System and method for delivering a message waiting indicator message to a wireless system

• US 6,731,926 B1
• Filed: 04/02/2001
• Issued: 05/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Link, Charles M. II, Cardina, Donald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Omary, Nawara T.
• Application Number:
  US09/822,511
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 455/413, 455/417, 455/433, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/466, 379/67.1
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

A system and method for delivering a message waiting indicator (MWI) message to a wireless system, such that a Mobile Telephone Switching Office (MTSO) of the wireless system can recognize the MWI message and correspondingly activate an MWI on a wireless device (e.g., a wireless telephone). The present invention enables a messaging service provider, which is in communication with a wireline network through a central office, to send an MWI message through the central office and to a wireless device as a part of an integrated voicemail messaging service. According to one embodiment, the present invention processes a standard SS7 ReportEventMessageAvailable message, making the message compatible with a desired wireless protocol, such as analog, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An MWI processor executes this process anywhere between, and including, the messaging service provider and the MTSO.

Claims

1. A method for delivering a message waiting indicator message to a wireless system comprising:

receiving a message, wherein the message is a Signaling System 7 transaction capabilities application part message that includes message waiting data;

determining a mobile identification number associated with the message;

determining a point code associated with the mobile identification number;

determining a protocol corresponding to the point code; and

forwarding a second message to the point code in the wireless system,

wherein if the point code corresponds to an analog protocol, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) protocol, or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) protocol, the second message is an InformationDirective message that contains an operation family, an operation specifier, a destination number, and the message waiting data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation family is ReportEvent, the operation specifier is MessageAvailable, the destination number is the mobile identification number, and the message waiting data is a message count.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the InformationDirective message complies with TIA/EIA Interim Standard IS-41.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the forwarding further comprises responding to the InformationDirective message at a mobile telephone switching office by activating the message waiting indicator on a wireless device associated with the mobile identification number.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the message waiting indicator is one of a stutter dial tone, an illuminated light, and an icon.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the point code points to a home location register of a mobile telephone switching office that serves a wireless device associated with the mobile identification number.

7. A method for delivering a message waiting indicator message to a wireless system comprising:

receiving a message, wherein the message is a Signaling System 7 transaction capabilities application part message that includes message waiting data;

determining a mobile identification number associated with the message;

determining a point code associated with the mobile identification number;

determining a protocol corresponding to the point code; and

forwarding a second message to the point code in the wireless system,

wherein the determining a protocol comprises determining if the point code corresponds to a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, and wherein if the point code corresponds to a GSM protocol, the forwarding a second message comprises;

determining an address of a short message service center corresponding to the point code, and

forwarding a short message peer-to-peer message to the address of the short message service center, wherein the short message peer-to-peer message is the second message.

8. The method of claim 7,further comprising forwarding a second Signaling System 7 message from the short message service center to a wireless device associated with the mobile identification number.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second Signaling System 7 message activates a message waiting indicator on the wireless device to display the message waiting data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the message waiting indicator is one of a text message and an icon.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the address is an Internet Protocol address.

12. A method for delivering a message waiting indicator message to a wireless system comprising:

receiving a message, wherein the message is a Signaling System 7 transaction capabilities application part message that includes message waiting data;

determining a mobile identification number associated with the message;

determining a point code associated with the mobile identification number;

determining a protocol corresponding to the point code; and

forwarding a second message to the point code in the wireless system,

wherein the determining a protocol comprises determining if the point code corresponds to a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, and wherein if the point code corresponds to a GSM protocol, the forwarding a second message comprises;

forwarding a short message service information request to the point code, wherein the short message service information request references the mobile identification number and queries for a location of a wireless device associated with the mobile identification number,

wherein the short message service information request is the second message.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein if the wireless device is available, the method further comprises forwarding a short message to the wireless device, wherein the short message is the message waiting indicator.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein forwarding the short message comprises:

receiving the International Mobile Subscriber Identity and Local Mobile Station Identity of the wireless device from a home location register associated with the point code, and

forwarding the short message to the International Mobile Subscriber Identity at the Local Mobile Station Identity.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein if the wireless device is unavailable, the method further comprises:

recording data of the short message service information request in a database,

requesting that a home location register associated with the point code report when the wireless device becomes available,

when the wireless becomes available, retrieving the data of the short message service information request from the database, and

forwarding a second short message service information request to the point code.

16. A method for delivering a message waiting indicator message to a wireless system comprising:

receiving a message, wherein the message is a ReportEventMessageAvailable message;

determining a mobile identification number associated with the message;

determining a point code associated with the mobile identification number;

determining a protocol corresponding to the point code; and

forwarding a second message to the point code in the wireless system.

17. A method for delivering a message waiting indicator message to a wireless system comprising:

receiving a message, wherein the message is a Signaling System 7 transaction capabilities application part message that includes message waiting data;

determining a mobile identification number associated with the message;

determining a point code associated with the mobile identification number;

determining a protocol corresponding to the point code; and

forwarding a second message to the point code in the wireless system,

wherein if the mobile identification number includes a pseudo numbering plan area (NPA), the determining a point code further comprises replacing the pseudo NPA with a real NPA in the mobile identification number.

18. A system for delivering a message waiting indicator message to a wireless system comprising:

(a) a messaging service provider adapted to transmit message waiting indicator messages;

(b) a central office in communication with the messaging service provider, wherein the central office is adapted to transmit ReportEventMessageAvailable messages in response to message waiting indicator messages from the messaging service provider;

(c) a message waiting indicator processor in communication with the central office, wherein the message waiting indicator processor is adapted to receive a ReportEventMessageAvailable message from the central office, and

to translate the ReportEventMessageAvailable message into an InformationDirective for analog, Time Division Multiple Access, and Code Division Multiple Access wireless systems; and

(d) a mobile telephone switching office in communication with the message waiting indicator processor, wherein the mobile telephone switching office is adapted to receive a translated ReportEventMessageAvailable message from the message waiting indicator processor and, in response, to activate a message waiting indicator of a corresponding wireless device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the message waiting indicator processor is adapted to translate the ReportEventMessageAvailable message into one of a short message peer-to-peer message and a short message service information request for Global System for Mobile Communications wireless systems.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the message waiting indicator processor is adapted to send the InformationDirective to a home location register of the mobile telephone switching office.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the message waiting indicator processor is provisioned in the central office.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the message waiting indicator processor is provisioned in the mobile telephone switching office.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the central office and the message waiting indicator processor are in communication through a Signaling System 7 Integrated Services Digital Network User Part communication link.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the message waiting indicator processor is further adapted to translate a pseudo numbering plan area that is referenced in the ReportEventMessageAvailable message into a real numbering plan area.

25. A method for delivering a message waiting indicator message to a wireless system comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting a ReportEventMessageAvailable message from a central office to a processor, wherein the ReportEventMessageAvailable message contains an operation family, an operation specifier, a destination number, and message data;

(b) extracting the destination number and message data from the ReportEventMessageAvailable, wherein the destination number is a mobile identification number;

(c) generating an information element containing an NPA/NXX of the mobile identification number;

(d) determining a point code associated with the NPA/NXX;

(e) determining whether the point code is part of an analog, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), or Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) wireless system;

(f) sending an InformationDirective message to the point code, if the point code is part of an analog, TDMA, or CDMA wireless system; and

(g) sending one of a short message peer-to-peer message and a short message service information request to the point code, if the point code is part of a GSM wireless system.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, for the step of sending an InformationDirective message to the point code,

the InformationDirective message contains an operation family that complies with IS-41, an operation specifier set to InformationDirective, the mobile identification number, and the message data, and the point code corresponds to a home location register of a mobile telephone switching office,

wherein the home location register updates its database with the InformationDirective message, and

wherein the mobile telephone switching office activates a message waiting indicator on a wireless device associated with the mobile identification number.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of sending one of a short message peer-to-peer message and a short message service information request to the point code comprises the steps of:

determining an address of a short message service center corresponding to the point code,

forwarding the short message peer-to-peer message to the address of the short message service center, and

forwarding a Signaling System 7 message from the short message service center to a wireless device associated with the mobile identification number.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of sending one of a short message peer-to-peer message and a short message service information request to the point code comprises the steps of:

forwarding a short message service information request to the point code, wherein the short message service information request references the mobile identification number and queries for a location of a wireless device associated with the mobile identification number, and

if the wireless device is available, forwarding a short message to the wireless device, wherein the short message is the message waiting indicator.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein forwarding the short message comprises:

receiving the International Mobile Subscriber Identity and Local Mobile Station Identity of the wireless device from a home location register associated with the point code, and

forwarding the short message to the International Mobile Subscriber Identity at the Local Mobile Station Identity.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising the steps of:

if the wireless device is unavailable,

recording data of the short message service information request in a database,

requesting that a home location register associated with the point code report when the wireless device becomes available,

when the wireless becomes available, retrieving the data of the short message service information request from the database, and

forwarding a second short message service information request to the point code.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein if the mobile identification number includes a pseudo numbering plan area (NPA), step (d) further comprises replacing the pseudo NPA with a real NPA in the mobile identification number.