Methods and systems for routing messages through a communications network based on message content

• US 20030187996A1
• Filed: 11/18/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cardina, Donald M., Lewis, John Ervin, Heil, Kenneth Dale
• Granted Patent: US 7,487,262 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• 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 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• 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: 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 : Messaging devices, e.g. message centre
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/06 : between gateways and public network devices

Abstract

A method and system for routing messages through a communications network based on the content of the message. The method of the present invention comprises providing a method for retrieving information through a telecommunications network comprising receiving, in a message data structure, a request message comprising a command; sending a query message to a content provider based on the command; receiving a query response message from the content provider comprising response information; and sending a request response message based on the response information.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving information through a telecommunications network comprising:

receiving, in a message data structure, a request message comprising a command;

sending a query message to a content provider based on the command;

receiving a query response message from the content provider comprising response information; and

sending a request response message based on the response information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content provider is at least one of an Intranet web site and an Internet web site.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

parsing the received request message to identify the command.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

fashioning the query message based on the command and based on a protocol associated with the content provider.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

parsing the received query response message to identify the response information.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

fashioning the request response message based on the response information and based on a protocol associated with the request response message.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining where to send the query message based on the command.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the received request message contains a recognized command.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending a further information request if the received request message does not contain a recognized command.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending a query message to the content provider based on a default command if the received request does not contain a recognized command.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising

parsing the received message request to identify at least one of a fragment of a command, a misspelled command, an aliased command, a command concatenated to a parameter, a command concatenated to an address, and an abbreviated command if the received request does not contain the recognized command;

and

associating the at least one of the fragment of a command, the misspelled command, the aliased command, the command concatenated to the parameter, the command concatenated to the address, and the abbreviated command with the recognized command as an associated command.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

sending the query message to the content provider based on the associated command.

13. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the request message further comprises:

receiving the request message comprising at least one parameter.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein sending the query message further comprises:

sending the query message based on the at least one parameter.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprises:

parsing the received request message to identify the at least one parameter.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein fashioning the query message further comprises:

fashioning the query message based on the at least one parameter.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

parsing the received query response message to identify the response information.

18. A system for processing information requests in a communications network comprising:

a request message receiver for receiving request messages;

a query message sender for fashioning a query message based on the a command and at least one parameter and for sending the query message to a content provider;

a query response message receiver for receiving response information; and

a response message sender for fashioning a request response message based on the response information and for sending a request response message.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the request message receiver is connected to the communications network via a bus.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the response message sender is connected to the communications network via a bus.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the request message receiver is connected to the communications network via a multiplexer.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the response message sender is connected to the communications network via a multiplexer.

23. A method for retrieving information through a communications network comprising:

receiving a request message in a messaging format comprising a command and a destination alias;

sending an address request message comprising the destination alias to an address aliasing facility;

receiving a destination address based on the destination alias from the address aliasing facility;

sending a query message comprising the command to a device associated with the destination address;

receiving a query response message from the content provider comprising response information; and

sending a request response message based on the response information.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the content provider is at least one of an Intranet web site and an Internet web site.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

parsing the received request message for the command and the destination address.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

fashioning the query message based on the command and based on the destination address.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

parsing the received query response message to identify the response information.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

fashioning the request response message based on the response information and based on a protocol associated with the message request.

29. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

determining if the received request message contains a recognized command.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

sending a further information request if the received request message does not contain a recognized command.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

sending a query message to the content provider based on a default command if the received request does not contain a recognized command.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein receiving a request message further comprises:

receiving a request message comprising at least one parameter.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein sending a query message further comprises:

sending a query message based on the at least one parameter.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein parsing the received request message further comprises:

parsing the received request message to identify the at least one parameter.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein fashioning the query message further comprises:

fashioning the query message based on the at least one parameter.