Method and system to enable communication through SMS communication channel

• US 8,295,862 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2007
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Anuwave LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Telibrahma Convergent Communications Private Limited
• Inventors: Suresh, Narasimha
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Application Number:
  US11/734,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20080032718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,021 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466
• US Class Current: 455/466
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system to provide network aware applications on a mobile device that can communicate using existing SMS communication channels without resorting to other IP based communication channels that are costlier and are not available on many of the networks.

Claims

1. A method of enabling communication through SMS communication channel, comprising:

listing all services at a terminal station that are available with an SMS gateway according to meta information available at the terminal station;

upon selecting a service, a network aware application displaying associated parameters that a user needs to select or enter;

upon user selection, submitting a request to the SMS gateway; and

the SMS gateway responding back with a response,

wherein the associated parameters include the parameters listed at the terminal station and the parameters desired by the user and not listed at the terminal station.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a message with a question and a set of options to be chosen at the terminal station;

a middleware at the terminal station checking the message and sending it to the network aware application before the message is processed by a standard SMS module on the terminal station;

the network aware application presenting an interface for the user to select or enter a choice;

converting the choice selected or entered by the user into a command that can be interpreted by the middleware at the terminal station;

the middleware at the terminal station encoding the command and sending the command as an SMS through the SMS gateway;

the gateway decoding the command of the message and handling the command to a middleware at a central station;

the middleware at the central station getting the response based on the command;

converting the response into a command that the network aware application can understand by the middleware at the central station;

encoding the command and sending the encoded command back to the terminal station as one or more SMS messages;

the middleware at the terminal station decoding the command of the message and handling the command to a network aware application; and

the network aware application reconverting the command into the response, rendering the response and building a user interface to show the response to the user.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the response received at a terminal station is a set of questions and answers for retrieval of further information.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a middleware at the terminal station interrupting messages received by the terminal station;

the middleware checking if the SMS message is intended for the plurality of applications; and

the middleware handling the message to the SMS module in the event of the message is not intended to the plurality of applications.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of the network aware application building the user interface using the meta data information according to the choice selected.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the middleware at the terminal station is used to send messages to a short code or a value added service (VAS).

7. A method of enabling communication through SMS communication channel, comprising:

listing all services at a terminal station that are available with an SMS gateway according to meta information available at the terminal station;

upon selecting a service, a network aware application configured to allow a user to type in a desired parameter;

upon user entering the desired parameter, submiting a request to the SMS gateway; and

the SMS gateway responding back with a response,

wherein the desired parameter is not listed at the terminal station.