System and method for multimedia messaging

• US 8,577,969 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2007
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rege, Nabha, Zavelson, Tracy, Ward, Melynda
• Primary Examiner(s): Nooristany, Sulaiman
• Application Number:
  US11/699,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20080183827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,471 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• 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: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A system and method of multimedia messaging are provided. The system includes an input to receive a multimedia message sent to an address associated with a group profile. The system also includes a group profile database with at least one group profile. The group profile may include routing settings that specify at least one network address for each group member. The group profile may also include preferred data format settings that specify at least one preferred multimedia data format for a multimedia message to be sent to each group member. The system includes logic to select at least one network address and at least one preferred data format for each group member. The system includes a conversion module to convert the multimedia message to the preferred data format. The system further includes an output to send the converted message to the network address for each group member.

Claims

1. A method of multimedia messaging comprising:

receiving, at a messaging service provider, a message including multimedia content, wherein the message is addressed to a group address associated with a plurality of group members;

based on the group address, locating a group profile that is associated with the plurality of group members and that includes information identifying one or more recipient profiles associated with each of the plurality of group members, wherein each recipient profile associated with a group member includes a plurality of network addresses associated with the group member, and wherein each network address of the plurality of network addresses is associated with at least one preferred multimedia data format;

based on the information in the group profile, selecting a first recipient profile from the one or more recipient profiles associated with a first group member of the plurality of group members;

selecting a first preferred network address from a first plurality of network addresses associated with the first recipient profile;

determining a particular preferred multimedia data format based on the at least one first preferred multimedia data format associated with the first preferred network address, wherein the particular preferred multimedia data format is determined based at least partially on a location of the first group member;

converting the multimedia content to the particular preferred multimedia data format to produce first converted multimedia content; and

sending the message including the first converted multimedia content to the first preferred network address;

wherein the group address is associated with the group profile specified by settings associated with a sender of the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular preferred multimedia data format includes a set of component multimedia formats including data, text, sound, image, and video, and wherein the message includes more than one distinct component, each distinct component corresponding to a particular component multimedia format of the set of component multimedia formats.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is received from a device associated with a first group member of the plurality of group members, wherein the first group member is not subscribed to the messaging service provider and is subscribed to a second messaging service provider distinct from the messaging service provider, wherein a second group member of the plurality of group members is not subscribed to the messaging service provider, and wherein a third group member of the plurality of group members is subscribed to the messaging service provider.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the first preferred network address is based at least partially on a type of the message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the first preferred network address is based at least partially on the location of the first group member.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first recipient profile specifies an order of the first plurality of network addresses, and wherein the first preferred network address is selected based at least in part on the order of the first plurality of network addresses.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

awaiting an acknowledgement from the first network address selected from a first position in the order of the first plurality of network addresses;

selecting the first preferred network address from a second position the order of the first plurality of network addresses when the acknowledgement from the first network address selected from the first position has not been received; and

sending the message to the first preferred network address selected from the second position.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on the information in the group profile, selecting a second recipient profile from the one or more recipient profiles associated with a second group member of the plurality of group members;

selecting a second preferred network address from a second plurality of network addresses associated with the second recipient profile;

converting the multimedia content to a second preferred multimedia data format associated with the second preferred network address to produce second converted multimedia content; and

sending the message including the second converted multimedia content to the second preferred network address.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first preferred network address comprises an email address.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first preferred network address comprises an address of a wireless communication device associated with the first group member.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions that, when executed, by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving, at a server of a messaging service provider, a message including multimedia content, wherein the message is addressed to a group address associated with a plurality of group members;

based on the group address, locating a group profile that is associated with the plurality of group members and that includes information identifying one or more recipient profiles associated with each of the plurality of group members, wherein each recipient profile associated with a group member includes a plurality of network addresses associated with the group member, and wherein each network address of the plurality of network addresses is associated with at least one preferred multimedia data format;

based on the information in the group profile, selecting a recipient profile from the one or more recipient profiles associated with a particular group member of the plurality of group members;

selecting a preferred network address from the plurality of network addresses associated with the recipient profile;

determining a particular preferred multimedia data format based on the at least one preferred multimedia format associated with the preferred network address, wherein the particular preferred multimedia data format is determined based at least partially on a location of the particular group member;

converting the multimedia content to the particular preferred multimedia data format associated with the preferred network address to produce converted multimedia content; and

sending the message including the converted multimedia content to the preferred network address;

wherein the group address is associated with the group profile specified by settings associated with a sender of the message.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein

routing settings associated with at least one group member, wherein the routing settings include a plurality of network addresses of the at least one group member.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the routing settings include reach settings for the at least one group member and an order in which to select one of the plurality of network addresses to send the multimedia message to the at least one group member.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising computer readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

modifying one of the routing settings associated with the at least one group member; and

modifying the recipient identification data.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the routing settings include at least one network address associated with a type of the message.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the computer readable instructions are further executable to determine the particular preferred multimedia data format based at least partially on settings specified by a sender of the message, wherein the sender of the message is subscribed to the messaging service provider.

17. A messaging service provider system comprising:

a memory storing a group profile associated with a group address, the group profile comprising;

identification data of a plurality of group members recipient identification data to identify one or more recipient profiles associated with each of the plurality of group members, wherein each recipient profile associated with a group member includes a plurality of network addresses associated with the group member, and wherein each network address of the plurality of network addresses is associated with at least one preferred multimedia data format, and

routing settings associated with at least one group member, wherein the routing settings specify a plurality of network addresses of the at least one group member; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the memory comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising;

receiving a multimedia message sent to the group address that identifies the plurality of group members,

based on the group address, locating the group profile that is associated with the plurality of group members;

based on the recipient identification data in the group profile, selecting a particular recipient profile from the one or more recipient profiles associated with a particular group member of the plurality of group members,

selecting a preferred network address from the plurality of network addresses associated with the particular recipient profile of the member based on the routing settings,

determining a particular preferred multimedia data format associated with the at least one preferred network address,

converting the multimedia message to a converted multimedia message according to the particular preferred multimedia data format, and

sending the converted multimedia message to the preferred network address;

wherein the group address is associated with the group profile specified by settings associated with a sender of the multimedia message.

18. The messaging service provider system of claim 17, further comprising an input interface to a wireless communication system, wherein the multimedia message is received via the input interface.

19. The messaging service provider system of claim 17, further comprising an output interface to a wireless communication system, wherein the converted message is sent via the output interface.

20. The messaging service provider system of claim 17, further comprising an output interface to an electronic mail system, wherein the converted message is sent via the output interface.

21. The messaging service provider system of claim 17, wherein the multimedia message is converted from voice to text based on the particular preferred multimedia data format.

22. The messaging service provider system of claim 17, wherein the multimedia message is converted to one of a plurality of photographic image formats based on the particular preferred multimedia data format.

23. The messaging service provider system of claim 17, wherein the multimedia message is converted to one of a plurality of video formats based on the particular preferred multimedia data format.