Mobile device proxy for instant messaging

• US 8,880,612 B1
• Filed: 12/16/2004
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Thenthiruperai, Balaji S., Hunter, Kevin E., Landers, Brian B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Daftuar, Saket K
• Application Number:
  US11/013,547
• Time in Patent Office: 3,610 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/202, 709/204, 709/205, 709/207, 709/217, 709/225, 709/228, 709/229, 709/230, 709/232, 709/246, 455/466, 455/414.1, 455/419, 455/412.1, 455/422.1, 379/88.13
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• 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: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• 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 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

A proxy for SMS-based wireless instant messaging (IM) is located on a network server. The proxy provides an on-line IM presence for a mobile device user and facilitates multiple cross-platform IM services without requiring protocol specific functionality locally installed on the mobile device. According to an embodiment, the proxy is configured with information about the user such as userID and login information. In operation, the proxy may log into a plurality of IM systems and provide an indication of the user'"'"'s presence. Upon receiving IM messages directed to the user, the proxy may 1) automatically reply; 2) forward a converted message to the user'"'"'s current presence; 3) forward a converted message to the user'"'"'s on-line message repository; and/or 4) store the message for future delivery. The proxy may also provide presence information of contacts for the mobile device user. Upon receiving SMS messages from the user, the proxy may 1) determine the appropriate IM protocol; 2) log-in the appropriate IM system; 3) send the message to the intended recipient.

Claims

1. A method of two-way communication comprising:

at a device proxy that communicates with a mobile device and with a plurality of instant messaging (IM) systems and that provides cross-platform IM functionality for at least the mobile device, registering with the plurality of IM systems on behalf of a user of the mobile device according to respective IM protocols of the plurality of IM systems, so that IM messages thereafter destined to the user from any one of the IM systems will be routed to an address of the device proxy for transmission in turn from the device proxy to the user, wherein at the time of registering with the plurality of IM systems on behalf of the user, information reflecting presence of the user is provided to each of the IM systems;

at the device proxy, receiving a first IM message from a sender via a first IM system of the plurality of IM systems;

at the device proxy, determining that the first IM message is directed to the user; and

if the mobile device is currently available to receive a message, sending a payload of the first IM message according to a mobile system protocol from the device proxy to the mobile device.

2. The method of two-way communication of claim 1 further comprising:

if a computing device associated with the user is currently available to receive a message, sending the payload of the first IM message from the device proxy to the computing device; and

if neither the mobile device nor the computing device is currently available to receive a message, sending the payload of the first IM message from the device proxy to a message repository associated with the user.

3. The method of two-way communication of claim 1 further comprising, in response to the device proxy receiving the first IM message, automatically sending a reply message from the device proxy to the sender indicating a presence of the user.

4. The method of two-way communication of claim 3, wherein automatically sending a reply message comprises:

determining a contact category for the sender;

configuring the reply message based on the contact category; and

sending the reply message.

5. The method of two-way communication of claim 3, wherein the reply message includes a telephone number of the mobile device, thus indicating that the user is available to receive a telephone call at the mobile device.

6. The method of two-way communication of claim 1, wherein the mobile system protocol is a short messaging service protocol.

7. The method of two-way communication of claim 1, wherein the information reflecting presence of the mobile device user is indicative of whether the mobile device is currently available to receive messages.

8. The method of two-way communication of claim 1, wherein registering with the plurality of IM systems on behalf of the user of the mobile device comprises:

receiving a short messaging service message indicating that the mobile device is currently available to receive messages; and

responsively executing a login sequence for each of the plurality of IM systems, wherein for each IM system of the plurality of IM systems, the device proxy retrieves from data storage a userID associated with both the user and the IM system and submits the userID to the IM system.

9. The method of two-way communication of claim 8, wherein the short messaging service message indicating that the mobile device is currently available to receive messages comprises:

a destination system identifier to identify the IM system associated with the recipient;

a destination user identifier to identify the recipient; and

a message payload.

10. The method of two-way communication of claim 9 further comprising, in response to receiving the short messaging service message from the mobile device, storing an indication that the mobile device is currently available to receive messages.

11. The method of two-way communication of claim 1, wherein registering with the plurality of IM systems on behalf of the user of the mobile device comprises:

receiving a short messaging service registration message from the mobile device including an indication that the user is at the mobile device;

in response to the registration message from the mobile device;

(i) retrieving from data storage a plurality of userIDs, wherein each userID is associated with both the mobile device and one of the plurality of IM systems, and (ii) submitting each userID to its associated IM system; and

receiving registration notifications from the respective IM systems.

12. The method of two-way communication of claim 11, wherein the registration message further includes an indication of the plurality of IM systems, thereby indicating to the device proxy which IM systems the device proxy should register with on behalf of the user.

13. The method of two-way communication of claim 12, wherein the indication of the plurality of IM systems includes a set of coded identifiers at a header of the registration message, wherein the set of coded identifiers includes an identifier for each of the plurality of IM systems.

14. A method of two-way communication comprising, at a mobile device proxy configured to provide cross-platform IM functionality for a mobile device:

receiving a first message from the mobile device, wherein the first message includes a destination user identifier, a destination system identifier, and a payload;

registering a user of the mobile device at a plurality of IM systems, wherein information reflecting presence of the user is provided to the IM systems according to their respective protocols;

based on the destination system identifier, determining a recipient IM system; and

sending a second message to a recipient at the recipient IM system, wherein the destination user identifier is included with the second message to identify the recipient, and wherein the payload is included with the second message.

15. The method of two-way communication of claim 14 wherein registering the user of the mobile device is done in response to receiving the first message.

16. The method of two-way communication of claim 14 wherein the information reflecting presence of the user includes information reflecting that the mobile device is currently available to receive messages.

17. The method of two-way communication of claim 16, further comprising providing a current geographic location of the mobile device to the plurality of IM systems.

18. The method of two-way communication of claim 14 further comprising:

the mobile device proxy receiving a third message from the recipient in response to the second message;

the mobile device proxy determining that the third message is directed to the user of the mobile device;

if the mobile device is currently available to receive a message, the mobile device proxy sending a payload of the third message to the mobile device;

if a second computing device associated with the mobile device user is currently available to receive a message, the mobile device proxy sending the payload of the third message to the second computing device; and

if neither the mobile device nor the second computing device is currently available to receive a message, the mobile device proxy sending a fourth message to a message repository associated with the mobile device user, wherein the fourth message includes the payload of the third message.

19. The method of two-way communication of claim 14, wherein the destination system identifier comprises a first numeric code, wherein the mobile device proxy is configured to decode the first numeric code.

20. The method of two-way communication of claim 19, wherein the information reflecting presence of the user comprises a second numeric code, wherein the mobile device proxy is configured to decode the second numeric code.

21. The method of two-way communication of claim 20, wherein the destination user identifier comprises a third numeric code, wherein the mobile device proxy is configured to decode the third numeric code.

22. A mobile device proxy for SMS-based wireless instant messaging (IM) comprising a network server including:

a processor for executing program instructions,

a communication interface for providing communication with a packet network; and

data storage containing program instructions executable by the processor to;

(i) register for IM communications with each of a plurality of IM systems on behalf of users of mobile devices wherein the instructions enable the processor to use registration and messaging protocols of the respective IM systems during registration,

(ii) communicate with users at the plurality of IM systems through IM messages,

(iii) receive an outgoing SMS message from a mobile device,

(iv) based on a header of the SMS message, determine a recipient IM system associated with an intended recipient of the SMS message,

(v) convert the SMS message to an IM protocol of the recipient IM system and send the converted message to the recipient at the recipient IM system,

wherein the data storage further contains a database of associations between userIDs and IM systems, wherein each userID is associated with both a mobile device and an IM system, and wherein the database is used during the registration process.