Mobile instant messaging conferencing method and system

• US 7,672,255 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2005
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Oomble, Inc.
• Inventors: LIN, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moe, Aung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): RIYAMI, ABDULLAH A
• Application Number:
  US11/091,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20050233737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• Field of Search: 370/437, 370/465, 370/392, 370/352, 370/401, 370/389, 370/395.2, 370/260, 370/353, 370/338, 370/328, 370/252, 370/400, 709/204, 709/226, 709/227, 709/237, 709/205, 709/206, 709/207, 455/435.1, 455/450, 455/458, 455/466, 455/456.2, 455/518, 455/519, 455/418, 455/419, 455/456.1, 455/435, 455/432, 455/421, 455/412.1, 455/456.5
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• 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 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• 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 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A server-based architecture for instant messaging conferencing is presented. Session-based instant messaging conferencing is established by transmitting necessary server network address information through page-mode based messaging services to establish connections among the various mobile devices with the server.

Claims

1. A method of initiating a conferencing session among mobile devices that support a data packet-based communications service over a digital mobile network system, the method performed on an initiating mobile device and comprising:

transmitting a request to a server'"'"'s network address and listening port to establish a reliable session-based connection;

establishing the reliable session-based connection with the server;

requesting, by the initiating mobile device, conference identifying information from the server to identify the conferencing session to other participating mobile devices;

receiving the conference identifying information from the server through the established reliable session-based connection;

generating, by the initiating mobile device, an invitation message comprising the server'"'"'s network address and the conference identifying information in order to invite a participating mobile device to participate in the conferencing session;

transmitting, by the initiating mobile device, the invitation message comprising the server'"'"'s network address and the conference identifying information to the participating mobile device through a page-mode messaging service, wherein the participating mobile device is located by providing to the page-mode messaging service a unique identification number that is used by the digital mobile network system to locate the participating mobile device; and

participating in the conference session through the reliable session-based connection with the server to communicate with the participating mobile device, which has established its own reliable session-based connection with the server by transmitting its own request, comprising the conference identifying information, to the server'"'"'s network address, wherein the server forwards all communications exchanged among mobile devices participating in the conference session.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data packet-based communications service is GPRS and the digital mobile network system is GSM.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the server'"'"'s network address is an IP address and the listening port is a TCP port.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the page-mode messaging service is SMS.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the unique identification number is a telephone number.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the conference identifying information includes a second listening port number generated by and opened at the server.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the conference identifying information is a session identification number generated by the server.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the reliable session-based connection is a TCP connection.

9. A method of joining a conferencing session among mobile devices that support a data packet-based communications service over a digital mobile network system, the method comprising:

opening a listening port to receive invitation messages through a page-mode messaging service;

receiving, at the listening port and through the page-mode messaging service, an invitation message from an initiating mobile device to participate in the conferencing session, wherein such invitation message is generated by the initiating mobile device and comprises, upon transmission by the initiating mobile device, a server'"'"'s network address and conference identifying information requested by the initiating mobile device to identify the conferencing session;

transmitting a request to the server'"'"'s network address to establish a reliable session-based connection, wherein the request comprises the conference identifying information;

establishing the reliable session-based connection with the server; and

participating in the conference session through the reliable session-based connection with the server with other mobile devices that have established their own reliable session-based connections with the server by transmitting their own request to the server'"'"'s network address to establish their own reliable session-based connection, wherein the server forwards all communications exchanged among mobile devices participating in the conference session.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the data packet-based communications service is GPRS and the digital mobile network system is GSM.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the server'"'"'s network address is an IP address.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the page-mode messaging service is SMS and the listening port is an SMS port.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the conference identifying information includes a second listening port number at the server and the request to the server'"'"'s network address to establish a reliable session-based connection is transmitted to the second listening port number.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the conference identifying information is a session identification number generated by the server and the session identification number is transmitted to the server upon establishing the reliable session-based connection with the server.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the reliable session-based connection is a TCP connection.

16. A method of managing a conferencing session at a server for mobile devices that support a data packet-based communications service over a digital mobile network system, the method comprising:

opening a listening port to receive invitation messages through the data packet-based communications service;

establishing a first reliable session-based connection with an initiating mobile device;

receiving a request for a conference identifying information to identify the conferencing session from the initiating mobile device;

generating the conference identifying information associated with the conferencing session;

transmitting the conference identifying information to the initiating mobile device through the established reliable session based connection;

receiving a request to establish a second reliable session-based connection from a participating mobile device that has obtained the server'"'"'s network address and the conference identifying information from an invitation message generated and transmitted by the initiating mobile device through a page-mode messaging service wherein the participating mobile device is located by providing to the page-mode messaging service a unique identification number that is used by the digital mobile network system to locate the participating mobile device;

establishing a second reliable session-based connection with the participating mobile device;

associating the first reliable session-based connection with the second reliable session-based connection through the conference identifying information; and

establishing the conferencing session by forwarding messages received from the initiating mobile device or the participating mobile device to the participating mobile device or initiating mobile device, respectively, through the first reliable session-based connection and second reliable session-based connection respectively.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the data packet-based communications service is GPRS and the digital mobile network system is GSM.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the server'"'"'s network address is an IP address and the listening port is a TCP port.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the page-mode messaging service is SMS.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the conference identifying information includes a second listening port number at the server and the method further comprises opening the second listening port at the server to receive requests from participating mobile devices to establish reliable session-based connections.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the conference identifying information is a session identification number which is transmitted to the server by the participating mobile device through the second reliable session-based connection.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the first reliable session-based connection and the second reliable session-based connection are TCP connections.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein the unique identification number is a telephone number.