Method and system for sending messages

• US RE46,653 E1
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartcom Labs OY
• Original Assignee: Bookit Oy Ajanvarauspalvelu
• Inventors: Salonen, Jukka Kalevi
• Primary Examiner(s): Escalante, Ovidio
• Application Number:
  US14/519,655
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 709206, 709204, 709205, 709207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• 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 15/61 based on the service used
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1058 Shopping and product ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• 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 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

The present publication discloses a method and system for sending messages in a telecommunications network. In the method, a first text-form message is sent to a user of the service, a reply to the first text-form message is received from the user of the service to an address defined in the previous message, if the reply is of the correct form and content, the desired service is sent to the user of the service. According to the invention, the user of the message service is offered a second service by a message, the information (such as the sending number is text-message traffic) defining the reply address of which differs from that of the first message, and the second offer message is sent with a sending delay, which depends of the content or type of the first service.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending, in a telecommunications network, to a mobile terminal, a text-form message, wherein the text-form message relates to a current session and a current stage of the current session within a predefined dialog including a plurality of stages in which the current stage of the predefined dialog determines a sender address of the text-form message, wherein the sending comprises altering the sender address of the text-form message, and wherein the altered sender address is determined based on a combination of a session number of the current session and the current stage of the current 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 predefined dialog proceeds based on contents of the reply message,

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

wherein the method further comprises initiating delivery of the supplementary service over a communications channel that is not used to send or receive the text-form messages.

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

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

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

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

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

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the altering of 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.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending comprises altering the sender address of the text-form message based on the current stage of the session for each of several mobile terminals.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplementary service is delivered to a terminal other than the mobile terminal.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplementary services is one of a registration service, a ticket buying service, or a music or image downloading service.

8. A telecommunications apparatus comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory executing;

a transmission system for sending, in a telecommunications network to a mobile terminal, a text-form message, wherein the text-form message relates to a current session and a current stage of the current session within a predefined dialog including a plurality of stages in which the current stage of the predefined dialog determines a sender address of the text-form message, wherein the telecommunication apparatus further comprises a sender-address altering system for altering the sender address of the text-form message, wherein the altered sender address is determined based on a combination of a session number of the current session and the current stage of the current session; and

a reception system for 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 predefined dialog proceeds based on contents of the reply message,

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

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

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus repeating the sending and receiving for at least one subsequent current stage of the session, wherein the repeating comprises further 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 further altered sender address.

10. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 8, wherein the text-form message comprises a Short Message Service message.

11. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 8, wherein the text-form message comprises a Multimedia Message Service message.

12. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 8, wherein the text-form message comprises an electronic mail message.

13. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sending alters the sender address of the text-form message to an address operative in the mobile terminal'"'"'s home network or country.

14. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the sender addresses comprises an Internet Protocol Address.

15. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 8, wherein the telecommunication apparatus comprises an SMS bulk-delivery system.

17. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sender-address altering system alters the sender address of the text-form message based on the current stage of the session for each of several mobile terminals.

20. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 8, wherein the supplementary service is delivered to a terminal other than the mobile terminal.

21. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 8, wherein the supplementary services is one of a registration service, a ticket buying service, or a music or image downloading service.