprise at least one of a device or screen for sending or receiving SMS messages, a network type of the device or screen, a presence parameter for the device or screen, or a priority for sending or receiving SMS messages using the device or screen.

5. The method of claim 3, comprising modifying said at least one user profile based upon information provided the corresponding user or a home network of the corresponding user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein modifying said at least one user profile comprises updating parameters in said at least one user profile in response to hand off of the corresponding user or a change in the activity or presence status of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving the SMS message at the mobility management entity in the first format and forming a query of the database based on the SMS message, the query requesting information from at least one user profile associated with at least one user indicated in the SMS message.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the SMS message comprises receiving a mobile-originated SMS message from a roaming user, querying the database to determine a home network of the roaming user, and converting the mobile-originated SMS message from a first format used by the roaming network to a second format used by the home network.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the SMS message comprises receiving a mobile-terminated SMS message destined for said at least one user, querying the database to determine at least one serving network for said at least one user, and converting the mobile-terminated SMS message from a first format of the received mobile-terminated SMS message to at least one second format used by said at least one serving network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the SMS message comprises receiving a mobile-terminated SMS message destined for a plurality of users, querying the database to determine a plurality of serving networks for the users, and converting the mobile terminated SMS message from the first format to a plurality of second formats used by the plurality of serving networks.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the SMS message comprises converting a SMS message including a message waiting indicator from a first format used by a voicemail system to said at least one second format.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the SMS message comprises selecting at least one of a plurality of destinations for the SMS message, the destinations being indicated in the user profile.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein selecting said at least one of the plurality of destinations comprises selecting said at least one of the plurality of destinations based on at least one of a priority associated with each of the plurality of destinations or a presence indicator associated with each of the plurality of destinations, the priorities and presence indicators being included in the user profile.

14. A method, comprising:

accessing, at a mobility management entity, a short message service (SMS) message that conforms to a first format and is associated with a first user;

accessing a profile for the first user, the profile being stored in a database associated with the mobility management entity;

determining whether the SMS message is to be converted from the first format to a second format based on the profile; and

converting the SMS message to the second format when the profile indicates that the SMS message is to be converted.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein accessing the SMS message comprises receiving the SMS message using an interface of the mobility management entity that understands the first format and can form a query to the database using the first SMS message.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein accessing the profile for the first user comprises retrieving information from the profile using the query formed by the interface.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein retrieving the information from the profile comprises retrieving information indicating at least one of a device or screen for sending or receiving SMS messages, a network type of the device or screen, a presence parameter for the device or screen, or a priority for sending or receiving SMS messages using the device or screen.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein determining whether the SMS message is to be converted from the first format to the second format comprises comparing the first format to a second format indicated by information in the profile and determining that the SMS messages to be converted when the first format is different than the second format.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining whether the SMS message is to be converted from the first format to the second format comprises receiving a mobile-originated SMS message from a roaming user, querying the database to determine a home network of the roaming user, and determining that the mobile-originated SMS message is to be converted from a first format used by the roaming network to a second format used by the home network.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein determining whether the SMS message is to be converted from the first format to the second format comprises receiving a mobile-terminated SMS message destined for said at least one user, querying the database to determine at least one serving network for said at least one user, and converting the mobile-terminated SMS message from a first format of the received mobile-terminated SMS message to at least one second format used by said at least one serving network.

21. The method of claim 22, wherein determining whether the SMS message is to be converted from the first format to the second format comprises receiving a mobile-terminated SMS message destined for a plurality of users, querying the database to determine a plurality of serving networks for the users, and converting the mobile terminated SMS message from the first format to a plurality of second formats used by the plurality of serving networks.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein converting the SMS message comprises converting a SMS message including a message waiting indicator from a first format used by a voicemail system to said at least one second format.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein converting the SMS message comprises selecting at least one of a plurality of destinations for the SMS message, the destinations being indicated in the user profile.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein selecting said at least one of the plurality of destinations comprises selecting said at least one of the plurality of destinations based on at least one of a priority associated with each of the plurality of destinations or a presence indicator associated with each of the plurality of destinations, the priorities and presence indicators being included in the user profile.