System and method for personal identification number messaging

• US 7,711,362 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2006
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Bumiller, George Baldwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Pérez-Gutiérrez; Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Batista; Marcos
• Application Number:
  US11/391,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20060223530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435.1, 455/13.1
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4547 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• 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 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

A relay site associated with a wireless network can send messages between mobile devices associated with the wireless network without having to transmit the messages to a host system. The messages include PIN messages and each of the mobile devices has a PIN address. The relay site includes a relay server for controlling the operation of the relay site, and sending the PIN messages between the mobile devices. The relay site also includes a relay data store having PIN information for users associated with the mobile devices. The relay server can access the relay data store to allow users that use the mobile devices to query the relay data store for PIN information of other users.

Claims

1. A relay site associated with a wireless network for supporting communication of messages between mobile devices associated with the relay site, each of the mobile devices having a Personal Identification Number (PIN) address, wherein the relay site comprises:

a relay data store having relay information for the mobile devices associated with the relay site, the relay information including PIN information, e-mail address information and user information, the PIN information including PIN address information;

a relay server connected to the relay data store, the relay server being adapted to control the operation of the relay site, the relay server comprising a user lookup module for querying the relay data store for PIN information for one or more recipient users specified in a given message; and

a network interface connected to the relay server, the network interface being adapted for connecting the relay site to the wireless network,

wherein the messages have a message type including e-mail, PIN and pseudo-PIN, and a pseudo-PIN message is a PIN message with at least one e-mail address specified in an address field of the PIN message.

2. The relay site of claim 1, wherein the PIN information further includes PIN date changed information for a given mobile device associated with the relay site.

3. The relay site of claim 2, wherein the relay server is adapted to communicate with an enterprise server for receiving e-mail and PIN address pair information to associate the e-mail address information with the PIN information stored on the relay data store.

4. The relay site of claim 1, wherein the relay server further comprises a message handling module adapted for discriminating between the messages received at the relay site based on the message type, and processing the message based on the message type.

5. The relay site of claim 4, wherein the given message is a given pseudo-PIN message and the message handling module is adapted to interact with the user lookup module to obtain a PIN address for each e-mail address specified in an address field of the given pseudo-PlN message, convert the given pseudo-PIN message to a standard PIN message and send the standard PIN message to recipient mobile devices.

6. The relay site of claim 5, wherein the message handling module is adapted to prevent the conversion based on the identity of the sending user that generated the given pseudo-PIN message.

7. The relay site of claim 5, wherein the relay server is adapted to generate two or more PIN messages for e-mail addresses that are associated with two or more PIN addresses.

8. The relay site of claim 1, wherein the relay site is adapted to interact with an enterprise server and when a given pseudo-PIN message is received at the enterprise server, the enterprise server is adapted to request and receive corresponding PIN information provided by the user lookup module of the relay server for each e-mail address specified in an address field of the given pseudo-PIN message, convert the given pseudo-PIN message into a standard PIN message and send the standard PIN message to the relay site for distribution to recipient mobile devices.

9. The relay site of claim 1, wherein the relay site is adapted to interact with one of the mobile devices to update PIN information stored thereat.

10. The relay site of claim 1, wherein the relay site further comprises a relay bridge to connect the relay site to additional relay sites having additional relay data stores, and the user lookup module is adapted to query at least one of the additional relay data stores when desired PIN information is not located at the relay data store.

11. A mobile communications device comprising:

a main processor that controls the operation of the mobile communications device;

a communication subsystem connected to the main processor, the communication subsystem being adapted to send and receive data including messages; and

a message application that interfaces with the communication subsystem to send and receive the messages;

the message application being adapted to allow a user of the mobile communications device to generate a pseudo-PIN message by specifying at least one e-mail address in an address field of a PIN message, and transmit the pseudo-PIN message to an associated relay site.

12. The mobile communications device of claim 11, wherein the mobile communications device further comprises an address book and is adapted to update the address book with PIN information provided by the associated relay site.

13. A wireless network comprising:

a plurality of mobile devices, each of the mobile devices having a Personal Identification Number (PIN) address; and

a relay site associated with the wireless network for supporting communication of messages between the mobile devices, the relay site comprising;

a relay data store having relay information for the mobile devices associated with the relay site, the relay information including PIN information,

a relay server connected to the relay data store, the relay server being adapted to control the operation of the relay site, the relay server comprising a user lookup module for querying the relay data store for PIN information for one or more recipient users specified in a given message, and

a network interface connected to the relay server, the network interface being adapted for connecting the relay site to the wireless network,

wherein each of the mobile communications devices comprises;

a main processor that controls the operation of the mobile communications device;

a communication subsystem connected to the main processor, the communication subsystem being adapted to send and receive data including messages; and

a message application that interfaces with the communication subsystem to send and receive the messages;

the message application being adapted to allow a user of the mobile communications device to generate a pseudo-PIN message by specifying at least one e-mail address in an address field of a PIN message, and transmit the pseudo-PIN message to an associated relay site.

14. The wireless network of claim 13, wherein the wireless network further comprises an enterprise server and when a given pseudo-PIN message is received at the enterprise server, the enterprise server is adapted to request and receive corresponding PIN information provided by the relay site for each e-mail address specified in an address field of the given pseudo-PIN message, convert the given pseudo-PIN message into a standard PIN message and send the standard PIN message to the relay site for distribution to recipient mobile devices.

15. A method for supporting communication of messages between mobile devices associated with a relay site, each of the mobile devices having a Personal Identification Number (PIN), the relay site having a relay server, wherein the method comprises:

processing messages at the relay site by discriminating between received messages based on message type, the message type including e-mail, PIN and pseudo-PIN, a pseudo-PIN message being a PIN message with at least one e-mail address specified in an address field of the PIN message;

storing e-mail address information, user information, PIN address information and PIN date changed information at a relay data store for a given mobile device associated with the relay site;

receiving a request at the relay site from a given mobile device for PIN information for a recipient user;

searching the relay data store for the requested PIN information; and

sending search results to the given mobile device,

wherein the relay server communicates with an enterprise server for receiving e-mail and PIN address pair information to associate the e-mail address information with the PIN information stored on the relay data store.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises searching an additional relay data store of an additional relay site if the requested information is not found in the relay data store.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises specifying information to prevent dissemination of PIN information for a given user.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein for a given pseudo-PIN message, the method further comprises:

obtaining a PIN address for each e-mail address specified in an address field of the given pseudo-PIN message;

converting the given pseudo-PIN message to a standard PIN message; and

sending the standard PIN message to recipient mobile devices.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises generating two or more PIN messages for e-mail addresses that are associated with two or more PIN addresses.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a given pseudo-PIN message from the given mobile device at the enterprise server;

communicating with the relay site to receive corresponding PIN information for each e-mail address specified in an address field of the given pseudo-PIN message;

converting the given pseudo-PIN message into a standard PIN message; and

sending the standard PIN message to the relay site for distribution to recipient mobile devices.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises informing the given mobile device of located PIN information and storing the located PIN information on the given mobile device.

22. A computer program product for implementing a method of supporting communication of messages between mobile devices associated with a relay site, each of the mobile devices having a Personal Identification Number (PIN) address, the relay site having a relay server, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

program code means embodied by said computer readable medium, said program code means being executable by a processor for carrying out said method, wherein said method comprises;

processing messages at the relay site by discriminating between received messages based on message type, the message type including e-mail, PIN and pseudo-PIN, a pseudo-PIN message being a PIN message with at least one e-mail address specified in an address field of the PIN message;

storing e-mail address information, user information, PIN address information and PIN date changed information at a relay data store for a given mobile device associated with the relay site;

receiving a request at the relay site from a given mobile device for PIN information for a recipient user,

searching the relay data store for the requested PIN information, and

sending search results to the given mobile device,

wherein the relay server communicates with an enterprise server for receiving e-mail and PIN address pair information to associate the e-mail address information with the PIN information stored on the relay data store.