Method and system for mobile instant messaging using multiple interfaces

• US 7,120,455 B1
• Filed: 05/20/2004
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Patel, Biren, Chen, Xuming, Kupsh, Jerry, Velthuis, Adrian, Haider, Syed
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Cong Van
• Application Number:
  US10/851,778
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/403, 455/413, 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/428, 709/204, 709/206, 379/88.22, 379/88.06
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A system and method for exchanging messages between a mobile device and a plurality of IM services. The system includes an SMS-based MIM client that runs on a mobile device and provides a plurality of user interfaces for a plurality of respective IM services. A user of the mobile device can log in to at least one of the IM services using the MIM client, and the mobile phone user can use the MIM client to exchange text messages with users logged into the at least one chosen IM service.

Claims

1. A system for exchanging messages between a mobile device and a plurality of IM services, said system comprising:

an SMS-based MIM client running on a mobile device and providing a plurality of user interfaces, each interface for one of a plurality of IM services, the MIM client capable of exchanging IM messages with at least one of the IM services;

wherein a user of the mobile device can choose to log in to at least one of the IM services using the MIM client and messages can be exchanged between the mobile phone user using the MIM client and contacts logged into the at least one chosen IM service,

wherein the MIM client displays a contact list showing status of the contacts logged into the at least one chosen IM service, and the contact list is used to segregate the users into groups according to the at least one chosen IM service, and

wherein the MIM client receives the contact list due to the user selecting Login, the contact information and corresponding presence information is received from the chosen IM service in at least one message, and the contact list is dynamically updated each time the MIM client receives one of the messages comprising the presence information.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a PC interface for use by at least one of the contacts to log in to the at least one chosen IM service.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the IM services are selected from the group consisting of AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one chosen IM service comprises a first IM service and a second IM service, and

the mobile device user can log in to the first IM service while being logged in to the second IM service.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the MIM client allows the mobile device user to interact with one of the IM services at a time.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the MIM client allows the mobile device user to log in to the first IM service and the second IM service while maintaining all user session data relating to a session with the first IM service and a session with the second IM service.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an IM gateway connected to a plurality of IM servers and the MIM client, wherein an IM message sent from one of the contacts logged in to the at least one chosen IM service fails to be delivered to the MIM client;

and the IM gateway issues a message to the IM service to change a status of the user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one chosen IM service comprises a first IM service and a second IM service, and the chosen IM service notifies the mobile device user when a message is received from the first IM service when the mobile device user is accessing the second IM service.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising an IM gateway connected to a plurality of IM servers and the MIM client, wherein:

the MIM client exchanges IM messages with at least one of the IM servers via the IM gateway;

the IM gateway provides separate logout instructions for each of the IM services that the mobile device user is logged in to; and

each of the logout instructions is formatted to follow a proprietary protocol of each of the respective IM services.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device user transmits a login request for logging into the at least one chosen IM service from the MIM client to an IM server providing the at least one chosen IM service.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the login request is in the form of at least one SMS message comprising login instructions directed to the at least one chosen IM service;

the MIM client provides the login instructions; and

the login instructions are formatted to follow a proprietary protocol of the at least one chosen IM service.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the MIM client can be suspended by the mobile device user when the mobile device user is notified of the receipt of at least one of a voice phone call and a non-IM SMS message.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the MIM client can be automatically activated when the mobile device user is notified of the receipt of a message from one of the IM servers.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the messages received by the mobile device user comprise a prefix tag, the prefix tag indicating at least one of a teleservice type of the received message and software used to create the MIM client.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises an address book that can be accessed when the mobile device user makes a phone call and when the mobile device user addresses a message to one of the contacts.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the MIM client stores short codes for addressing IM messages to one of the contacts, the short codes depending on functions of the IM messages and depending on the chosen IM service for the IM messages.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising an IM gateway connected to a plurality of IM servers and the MIM client, wherein the IM gateway stores a plurality of short codes for each of the IM services and the short codes are used to direct messages from the MIM client to the respective IM servers.

18. The system of claim 1, further comprising an IM gateway for transferring presence information of at least one contact of the at least one chosen IM service, wherein the MIM client receives the presence information and updates a contact list displayed by the MIM client using the presence information.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the MIM client provides a visual indication that the MIM client is waiting to receive the presence information.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the IM gateway calculates an unused payload of at least one of the SMS messages comprising a text message directed to the mobile device user;

the IM gateway uses the calculation of the unused payload to determine the amount of the presence information to add to the unused payload of the at least one SMS message comprising the text message; and

the MIM client receives the presence information in the at least one SMS message comprising the text message.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the IM gateway comprises a cache and a presence update list stored in the cache, wherein the presence update list identifies the presence information that is available to send to the MIM client and stores a unique record of the presence information for each contact listed on the presence update list.

22. A method for exchanging messages between a mobile device and an IM service, said method comprising the steps of:

launching an MIM client running on a mobile device providing a plurality of user interfaces each for one of a plurality of IM services;

selecting at least one IM service to which to log in;

sending at least one message using the MIM client to at least one contact logged into the at least one selected IM service;

transferring presence information of at least one other contact of the at least one chosen IM service; and

updating a contact list displayed by the MIM client using the presence information;

wherein the transferring step further includes the steps of;

calculating an unused payload of at least one SMS message comprising a text message directed to a user of the mobile device; and

using the calculation of the unused payload to determine the amount of the presence information to add to the unused payload of the at least one SMS message comprising the text message.

23. A communications network for enabling at least one user of a mobile device to exchange messages with a plurality of users each logged in to at least one of a plurality of IM services, said network comprising:

an interface for each of a plurality of IM services each provided by one of a plurality of IM servers, each interface allowing at least one user of a mobile device to exchange at least one message with a plurality of contacts each logged in to at least one of the IM services;

an IM gateway connected to each of the IM services; and

an SMPP gateway connecting the IM gateway to the at least one mobile device user,

wherein the IM gateway transfers presence information of at least one contact, and the mobile device receives the presence information and updates a contact list displayed by the mobile device using the presence information, and

wherein the IM gateway calculates an unused payload of at least one message comprising a text message directed to the mobile device user, the IM gateway uses the calculation of the unused payload to determine the amount of the presence information to add to the unused payload of at least one message comprising the text message, and the mobile device receives the presence information in the at least one message comprising the text message.

24. The communications network of claim 23, wherein the contact list displayed on the mobile device provides a visual indication that the presence information is being received.

25. The communications network of claim 23, wherein the IM gateway comprises a cache and a presence update list stored in the cache, wherein the presence update list identifies the presence information that is available to send to the mobile device and stores a unique record of the presence information for each contact listed on the presence update list.