Universal mobile device messaging

• US 8,649,808 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2008
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Neely, Samuel J., Atwood, John Allen, Bhela, Harvinder S., Nalliah, Selvaraj, Limont, David P., Chen, Katy, Aftab, Omar, Esteve Balducci, Juan Vicente
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Suhail
• Application Number:
  US12/250,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20100093379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,947 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/466
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/06 Message adaptation to terminal or network requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A unified messaging system allows the receipt and sending of different messages across devices is established by creating relationships that leverage the capabilities of different devices. A message server establishes a relationship with a mobile device. Through the relationship, the message server can use the mobile device to send different types of messages that the server computer cannot transmit. A relationship between a client and a server extends this capability to the client. Through these relationships, a client can retrieve mobile device messages as well as generate them. The generated mobile device messages are transmitted to the message server. The message server determines that the received messages are mobile device messages that the server cannot deliver and sends the mobile device messages to the user'"'"'s mobile device. The mobile device receives the mobile device messages from the message server and transmits the mobile device message to recipient mobile devices.

Claims

1. A method of allowing a client to send mobile device messages by leveraging a user mobile device, the method comprising:

sending an instruction from a message server to the user mobile device to establish a relationship between the message server and the user mobile device, wherein the relationship is established based at least in part on a XML message comprising information about the user mobile device and an EnableOutboundSMS indicator, wherein upon establishing the relationship the message server can send mobile device messages via the user mobile device;

receiving, at the message server, a first message from the client;

determining a message type of the first message; and

when the first message is a mobile device message, sending the first message from the message server to the user mobile device for transmitting to a recipient mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the mobile device message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the mobile device message is one of a SMS message, an EMS message, and an MMS message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the processing of the mobile device message further comprises:

determining whether the mobile device message is larger than predefined set of characters;

truncating the mobile device message into one or more truncated mobile device messages when the SMS message is larger than 160 characters; and

sending the multiple mobile device messages to the user mobile device for transmitting to the recipient mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating, by the message server, a non-delivery receipt when the server is unable to deliver the mobile device message to the user'"'"'s mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the message server, a non-delivery receipt when the user mobile device is unable to deliver the mobile device message to the recipient mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the message server, a second message from the user mobile device;

determining the type of the second message; and

delivering the second mobile device message to the client.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second mobile device message comprises two or more separate mobile device messages.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, by the message server, that the two or more separate mobile device messages are portions of a single mobile device message; and

concatenating the two or more separate mobile device messages into the single mobile device message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing, by the message server, the first mobile device message, wherein the processing comprises transforming the first mobile device message into a proper format for the user'"'"'s mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising compressing, the first mobile device message.

12. A method of transmitting a mobile device message between a client and a recipient mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, at a user mobile device, an instruction from a message server, wherein the message from the message server establishes a relationship between the user mobile device and the message server based at least in part on an XML message comprising information about the user mobile device and an EnableOutboundSMS indicator;

receiving, at a user mobile device, a first message from a message server;

determining the type of the first message; and

when the first message is a mobile device message, transmitting, by the user mobile device, the mobile device message to the recipient mobile device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein when the first message is a mobile device command message, the user mobile device executes the mobile device command.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising instructions for processing the mobile device message.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein processing the mobile device message comprises transforming the mobile device message into a format compatible for transit over a mobile device carrier network supporting the user mobile device.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a second message from a sender mobile device;

determining the type of the second message; and

when the second message is a second mobile device message, sending the second mobile device message to a client via the message server.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending the health data of the user'"'"'s mobile device to a message server for later transmitting to the client.

18. A system for facilitating the sending of a mobile device message from a client to a recipient mobile device, the system comprising:

a client for;

generating and sending a first mobile device message to a message server;

the message server for;

sending an instruction from a message server to the user mobile device to establish a relationship between the message server and the user mobile device, wherein the relationship is established based at least in part on an XML message comprising information about the user mobile device and an EnableOutboundSMS indicator, wherein upon establishing the relationship the message server can send mobile device messages via the user mobile device; and

receiving the first mobile device message from the client, wherein upon receiving the mobile device message from the client, the message server sends the first mobile device message to a user mobile device; and

a user mobile device for;

receiving the first mobile device message from the message server; and

upon receiving the first mobile device message, sending the first mobile device message to the recipient mobile device.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

the user mobile device receiving a second mobile device message from a sending mobile device, wherein upon receiving the second mobile device message, the user mobile device sends the second mobile device message to the message server;

the message server receiving the second mobile device message from the user mobile device and, in response to receiving the second mobile device message, the message server sends the mobile device message to the client; and

the client receiving the second mobile device message and displaying the second mobile device message.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the user mobile device transmits the first mobile device message to the recipient mobile device via a mobile device network that is not directly accessible to the client and the message server.