Mass multimedia messaging

• US 9,055,016 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: McNamara, Justin, Kefalas, Anastasios L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US13/682,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 370/356, 379/93.06, 455/466, 709/206, 725/135
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages

Abstract

A method and system of mass multimedia messaging in a system having a service provider and a plurality of subscriber communication terminals supported by the service provider, wherein at least some of the subscriber terminals have different messaging capabilities and different message format requirements. The method includes adaptation and handling of a mass multimedia message, and mass multimedia message notification. The system uses a retrieval platform and a processing platform. The retrieval platform generates a unique message identifier for the mass multimedia message, and pre-adapts the message into adapted content messages for the terminal types supported by the service provider. The processing platform formats message notifications for the subscriber terminals based on each terminal'"'"'s messaging capabilities, with each notification containing the unique message identifier.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a server; and

a computer-readable medium in communication with the server, the computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the server, cause the server to perform operations including

generating a plurality of adapted content messages, wherein each of the adapted content messages is a multimedia message formatted according to at least one format requirement for a subscriber terminal, each subscriber terminal identified in a list of subscriber terminals received with the multimedia message, the at least one format requirement associated with a terminal type identifier in a database, and

indexing each adapted content message and terminal type identifier in a table associated with a unique message identifier for the multimedia message.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a subscriber information database in communication with the server, the subscriber information database associating at least one messaging capability with the subscriber terminal.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the subscriber information database communicates with the server over a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) communication link.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a content provider in communication with the server.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the content provider is in communication with the server over a secure HTTP-type connection.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the content provider sends the multimedia message and the list of subscriber terminals to the server.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the multimedia message and the list of subscriber terminals are delivered using an MM7 interface protocol.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the multimedia message is in a Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) format.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising, in communication with the server, a push proxy gateway (PPG), a Short Message Service (SMS) Centre (SMSC), a communication network, and a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Gateway.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique message identifier is from 10-32 characters in length.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable medium includes a further instruction that, when executed by the server, causes the server to track the subscriber terminal after the subscriber terminal retrieves one of the plurality of adapted content messages.

12. A method comprising:

generating a plurality of adapted content messages at a server, wherein each of the adapted content messages is a multimedia message formatted according to at least one format requirement for a subscriber terminal, each subscriber terminal identified in a list of subscriber terminals received with the multimedia message from a content server, the at least one format requirement associated with a terminal type identifier in a database; and

indexing each adapted content message and terminal type identifier in a table associated with a unique message identifier for the multimedia message.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending a message notification to each subscriber terminal, the message notification including the unique message identifier to retrieve one of the plurality of adapted content messages.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising tracking the subscriber terminal after the subscriber terminal retrieves one of the plurality of adapted content messages.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the multimedia message and the list of subscriber terminals are received using an MM7 interface protocol.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the indexing correlates the plurality of adapted content messages with the unique message identifier.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a server, cause the server to perform a method, the method comprising:

generating a plurality of adapted content messages at a server, wherein each of the adapted content messages is a multimedia message formatted according to at least one format requirement for a subscriber terminal, each subscriber terminal identified in a list of subscriber terminals received with the multimedia message from a content server, the at least one format requirement associated with a terminal type identifier in a database; and

indexing each adapted content message and terminal type identifier in a table associated with a unique message identifier for the multimedia message.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising an instruction that, when executed by the server, causes the server to send a message notification to each subscriber terminal, the message notification including the unique message identifier to retrieve one of the plurality of adapted content messages.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising an instruction that, when executed by the server, causes the server to track the subscriber terminal after the subscriber terminal retrieves one of the plurality of adapted content messages.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising an instruction that, when executed by the server, causes the server to receive the multimedia message and the list of subscriber terminals from the content server.