Messaging system, apparatus and methods

• US 20030129969A1
• Filed: 08/20/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Complete Communications Solutions Limited
• Original Assignee: Complete Communications Solutions Limited
• Inventors: Rucinski, David B.
• Application Number:
  US10/224,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20030129969A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• 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

Abstract

A system method and apparatus in which a computing device able to access an instant messaging service provides access to such IM service to at least one wireless device, the computer operates to process messages between the instant messaging service and wireless device(s) by converting a protocol associated with the instant messaging service to a light protocol adapted for use by the wireless device(s).

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying an IM service associated with a received IM service message;

converting said received instant messaging (IM) service message into an intermediate protocol message; and

forwarding said intermediate protocol message toward a radio frequency (RF) transmitting device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting said intermediate protocol message using a radio frequency (RF) transport protocol, said RF transport protocol adapted for use by at least one wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeating said transmitting until an acknowledgement of message reception is received.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving and intermediate protocol message from a user;

converting said received intermediate protocol message into an appropriate IM service message; and

forwarding said intermediate protocol message towards a server associated with said appropriate IM service.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

identifying an IM service associated with said user to determine thereby an appropriate IM service.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said acknowledgement of message reception is indicated in a status field of said intermediate protocol message.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if any wireless devices adapted to use the intermediate protocol are responsively proximate; and

registering as part of a common group those wireless devices determined to be responsively proximate.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said intermediate protocol message comprises a data structure including a frame boundary field, a message type field and a data field.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said data structure further comprises a status field and an error indication field.

10. Messaging system, comprising:

at least one wireless device capable of sending and receiving messages using an intermediate messaging protocol; and

a computing device, for enabling message communication between said wireless device and an instant messenger service, said computing device translating messages between said intermediate messaging protocol and a protocol adapted for use by said instant messenger service.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a base station, coupled to said computing device, for providing wireless communications with said at least one wireless device to enable said at least one wireless device to communicate with said computing device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said base station is included within said computing device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said base station is connected to said computing device via a communications link.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said communications link comprises at least one of a computing device system bus, a universal serial bus (USB), a serial interface, a parallel interface and a network connection.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said computing device performs messaging protocol translation functions and said base station performs RF transport processing functions.

16. Apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of first modules, for routing messages received from respective instant messaging (IM) services to a second module, said second module converting each routed message into an intermediate protocol message adapted for subsequent radio frequency (RF) transmission to a user.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a base module, for transmitting said routed and converted intermediate protocol messages to appropriate users.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

at least one wireless device, for responsively processing intermediate protocol messages transmitted by said base station if said wireless device is associated with an intended recipient.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said first modules comprise service specific gateway modules and said second module comprises a normalization and conversion module.

20. Apparatus for providing instant messaging communications available from a service provider to a plurality of wireless mobile devices, comprising:

a base station computer device (BSCD) having connectivity to said service provider providing said instant messaging communications;

a base station coupled to said BSCD, said base station receiving said instant messaging communications from said BSCD and communicating said instant messaging communications to at least one of said plurality of wireless mobile devices in response to a command to send said instant messaging communications.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said base station computer device is selected from a group of computing devices consisting of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a workstation, and a file server.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said BSCD is coupled to said service provider via the Internet.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said BSCD comprises a wireless instant messaging managing program, said managing program operating in conjunction with an operating system installed on said BSCD.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said wireless instant messaging managing program automatically connects said BSCD to said service provider in response to a login command by one of said plurality of wireless mobile devices.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said wireless instant messaging managing program provides services selected from the group consisting of instant messaging, chat rooms, lists of names, programmable alerts, away messages, login/logout features, invitations to join chat rooms, emoticon translation, edit/import RTX files, registration mobile devices, dial-up networking, and accept/reject name list invitations, password protection.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said base station is coupled to said BSCD via USB cabling.

27. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said base station accommodates recharging of said mobile devices.

28. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein each said wireless mobile device comprises:

a processor

a keyboard for typing characters;

a display for viewing said typed characters and communications received by said wireless mobile device