Home zone determination for electronic messaging services

• US 8,812,581 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2006
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel Lucant
• Inventors: Sharma, Alok, Cai, Yigang
• Primary Examiner(s): GOODCHILD, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US11/456,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20080010349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,962 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed that determine whether a sender/recipient using an electronic messaging service (e.g., SMS messaging service or MMS messaging service) is located in a defined home zone. A communication network in one embodiment includes a messaging system, such as an SMSC or an MMSC, and a home zone system. If the messaging system receives an electronic message from a sender to a recipient, then the home zone system determines a location of the sender/recipient. The home zone system also determines whether the sender/recipient is located in a home zone. If the home zone system determines that the sender/recipient is located in a home zone, then the messaging system forwards the electronic message to the recipient. If the home zone system determines that the sender/recipient is not located in the home zone, then the messaging system blocks the electronic message.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a messaging system of a communication network that is adapted to receive a text message from a device of a sender, and to query a home zone system to determine whether a recipient of the text message is located in a home zone before attempting delivery of the text message to the recipient, wherein the home zone is a geographic area within the communication network where charging is treated differently than non-home zones;

the messaging system is further adapted to deliver the text message to the recipient if the recipient is located in the home zone, and to block the text message from being delivered to the recipient if the recipient is not located in the home zone and is located in an area of the communication network outside of the home zone;

if the text message is blocked in the messaging system, then the messaging system is further adapted to transmit a notification message to the recipient indicating that additional payment is needed for delivery of the text message, to receive a response message from the recipient indicating an agreement to the additional payment, and to deliver the text message to the recipient responsive to the response message.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein if the text message is blocked in the messaging system, then:

the messaging system is further adapted to buffer the text message;

the home zone system is adapted to determine the location of the recipient after a retry time interval, and to determine whether the recipient has moved into the home zone; and

the messaging system is further adapted to deliver the text message to the recipient if the recipient has moved into the home zone.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein if the text message is blocked in the messaging system, then:

the messaging system is further adapted to buffer the text message;

the home zone system is adapted to dynamically monitor the location of the recipient to determine whether the recipient has moved into the home zone; and

the messaging system is further adapted to deliver the text message to the recipient if the recipient has moved into the home zone.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein if the text message is blocked in the messaging system, then the messaging system is further adapted to:

transmit a notification message to the sender indicating that additional payment is needed for delivery of the text message;

receive a response message from the sender indicating an agreement to the additional payment; and

deliver the text message to the recipient responsive to the response message.

5. A method comprising:

defining a geographic area within a communication network which represents a home zone where charging is treated differently than non-home zones;

receiving a text message from a device of a sender into a messaging system implemented in the communication network;

determining a location of a recipient of the text message;

determining whether the recipient is located in a home zone defined for the recipient;

delivering the text message from the messaging system to the recipient responsive to determining that the recipient is located in the home zone; and

blocking the text message in the messaging system from being delivered to the recipient responsive to determining that the recipient is not located in the home zone and is located in an area of the communication network outside of the home zone;

if the text message is blocked, then the method further comprises;

transmitting a notification message to the recipient indicating that additional payment is needed for delivery of the text message;

receiving a response message from the recipient indicating an agreement to the additional payment; and

delivering the text message to the recipient responsive to the response message.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein if the text message is blocked, then the method further comprises:

buffering the text message;

determining the location of the recipient after a retry time interval;

determining whether the recipient has moved into the home zone; and

delivering the text message to the recipient responsive to determining that the recipient has moved into the home zone.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein if the text message is blocked, then the method further comprises:

buffering the text message;

dynamically monitoring the location of the recipient to determine whether the recipient has moved into the home zone; and

delivering the text message to the recipient responsive to determining that the recipient has moved into the home zone.

8. A system comprising:

a messaging system of a communication network that is adapted to receive a text message from a device of a sender, and to query a home zone system to determine whether the sender of the text message is located in a home zone before attempting delivery of the text message to a recipient, wherein the home zone is a geographic area within the communication network where charging is treated differently than non-home zones;

the messaging system is further adapted to deliver the text message to the recipient if the sender is located in the home zone, and to block the text message from being delivered to the recipient if the sender is not located in the home zone and is located in an area of the communication network outside of the home zone;

if the text message is blocked in the messaging system, then the messaging system is further adapted to;

transmit a notification message to the sender indicating that additional payment is needed for delivery of the text message;

receive a response message from the sender indicating an agreement to the additional payment; and

deliver the text message to the recipient responsive to the response message.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein if the text message is blocked in the messaging system, then:

the messaging system is further adapted to buffer the text message;

the home zone system is adapted to determine the location of the sender after a retry time interval, and to determine whether the sender has moved into the home zone; and

the messaging system is further adapted to deliver the text message to the recipient if the sender has moved into the home zone.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein if the text message is blocked in the messaging system, then:

the messaging system is further adapted to buffer the text message;

the home zone system is adapted to dynamically monitor the location of the sender to determine whether the sender has moved into the home zone, and to transmit a message to the messaging system if the sender has moved into the home zone; and

the messaging system is further adapted to deliver the text message to the recipient if the sender has moved into the home zone.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein if the text message is blocked in the messaging system, then the messaging system is further adapted to:

transmit a notification message to the recipient indicating that additional payment is needed for delivery of the text message;

receive a response message from the recipient indicating an agreement to the additional payment; and

deliver the text message to the recipient responsive to the response message.

12. A method comprising:

defining a geographic area within a communication network which represents a home zone where charging is treated differently than non-home zones;

receiving a text message from a device of a sender into a messaging system implemented in the communication network;

determining a location of the sender;

determining whether the sender is located in a home zone defined for the sender;

delivering the text message from the messaging system to a recipient responsive to determining that the sender is located in the home zone; and

blocking the text message in the messaging system from being delivered to the recipient responsive to determining that the sender is not located in the home zone and is located in an area of the communication network outside of the home zone;

if the text message is blocked, then the method further comprises;

transmitting a notification message to the sender indicating that additional payment is needed for delivery of the text message;

receiving a response message from the sender indicating an agreement to the additional payment; and

delivering the text message to the recipient responsive to the response message.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein if the text message is blocked, then the method further comprises:

buffering the text message;

determining the location of the sender after a retry time interval;

determining whether the sender has moved into the home zone; and

delivering the text message to the recipient responsive to determining that the sender has moved into the home zone.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein if the text message is blocked, then the method further comprises:

buffering the text message;

dynamically monitoring the location of the sender to determine whether the sender has moved into the home zone; and

delivering the text message to the recipient responsive to determining that the sender has moved into the home zone.

15. A communication network comprising:

a home zone system, implemented in the communication network, that is adapted to define a geographic area within the communication network which represents a home zone where charging is treated differently than non-home zones, and to monitor whether a subscriber that subscribes to a text messaging service is located in a home zone defined for the subscriber; and

a messaging system, implemented in the communication network, that is adapted to receive a text message sent to or received from the subscriber, to transmit a query to the home zone system to determine whether the subscriber is located in the home zone, to deliver the text message responsive to the home zone system determining that the subscriber is located in the home zone, and to block the text message from being delivered to the recipient responsive to the home zone system determining that the subscriber is not located in the home zone and is located in an area of the communication network outside of the home zone;

if the text message is blocked in the messaging system, then the messaging system is further adapted to transmit a notification message to the subscriber indicating that additional payment is needed for delivery of the text message, to receive a response message from the subscriber indicating an agreement to the additional payment, and to deliver the text message responsive to the response message.

16. The communication network of claim 15 wherein if the text message is blocked in the messaging system, then:

the messaging system is further adapted to buffer the text message, to transmit another query to the home zone system after a retry time interval to determine whether the subscriber has moved into the home zone, and to deliver the text message responsive to the home zone system determining that the subscriber has moved into the home zone.

17. The communication network of claim 15 wherein if the text message is blocked in the messaging system, then:

the messaging system is further adapted to buffer the text message;

the home zone system is further adapted to identify whether the subscriber has moved into the home zone, and to transmit a message to the messaging system responsive to identifying that the subscriber has moved into the home zone; and

the messaging system is further adapted to deliver the text message responsive to the home zone system determining that the subscriber has moved into the home zone.