System for translation and communication of messaging protocols into a common protocol

• US 7,617,328 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2002
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewis, John Ervin, Lai, Danh Tan, Richardson, Simon James, Tam, Richard Man-keung, McNamara, Justin, Schlieber, Karl J., Lee, Jessie T.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHILLIPS, HASSAN A
• Application Number:
  US10/299,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20030101283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,549 Days
• Field of Search: 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• 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 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• 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: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update
• 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 88/16 : Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 : Messaging devices, e.g. message centre
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/06 : between gateways and public network devices

Abstract

An adapter for passing messages in a telecommunications infrastructure from a first device to a second device. The adapter comprises a messaging interface, a processor, and a bus interface. The messaging interface is in communication with the first device and is operable to receive a received message in a first messaging format from the first device. The processor is coupled to the messaging interface and is operable to receive the received message from the messaging interface and translate the received message into a common message in a common format. The bus interface is coupled to the processor and is operable to receive the common message from the processor and transmit the common message to the second device through a bus.

Claims

1. An adapter for passing messages in a wireless telecommunications infrastructure from a first wireless telecommunications device to a second wireless telecommunications device via a network transport bus, comprising:

a messaging interface in communication with the first and second wireless telecommunications devices, the messaging interface operable to receive a received message in a first messaging format from the first wireless telecommunications device and send the received message in a second messaging format to the second wireless telecommunications device;

a processor coupled to the messaging interface, the processor operable to;

receive the received message from the messaging interface via the network transport bus and translate the received message into a common message in a common messaging format and translate the common message into a message in the second messaging format;

publish a routing request in the common messaging format to the network transport bus for retrieval by a routing element that is communicatively connected to the network transport bus; and

retrieve a routing response published to the network transport bus by the routing element in the common messaging format, wherein the routing response includes routing information for the second wireless telecommunications device; and

a bus interface coupled to the processor, the bus interface operable to receive the common message from the processor and to publish the common message to the network transport bus for retrieval by the second wireless telecommunications device,

wherein the adapter is communicatively coupled to a network database via the network transport bus, wherein the network database stores the common message in the common messaging format for later retrieval by any device communicatively coupled to the network transport bus without further translation and wherein the first wireless telecommunications device and the second wireless telecommunications device operate under different wireless messaging technology protocols, and wherein if the routing response is invalid, further processing of the received message is halted and the received message is not translated to the common messaging format.

2. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to:

identify a destination address from the received message; and

generate a subject address to the common message based on the response.

3. The adapter of claim 2, wherein the processor is further operable to include in the request for the routing information a routing validation request, the routing validation request including an address of the first wireless telecommunications device and an address of the second wireless telecommunications device.

4. The adapter of claim 3, wherein the processor is further operable to receive in the routing response the routing information indicating an invalid response.

5. The adapter of claim 4, wherein the processor is further operable to not transmit the common message through the bus interface if the routing information indicates an invalid response.

6. The adapter of claim 4, wherein the processor is further operable to send a declination message through the messaging interface to the first wireless telecommunications device in the first messaging format if the routing information indicates an invalid response.

7. The adapter of claim 3, wherein the routing information indicates whether or not the second wireless telecommunications device is password protected.

8. The adapter of claim 7, wherein the processor is further operable to request a password from the first wireless telecommunications device.

9. The adapter of claim 8, wherein the processor is further operable to verify the password received from the first wireless telecommunications device, and transmit the message if the password is valid.

10. The adapter of claim 2, wherein the common messaging format is one of a MIME format and an XML format.

11. The adapter of claim 2, wherein the messaging format of the first wireless telecommunications device is SMS.

12. The adapter of claim 2, wherein the first messaging format is one of an EMS format, an HTML format, a TAP format, a WML format, a Mobitex format, and a UPOC format.

13. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the messaging interface is operable to communicate with a plurality of devices and to receive messages in multiple messaging formats from the plurality of devices.

14. A method of passing messages from a first wireless telecommunications device to a second wireless telecommunications device in a wireless telecommunications system via a network transport bus, comprising:

receiving a first message in a first messaging format from the first wireless telecommunications device via the network transport bus, wherein the network transport bus communicatively connects a plurality of network elements and utilizes a common messaging format for communication among and between the network elements, wherein the network elements comprise an adapter, a routing and validation entity, a data storage and routing terminal, and a network database all communicatively connected to the first network transport bus;

translating the first message from the first messaging format into a common message in the common messaging format;

publishing a routing request in the common messaging format to the network transport bus for retrieval by the routing and validation entity;

retrieving a routing response published to the network transport bus by the routing and validation entity in the common messaging format, wherein the routing response includes routing information for the second wireless telecommunications device, and wherein if the routing response is invalid, further processing of the first message is halted and the first message is not translated to the common messaging format;

storing the first message in the common messaging format in the network database for retrieval by any device communicatively connected to the network transport bus without further translation;

translating the first message in the common messaging format from the common messaging format into a message in a second messaging format; and

transmitting the message in the second messaging format via the network transport bus to the second wireless telecommunications device, wherein the first wireless telecommunications device and the second wireless telecommunications device operate under different wireless messaging technology protocols.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving the first message further comprises reading a destination address appended to the first message.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

generating a subject address for the common message in the common messaging format based on the response.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving the routing response further comprises receiving the routing response in the common messaging format over the network transport bus.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a routing validation response, the routing validation response indicating an invalid request.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the routing information indicates whether or not the second wireless telecommunications device is password protected.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

requesting a password from the first wireless telecommunications device in the first messaging format.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

verifying the received password in the password reply message; and

publishing the common message through the bus only if the password is valid.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

preventing the transmission of the common message through the bus if the routing information indicates an invalid response.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

sending a declination message through the messaging interface to the first wireless telecommunications device in the first messaging format if the routing information indicates an invalid response.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of messages in different messaging formats; and

translating the received messages from the different messaging formats into a common messaging format.