Unified messaging system having short message service command processor

• US 6,813,507 B1
• Filed: 05/02/2001
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lockwood, Robert James, Gress, David S., Sealey, Robert Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US09/846,224
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/550.1, 455/414.4, 379/88.12, 709/203, 709/230, 707/2, 370/352-356, 370/328, 370/349, 370/496, 370/522
• US Class Current: 455/466
• 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: H04M 2203/4509 Unified messaging with single point of access to voicemail and other mail or messaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• 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 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

A unified communications system includes an SMS command processor configured for executing prescribed messaging operations based on reception of an SMS message having respective prescribed commands. The SMS command processor is configured for receiving the SMS message based on the SMS message having a prescribed destination that corresponds to the address for the SMS command processor. The SMS message may be generated by the unified messaging subscriber requesting execution of a prescribed messaging operation, or from another agent configured for generating the SMS message based on a prescribed event. The SMS command processor parses the received SMS message for the prescribed command, and executes the prescribed command as necessary. The prescribed command may be defined by the service provider, alternately the prescribed command may be user-defined according to a command table stored in a subscriber profile directory. Hence, SMS messaging users can send SMS messages as a command interface for a unified messaging system, enabling storage and retrieval of unified messages.

Claims

1. A method in a server configured for executing messaging operations, the method comprising:

receiving a short message service (SMS) message;

parsing the SMS message for a prescribed messaging command,

executing a prescribed messaging operation based on the prescribed messaging command; and

accessing a subscriber directory, according to an open network protocol, for subscriber attribute information based on source information within the SMS message, the executing step including performing the prescribed messaging operation based on the subscriber attribute information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber attribute information specifies that the source information specifies a valid SMS subscriber authorized to send the prescribed messaging command using the SMS message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing step further includes determining the prescribed messaging operation based on decoding the prescribed messaging command relative to user-specific messaging commands obtained from the subscriber attribute information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing step includes accessing the subscriber directory according to Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).

5. A method in a server configured for executing messaging operations the method comprising:

receiving a short message service (SMS) message;

parsing the SMS message for a prescribed messaging command; and

executing a prescribed messaging operation based on the prescribed messaging command;

wherein the executing step includes sending a request to a notification agent for generation of a prescribed message according to a selected notification protocol.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sending step includes sending the request to the notification agent according to SMTP protocol.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the executing step further includes obtaining subscriber-selected external information, based on subscriber selections specified within retrieved subscriber attribute information, and inserting the obtained external information within the request.

8. A method in a server configured for executing messaging operations, the method comprising:

receiving a short message service (SMS) message;

parsing the SMS message for a prescribed messaging command; and

executing a prescribed messaging operation based on the prescribed messaging command;

wherein the receiving step includes receiving the SMS message according to short message peer-to-peer (SMPP) protocol.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the parsing step includes:

first parsing the SMS message for a telephone number field that specifies a presence of the prescribed messaging command; and

obtaining the prescribed messaging command based on determining that the telephone number field specifies the presence of the prescribed messaging command.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the parsing step further includes determining the presence of the prescribed messaging command based on the telephone number field corresponding to a prescribed telephone number assigned for SMS command processing.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the parsing step further includes determining the presence of the prescribed messaging command based on the telephone number field specifying a valid subscriber telephone number and a prescribed tag that identifies the presence of the prescribed messaging command.

12. A method in a server configured for executing messaging operations, the method comprising:

receiving a short message service (SMS) message;

parsing the SMS message for a prescribed messaging command; and

executing a prescribed messaging operation based on the prescribed messaging command;

wherein the receiving step includes receiving an e-mail message containing the SMS message;

the method further comprising accessing a subscriber directory, according to an open network protocol, for subscriber attribute information including a subscriber notification preference, the executing step including forwarding data within the SMS message to a subscriber according to the prescribed subscriber notification preference.

13. A server configured for executing messaging operations, the server including:

an interface configured for receiving a short message service (SMS) message according to a prescribed network protocol; and

an SMS command processor configured for parsing the SMS message and executing a prescribed messaging operation based on detecting a prescribed messaging command within the SMS message;

wherein the interface is configured for receiving the SMS message according to at least one of short message peer-to-peer (SMPP) protocol and SMTP protocol as the prescribed network protocol.

14. A server configured for executing messaging operations, the server including:

an interface configured for receiving a short message service (SMS) message according to a prescribed network protocol;

an SMS command processor configured for parsing the SMS message and executing a prescribed messaging operation based on detecting a prescribed messaging command within the SMS message; and

a subscriber directory resource configured for accessing subscriber attribute information from a subscriber directory according to an open network protocol, the SMS command processor configured for executing the prescribed messaging operation based on the subscriber attribute information.

15. The server of claim 14, wherein the SMS command processor is configured for decoding the prescribed messaging command based on user-specific messaging commands specified within the subscriber attribute information.

16. The server of claim 14, wherein the subscriber directory resource is configured for accessing the subscriber directory according to Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) as the open network protocol.

17. The server of claim 14, further comprising an agent configured for obtaining subscriber-selected external information from a remote server according to a prescribed open network protocol, based on subscriber selections specified within the subscriber attribute information, the SMS command processor configured for executing the prescribed messaging operation based on retrieval of the subscriber-selected external information.

18. The server of claim 17, further comprising a messaging resource configured for outputting a notification message including the subscriber-selected external information, generated by the prescribed messaging operation, to an external server according to an IP-based protocol.

19. The server of claim 18, wherein the messaging resource is configured for outputting the notification message according to at least one of SMTP protocol and IMAP protocol.

20. A server configured for executing messaging operations, the server including:

an interface configured for receiving a short message service (SMS) message according to a prescribed network protocol; and

an SMS command processor configured for parsing the SMS message and executing a prescribed messaging operation based on detecting a prescribed messaging command within the SMS message;

wherein the SMS command processor is configured for parsing the message for the prescribed messaging command based on detecting within the SMS message a telephone number field that specifies a presence of the prescribed messaging command.

21. The server of claim 20, wherein the SMS command processor detects the presence of the prescribed messaging command based on the telephone number field corresponding to a prescribed telephone number assigned for SMS command processing.

22. The server of claim 20, wherein the SMS command processor detects the presence of the prescribed messaging command based on the telephone number field specifying a valid subscriber telephone number and a prescribed tag that identifies the presence of the prescribed messaging command.

23. A computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions for receiving a short message service (SMS) message by a server, the sequences of instructions including instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving a short message service (SMS) message;

parsing the SMS message for a prescribed messaging command;

executing a prescribed messaging operation based on the prescribed messaging command; and

accessing a subscriber directory, according to an open network protocol, for subscriber attribute information based on source information within the SMS message, the executing step including performing the prescribed messaging operation based on the subscriber attribute information.

24. The medium of claim 23, wherein the subscriber attribute information specifies that the source information specifies a valid SMS subscriber authorized to send the prescribed messaging command using the SMS message.

25. The medium of claim 23, wherein the executing step further includes determining the prescribed messaging operation based on decoding the prescribed messaging command relative to user-specific messaging commands obtained from the subscriber attribute information.

26. The medium of claim 23, wherein the accessing step includes accessing the subscriber directory according to Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).

27. A computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions for receiving a short message service (SMS) message by a server, the sequences of instructions including instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving a short message service (SMS) message;

parsing the SMS message for a prescribed messaging command; and

executing a prescribed messaging operation based on the prescribed messaging command;

wherein the executing step includes sending a request to a notification agent for generation of a prescribed message according to a selected notification protocol.

28. The medium of claim 27, wherein the sending step includes sending the request to the notification agent according to SMTP protocol.

29. The medium of claim 27, wherein the executing step further includes obtaining subscriber-selected external information, based on subscriber selections specified within retrieved subscriber attribute information, and inserting the obtained external information within the request.

30. A computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions for receiving a short message service (SMS) message by a server, the sequences of instructions including instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving a short message service (SMS) message;

parsing the SMS message for a prescribed messaging command; and

executing a prescribed messaging operation based on the prescribed messaging command;

wherein the receiving step includes receiving the SMS message according to short message peer-to-peer (SMPP) protocol.

31. The medium of claim 30, wherein the parsing step includes:

first parsing the SMS message for a telephone number field that specifies a presence of the prescribed messaging command; and

obtaining the prescribed messaging command based on determining that the telephone number field specifies the presence of the prescribed messaging command.

32. The medium of claim 31, wherein the parsing step further includes determining the presence of the prescribed messaging command based on the telephone number field corresponding to a prescribed telephone number assigned for SMS command processing.

33. The medium of claim 31, wherein the parsing step further includes determining the presence of the prescribed messaging command based on the telephone number field specifying a valid subscriber telephone number and a prescribed tag that identifies the presence of the prescribed messaging command.

34. A computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions for receiving a short message service (SMS) message by a server, the sequences of instructions including instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving a short message service (SMS) message;

parsing the SMS message for a prescribed messaging command; and

executing a prescribed messaging operation based on the prescribed messaging command;

wherein the receiving step includes receiving an e-mail message containing the SMS message;

the medium further comprising instructions for performing the step of accessing a subscriber directory, according to an open network protocol, for subscriber attribute information including a subscriber notification preference, the executing step including forwarding data within the SMS message to a subscriber according to the prescribed subscriber notification preference.

35. A server comprising:

means for receiving a short message service (SMS) message;

means for parsing the SMS message for a prescribed messaging command;

means for executing a prescribed messaging operation based on the prescribed messaging command; and

means for accessing a subscriber directory, according to an open network protocol, for subscriber attribute information based on source information within the SMS message, the executing means performing the prescribed messaging operation based on the subscriber attribute information.

36. The server of claim 35, wherein the subscriber attribute information specifies that the source information specifies a valid SMS subscriber authorized to send the prescribed messaging command using the SMS message.

37. The server of claim 35, wherein the executing means is configured for determining the prescribed messaging operation based on decoding the prescribed messaging command relative to user-specific messaging commands obtained from the subscriber attribute information.

38. The server of claim 35, wherein the accessing means is configured for accessing the subscriber directory according to Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).

39. A server comprising:

means for receiving, a short message service (SMS) message;

means for parsing the SMS message for a prescribed messaging command; and

means for executing a prescribed messaging operation based on the prescribed messaging command;

wherein the executing means is configured for sending a request to a notification agent for generation of a prescribed message according to a selected notification protocol.

40. The server of claim 39, wherein the sending means is configured for sending the request to the notification agent according to SMTP protocol.

41. The server of claim 39, wherein the executing means includes means for obtaining subscriber-selected external information, based on subscriber selections specified within retrieved subscriber attribute information, the executing means inserting the obtained external information within the request.

42. A server comprising:

means for receiving a short message service (SMS) message;

means for parsing the SMS message for a prescribed messaging command; and

means for executing a prescribed messaging operation based on the prescribed messaging command;

wherein the receiving means is configured for receiving the SMS message according to short message peer-to-peer (SMPP) protocol.

43. The server of claim 42, wherein the parsing means is configured for:

first parsing the SMS message for a telephone number field that specifies a presence of the prescribed messaging command; and

obtaining the prescribed messaging command based on determining that the telephone number field specifies the presence of the prescribed messaging command.

44. The server of claim 43, wherein the parsing means is configured for determining the presence of the prescribed messaging command based on the telephone number field corresponding to a prescribed telephone number assigned for SMS command processing.

45. The server of claim 43, wherein the parsing means is configured for determining the presence of the prescribed messaging command based on the telephone number field specifying a valid subscriber telephone number and a prescribed tag that identifies the presence of the prescribed messaging command.

46. A server comprising:

means for receiving a short message service (SMS) message;

means for parsing the SMS message for a prescribed messaging command; and

means for executing a prescribed messaging operation based on the prescribed messaging command;

wherein the receiving means is configured for receiving an e-mail message containing the SMS message;

the server further comprising means for accessing a subscriber directory, according to an open network protocol, for subscriber attribute information including a subscriber notification preference, the executing means configured for forwarding data within the SMS message to a subscriber according to the prescribed subscriber notification preference.