Method and system for the mass sending of messages

• US 9,832,311 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2015
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartcom Labs OY
• Original Assignee: Bookit Oy Ajanvarauspalvelu
• Inventors: Salonen, Jukka Kalevi
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US14/689,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20150222750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 379 9324, 379 9301, 379 9001, 455466
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• 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 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A method and system for sending messages in a telecommunications network, in which digital messages which contain information on the desired reply address are mass sent, and messages, which are sent on the basis of the reply-address information are received. The reply-address information of each mass-sent message is converted to correspond to a predefined dialog, in which the stage of the dialog defines unequivocally the reply-address information, so that the transmission and reception of the messages are implemented in different parts of the telecommunications system.

Claims

1. A system for managing communications in a telecommunications system, the system comprising:

a server coupled to the telecommunication system to transmit a large number of messages with corresponding content to a plurality of recipients, wherein the messages contain information and each include a specified reply address altered from a sender address,

wherein the specified reply addresses are addresses to which replies to the communications are sent by the server and the server or another server also included in the system provides a first reply address to a first number of messages and a second reply address to a second number of messages,

wherein the system receives replies to the messages from at least some of the plurality of recipients at the specified reply addresses included in the messages,

wherein at least some of the replies are routed differently than the transmitted messages, and a first reply of the replies is routed differently than a second reply of the replies,

wherein the differentiated routing of the first reply and the second reply is based on the specified reply address for the transmitted messages to which they correspond and the specified reply addresses for those transmitted messages indicate which transmitted messages sent in one part of the telecommunication system correspond to replies received in another part of the telecommunication system, and

wherein, the server or another server also included in system, analyzes the reply addresses for the received replies to determine which transmitted messages the replies correspond to.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitted messages are digital messages.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications system includes a plurality of telecommunications networks.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the messages is a Short Message System message.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the messages is a Multimedia Message.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one message included in the transmitted messages is an electronic-mail message.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the server converts the reply-address into a national address in a recipient'"'"'s own country.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the national address is a national telephone number.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the reply addresses are included in a sender field of the messages wherein each specified reply address for each transmitted message corresponds to a predefined dialogue.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the server sends multiple messages to a recipient included in the plurality of message recipients, wherein the multiple messages and any corresponding received replies are included within a message session with the communication recipient.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the servers in the system differentiates replies to messages within a message session with the message recipient based on addresses at which the replies are received.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the replies are sent to a different reply address than some other of the replies.

13. A method for managing a large number of messages in a telecommunications system from a server coupled to the telecommunication system, the method comprising:

transmitting the large number of messages from the server to a plurality of recipients, wherein the messages contain corresponding information and each include a specified reply address altered from a sender address, wherein the specified reply addresses are addresses to which replies to the messages are sent;

receiving replies to the messages from at least some of the plurality of recipients at the specified reply addresses included in the messages, wherein at least some of the replies are routed differently than the transmitted messages, and a first reply of the replies is routed differently than a second reply of the replies;

wherein the differentiated routing of the first reply and the second reply is based on the specified reply address for the transmitted messages to which they correspond and the specified reply addresses for those transmitted messages indicate which transmitted messages sent in one part of the telecommunication system correspond to replies received in another part of the telecommunication system; and

analyzing, by the server or another server also included in the telecommunications system, the reply addresses for the received replies to determine which transmitted messages the replies correspond to.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmitted messages are digital messages.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the telecommunications system includes a plurality of telecommunications networks.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the messages is a Short Message System message.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the messages is a Multimedia System message.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one message included in the transmitted communications is an electronic-mail message.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising converting the reply-address into a national address in a communication recipient'"'"'s own country.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the national address is a national telephone number.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the reply addresses are included in a sender field of the communications wherein each specified reply address for each transmitted message corresponds to a predefined dialogue.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising sending multiple messages to a recipient included in the plurality of recipients, wherein the multiple messages and any corresponding received replies are included within a message session with the recipient.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising differentiating replies to messages within a message session with the recipient based on addresses at which the replies are received.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein at least some of the replies are sent to a different reply address than some other of the replies.

25. A system for managing communications in a telecommunications system, the system comprising:

a server coupled to the telecommunication system to transmit a large number of messages with corresponding content to a plurality of recipients, wherein the messages contain information and each include a specified reply address altered from a sender address, wherein the specified reply addresses are addresses to which replies to the communications are sent by the server,

wherein the system receives replies to the messages from at least some of the plurality of recipients at the specified reply addresses included in the messages,

wherein a first group of transmitted messages include a first specified reply address altered from a sender address and a second group of transmitted messages include a second specified reply address altered from a sender address,

wherein at least some of the replies are routed differently than the transmitted messages, and a first reply of the replies is routed differently than a second reply of the replies, and

wherein, the server or another server also included in system, analyzes the reply addresses for the received replies to determine which transmitted messages the replies correspond to.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the transmitted messages are digital messages.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the telecommunications system includes a plurality of telecommunications networks.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein at least one of the messages is a Short Message System message.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein at least one of the messages is a Multimedia Message.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein at least one message included in the transmitted messages is an electronic-mail message.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein the server converts the reply-address into a national address in a recipient'"'"'s own country.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the national address is a national telephone number.

33. The system of claim 25, wherein the reply addresses are included in a sender field of the messages wherein each specified reply address for each transmitted message corresponds to a predefined dialogue.

34. The system of claim 25, wherein the server sends multiple messages to a recipient included in the plurality of message recipients, wherein the multiple messages and any corresponding received replies are included within a message session with the communication recipient.

35. The system of claim 25, wherein one of the servers in the system differentiates replies to messages within a message session with the message recipient based on addresses at which the replies are received.

36. A method for managing a large number of messages in a telecommunications system from a server coupled to the telecommunication system, the method comprising:

transmitting the large number of messages from the server to a plurality of recipients, wherein the messages contain corresponding information and each include a specified reply address altered from a sender address, wherein the specified reply addresses are addresses to which replies to the messages are sent;

receiving replies to the messages from at least some of the plurality of recipients at the specified reply addresses included in the messages, wherein at least some of the replies are routed differently than the transmitted messages, and a first reply of the replies is routed differently than a second reply of the replies;

wherein a first group of transmitted messages include a first specified reply address altered from a sender address and a second group of transmitted messages include a second specified reply address altered from a sender address; and

analyzing, by the server or another server also included in the telecommunications system, the reply addresses for the received replies to determine which transmitted messages the replies correspond to.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the transmitted messages are digital messages.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the telecommunications system includes a plurality of telecommunications networks.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein at least one of the messages is a Short Message System message.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein at least one of the messages is a Multimedia System message.

41. The method of claim 36, wherein at least one message included in the transmitted communications is an electronic-mail message.

42. The method of claim 36, further comprising converting the reply-address into a national address in a communication recipient'"'"'s own country.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the national address is a national telephone number.

44. The method of claim 36, wherein the reply addresses are included in a sender field of the communications wherein each specified reply address for each transmitted message corresponds to a predefined dialogue.

45. The method of claim 36, further comprising sending multiple messages to a recipient included in the plurality of recipients, wherein the multiple messages and any corresponding received replies are included within a message session with the recipient.

46. The method of claim 36, further comprising differentiating replies to messages within the message session with the recipient based on addresses at which the replies are received.