Location based messaging

• US 7,458,184 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2004
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Lohtia, Sunit
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild; Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, MICHAEL T
• Application Number:
  US10/785,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20050186969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,744 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412, 455/412.1, 455/456, 455/456.1, 455/466, 455/414.1, 455/435.1, 455/456.3, 455/404.2, 370/349, 709/206, 709/203, 709/238
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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 8/14 between corresponding nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for messages, such as short messages and multi-media messages. In one implementation a message is received from a sender, a location of the sender is determined, the message is modified to include the location of the sender, and the modified message is transmitted to a recipient.

Claims

1. A method of processing a message, the method comprising:

receiving a message from a sender, the message directed to a recipient;

prior to delivery of the message to the recipient, processing the message including determining if a location-request code is appended to a destination number for the recipient included in the message and if so, then determining a current location of the sender, where the location-request code is an indication that the current location of the sender is to be included in the message;

modifying the message to include the current location of the sender if a location-request code is appended to the destination number for the recipient;

determining if a current location of the recipient can be included in a message originating from the recipient, and if a current location of the recipient can be included, further modifying the message to add a location-request code to a sender number included in the message, where the location-request code is a request to include the recipient'"'"'s current location in a reply message to the message; and

transmitting the message to the recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the message to a recipient comprises transmitting the message to a recipient associated with the destination number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is a multi-media message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is a short message.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on the location-request code, transmitting the message to a location server;

receiving from the location sewer the modified message;

wherein, the location server performs the steps of determining a location of the sender and modifying the message to include the location of the sender.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

the location server further modifying the message to remove the location-request code from the destination number.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the location server performing the step of determining a current location of the sender comprises sending a request from the location server to a location-enabled server and receiving at the location server a current location of the sender from the location-enabled server.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the location server performing the step of determining a current location of the sender comprises retrieving a current location for the sender from a cache of location information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein retrieving a current location for the sender from a cache of location information further comprises:

receiving location information from a plurality of network probes about current locations of a plurality of network users including the sender;

periodically caching the location information for the plurality of network users including the sender; and

retrieving at the location server a current location for the sender from the cache of location information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a current location of the sender comprises:

querying a location enabled server for a current location of the sender; and

receiving a current location of the sender from the location enabled server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a current location of the sender comprises:

retrieving a current location for the sender from a cache of location information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein retrieving a current location for the sender from a cache of location information comprises:

receiving location information from a plurality of network probes about current locations for a plurality of network users including the sender;

periodically caching the location information for the plurality of network users including the sender; and

retrieving a current location for the sender from the cache of location information.

13. A method of processing a message, comprising:

receiving a message from a first messaging service center, the message directed from a sender to a recipient;

processing the message to determine if a location-request code is included in the message, and if so, then determining a current location of a sender of the message, where the location-request code is an indication that the current location of the sender is to be included in the message;

prior to delivering the message to the recipient, modifying the message to include the current location of the sender if a location-request code is included in the message;

determining if a current location of the recipient can be included in a message originating from the recipient, and if a current location of the recipient can be included, further modifying the message to add a location-request code to a sender number included in the message, where the location-request code is a request to include the recipient'"'"'s current location in a reply message to the message; and

transmitting the message to a second messaging service center for delivery to the recipient.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the message is a short message, and the first messaging service center and the second messaging service centers are short messaging service centers.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the message is a multi-media message, and the first messaging service center and the second messaging service centers are multi-media messaging service centers.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first messaging service center and the second messaging service center are the same messaging service centers.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the first messaging service center services a mobile network used by a sender of the message and the second messaging service center services a mobile network used by a recipient of the message.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the message includes a location-request code that is added to a destination number, the method further comprising:

before transmitting the message to the second messaging service center, further modifying the message to remove the location-request code from the destination number.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein determining a current location of the sender comprises sending a request to a location-enabled server and receiving a current location of the sender from the location-enabled server.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein determining a current location of the sender comprises retrieving a current location for the sender from a cache of location information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein retrieving a current location for the sender from a cache of location information further comprises:

receiving location information from a plurality of network probes about current locations for a plurality of network users including the sender;

periodically caching the location information for the plurality of network users including the sender; and

retrieving a current location for the sender from the cache of location information.

22. A method of processing a message, comprising:

inputting a message into a mobile station, the message directed from the mobile station to a recipient messaging entity;

inputting into the mobile station a location-request code and a destination number, where the location-request code specifies a request to modify the message prior to delivery to the recipient messaging entity to include a current location of the mobile station in the message and where the destination number corresponds to the recipient messaging entity; and

transmitting the message from the mobile station to a messaging service center for delivery to the recipient messaging entity, where prior to transmission of the message, a determination is made as to whether a current location of the recipient can be included in a message originating from the recipient, such that if a current location of the recipient can be included, the message is modified to add a location-request code to a sender number included in the message, where the location-request code is a request to include the recipient'"'"'s current location in a reply message to the message.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the message is a short message.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the message is a multi-media message.

25. A system for processing a message, comprising:

a sender mobile station configured to receive a user input and based on the user input transmit a message over a mobile network for delivery to a recipient messaging entity associated with a destination number, where the message includes a request to include a current location of the sender mobile station in the message;

a messaging service center configured to;

receive from a sender mobile station a message;

process the message to determine if the message includes a request to include a current location of the sender mobile station in the message;

transmit the message to a location server;

receive a modified message from a location server, the modified message including a request to include the recipient'"'"'s current location in a reply message to the message when a current location of the recipient can be included in a message originating from the recipient;

transmit the modified message to a recipient messaging entity;

a location server configured to;

receive a message from a messaging center, the message including a request to include a current location of a sender mobile station in the message;

determine a current location of the sender mobile station;

modify the message to include the current location of the sender mobile station;

determine if a current location of the recipient can be included in a message originating from the recipient, and if a current location of the recipient can be included, further modify the message to include a request to include the recipient'"'"'s current location in a reply message to the message; and

transmit the modified message to a messaging center; and

a recipient messaging entity configured to receive a modified message from the location server, the modified message including a current location of a sender mobile station from which the message originated, and a request to include the recipient'"'"'s current location in a reply message to the message when a current location of the recipient can be included in a message originating from the recipient.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein:

the message is a short message, and

the messaging service center is a short messaging service center.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein:

the message is a multi-media message, and

the messaging service center is a multi-media messaging service center.

28. A method of processing a multi-media message, comprising:

receiving a multi-media message originating from a sender mobile station, the multi-media message including destination information;

processing the multi-media message to determine if a location-request code is included and if so, then determining a current location of the sender mobile station, where a location-request code is an indication that the current location of the sender mobile station is to be included in the multi-media message;

prior to delivery of the multi-media message to a recipient, receiving from the location server a modified multi-media message including the current location of the sender mobile station if a location-request code is included with the multi-media message;

determining if a current location of the recipient can be included in a multi-media message originating from the recipient, and if a current location of the recipient can be included, further modifying the multi-media message to add a location-request code to a sender number included in the multi-media message, where the location-request code is a request to include the recipient'"'"'s current location in a reply message to the multi-media message; and

transmitting the multi-media message to the recipient based on the destination information.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the transmitting step further comprises:

accessing a user profile associated with the sender mobile station;

based on the user profile and the destination information, determining an e-mail address associated with the recipient; and

transmitting the modified multi-media message to the recipient e-mail address.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein determining a current location of the sender mobile station comprises:

querying a location enabled server for a current location of the sender mobile station; and

receiving a current location of the sender mobile station from the location enabled server.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein determining a current location of the sender mobile station comprises:

retrieving a location for the sender mobile station from a cache of current location information.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein retrieving a current location for the sender mobile station from a cache of location information comprises:

receiving location information from a plurality of network probes about current locations for a plurality of network users including the sender mobile station;

periodically caching the location information for the plurality of network users including the sender mobile station; and

retrieving a current location for the sender mobile station from the cache of location information.