Method and apparatus for delivering messages to wireless devices

• US 7,209,736 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2004
• Issued: 04/24/2007
• 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): Nguyen; Duc M.
• Application Number:
  US10/834,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20040209632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/466, 455/432.1, 455/433, 455/435, 455/412.2, 455/3.05, 455/456.5
• US Class Current: 455/419
• 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 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A method and apparatus for sending messages to a wireless device is disclosed. The invention includes a system and a method that waits for a wireless device to register before sending information to the device. In another aspect, the invention includes provisions that track which wireless devices have successfully received the message and which wireless devices have successfully acknowledged receipt of the message.

Claims

1. A method for determining successful delivery of an SMS message to a wireless device comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting an update to the wireless device, the transmitting performed upon detecting a presence of the wireless device using location information received as a result of the detecting;

(b) updating a record in a pending database to reflect the transmitting;

(c) if a return result is received in response to the transmitting;

determining if the return result is an error, the return result determined to be an error if the update is not successfully stored on the wireless device;

if the return result is an error, then determining the total number of errors received for the wireless device and comparing the total number of errors to a predetermined number, the total number of errors reflecting a corresponding number of attempts to transmit the update; and

if the total number of errors equals or exceeds the predetermined number, then associating the wireless device with an unable condition in at least one of a concerned database and a history database;

(d) if a return result is not received in response to the transmitting;

determining a total time that the record has been pending; and

updating a record associated with the wireless device in the history database if the total time exceeds a predetermined time period, the updating including marking the record as unavailable.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of updating the at least one of a concerned database and a history database with a wait state for a record associated with the wireless device if the total number of errors is less than the predetermined number.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of updating the at least one of a concerned database and a history database with a done state for a record associated with the wireless device if the return result is not an error.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the update includes at least one of:

a new agreement between a subscription company and a local wireless service provider, and a change to an existing agreement between the subscription company and the local wireless service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a record in the history database with a done state if the return result is not an error, indicating the update is successfully stored on the wireless device.

6. A method for determining successful delivery of an SMS message to a wireless device comprising the steps of:

(a) determining whether a return result has been received from a wireless device to which an update has been transmitted;

(b) if no return result has been received;

checking a time stamp of a record associated with the wireless device in a pending database, the pending database storing records for wireless devices for which an update has been transmitted;

using the time stamp to determine a total time that the record has been pending;

determining if the total time exceeds a predetermined time period; and

updating a record associated with the wireless device in a history database if the total time exceeds the predetermined time period, the updating including marking the record as unavailable, reflecting that no return result has been received in response to transmitting the update; and

(c) if a return result is received indicating an error;

checking a record in a concerned database to determine the number of attempts that have been made to transmit the update to the wireless device;

wherein the record in the concerned database is marked with a wait state if the number of attempts is less than a predetermined number and the history database is updated a second time reflect the wait state.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of deleting the record from the pending database if the total time exceeds the predetermined time period.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the record in the concerned database is marked with a second state if the number of attempts is greater than or equal to a predetermined number.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of updating the history database a second time to reflect the second state.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the update includes at least one of:

a new agreement between a subscription company and a local wireless service provider, and a change to an existing agreement between the subscription company and the local wireless service provider.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined time period is based upon factors that influence an expectation that a return result will be received, the factors including at least one of:

the wireless device;

network associated with the wireless device; and

available bandwidth on the network.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined number of attempts is selected to accommodate potential difficulties experienced by wireless devices in returning an acknowledgement.

13. A system for monitoring the receipt of a first message by a wireless device comprising:

a message database containing information to be sent to the wireless device in the first message, the wireless device including memory for storing the information;

a concerned database for storing information concerning wireless devices designated to receive the first message and awaiting receipt of the first message;

a pending database for storing records concerning wireless devices to which the first message is sent;

and a history database providing indicia of the records indicating the status of the records, the indicia including a done state, an unable state, a wait state, a no acknowledgement state, and an unavailable state,

wherein the system is configured to receive a return result over a communication link from the wireless device indicating whether the first message has been received by the wireless device, and wherein the records in the concerned database contain a plurality of labels associated with the wireless device, wherein the labels indicate the status of the wireless device with respect to the receipt of the first message.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the wireless device is designated as unable if the return result is received indicating an error and after a predetermined number of attempts at transmitting the first message have been made.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the predetermined number of attempts is selected to accommodate potential difficulties experienced by wireless devices in returning an acknowledgement.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein a record in each of the concerned database and the history database for the wireless device is designated as waiting if the return result is received indicating an error and a predetermined number of attempts at transmitting the first message has not been reached.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein a record is entered in the pending database in response to transmitting the first message to the wireless device, and wherein the record is deleted after the record has been designated as no acknowledgement state, indicating the record has been pending for a predetermined period of time where no return result has been received.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the history database and the concerned database are updated to reflect the deletion of the record from the pending database.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the predetermined period of time is based upon factors that influence an expectation that a return result will be received, the factors including at least one of:

the wireless device;

network associated with the wireless device; and

available bandwidth on the network.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the first message is an update, the update including at least one of:

a new agreement between a subscription company and a local wireless service provider, and a change to an existing agreement between the subscription company and the local wireless service provider.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein a record in the history database is updated with a done state if the return result is not an error.