SOCIAL MESSAGING SYSTEM HAVING MULTIPLE NUMBER, DUAL MODE PHONE SUPPORT

• US 20160255041A1
• Filed: 05/06/2016
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HeyWire, Inc. (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HeyWire, Inc. (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lew, Eugene Lee, Lauder, Gary M., Gianoukos, Vasileios John
• Granted Patent: US 10,505,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• 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: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8038 Roaming or handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8055 Selecting cheaper transport technology for a given service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8061 Selecting least cost route depending on origin or type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/23 for mobile advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A social messaging hub provides communication services for a data enabled device having Internet network access capabilities. The social messaging hub communicates with the data enabled device over the Internet or cellular data networks, and interfaces with a message infrastructure including mobile carriers, message aggregators, message exchanges and various specialized social messaging services to enable bi-directional messaging communication. The user is given a registered phone number and unique IP addressable identification which serve as a source and destination identifier of the associated data enabled device. Messages may originate in or be delivered to other users'"'"' mobile telephones or in similarly equipped and provisioned IP data enabled devices. An application operating on the IP enabled device determines in conjunction with the social messaging hub a mode of transmission as a function of parameters including device location and destination of a message.

Claims

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

an SMS provider;

an inbound service coupled to the SMS provider;

a database coupled to the inbound service and a web server;

a Hub application operating on the web server and comprising a plurality of message services; and

a transmission mode selector, wherein the transmission mode selector comprises an ad controller.

2. The social messaging hub of claim 14, wherein the database stores a plurality of user criteria which is used by transmission mode selector to select a network for transmission, and a delivery address to process a message to be delivered to a data enabled device mobile device.

3. The social messaging hub of claim 15, wherein the database stores a plurality of user criteria which is used by transmission mode selector to select a phone origin to process a message received from data enabled device mobile device.

4. The social messaging hub of claim 15 further comprising a common inbox.

5. The social messaging hub of claim 17, wherein messages addressed to multiple phone numbers are delivered to the common inbox.

6. The social messaging hub of claim 17, wherein messages addressed to multiple accounts associated with an IP address are delivered to the common inbox.

7. A smartphone application operating in conjunction with a transmission mode selector on a social messaging hub for Short Message Service/Multimedia Messaging Service/Enhanced Messaging Service (SMS/MMS/EMS) communications.