Method of delivering short messages using a SMPP gateway with standard interface

• US 6,965,777 B1
• Filed: 11/16/2000
• Issued: 11/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Midkiff, David, Cast, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US09/714,035
• Time in Patent Office: 1,825 Days
• Field of Search: 455/445, 455/412, 455/414, 455/422, 455/432, 455/466, 455/560, 370/229, 370/237, 370/310, 370/351, 370/352, 370/428
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A method is disclosed for delivering a short message from an external short message entity (ESME) to a wireless device. The method comprises transmitting a message from a message source device such as an external short message entity to a gateway, the message being associated with a service type. A routing determination is made based on the service type associated with the message. The message is then routed to one of a plurality of message centers according to the routing method chosen. The method may be used with a gateway system that implements a standard interface to a message complex of a wireless system. The interface enables all ESMEs to communicate with the message complex using a consistent standard interface. The system used to implement the method of the present invention comprises a short message point-to-point gateway, a message complex, a home location register and a mobile switching center. The external short message entity connects to the short message point-to-point gateway and requests delivery of a message to a wireless device, and the short message point-to-point gateway routes the request to an appropriate message center.

Claims

1. A method of delivering a message from a message source device to a message receiving device through a short message point-to-point protocol gateway through which plural short message entities communicate with a plurality of messaging centers, the method comprising:

transmitting a message from the message source device to the gateway, the message being associated with a message service type;

determining at the gateway a routing method based on the message service type; and

routing the message from the gateway to one of the plurality of messaging centers according to the routing method, the routing method is selected from a group consisting of message center specific, load balancing, mobile destination number (MDN) range, equal allocation and electronic serial number, the equal allocation routing method routing messages to a group of message centers based on sequentially sending messages to each message center in the group of message centers such that each message center in the group receives an equal number of messages.

2. A method of delivering a message according to claim 1, wherein the message source device is one of a plurality of different message source devices that communicate with the gateway using a single interface protocol.

3. A method of delivering a message according to claim 1, wherein the message center specific routing method routes all messages for the message service type of the routed message to a specific messaging center.

4. A method of delivering a message according to claim 1, wherein the load balancing routing method routes messages to a group of message centers based on load capabilities of each message center in the group of message centers.

5. A method of delivering a message according to claim 1, wherein the MDN range routing method routes messages to a specific message center based on the MDN range of the destination address.

6. A method of delivering a message according to claim 5, wherein the MDN range routing method uses the message service type and destination address for routing decisions.

7. A method of delivering a message from a message source device to a message receiving device through a plurality of message centers communicating with a short message point-to-point protocol gateway, the method comprising:

transmitting the message from the message source device to one of the plurality of message centers, the message being associated with a message service type;

transmitting the message from the one of the plurality of message centers to the gateway;

determining at the gateway a routing method based on the message service type; and

routing the message from the gateway to the message receiving device according to the routing method, the routing method being selected from a group consisting of message receiving device specific, load balancing, equal allocation, destination IP address, and destination address,

wherein the destination address routing method routes the message to a destination message receiving device based on a value of a destination parameter.

8. A method of delivering a message according to claim 7, wherein the message source device is one of a plurality of different message source devices that communicate with the plurality of message centers using a single interface protocol.

9. A method of delivering a message according to claim 7, wherein the message receiving device specific routing method routes all messages for the message service type of the routed message to a specific messaging receiving device.

10. A method of delivering a message according to claim 7, wherein the load balancing routing method routes messages to a group of message receiving devices based on load capabilities of each message receiving device in the group of message receiving devices.

11. A method of delivering a message according to claim 7, wherein the equal allocation routing method routes messages to a group of message destination devices based on sequentially sending messages to each message receiving device in the group such that each message receiving device receives an equal number of messages.

12. A method of delivering a message according to claim 7, wherein the destination IP address routing method routes the message to a destination based on an IP address contained in a destination address parameter.

13. A method of processing mobile device terminated messages transmitted from a message source and received by a short message point-to-point protocol gateway through which plural short message entities communicate with a plurality of messaging centers, the messages being associated with a message service type, the method comprising:

invoking at the gateway a routing method based on the message service type, the routing method being invoked only if an anti-spamming check returns an allowed status;

routing the message from the gateway to a message center according to the invoked routing method; and

transmitting the message from the message center to the mobile device,

wherein the message center responds to the gateway to indicate that the message was received when the message center receives the message.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising invoking the routing method only if a throttle control limit is not exceeded.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting an alarm when the message is rejected and the message source throttle limit is exceeded.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting an alarm when the message is rejected and a message center is not available for the service type associated with the message.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising sending to the message source a response signal indicating that the message was received by the message center when the gateway receives the response signal from the message center.

18. A method of processing a mobile device terminated (MT) message transmitted from a message source and received by a gateway, the MT message being associated with a service type, the method comprising:

determining whether the message source is bound to the gateway;

rejecting the MT message if the message source is not bound to the gateway;

determining whether the message source is authorized for the service type if the message source is bound to the gateway;

rejecting the MT message if the message source is not authorized for the service type;

determining whether throttle control limits are exceeded for the message source if the message source is authorized for the service type;

rejecting the MT message if throttle control limits are exceeded;

determining whether anti-spamming is enabled for the service type if throttle control limits are not exceeded;

requesting an anti-spam check if anti-spamming is enabled;

invoking a routing method for the service type if the anti-spam check returns allowed;

rejecting the MT message if the anti-spam check returns not allowed;

invoking a routing method for the service type if anti-spamming is not enabled for the service type;

determining whether a message center is available for the service type;

rejecting the message if no message center is available;

routing the message to a destination message center if a message center is available;

receiving a response from the destination message center; and

transmitting the response to the message source.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

if a message center is available for the service type associated with the MT message, determining whether the message center is subject to flow control and whether an alternate message center is available; and

rejecting the message if the message center is subject to flow control and no alternate message center is available.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

after the gateway receives a response from the destination message center, determining whether the response indicates congestion;

determining whether an alternate message center is available if congestion exists;

if an alternate message center is available when congestion exists, routing the message to the alternate destination message center;

if no alternate message center is available, invoking flow control at the destination message center and rejecting the message; and

sending the response to the message source if no congestion exists.