Alphanumeric paging message system operating on the internet

• US 6,515,576 B1
• Filed: 03/21/2000
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tumbleweed Holdings LLC (Equitable IP Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Semotus Solutions Inc. (Ealixir, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miller, Nicholas B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shimizu, Matsuichiro
• Application Number:
  US09/531,801
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 340/7.28, 340/7.24, 379/93.24, 455/31.2, 709/206, 709/208, 709/203, 709/207, 709/217, 709/218, 707/501, 707/513, 345/700
• US Class Current: 340/7.24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

A message-sending system provides for entering an identifier uniquely associated with an intended recipient and a message for the intended recipient in a WEB page, and associating the identifier with the intended recipient'"'"'s pager routing information from a database accessible to a WEB Server providing the WEB page. A successful association leads to formatting a pager message for the intended recipient, and forwarding the formatted message to a pager system serving the intended recipient. In some embodiments success or failure of the pager message is reported back to the original sender.

Claims

1. A message delivery system, comprising:

a WEB page on a WEB Server having an input interface for a message sender to enter an identifier associated uniquely with an intended recipient and an alphanumeric message;

a pager message preparation facility operating on the WEB server integrating the identifier and alphanumeric message from the input interface with data retrieved from a database, matching routing information for the intended recipient with the identifier, thereby providing a pager message incorporating the alphanumeric message for the intended recipient; and

a pager message sending facility for sending the prepared pager message to a paging system to be transmitted to a pager associated with the intended recipient.

2. The message delivery system of claim 1 wherein the identifier is the intended recipient'"'"'s e-mail address.

3. The message delivery system of claim 1 further comprising a facility for returning a message to the message sender via the WEB page, announcing result of the pager message transmission.

4. A Web page comprising:

an input interface for a message sender to enter an identifier uniquely associated with an intended recipient, and an alphanumeric message to be passed to the intended recipient; and

a signal input for the message sender to initiate forwarding the message to a paging service.

5. The WEB page of claim 4 wherein the identifier is the intended recipient'"'"'s e-mail address.

6. The WEB page of claim 4 further comprising an announcement field for announcing to the message sender success or failure of a pager message sent.

7. A method for sending an alphanumeric pager message from a message sender'"'"'s computer, comprising steps of:

(a) entering an identifier uniquely associated with an intended recipient in a first entry field in a WEB page transmitted to the sender'"'"'s computer from a WEB Server;

(b) entering an alphanumeric message for the intended recipient in a second entry field in the WEB page;

(c) associating the identifier at the WEB server with pager routing information for the intended recipient; and

(d) formatting the alphanumeric message and routing information at the WEB Server into a form required for a pager message, and forwarding the formatted pager message to a paging system to be transmitted to the intended recipient.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the identifier is the intended recipient'"'"'s e-mail address.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising a step for receiving a result of the pager message sent at the WEB server, and sending a result message back to the message sender via the WEB page.