Wireless access to a database by a short message system query

• US 20040064445A1
• Filed: 03/17/2003
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Pfleging, Gerald W., Wilkin, George Paul, Pfleging, Rachel M.
• Application Number:
  US10/390,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20040064445A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

Information is obtained from a database based on a query from a wireless subscriber'"'"'s device that does not support direct communications with the database. A first e-mail message containing the first query is received at a workstation. Determined from the first e-mail message are the address of the first subscriber, whether the subscriber has a limited bandwidth capability, and the requested information by the subscriber. A response to the requested information is obtained from a database. The response is parsed in accordance with predetermined rules to limit the amount of data contained in a second message if the subscriber has been determined to have a limited bandwidth capability. The second message is transmitted to the first subscriber'"'"'s address.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining information from a database based on a first query from a wireless subscriber'"'"'s device that does not support direct communications with the database comprising the steps of:

receiving at a workstation a first e-mail message containing the first query;

parsing the first e-mail message and determining the address of the first subscriber, whether the subscriber has a limited bandwidth capability, and the requested information by the subscriber;

obtaining from a database a response to the requested information;

parsing the response from the database in accordance with predetermined rules to limit the amount of data contained in a second message if the subscriber has been determined to have a limited bandwidth capability;

transmitting the second message to the first subscriber'"'"'s address.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of determining the requested information comprises the steps of determining a first command contained in the first e-mail, the first command being one of a group of predetermined commands stored at the workstation, and determining a search criteria entered by the subscriber associated with the first command.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the first command and search criteria are contained in a subject line in a header of the first e-mail message.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein the step of obtaining comprises using the first command to identify an index of the database to be searched, and using the search criteria as the term to be searched for in the index of the database.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of parsing the response from the database in accordance with predetermined rules to limit the amount of data contained in a second message comprises limiting the amount of data contained in the second message to a predetermined maximum amount data.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of parsing the response from the database in accordance with predetermined rules to limit the amount of data contained in a second message comprises limiting the amount of data contained in the second message by determining the categories of information contained in the response from the database and not including predetermined types of categories of information in the second message.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of determining the first e-mail message to be a valid query for the database.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the step of determining the first e-mail message to be a valid query for the database comprises determining that a valid first command is contained in a subject line heading of the first e-mail.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of determining whether the subscriber has a limited bandwidth capability comprises determining that the first query originated from a wireless telecommunication subscriber.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first query is transmitted by a short messaging service message from the wireless device.

11. A method for obtaining information from a database comprising the steps of:

receiving a first query from a wireless subscriber'"'"'s device that does not support direct communications with the database at a wireless service provider'"'"'s server;

converting the query into a first e-mail message containing the first query and transmitting the first e-mail to the Internet;

receiving at a workstation coupled to the Internet the first e-mail message;

parsing the first e-mail message and determining the address of the first subscriber, whether the subscriber has a limited bandwidth capability, and the requested information by the subscriber;

obtaining from a database a response to the requested information;

parsing the response from the database in accordance with predetermined rules to limit the amount of data contained in a second message if the subscriber has been determined to have a limited bandwidth capability;

transmitting the second message to the first subscriber'"'"'s address.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the step of determining the requested information comprises the steps of determining a first command contained in the first e-mail, the first command being one of a group of predetermined commands stored at the workstation, and determining a search criteria entered by the subscriber associated with the first command.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the first command and search criteria are contained in a subject line in a header of the first e-mail message.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein the step of obtaining comprises using the first command to identify an index of the database to be searched, and using the search criteria as the term to be searched for in the index of the database.

15. The method according to claim 11 wherein the step of parsing the response from the database in accordance with predetermined rules to limit the amount of data contained in a second message comprises limiting the amount of data contained in the second message to a predetermined maximum amount data.

16. The method according to claim 11 wherein the step of parsing the response from the database in accordance with predetermined rules to limit the amount of data contained in a second message comprises limiting the amount of data contained in the second message by determining the categories of information contained in the response from the database and not including predetermined types of categories of information in the second message.

17. The method according to claim 11 further comprising the step of determining the first e-mail message to be a valid query for the database.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the step of determining the first e-mail message to be a valid query for the database comprises determining that a valid first command is contained in a subject line heading of the first e-mail.

19. The method according to claim 11 wherein the step of determining whether the subscriber has a limited bandwidth capability comprises determining that the first query originated from a wireless telecommunication subscriber.

20. The method according to claim 11 wherein the first query is transmitted by a short messaging service message from the wireless device.