MOBILE MESSAGING HUB ENABLING ENTERPRISE OFFICE TELEPHONE NUMBERS

• US 20130196697A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HeyWire, Inc. (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MediaFriends Incorporated
• Inventors: Lew, Eugene Lee, Gianoukos, Vasileios J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,271,129 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/385 Uniform resource identifier for session initiation protocol [SIP URI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• 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: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/128 Anti-malware arrangements, e.g. protection against SMS fraud or mobile malware
• 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 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A messaging hub provides communication services for user devices associated with an enterprise office telephone number. The messaging hub establishes a secure connection between the messaging hub local SMSC/MMSC and a data adapter of a unified communications service, provision the enterprise office telephone number for use in a global SMS/MMS network and delivers messages addressed to the enterprise office telephone number to selected user devices.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for enabling an enterprise office telephone number to be used for SMS/MMS/EMS message communication, the method comprising:

establishing a secure connection between the messaging hub local SMSC and a data adapter of a unified communications service;

identifying the enterprise office telephone number;

provisioning the enterprise office telephone number, the provisioning comprising;

registering the enterprise office telephone number with a messaging hub having access to a local SMSC/MMSC;

gaining access to a mobile message network using the enterprise office telephone number; and

registering the enterprise office telephone number in a database accessible by an SMSC/MMSC with access to a global SMS/MMS network.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning an identification data element to be used in conjunction with the enterprise office telephone number;

homing the assigned identification data element within the messaging hub for message traffic delivery and

wherein the identification data element is one of;

an SPID;

an ESPID;

an VSPID;

an AltSPID; and

a SIP URI.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a message corresponding to the assigned identification data element;

determining whether a session exists over the secure connection to the data adapter;

queuing a message for later delivery in response to determining that no session exists; and

redirecting the message to the session in response to determining that the session exists.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising auditing the received message.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein auditing comprises:

determining whether the received message is in violation of predetermined data content policies and in response to determining that the message is in violation;

signal an alert of the message violation;

log the message violation;

determine whether to queue the violating message for delivery;

determining whether the received message is spam; and

deleting the received message in response to determining that the received message is spam.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

associating a plurality of user devices with the enterprise office telephone number; and

determining which ones of the plurality of user devices receive the received message.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising

determining a location of one of the user devices;

communicating the location of one of the plurality of user devices to the unified communications service; and

delivering a location specific message to the one of the plurality of user devices.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an SMS/MMS message by associating a DID number of the enterprise office telephone number with the message.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising auditing the a message to be sent.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein auditing comprises:

determining whether the message to be sent is in violation of predetermined data content policies and in response to determining that the message is in violation;

signal an alert of the message violation;

log the message violation; and

determine whether to send the violating message.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the enterprise office telephone number further comprises identifying a block of enterprise office telephone numbers.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising providing a messaging application running on the messaging hub and within the unified communications service.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising providing a push service to transfer a message from the messaging hub to the unified communications service via the messaging application.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising providing a pull service to transfer a message from the messaging hub to the unified communications service via the messaging application.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising provisioning into at least one of:

a third party directory;

a carrier'"'"'s directory;

a government directory; and

a government master directory.

16. A messaging hub for enterprise Short Message Service/Multimedia Messaging Service/Enhanced Messaging Service (SMS/MMS/EMS) communications comprising:

an interface to a local SMSC/MMSC;

at least one application server coupled to the local SMSC/MMSC through the interface;

wherein the local SMSC/MMSC is an interfaced to at least one external SMSC/MMSC in an external SMS/MMS/EMS network;

a database coupled to at least one database server coupled to the application server providing contact management data, application management data and message management data;

an interface between the messaging hub and a data adapter of a unified communications service;

an application interface to a unified communications service;

a message retention queue for delaying delivery of SMS/MMS/EMS messages; and

an interface to a push service.

17. The messaging hub of claim 16 further comprising an interface to a pull service.

18. The messaging hub of claim 16 further comprising an auditing engine including a spam filter.

19. The messaging hub of claim 16 further comprising a user device delivery selector.

20. The messaging hub of claim 16 further comprising a location services engine.

21. A computer readable storage medium for tangibly storing thereon computer readable instructions for a messaging application having an on premise component and a messaging hub component, the messaging hub component having for a method comprising:

establishing a secure connection between the messaging hub local SMSC/MMSC and a data adapter of a unified communications service;

identifying the enterprise office telephone number;

provisioning the enterprise office telephone number, the provisioning comprising;

registering the enterprise office telephone number with a messaging hub having access to a local SMSC/MMSC;

gaining access to the mobile message network using the non-mobile enterprise office telephone number; and

registering the enterprise office telephone number in a database accessible by an SMSC/MMSC with access to the global SMS/MMS network;

the on premise component comprising instructions for a method comprising

transferring an enterprise office telephone number over the secure connection; and

sending and receiving SMS/MMS messages over the secure connection.