SESSION-BASED SHORT MESSAGE SERVICE MANAGEMENT

• US 20120179763A1
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comtech Solacom Technologies, Inc. (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Solomon Technologies Incorporated (Technipower Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: FERLAND, Gilles, BIAGE, Daniel, VILIS, Raymond A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,856,245 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A short message service (SMS) message management system for special number service operator in a public safety answering point based environment is provided. SMS messages received at a gateway are converted to instant messaging session and routed to an operator position coupled to the gateway. The gateway maintains a messaging session between the operator position and the wireless device ensuring consistent communication is provided between the two parties.

Claims

1. A method of short message service session management for a special number service at a public safety answering point, the method comprising:

receiving at a gateway an SMS message from a mobile device through a wireless network, the SMS message directed from the mobile device to a number associated with the public safety answering point;

converting SMS message to an instant message (IM);

sending the IM message to an operator position coupled to the gateway through a network;

receiving acceptance from the operator position to initiate the session; and

sending subsequent SMS messages from the mobile device to the operator position maintaining the session based upon an originating identifier associated with the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a termination request from the operator; and

terminating the session between the mobile device and the operator where subsequent SMS message from the mobile device may be assigned to another operator.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the IM message to an operator position further comprises determining an operator position that is most idle.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the IM message to an operator position further comprises:

determining an operator position that has a highest priority assigned to receive an SMS session.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the SMS message via Short Message Peer-to-Peer (SMPP) protocol data units (PDUs).

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning the mobile device SMS message to an operator position using a location identifier provided with the SMS message.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning the mobile device SMS message to an operator position using a location identifier retrieved from a service provider associated with the wireless network.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the SMS message via a wireless modem coupled to the gateway.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending SMS messages from operator position to the mobile device during the session.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending SMS message to the mobile device confirming that the message has been received and that the session with an operator will commence.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning the SMS session to an operator position based upon one or more keywords identified in the SMS message.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein converting the SMS message to an IM message is performed by an Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) service.

13. A gateway server for providing session-based short message service (SMS) messaging management at a special number service at a public safety answering point comprising:

a processor;

a memory providing instructions for execution by the processor, the instructions providing;

SMS message receiver for receiving SMS message from a mobile device coupled to a wireless network;

SMS/Instant Message (IM) mapper for converting SMS message format to an IM format; and

IM session manager for receiving converted SMS to IM message from the SMS/IM mapper and assigning the IM message to an operator position and maintaining an IM session by routing SMS messages between the mobile device and the operator until the session is terminated by the operator position.

14. The gateway server of claim 13 wherein the IM session manager receives a termination request from the operator, and terminates the session between the mobile device and the operator where subsequent SMS message from the mobile device may be assigned to another operator.

15. The gateway server of claim 13 wherein sending the IM session manager assigns the operator position by determining an operator position that is most idle.

16. The gateway server of claim 13 wherein sending the IM session manager assigns the operator position that has a highest priority assigned to receive an SMS session.

17. The gateway server of claim 13 wherein the SMS message receiver received the SMS message via Short Message Peer-to-Peer (SMPP) protocol data units (PDUs).

18. The gateway server of claim 13 wherein sending the IM session manager assigns the mobile device SMS message to an operator position using a location identifier provided with the SMS message.

19. The gateway server of claim 13 wherein sending the IM session manager assigns the mobile device SMS message to an operator position using a location identifier retrieved from a service provider associated with the wireless network.

20. The gateway server of claim 13 wherein the SMS message receiver receives the SMS message via a wireless modem coupled to the gateway.

21. The gateway server of claim 13 wherein the IM session manager sends an SMS message to the mobile device confirming that the message has been received and that the session with an operator will commence.

22. The gateway server of claim 13 the IM session manager assigns an SMS session to an operator position based upon one or more keywords identified in the SMS message.

23. The gateway server of claim 13 wherein SMS/IM message mapper maps the SMS message to an IM message using an Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) service.

24. A computer readable memory containing instructions for providing short message service session management at a public safety answering point, the instructions which when executed by a processor perform the method comprising:

receiving at a gateway an SMS message from a mobile device through a wireless network, the SMS message directed from the mobile device to a number associated with the public safety answering point;

converting SMS message to an instant message (IM);

sending the IM message to an operator position coupled to the gateway through a network;

receiving acceptance from the operator position to initiate the session; and

sending subsequent SMS messages from the mobile device to the operator position maintaining the session based upon an originating identifier associated with the mobile device.