Method and apparatus for delivering messages to wireless devices

• US 20040209632A1
• Filed: 04/29/2004
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charles M Link II, Donald M Cardinal
• Original Assignee: Charles M Link II, Donald M Cardinal
• Inventors: Link, Charles M. II, Cardina, Donald M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,209,736 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• 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 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A method and apparatus for sending messages to a wireless device is disclosed. The invention includes a system and a method that waits for a wireless device to register before sending information to the device. In another aspect, the invention includes provisions that track which wireless devices have successfully received the message and which wireless devices have successfully acknowledged receipt of the message.

Claims

1-27. -27. (Cancelled)

28. A method for determining successful delivery of an SMS message to a wireless device comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a return result from a wireless device;

(b) determining if the return result is an error;

(c) if the return result is an error, then determining the total number of errors received and comparing the total number of errors to a predetermined number; and

(d) if the total number of errors equals or exceeds the predetermined number, then associating the wireless device with an unavailable condition in a database if the total number of errors received exceeds the predetermined total.

29. The method according to claim 28, further comprising the step of updating a concerned database with a wait state for a record if the total number of errors is less than the predetermined number.

30. The method according to claim 28, further comprising the step of updating a concerned database with an unavailable state for a record if the total number of errors is greater than or equal to the predetermined number.

31. The method according to claim 28, further comprising the step of updating a concerned database with a done state for a record if the return result is not an error.

32. The method according to claim 28, further comprising the step of updating a history database.

33. A method for determining successful delivery of an SMS message to a wireless device comprising the steps of:

(a) checking a time stamp of a record in a pending database;

(b) using the time stamp to determine a total time;

(c) determining if the total time exceeds a predetermined time period; and

(d) updating a history database if the total time exceeds the predetermined period.

34. The method according to claim 33, further comprising the step of deleting the record from the pending database.

35. The method according to claim 33, further comprising the step of checking a concerned database to determine the number of attempts that have been made.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the record is marked with a wait state if the number of attempts is less than a predetermined number.

37. The method according to claim 36, further comprising the step of updating the history database a second time.

38. The method according to claim 35, wherein the record is marked with a second state if the number of attempts is greater than or equal to a predetermined number.

39. The method according to claim 38, further comprising a step of updating the history database a second time.

40. A system for monitoring the receipt of a first message by a wireless device comprising:

a message database containing information to be sent to the wireless device in the first message;

a concerned database for storing information concerning wireless devices designated to receive the first message and awaiting receipt of the first message;

a pending database for storing records concerning wireless devices to which the first message is sent;

and a history database providing indicia of the records indicating the status of the records,

wherein the system is configured to receive a return message over a communication link from the wireless device indicating whether the first message has been received by the wireless device, and wherein the records in the concerned database contain a plurality of labels associated with the wireless device, wherein the labels indicate the status of the wireless device with respect to the receipt of the first message.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the wireless device is designated as unavailable if a return result of okay is not received by the system after a predetermined number of attempts at updating the wireless device database.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the wireless device is designated as waiting if a return result of okay is not received by the system and a predetermined number of attempts at updating the wireless device has not been reached.

43. The system of claim 40, wherein a record is entered in the pending database after the first message is sent to the wireless device, and wherein the record is deleted after the record has been pending for a predetermined period of time.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the history database and the concerned database are updated in conjunction with the deletion of the record from the pending database.

45. A system for monitoring the status of a first message sent to a wireless device comprising:

means for receiving a return result from the wireless device;

means for determining if the return result is in error;

means for recording return result errors associated with the first message;

and means for updating the system to indicate the status of the wireless device, wherein, the status of the wireless device is marked according to the amount of return results in error received.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the wireless device is marked as waiting if at least one return result in error is received, but a predetermined number of return result errors has not been reached.

47. The system of claim 45, wherein the wireless device is marked as unavailable if a predetermined number of return result errors is received.