Messaging System

• US 20120021727A1
• Filed: 02/08/2010
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brian Kelly
• Original Assignee: Brian Kelly
• Inventors: Kelly, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,630,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

The present application relates to SMS text messaging and in particular to having a central repository for messages using SMS text messages to relay updates to the repository to and from user'"'"'s phones.

Claims

1. A message repository for storing SMS messages for a plurality of mobile phone users, the repository comprising:

a database configured to store a plurality of message entries, each message entry in the database corresponding to an individual SMS message, each message entry comprising a status for the SMS message,

a messaging engine configured to receive contents and details of the SMS messages and further configured to set an initial status of one or more of the message entries as unread; and

a message status engine configured to receive a status update from a user'"'"'s device for at least one of the SMS messages to indicate a change in state and further configured to identify and update the message entry for the at least one SMS message in the database with the received status update, wherein the change in state is selected from at least one of a confirmation that the at least one SMS message has been read, a request for deletion of the at least one SMS message, and a request for moving the at least one SMS message to a different location.

2. A message repository according to claim 1, wherein the details stored in the database for each SMS message comprise a sender of such SMS message, a recipient of such SMS message, and an SMS message timestamp.

3. A message repository according to claim 1, wherein each SMS message is identified in the database by a unique identifier.

4. A message repository according to claim 3, wherein the unique identifier is generated from at least one of a message sender, a message recipient, and a message timestamp.

5. A message repository according to claim 3, wherein the message status engine is configured to identify one of the SMS messages in the database from an identifier contained within the status, update by comparing the identifier with the unique identifiers stored in the database.

6. A message repository according to claim 1, wherein the messaging engine comprises an incoming interface configured to receive a further SMS text message from a sender destined for a user, and further wherein the messaging engine is configured to forward the further SMS text message to the user.

7. A message repository according to claim 6, wherein the messaging engine is configured to package text content of the received SMS text message within one or more binary coded SMS messages and to forward the one or more binary coded SMS messages to an intended message recipient.

8. A message repository according to claim 1, wherein the messaging engine comprises an outgoing interface configured to receive SMS text messages sent by users to recipients and further wherein the messaging engine is adapted to store a copy of each sent message as an entry in the database.

9. A message repository according to claim 8, wherein the messaging engine is configured to set the initial status of the sent message entry as sent.

10. A message repository according to claim 9, wherein the outgoing interface generates a unique identifier for the sent message entry in the database.

11. A message repository according to claim 10, wherein the sent message is encoded and sent to the sender.

12. A message repository according to claim 1, wherein at least one device is informed of any change in state of any SMS messages associated with that device and stored on the database.

14. A message repository according to claim 1, wherein the message status engine is responsive to a status update message received over an IP connection containing a direction for updating a state of one or more of the SMS messages stored within the database.

15. A message repository according to claim 14, wherein the message status engine causes the state of the one or more SMS messages within the database to be updated based on the received direction.

16. A message repository according to claim 1, wherein the message status engine is configured to send messages to users over an IP connection informing the users of changes in the state of their messages within a database.

17. A message repository according to claim 15, wherein the change in state comprises one or more of a confirmation that the message has been read, a request for deletion of the message, a request for moving the message to a different location, and a request to mark the message as unread.

13. (canceled)

18. A messaging device for use with a mobile telecommunications network for sending and receiving SMS messages, the messaging device comprising:

a message module configured to send a status update message to an external message repository the based on performance of one or more predefined actions upon an SMS message, wherein the predefined actions comprise at least one of create the SMS message, receive the SMS message, store the SMS message, send the SMS message, delete the SMS message, and move the SMS message.

19. A messaging device according to claim 18, wherein the status update message is sent via a further SMS message to the external message repository.

20. A messaging device according to claim 19, wherein the further SMS message is a binary coded SMS message.

21. A messaging device according to claim 18, wherein the status update message is sent by means of an IP connection to the external message repository.

23. A messaging device according to claim 18, wherein the message module is configured to send a copy of the received SMS message to the external message repository

24. A messaging device according to claim 18, wherein the message module is configured to send a copy of the sent SMS message to the external message repository.

22. (canceled)

25. A computer-readable storage medium holding code, comprising:

code for sending a status update message to an external message repository based on a performance of one or more predefined actions upon an SMS message, wherein the one or more predefined set of actions comprise at least one of create the SMS message, receive the SMS message, store the SMS message, send the SMS message, delete the SMS message, and move the SMS message.

26. A messaging device comprising:

a receiver to receive an encoded message containing comprising a text message;

a message module to examine the encoded message for an identifier identifying contents of the text message as corresponding to a SMS text message and upon making such an identification, extracting the text message from the encoded message; and

a display to present the text message to a user as an incoming SMS text message.

27. A messaging device according to claim 26, wherein extracting extraction of the text message from the encoded message and presentation of the text message to the user as the incoming SMS text message is performed via an application.

28. A messaging device according to claim 26, wherein the identifier is examined to determine whether the encoded message is a text message.

29. A messaging device according to claim 27, further comprising:

a datastore configured to store the extracted SMS text messages.

30. A messaging device according to claim 29, wherein a message identifier is extracted from the encoded message and stored with the SMS text message within the datastore.

31. A messaging device according to claim 26, wherein the message module is further configured to be responsive to further SMS text messages identifying a message within the datastore and identifying an action to update a state of the message within the datastore.

32-36. -36. (canceled)