System and method for SMS/IP interoperability

• US 8,327,024 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Flash Networks, Ltd. (Constellation Software Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: 724 Solutions Software Incorporated (724 Solutions)
• Inventors: Pattison, Ian McLean, Zink, Roland
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Dung B
• Application Number:
  US11/937,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20090049202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,852 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/57 for integrated multimedia messaging subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2046 Hybrid network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/208 IMS, i.e. Integrated Multimedia messaging Subsystem
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/44 Charging/billing arrangements for connection made over different networks, e.g. wireless and PSTN, ISDN, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods for interoperability are disclosed which allow for a user of one network to communicate seamlessly with a user of another network. Users are provided seamless access to data services in different networks without having to subscribe to those networks. In one embodiment an application bridge comprising an application server may be used to service communications while a billing bridge may be provided to control and charge network subscribers. In one embodiment a user in a SMS domain may communicate with a user in an IP domain. In one embodiment, a platform may register with a federated interface of an IM domain to enable non-IM users to communicate with IM users.

Claims

1. A system for interoperability between a first network communicating according to a first protocol associated with a first user and a second network communicating according to a second protocol associated with a second user, the system comprising:

a Home Location Register (HLR) Proxy for intercepting SRI_For_SM requests sent from a first Short Message Service Center (SMSC) in the first network intended for a HLR in the second network and returning to the SMSC a response having address information for a second SMSC in the second network;

a Message Switching Center (MSC) Proxy associated with the address information returned to the SMSC and configured for receiving a first communication from the first SMSC, wherein the first communication has an associated first identity of the first user and first identity of the second user based on the first network;

an adapter configured to normalize the first communication received from the first network into a network-independent format;

a bridge comprising;

an application layer comprising logic to select the second network based on presence information associated with the second user, to determine a second communication valid for the second network and to determine a second identity for the first user and a second identity for the second user based on the selected second network; and

a component layer having services with associated functionality and accessible to the application layer,

wherein the bridge is configured to inspect the normalized first communication and to generate a second communication for the second network using one or more components based on the normalized first communication; and

one or more messaging emulators for sending the second communication to a gateway in the second network, wherein the one or more messaging emulators comprise;

an Internet Protocol (IP) messaging emulator configured to send the second communication to a user in an IP network based on address information returned by the HLR proxy and receive an IP message from an address in the IP network, wherein the adapter is configured to normalize the IP message into a network-independent format and the bridge is configured to inspect the normalized IP message and generate a third communication for the first network using one or more components based on the normalized IP message and send the third communication to the first network, and

an SMSC emulator configured to send a request to a HLR in the first network, receive a response from the HLR in the first network, and forward the third communication to a current Message Switching Center (MSC) in the first network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the bridge comprises an application bridge.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the bridge comprises a network bridge.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first identity of the first user and the first identity of the second user in the first network are mapped from Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Numbers (MSISDNs) to determine the second identity of the first user and the second identity of the second user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to receive presence update information about one or more users from an IP domain, and register with the IP domain on behalf of one or more users based on the presence update information received from the IP domain.

6. A method for providing interoperability between networks, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for address information, by a Home Location Register (HLR) Proxy, from a first network which communicates according to a first protocol;

responding to the request with address information for a Message Switching Center (MSC) Proxy;

receiving a first communication from the first network, by the MSC Proxy, wherein the first communication has an associated first identity of the first user and first identity of the second user based on the first network;

normalizing the first communication into a network-independent format;

routing the normalized first communication to an application server comprising

an application layer having application logic for generating an appropriate second communication, and

a component layer having services with selected functionality and accessible to the application layer,

wherein the application server is configured to select the second network based on presence information associated with the second user, to generate the second communication for a second network which communicates according to a second protocol based on the normalized first communication and to determine a second identity for the first user and a second identity for the second user based on the selected second network;

receiving the second communication from the application server;

sending the second communication to an emulator of a set of emulators; and

routing the second communication to a gateway in the second network which communicates according to a second protocol, wherein the set of emulators comprises;

an Internet Protocol (IP) messaging emulator configured to send the second communication to a user in an IP network based on address information returned by the HLR proxy and receive an IP message from an address in the IP network, wherein the IP message is normalized into a network-independent format and the normalized IP message is inspected and a third communication for the first network is generated using based on the normalized IP message and sent to the first network, and

an SMSC emulator configured to send a request to a HLR in the first network, receive a response from the HLR in the first network, and forward the third communication to a current Message Switching Center (MSC) in the first network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of receiving a message from a first network comprises the step of receiving a Short Message Service (SMS) message, and wherein sending the second communication to an emulator comprises the steps of:

mapping the first identity of the first user and the first identity of the second user in the first network and from Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Numbers (MSISDNs) to the second identity of the first user and the second identity of the second user based on Internet Protocol (IP); and

sending an IP message to an IP messaging emulator.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

registering with an IP domain on behalf of one or more users of the IP domain, wherein messages sent by the one or more users of the IP domain are received by the IP messaging emulator.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

receiving presence update information about one or more users from an IP domain, and

registering with the IP domain on behalf of one or more users based on the presence update information received from the IP domain.

10. A method for providing interoperability between a Short

Message Service (SMS) network and an Internet Protocol (IP) network, comprising the steps of:

registering with an IP domain for a first user not registered with the IP domain;

receiving an IP message from the IP domain from a second user registered with the IP domain, wherein the IP message has an associated first identity of the first user and first identity of the second user based on the IP domain;

normalizing the IP message into a normalized first communication having a network-independent format;

routing the normalized first communication to an application server comprising;

an application layer having application logic for selecting the second network based on presence information associated with the second user, to determine an appropriate second communication, and for determining a second identity for the first user and a second identity for the second user based on the selected second network; and

a component layer having services with selected functionality and accessible to the application layer,

generating, based on presence information associated with the second user, a second communication for the second network which communicates according to a second protocol based on the normalized first communication;

sending the second communication to an emulator of a set of emulators; and

routing the second communication to the second network which communicates according to the second protocol, wherein the set of emulators comprises;

an Internet Protocol (IP) messaging emulator configured to send the second communication to a user in the IP network based on address information returned by an HLR proxy and receive an IP message from an address in the IP network, wherein the IP message is normalized into a network-independent format and the normalized IP message is inspected and a third communication for the first network is generated based on the normalized IP message and sent to the first network, and

an SMSC emulator configured to send a request to a HLR in the first network, receive a response from the HLR in the first network, and forward the third communication to a current Message Switching Center (MSC) in the first network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of registering with an IP domain comprises the steps of:

sending a request for network presence information from the IP messaging emulator;

receiving the presence information by the IP messaging emulator; and

sending a request to register, by the IP messaging emulator, to the IP domain.

12. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions operable for causing the computer to execute the following:

intercept a request for address information from a first user in a first network;

respond to the request with address information for a proxy;

receive a first communication from the first user in the first network which communicates according to a first communication protocol, wherein the first communication has an associated first identity of the first user and first identity of the second user based on the first network;

normalize the first communication into a network-independent format;

select the second network based on presence information associated with the second user;

select a channel of communication;

generate a second communication for a second user in a second network that communicates according to a second communication protocol based on the normalized first communication;

select an identity of the first and second users based on the second network; and

send the second communication to the second network using a set of emulators comprising;

an Internet Protocol (IP) messaging emulator configured to send the second communication to a user in the IP network based on address information returned by an HLR proxy and receive an IP message from an address in the IP network, wherein the IP message is normalized into a network-independent format and the normalized IP message is inspected and a third communication for the first network is generated based on the normalized IP message and sent to the first network; and

an SMSC emulator configured to send a request to a HLR in the first network, receive a response from the HLR in the first network, and forward the third communication to a current Message Switching Center (MSC) in the first network.

13. The machine readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions to:

register with an Internet Protocol (IP) domain for one or more users of a network.

14. The machine readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions to:

generate an Instant Messaging (IM) identity for a non-user of an IM domain.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first identity of the first user, first identity of the second user, second identity of the first user or second identity of the second user is one of an MSISDN or an identity on an Internet Protocol (IP) based network.