Communication network terminal supporting a plurality of applications

• US 7,366,529 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2005
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Decker, Peter, Kaartinen, Kalevi, Nykanen, Petri, Gustafsson, Patrik, Isomursu, Pekka, Alanara, Seppo, Terho, Mikko, Miettunen, Juhani, Lehtonen, Arto, Lietsalmi, Mikko, Maenpaa, Jari, Pihko, Pete, Kari, Hannu H., Tarnanen, Teemu
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US11/062,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20050197111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/418, 455/420, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/550.1, 455/466, 455/556, 455/557, 455/558, 455/559, 370/311, 370/389, 370/318, 370/320, 370/349, 370/332, 709/313, 709/317, 709/329, 379/93.08, 379/88.12, 379/357
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• 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 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/041 Encoding the ringing signal, i.e. providing distinctive or selective ringing capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to a terminal (1) for a communication network, the terminal being capable of supporting a plurality of applications (17, 18) and having means of communicating user messages. The terminal comprises means for receiving user messages having data and a header relating to one of the applications (17, 18) and means (8) for addressing the data to a respective application according to the header. In an embodiment the user messages are short messages and the data comprises characters in the short message.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one data processing unit configured

to process messages having a predefined format, the predefined format including an application header identifying an application of a plurality of applications,

to execute applications of the plurality, and

after messages having the predefined format are received via a radio receiver, to address and store data from the received messages into applications of the plurality according to the application headers of said received messages.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predefined format includes an address field containing an address of the apparatus and a data field containing data for a target application of the plurality, and wherein the header is in said data field.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predefined format includes an address field containing an address of the apparatus and a data field containing data for a target application of the plurality, and wherein the header is in said address field.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a user interface and a memory, wherein the applications of the plurality are user accessible when stored in the memory, and wherein the applications are configured to permit user input via the user interface.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predefined format is one of a format of a short message, a format of a message according to the standardised Short Message Service message, a format of a message according to the standardised R data field message, a format of a message according to the standardised Unstructured Supplementary Service Data message, and a format of a message according to the standardised Service Operator Code message.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a mobile station comprising a radio reciever and a memory, and wherein the at least one data processing units is configured

to process short messages received via the radio receiver, and

when each application of the plurality is stored in the memory, to address and store data from a received short message into the stored application according to a header of the received short message identifying the application.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the received short message has data in the form of characters.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a mobile station comprising a radio receiver and a memory, and wherein the at least one data processing unit is configured

to process messages received via the radio unit and having the predefined format and data in the form of characters, and

when each application of the plurality is stored in the memory, to address and store data in the form of characters from a received message having the predefined format into the stored application according to a header of the received message identifying the application.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the characters of the data are alpha-numeric characters.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the data in the received message is divided into at least two fields, the fields being seperated by field separators.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a mobile station comprising a radio receiver.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one data processing unit configured

to process messages having a predefined format, the predefined format including an application header identifying an application of a plurality of applications,

to execute applications of the plurality,

to add, to messages having the predefined format, data from applications of the plurality and application headers identifying applications of the plurality, and

to transmit said messages with the added data and application headers via a radio transmitter.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the predefined format includes an address field containing an address of a destination of the message and a data field containing data from an application of plurality, and wherein the header is added to said data field.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the predefined format includes an address field containing an address of a destination of the message and a data field containing data from an application of the plurality, and wherein the header is added to said address field.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the apparatus comprises a user interface and a memory, wherein the applications of the plurality are user user accessible when stored in the memory, and wherein the applications are configured to permit user input via the user interface.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the predefined format is one of a format of a short message, a format of a message according to the standardised Short Message Service message, a format of a message according to the standardised R data field message, a format of a message according to the standardised Unstructured Supplementary Service Data message, and a format of a message according to the standardised Service Operator Code message.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the apparatus is a mobile station comprising a radio transmitter and a memory, and wherein the at least one data processing unit is configured

to process short messages and transmit said short messages via the radio transmitter, and

when each application of the plurality is stored in memory, to add data from the stored application and a header identifying the stored application to a short message and to transmit that short message with the added data and header via the radio transmitter.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the short message with the added data and header has data in the form of characters.

19. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the apparatus is a mobile station comprising a radio transmitter and a memory, and wherein the at least one data processing unit is configured

to process messages having the predefined format and data in the form of characters, and

when each application of the plurality is stored in memory, to add data from the stored application in the form of characters and a header identifying the stored application to a message having the predefined format and to transmit that message with the added data and header via the radio transmitter.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the characters of the message with the added data and header are alpha-numeric characters.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the added data is divided into at least two fields, the fields being seperated by field separators.

22. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the apparatus is a mobile station comprising a radio receiver.

23. A method, comprising:

receiving a user message at a first device via a mobile communications network, wherein

the user message includes a header indicating to the first device an application of a plurality of applications stored in the first device,

the user message further includes a data entry retrieved from an application in a second device,

the second device is remote from the first device,

the application in the second device corresponds to the indicated application in the first device,

the application in the second device has a plurality of data entries each having a number of data fields separated by field separators, and

at least one of the first and second devices is a mobile station configured for communicating over a mobile communications network; and

storing the retrieved data entry in the indicated application of the first device, said storing including storing data in the data fields of the retrieved entry into corresponding data fields in the indicated application based on the field separators in the retrieved data.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein the received user message has an address field portion containing the address of the first device and a data portion containing the retrieved data entry, and wherein the header indicating the application in the first device is located in said data portion.

25. A memory comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform:

receiving an application message via an RF interface at a wirelessly communicating device, the application message having a format characteristic of user messages also received via the RF interface, wherein

the application message contains an identifier corresponding to one of a plurality of applications stored on the wirelessly communicating device,

the plurality of applications provide services in addition to telephone calls and user messages received via the RF interface, and

the plurality of applications receive input based on messages received via the RF interface and having the user message format; and

determining that the application message pertains to an application of the plurality.

26. The memory of claim 25, wherein receiving an application message includes receiving an application message containing data and an identifier corresponding to an application of the plurality, and the memory comprises further instructions for performing providing the data contained in the application message to the corresponded-to application of the plurality.

27. The memory of claim 26, comprising further instructions for performing:

receiving a user instruction to transmit information corresponding to a first application of the plurality; and

generating an application message containing an identifier corresponding to the first application.

28. The memory of claim 27, comprising further instructions for performing retrieving, in response to the user instruction, information from a second application of the plurality.

29. The memory of claim 26, comprising further instructions for performing:

opening, in response to the application message, a display page previously stored in connection with a transmitted query; and

placing the received application message data in portions of the opened page associated with the received data.

30. The memory of claim 25, comprising further instructions for performing launching the corresponded-to application of the plurality.

31. A memory comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform:

receiving a user message containing an identifier corresponding to one of a plurality of applications stored on a wirelessly communicating device, wherein

the plurality of applications provide services in addition to telephone calls and user messages,

each of the plurality of applications receives input based on user messages,

the corresponded-to application of the plurality accesses a plurality of records, each of the records having a plurality of predefined fields, and

the received user message contains data of a type associated with one or more of the predefined fields;

placing the received user message data in the one or more of the predefined fields of a record of the plurality;

determining that the received user message pertains to an application of the plurality; and

launching the corresponded-to application of the plurality.

32. The memory of claim 31, comprising further instructions for performing displaying the record of the plurality.

33. A memory comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform:

receiving a user message containing an identifier corresponding to one of a plurality of applications stored on a wirelessly communicating device, wherein

the plurality of applications provide services in addition to telephone calls and user messages,

each of the plurality of applications receives input based on user messages,

receiving a user message includes receiving a user message containing data and an identifier corresponding to an application of the plurality,

the corresponded-to application of the plurality accesses a plurality of records, and

the received user message data is a record of a type accessed by the corresponded-to application of the plurality;

determining that the received user message pertains to an application of the plurality;

providing the data contained in the received user message to the corresponded-to application of the plurality; and

adding the record of the received user message to the plurality of records.

34. The memory of claim 33, comprising further instructions for performing displaying the added record.

35. A memory comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform:

receiving a user message containing an identifier corresponding to one of a plurality of applications stored on a wirelessly communicating device, wherein

the plurality of applications provide services in addition to telephone calls and user messages,

each of the plurality of applications receives input based on user messages,

receiving a user message includes receiving a user message containing data and an identifier corresponding to an application of the plurality,

the corresponded-to application of the plurality accesses a plurality of records of a first type, and

the received user message data includes a record of the first type;

determining that the received user message pertains to an application of the plurality;

providing the data contained in the received user message to the corresponded-to application of the plurality; and

prompting a user to send a second type of record in response to the received first type of record.