Message transfer from a source device via a mobile terminal device to a third device

• US 7,203,505 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2001
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Juopperi, Jari, Larikka, Tapani
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US09/941,851
• Time in Patent Office: 2,049 Days
• Field of Search: 455/419, 455/418, 455/566, 455/557, 455/41, 455/414.1, 455/445, 455/466, 455/558, 705/51, 707/10, 715/513
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• 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 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A technique for transferring a data message between a first terminal device and a second terminal device via an intermediate terminal device includes: entering a data message into the first terminal device; transmitting the data message from the first terminal device to the intermediate terminal device; formatting the data message into at least one SMS (Short Message Service) message in the intermediate terminal device; and transmitting the at least one SMS message from the intermediate terminal device to the second terminal device. Formatting the data message may include formatting the data in a SyncML format. The intermediate terminal device may include a mobile terminal and the data message may be transferred from the first terminal device to the intermediate terminal device via a short range communication link which may include an IR or Bluetooth communication link.

Claims

1. A method for data synchronization between a first terminal device and a second, remotely located, terminal device via an intermediate terminal device, the method comprising:

obtaining, at the first terminal device, data to be synchronized with the second remotely located terminal device;

transmitting the data from the first terminal device to the intermediate terminal device through a short-range connection;

formatting the data to be synchronized into at least one SMS (Short Message Service) message in the intermediate terminal device; and

transmitting the at least one SMS message from the intermediate terminal device to the second remote located terminal device through cellular network connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein formatting the data message comprises formatting the data in a SyncML format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediate terminal device comprises a mobile terminal device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one SMS message is transmitted via a mobile network including an SMS message center.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one SMS message is transmitted from the intermediate terminal device to the second, remotely located, terminal device via the mobile network and a gateway and the Internet.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one SMS message comprises a compressed SMS message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the compressed SMS message comprises a WBXML (Wireless Application Protocol Binary Extensible Markup Language) encoded message.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the data formatted in a SyncML format comprises one of two MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) formats.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the two MIME formats comprise vcal and vcard formats.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the data message comprises one of a calendar, a to-do list, personal information, and contact information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data message is transferred from the first terminal device to the intermediate terminal device via a short range communication link.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the short range communication link comprises one of an IR (Infrared) or Bluetooth communication link.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least one other SMS message from the second terminal device to the first terminal device via the intermediate terminal device.

14. A mobile terminal device comprising:

a data message receiver to receive data from a first terminal device, which data is to be synchronized with a second, remotely located, terminal device via a short range communication link;

a formatter to format the received data into at least one SMS (Short Message Service) message; and

a transmitter to transmit the at least one SMS message to the second, remotely located, terminal device through a cellular network connection.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the formatter formats the data in a SyncML format.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the at least one SMS message formatted by the formatter comprises a compressed SMS message.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the compressed SMS message formatted by the formatter comprises a WBXML (Wireless Application Protocol Binary Extensible Markup Language) encoded message.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the data formatted by the formatter in a SyncML format comprises one of two MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) formats.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the two MIME formats formatted by the formatter comprise vcal and vcard.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein the data comprises one of a calendar, a to-do list, a personal information, and contact information.

21. The device of claim 14, wherein the data receiver receives data messages via one of an IR (Infrared) or Bluetooth communication link.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising a receiver to receive at least one other SMS message from the another terminal device and a data message transmitter to transmit the at least one other SMS message to the first terminal device.

23. A program storage device, readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by machine to perform a method of synchronization between a first terminal device and a second, remotely located, terminal device via an intermediate terminal device, the method comprising:

obtaining, at the first terminal device, data to be synchronized with the second remote located terminal device;

transmitting the data from the first terminal device to the intermediate terminal device through a short-range connection;

formatting the data to be synchronized into at least one SMS (Short Message Service) message in the intermediate terminal device; and

transmitting the at least one SMS message from the intermediate terminal device to the second remote located terminal device through a cellular network connection.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein formatting the data message comprises formatting the data in a SyncML format.

25. The device of claim 23, wherein the intermediate terminal device comprises a mobile terminal device.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the at least one SMS message is transmitted via a mobile network including an SMS message center.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the at least one SMS message is transmitted from the intermediate terminal device to the second remotely located terminal device via the mobile network and a gateway and the Internet.

28. The device of claim 23, wherein the at least one SMS message comprises a compressed SMS message.

29. The device of claim 28, wherein the compressed SMS message comprises a WBXML (Wireless Application Protocol Binary Extensible Markup Language) encoded message.

30. The device of claim 24, wherein the data formatted in a SyncML format comprises one of two MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) format.

31. The device of claim 30, wherein the two MIME formats comprise vcal and vcard formats.

32. The device of claim 23, wherein the data message comprises one of a calendar, a to-do list, personal information, and contact information.

33. The device of claim 23, wherein the data message is transferred from the first terminal device to the intermediate terminal device via a short range communication link.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the short range communication link comprises one of an IR (Infrared) or Bluetooth communication link.

35. The device of claim 23, further comprising transmitting at least one other SMS message from the second terminal device to the first terminal device via the intermediate terminal device.

40. The method of claim 31, further comprising transmitting other data from the second terminal device to the first terminal device via the intermediate terminal device.

36. A method of data synchronization between a first terminal device and a, remote located, second terminal device via an intermediate terminal device, the method comprising:

obtaining, at the first terminal device, data to be synchronized with the second remotely located terminal device;

transmitting the data from the first terminal device to the intermediate terminal device through a short-range connection;

formatting the data into at least one SMS (Short Message Service) message in the intermediate terminal device;

transmitting the least one SMS message from the intermediate terminal device to a message center; and

transmitting the at least one message from the message center to the second remote located terminal device through a cellular network connection.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the message center comprises an SMS message center.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the data is transmitted from the first terminal device to the intermediate terminal device via a short range communication link.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the short range communication link comprises one of either an IR (Infrared) or Bluetooth communication link.

41. A program storage device, readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by machine to perform a method of data synchronization between first and second remote locate terminal devices via an intermediate terminal device, the method comprising:

obtaining, at the first terminal device, data to be synchronized with the second remotely located terminal device;

transmitting the data from the first terminal device to the intermediate terminal device through short-range connection;

formatting the data into at least one SMS (Short Message Service) message in the intermediate terminal device;

transmitting the least one message from the intermediate terminal device to a message center; and

transmitting the at least one message from the message center to the second remotely located terminal device through a cellular or network connection.

42. The device of claim 41, wherein the message center comprises an SMS message center.

43. The device of claim 41, wherein the data is transmitted from the first terminal device to the intermediate terminal device via a short range communication link.

44. The device of claim 43, wherein the short range communication link comprises one of either an IR (Infrared) or Bluetooth communication link.

45. The device of claim 41, further comprising transmitting other data from the second terminal device to the first terminal device via the intermediate terminal device.