Method and system for combining text and voice messages in a communications dialogue

• US RE46,395 E1
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartcom Labs OY
• Original Assignee: Bookit Oy Ajanvarauspalvelu
• Inventors: Salonen, Jukka Kalevi
• Primary Examiner(s): Escalante, Ovidio
• Application Number:
  US14/519,606
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 36518517, 257324, 257E21693, 379 8813, 379 8811, 379 9312, 455466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/38 in combination with wireless systems mobile application service signalling using messaging, e.g. SMS, H04W4/12
• 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

Abstract

A method for delivering messages in a telecommunications network where the first text-form message of the session N is delivered to the user of the service such that the sender address (the A number) is converted to correspond to the session number N and the session stage J, in stages 2-n of the session N, a text-form message is received from the user of the message service at the sender address defined in the message in the previous stage, and the session proceeds according to the contents of the message such that the sender address (the A number) is converted to correspond to the session number N and the new session stage J, and the next text-form message of session N is sent to the user of the message service.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

sending, in a telecommunications network to a mobile terminal of a user of a message service, a text-form message, wherein the text-form message relates to a session and a current stage of the session, wherein the sending comprises altering a sender address of the text-form message based on the current stage of the session; and

receiving, at the altered sender address or at an address contained in the sent text-form message, a reply message from the mobile terminal, wherein the session proceeds based on contents of the reply message;

wherein in at least one stage of the session the reply message contains or relates to a voice message and the session proceeds based on contents of the voice message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating the sending and receiving steps for at least one subsequent current stage, wherein said repeating comprises altering the sender address of the text-form message based on at least one subsequent current stage and sending the text-form message with the altered sender address.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the mobile terminal based on said receiving the reply message at the altered sender address or at an address contained in the sent text-form message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the text-form message comprises a Short Message Service [“

SMS”

] message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the text-form message comprises a Multimedia Message Service [“

MMS”

] message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the text-form message comprises an e-mail message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the sender addresses comprises an Internet Protocol Address.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said altering the sender address of the text-form message comprises altering the sender address to an address operative in the mobile terminal'"'"'s home network or country.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the received reply messages is a service order message, which is associated with at least one order for a supplementary service, which is subject to payment, wherein the method further comprises initiating delivery of the supplementary service over a communications channel which is not used to send or receive the text-form messages.

9. A telecommunication apparatus, wherein the telecommunication apparatus is configured to:

send, in a telecommunications network to a mobile terminal of a user of a message service, a text-form message, wherein the text-form message relates to a session and a current stage of the session, wherein the sending comprises altering a sender address of the text-form message based on the current stage of the session; and

receive, at the altered sender address or at an address contained in the sent text-form message, a reply message from the mobile terminal, wherein the session proceeds based on contents of the reply message;

wherein at least one of the reply messages is a service order message, which is associated with at least one order for a supplementary service, which is subject to payment,

wherein the telecommunication apparatus is further configured to initiate delivery of the supplementary service over a communications channel which is not used to send or receive the text-form messages.

10. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 9, further comprising means for repeating the sending and receiving for at least one subsequent current stage, wherein said repeating comprises altering the sender address of the text-form message based on at least one subsequent current stage and sending the text-form message with the altered sender address.

11. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 9, wherein the telecommunication apparatus is further configured to authenticate the mobile terminal based on said receiving the reply message at the altered sender address or at an address contained in the sent text-form message.

12. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 9, wherein the text-form message comprises a Short Message Service [“

SMS”

] message.

13. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 9, wherein the text-form message comprises a Multimedia Message Service [“

MMS”

] message.

14. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 9, wherein the text-form message comprises an e-mail message.

15. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 9, wherein said sending means are configured to alter the sender address of the text-form message to an address operative in the mobile terminal'"'"'s home network or country.

16. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 9, wherein each of the sender addresses comprises an Internet Protocol Address.

17. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 9, wherein the telecommunication apparatus comprises an SMS bulk-delivery system.

18. A telecommunication apparatus, comprising:

a data processor for executing logic instructions;

a set of interfaces to at least one network supporting mobile terminals;

a message sending logic for sending at least one message to at least one of the mobile terminals;

a reply message reception logic for receiving at least one reply message to said at least one of the mobile terminals; and

a sending address converter for converting a sender address in the at least one message to at least one of the mobile terminals;

wherein the telecommunication apparatus further comprises a set of logic instructions whose execution on the data processor causes the data processor to perform the following acts;

sending, in the telecommunications network to a mobile terminal of a user of a message service, a text-form message, wherein the text-form message relates to a session and a current stage of the session, wherein the sending comprises altering a sender address of the text-form message based on the current stage of the session; and

receiving, at the altered sender address or at an address contained in the sent text-form message, a reply message from the mobile terminal, wherein the session proceeds based on contents of the reply message;

wherein in at least one stage of the session the reply message contains or relates to a voice message and the session proceeds based on contents of the voice message.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for repeating the sending and receiving for at least one subsequent current sage, wherein said repeating comprises altering the sender address of the text-form message based on at least one subsequent current stage and sending the text-form message with the altered sender address.

21. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 18, wherein the telecommunication apparatus is further configured to authenticate the mobile terminal based on said receiving the reply message at the altered sender address or at an address contained in the sent text-form message.

22. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 18, wherein the text-form message comprises a Short Message Service [“

SMS”

] message.

23. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 18, wherein the text-form message comprises a Multimedia Message Service [“

MMS”

] message.

24. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 18, wherein the text-form message comprises an e-mail message.

25. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 18, wherein said sending means are configured to alter the sender address of the text-form message to an address operative in the mobile terminal'"'"'s home network or country.

26. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 18, wherein each of the sender addresses comprises an Internet Protocol Address.

27. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 18, wherein the telecommunication apparatus comprises an SMS bulk-delivery system.

29. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 18, wherein at least one of the reply messages is a service order message, which is associated with at least one order for a supplementary service, which is subject to payment, wherein the telecommunication apparatus is further configured to initiate delivery of the supplementary service over a communications channel which is not used to send or receive the text-form messages.

19. A tangible and non-transitory program carrier, comprising:

logic instructions executable on a data processing apparatus connectable to a telecommunications network supporting mobile terminals;

wherein execution of the logic instructions on the data processing apparatus causes the data processing apparatus to carry out the following acts;

sending, in the telecommunications network to a mobile terminal of a user of a message service, a text-form message, wherein the text-form message relates to a session and a current stage of the session, wherein the sending comprises altering a sender address of the text-form message based on the current stage of the session; and

receiving, at the altered sender address or at an address contained in the sent text-form message, a reply message from the mobile terminal, wherein the session proceeds based on contents of the reply message;

wherein in at least one stage of the session the reply message contains or relates to a voice message and the session proceeds based on contents of the voice message.

30. The tangible and non-transitory program carrier of claim 19, wherein the reply message is a service order message, which is associated with at least one order for a supplementary service, which is subject to payment, wherein execution of the logic instructions on the data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to initiate delivery of the supplementary service over a communications channel which is not used to send or receive the text-form messages.