Read acknowledgement interoperability for text messaging and IP messaging

• US 9,408,047 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2014
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Tuttle, Lewis, Meyer, Dennis, Geil, Phillip W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, David Q
• Application Number:
  US14/509,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20150105110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/466, 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

Use of information-elements (IE) to enable global system for mobile communications (GSM) devices to support read acknowledgements for text messaging, e.g., short message service (SMS). A GSM device inserts a read acknowledgement request Information-Element (IE) into the body of an SMS message to request that a read acknowledgement be returned to the sending device upon opening. When a GSM recipient device opens an SMS message with a read acknowledgement request IE, the GSM recipient device creates a read acknowledgement SMS message by populating a read acknowledgement message indicator IE, inserting the read acknowledgement message IE into an SMS message, and forwarding the read acknowledgement SMS message to an originating GSM device. Read acknowledgement IEs have a message value that allows a mobile device to associate a read acknowledgement with a particular SMS message. A short message service center (SMSC) supports interoperability between GSM, CDMA, IP, MME, and SMPP read acknowledgements.

Claims

1. A method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message, comprising:

inserting, by a mobile phone, a read acknowledgement request within a body of an initial text message;

transmitting said initial text message with said read acknowledgement request within said body, addressed to a recipient mobile phone;

receiving, by said mobile phone, a response text message from said recipient mobile phone, said response text message including a read acknowledgement indicator inserted within a body of said response text message, and said response text message further including a reference to associate said read acknowledgement indicator within said body of said initial text message; and

associating, by said mobile phone, said read acknowledgement indicator within said body of said initial text message.

2. The method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said initial text message is a short message service (SMS) text message.

3. The method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said response text message is a short message service (SMS) message.

4. The method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said response text message includes enhanced messaging service (EMS) content.

5. The method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said response text message includes location content relating to a current location of said recipient mobile phone.

6. The method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message according to claim 1, wherein said initial text message and said response text message both comprise:

an SMS text message.

7. The method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message according to claim 1, wherein said initial text message and said response text message both comprise:

an internet protocol (IP) message.

8. The method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message according to claim 1, wherein said mobile phone comprises:

a GSM device.

9. The method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message according to claim 1, wherein said mobile phone comprises:

an ESME.

10. The method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said initial text message and said response text message both pass through a short message service center (SMSC).

11. The method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message according to claim 1, wherein said read acknowledgement request comprises:

a set bit in a registered delivery field within said body of said initial text message.

12. The method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said read acknowledgement indicator is a set esm_class field within said body of said response text message.

13. The method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message according to claim 12, wherein:

said esm_class field within said body of said response text message is set to ‘

xx0101xx’

.

14. The method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message according to claim 1, wherein said read acknowledgement request comprises:

a set bit in a reply option field within said body of said initial text message.

15. The method of providing text message read acknowledgement to a mobile device sending a text message according to claim 1, wherein:

said read acknowledgement indicator is a set message_type field within said body of said response text message.