System and method for determining conversion rate for short message service (SMS) messaging

• US 10,440,528 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2019
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syniverse Technologies LLC (Syniverse Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Syniverse Technologies LLC (Syniverse Corp.)
• Inventors: Stuehrmann, Stefan, Krolikowski, Michael, Hopfengaertner, Thomas, Roder, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Htun, San
• Application Number:
  US16/415,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20190274013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 144 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5093 wherein the managed service relates to messaging or chat services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• 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 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding

Abstract

A method for detecting SMS messaging service interruptions by classifying SMS messages as delivered or undelivered based upon the receipt of a successful conversion message within a predetermined time period. A current conversion rate is calculated for each network operator partner and destination network pair and the current conversion rate is compared against a reference conversion rate to identify a decrease in the conversion rate of the SMS messages. If the conversion rate decrease exceeds a predefined value, the channel between the network operator partner and the destination network pair is flagged and subsequent SMS messages are routed to end users via an alternative destination network.

Claims

1. A method for determining a current conversion rate for Short Message Service (SMS) messaging, the method comprising:

submitting a plurality of SMS messages to a routing system, wherein the SMS messages are submitted by a network operator partner and are destined for an end user;

delivering the plurality of SMS messages to a destination network using the routing system;

delivering the plurality of SMS messages to a conversion rate processor using the routing system;

monitoring a conversion timeout period for each of the plurality of SMS messages at the conversion rate processor;

delivering the plurality of SMS messages to the end user using the destination network;

detecting, by the network operator partner, if an action has been performed by the end user in response to each of the plurality of SMS messages, generating a successful conversion message at the network operator for the SMS message if the action is performed by the end user prior to the expiration of the conversion timeout period for the SMS message and delivering the successful conversion message to the conversion rate processor;

calculating a current conversion rate at the conversion rate processor following the receipt of one or more successful conversion messages at the current conversion rate processor or following expiration of the conversion timeout period for one or more of the plurality of SMS messages;

providing the current conversion rate to the routing system;

comparing the current conversion rate and a reference conversion rate at the routing system; and

flagging the destination network and network operator partner combination if the current conversion rate exceeds a predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when a destination network and network operator partner combination has been flagged;

rerouting subsequent SMS messages between the flagged destination network and network operator partner combination to a different destination network over the routing system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating a current conversion rate further comprises:

identifying a current conversion rate time window;

determining a total number of SMS messages (N₁) of the plurality of SMS messages submitted by the network operator partner during the current conversion rate time window; and

determining a number of successful conversion messages (N₂) received at the conversion rate processor during the current conversion rate time window; and

calculating the current conversion rate (CR) as

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference conversion rate is a historical aggregated exponential weighted moving average (EWMA_n) calculated as:

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting, by the network operator partner, if an action has been performed by the end user in response to each of the plurality of SMS messages further comprises:

receiving the action associated with the SMS message at the network operator; and

matching the action to the SMS message based upon the proximity in time of the action to the SMS message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering the SMS message to the conversion rate processor further comprises delivering one or more destination network details to the conversion rate processor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the SMS message includes an embedded URL link and wherein the action submitted by the end user includes selecting the embedded URL link.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the SMS message includes instructions to enter a one-time password and wherein the action submitted by the end user includes entering the one-time password.

9. A system for determining a current conversion rate for Short Message Service (SMS) messaging, the system comprising:

a routing system for receiving a plurality of SMS messages from a network operator partner, for delivering the plurality of SMS messages to a destination network and for delivering the plurality of SMS messages to a conversion rate processor, wherein the plurality of SMS messages are destined for an end user;

the conversion rate processor for monitoring a conversion timeout period for each of the plurality of SMS messages and for calculating a current conversion rate following the receipt of one or more successful conversion messages from the network operator partner or following expiration of the conversion timeout period for one or more of the plurality of SMS messages, wherein the one or more successful conversion messages are provided to the conversion rate processor from the network operator partner in response to an action being performed by the end user in response to one of the plurality of SMS messages prior to the expiration of the conversion timeout period for the SMS message; and

wherein the routing system is further for comparing the current conversion rate and a reference conversion rate and for flagging a destination network and network operator partner combination if the current conversion rate exceeds a predetermined threshold.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the routing system is further for rerouting subsequent SMS messages between the flagged destination network and network operator partner combination to a different destination network over the routing system if the current conversion rate exceeds a predetermined threshold.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein calculating a current conversion rate by the conversion rate processor further comprises:

identifying a current conversion rate time window;

determining a total number of SMS messages (N₁) of the plurality of SMS messages submitted by the network operator partner during the current conversion rate time window; and

determining a number of successful conversion messages (N₂) received at the conversion rate processor during the current conversion rate time window; and

calculating the current conversion rate (CR) as

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the reference conversion rate is a historical aggregated exponential weighted moving average (EWMA_n) calculated as:

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the network operator partner is further for receiving the action associated with the SMS message and matching the action to the SMS message based upon the proximity in time of the action to the SMS message.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the SMS message includes an embedded URL link and wherein the action submitted by the end user includes selecting the embedded URL link.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the SMS message includes instructions to enter a one-time password and wherein the action submitted by the end user includes entering the one-time password.

16. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium for performing steps to determine a current conversion rate for Short Message Service (SMS) messaging, the steps may include:

submitting a plurality of SMS messages to a routing system, wherein the SMS messages are submitted by a network operator partner and are destined for an end user;

delivering the plurality of SMS messages to a destination network using the routing system;

delivering the plurality of SMS messages to a conversion rate processor using the routing system;

monitoring a conversion timeout period for each of the plurality of SMS messages at the conversion rate processor;

delivering the plurality of SMS messages to the end user using the destination network;

detecting, by the network operator partner, if an action has been performed by the end user in response to each of the plurality of SMS messages, generating a successful conversion message at the network operator for the SMS message if the action is performed by the end user prior to the expiration of the conversion timeout period for the SMS message and delivering the successful conversion message to the conversion rate processor;

calculating a current conversion rate at the conversion rate processor following the receipt of one or more successful conversion messages at the current conversion rate processor or following expiration of the conversion timeout period for one or more of the plurality of SMS messages;

providing the current conversion rate to the routing system;

comparing the current conversion rate and a reference conversion rate; and

flagging a destination network and network operator partner combination if the current conversion rate exceeds a predetermined threshold.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, the steps further comprising, rerouting subsequent SMS messages between the flagged destination network and network operator partner combination to a different destination network over the routing system if the current conversion rate exceeds a predetermined threshold.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein calculating a current conversion rate by the conversion rate processor further comprises:

identifying a current conversion rate time window;

determining a total number of SMS messages (N₁) of the plurality of SMS messages submitted by the network operator partner during the current conversion rate time window; and

determining a number of successful conversion messages (N₂) received at the conversion rate processor during the current conversion rate time window; and

calculating the current conversion rate (CR) as

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the reference conversion rate is a historical aggregated exponential weighted moving average (EWMA_n) calculated as: