Method and apparatus for a network independent short message delivery system

• US 7,209,950 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2001
• Issued: 04/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CommWorks Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC), KAO Corporation
• Original Assignee: Zonamovil.Com, Inc.
• Inventors: Bennett, Simon, Samra, Luis, Jimenez, Gustavo
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, ASHOKKUMAR B
• Application Number:
  US09/921,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20020112014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,091 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/414.4, 455/456.3, 455/414, 455/428, 455/517, 455/518, 455/522, 455/560, 709/206, 709/246, 370351-355, 370466-469, 370/401
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• 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

Techniques are described for facilitating communication among a plurality of different telecommunications systems. Communications from a sending network are forwarded to a server that places the communications in a format acceptable to a second receiving network. The server maps an incoming message into any one or more of a variety of formats in accordance with a format acceptable by a receiving network. These communications may include, for example, short messages service (SMS) messages in which the sending and receiving telecommunications systems each have different routing information, such as different electronic addressing formats.

Claims

1. A method executed in a computer system for routing a message from a sender in a first digital mobile network employing a first digital mobile network protocol to an intended receiver in a second different digital mobile network, the second digital mobile network employing a second digital mobile network protocol that is different from the first network protocol, the message comprising a message body and associated message routing information, the method comprising:

forwarding said message to a server from said sender, said server being connectable to said first and said second digital mobile network;

relating, using a routing database, a receiver identifier, the receiver identifier being contained in the associated message routing information and associated with the intended receiver, to corresponding routing format information associated with the second digital mobile network protocol, the routing format information associated with the second digital mobile network protocol comprising at least a second protocol mobile carrier interface format type and a second protocol mobile carrier addressing format type;

reformatting said associated message routing information into a format specified by said corresponding routing format information, wherein the reformatting is transparent to a sender and receiver of the message and the message body remains unchanged, by the steps of;

translating the receiver identifier to a destination address that conforms to the second protocol mobile carrier addressing format type;

placing the destination address into a reformatted message that has a structure that conforms to the second protocol mobile carrier interface format type; and

placing the message body unchanged into the reformatted message in a manner that conforms to the second protocol mobile carrier interface format type; and

forwarding said reformatted message to said receiver in accordance with the reformatted associated message routing information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said message is a short message service message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sender sends the message and the receiver receives the message using at least one of:

digital mobile device connected to the internet, digital mobile device connected to the server through a service center of an associated mobile network operator, and computer system connected to the internet.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a first query using the routing database to determine a countrywide mobile identification number format of a country associated with the receiver.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

performing a second query using the routing database to determine if information identifying the receiver is included in the routing database.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

performing a third query using the routing database to determine said routing information associated with the second digital mobile network of the receiver, said routing information including at least one of;

format of a message, electronic mail address format, and message delivery method.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein routing information including a message delivery method uses one of:

a direct connection to an operator, an application, and e-mail connection.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

polling said server by the sender for data.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

communicating a request for data to said server.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said communicating a request for data to said server further comprises:

directly sending a message to the server requesting information.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said communicating a request for data to said server, further comprises:

communicating the request for data to a messaging service center in said first digital mobile network;

polling, by said server, the messaging service center for the request; and

transmitting the request to said server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the request includes a keyword, said keyword being one of:

a command and a phone number.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the request is for at least one of:

stock information, weather information for a particular location identified in the message, and an application.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a requested application is at least one of:

a game, ringtones in connection with audio tones, and a chat service.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said sender is sending the message to a plurality of users, each of said plurality of users receiving the message being on different digital mobile networks.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining which of said plurality of users receiving the message are included in a buddy list, said buddy list including user specific information for message recipients; and

reformatting said message in accordance with a format associated with a particular digital mobile networks network for each of said plurality of users on different digital mobile networks.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining if a message recipient is within the first digital mobile network of said sender.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

reformatting an electronic mailing address from a first format associated with said first digital mobile network to a second format associated with the second digital mobile network.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said computer system includes said server and a plurality of different digital mobile networks, said plurality of different digital mobile networks including said first and said second digital mobile networks, communications within said computer system being represented as a hub-like structure with said server as the center and each of said plurality of digital mobile networks being a spoke extending from said server, all communications between any two of said plurality of digital mobile networks being facilitated by said server.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the message is sent between a sender and receiver independent of operator, location, and network protocols using said server.

21. A computer program product for routing a message from a sender in a first digital mobile network employing a first digital mobile network protocol to an intended receiver in a second different digital mobile network, the second digital mobile network employing a second digital mobile network protocol that is different from the first network protocol, the message comprising a message body and associated message routing information, the method comprising:

machine executable code for forwarding said message to a server from said sender, said server being connectable to said first and said second digital mobile networks;

machine executable code for relating, using a routing database, a receiver identifier, the receiver identifier being contained in the associated message routing information and associated with the intended receiver to corresponding routing format information associated with the second digital mobile network protocol, the routing format information associated with the second digital mobile network protocol comprising at least a second protocol mobile carrier interface format type and a second protocol mobile carrier addressing format type;

machine executable code for reformatting said associated message routing information into a format specified by said corresponding routing format information, wherein the reformatting is transparent to a sender and receiver of the message and the message body remains unchanged, by the steps of;

translating the receiver identifier to a destination address that conforms to the second protocol mobile carrier addressing format type;

placing the destination address into a reformatted message that has a structure that conforms to the second protocol mobile carrier interface format type; and

placing the message body unchanged into the reformatted message in a manner that conforms to the second protocol mobile carrier interface format type; and

machine executable code for forwarding said reformatted message to said receiver in accordance with the reformatted associated message routing information.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein said message is a short message service message.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the sender sends the message and the receiver receives the message using at least one of:

digital mobile device connected to the internet, digital mobile device connected to the server through a service center of an associated mobile network operator, and computer system connected to the internet.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising:

machine executable code for performing a first query using the routing database to determine a countrywide mobile identification number format of a country associated with the receiver.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, further comprising:

machine executable code for performing a second query using the routing database to determine if information identifying the receiver is included in the routing database.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising:

machine executable code for performing a third query using the routing database to determine said routing information associated with the second digital mobile network of the receiver, said routing information including at least one of;

format of a message, electronic mail address format, and message delivery method.

27. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising:

machine executable code for polling, by the sender, said server for data.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising:

machine executable code for communicating a request for data to said server.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein said machine executable code for communicating a request for data to said server further comprises:

machine executable code for directly sending a message to the server requesting information.

30. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein said machine executable code for communicating a request for data to said server, further comprises machine executable code for:

communicating the request for data to a messaging service center in said first digital mobile network;

polling, by said server, the messaging service center for the request; and

transmitting the request to said server.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the request includes a keyword, said keyword being one of:

a command and a phone number.

32. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the request is for one of:

stock information and weather information for a particular location identified in the message.

33. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein said sender is sending the message to a plurality of users, each of said plurality of users receiving the message being on different digital mobile networks.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, further comprising:

machine executable code for determining which of said plurality of users receiving the message are included in a buddy list, said buddy list including user specific information for message recipients; and

machine executable code for reformatting said message in accordance with a format associated with a particular digital mobile network for each of said plurality of users on different digital mobile networks.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, further comprising:

machine executable code for determining if a message recipient is within the first digital mobile network of said sender.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, further comprising:

machine executable code for reformatting an electronic mailing address from a first format associated with said first digital mobile network to a second format associated with the second digital mobile network.

37. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein said computer system includes said server and a plurality of different digital mobile networks, said plurality of different digital mobile networks including said first and said second digital mobile networks, communications within said computer system being represented as a hub-like structure with said server as the center and each of said plurality of digital mobile networks being a spoke extending from said server, all communications between any two of said plurality of digital mobile networks being facilitated by said server.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the message is sent between a sender and receiver independent of operator, location, and network protocols using said server.