Peer-to-peer mobile instant messaging method and device

• US 7,764,637 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Daniel J. Lin
• Inventors: LIN, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): MIAH, LITON
• Application Number:
  US10/935,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20050220045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,149 Days
• Field of Search: 370/313, 370/395.3, 455/466
• US Class Current: 370/313
• 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: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A technique is provided for establishing peer-to-peer session-based instant messaging between mobile devices without the need for using an instant messaging registration or log-in server to provide presence information. Session-based instant messaging communications between mobile devices are established by embedding necessary address information in the telephony ringing signal between mobile devices.

Claims

1. A method of establishing session-based instant messaging communications between an initiating mobile device and a target mobile device that each supports a data packet-based communications service over a digital mobile network system, the method comprising:

receiving a selected phone number from a user of the initiating mobile device corresponding to the target mobile device;

generating a port number for the received selected phone number;

opening a listening TCP end-point bound to the generated port number on the initiating mobile device to receive a TCP connection request from the target mobile device;

embedding an invitation message comprising an IP address of the initiating mobile device and the generated port number in a telephony ringing signal transmitted to the target mobile device using the selected phone number;

receiving a TCP connection request from the target mobile device at the listening TCP end-point on the initiating mobile device through the data packet-based communications service; and

establishing a TCP connection through the data packet-based communications service for the session-based instant messaging session enabling transmission of a byte stream between the initiating mobile device and the target mobile device, wherein the TCP connection is established without use of a server that handles connection requests from multiple mobile devices.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein FSK is utilized to embed the IP address of the initiating mobile device and the generated port number into the telephone ringing signal.

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

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the session-based instant messaging communications through the established TCP connection utilizes MSRP.

5. A mobile device enabled to establish session-based instant messaging communications with a target mobile device in a digital mobile network system, wherein the mobile device is programmed to:

support a data packet-based communications service over the digital mobile network system;

extract an invitation message embedded in a telephony ringing signal initiated by the mobile device, the invitation message comprising an IP address of the mobile device and a port number generated by the mobile device that is bound with a TCP end-point opened by the mobile device;

send a TCP connection request through the data packet-based communications service to the IP address of the initiating mobile device and the generated port number; and

establish a TCP connection through the data packet-based communications service for the session-based instant messaging communications enabling transmission of a byte stream between the mobile device and the initiating mobile device, wherein the TCP connection is established without use of a server that handles connection requests from multiple mobile devices.

6. The mobile device of claim 5 wherein the invitation message has been embedded in the telephony ringing signal using FSK.

7. The mobile device of claim 5 wherein the data packet-based communications service is GPRS and the digital mobile network system is GSM.

8. The mobile device of claim 5 further comprising a QWERTY keyboard.

9. A computer readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program to be executed on a mobile device to carry out the steps of:

receiving a selected phone number from a user of the mobile device corresponding to a target mobile device;

generating a port number for the received selected phoned number;

opening a listening TCP end-point bound to the generated port number on the mobile device to receive a TCP connection request from the target mobile device through a data packet-based communications service over a digital mobile network system;

transmitting an invitation message comprising an IP address of the mobile device and the generated port number in a telephony ringing signal to the target mobile device using the selected phone number;

receiving a TCP connection request from the target mobile device at the listening TCP end-point on the initiating mobile device through the data packet-based communications service; and

establishing a TCP connection through the data packet based communications service for the session-based instant messaging session enabling transmission of a byte stream between the mobile device and the target mobile, wherein the TCP connection is established without use of a server that handles connection requests from multiple mobile devices.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the IP address of the mobile device and the generated port number have been embedded into the telephony ringing signal using FSK.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the data packet-based communications service is GPRS and the digital mobile network system is GSM.