Optimized message notification

• US 20050064884A1
• Filed: 09/24/2003
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Meier, Bernhard, Dumont, Jim
• Granted Patent: US 7,088,993 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]

Abstract

A method, system and server for selectively sending out notification to a message recipient when a new message is available for retrieval. A sender sends a message to a recipient. A first server receives the message and detects a condition for forwarding the message to a second server. The first server further detects an internal setting for sending or not sending a notification alerting the recipient of the presence of the message. Based on this setting, the first server inserts an indication in a copy of the message that is forwarded to the second server. Upon receipt of the copied message by the second server, the former knows whether or not the first server has already issued a notification to the recipient, and uses this information for selectively sending out a notification only in cases where the first server has not sent such notification.

Claims

1. A method for sending a message notification to a recipient of a message, the method comprising the steps of:

a) upon receipt of a message destined to a recipient at a first server, determining whether or not a notification is to be sent to the recipient for alerting of the presence of the message at the first server;

b) based on a result of step a), selectively inserting in a copy of the message that is to be forwarded by the first server to a second server an indication representative of whether or not a notification has been sent to the recipient of the message; and

c) transmitting the copy of the message with the indication from the first server to the second server.

2. The method claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

d) upon receipt of the copy of the message at the second server, detecting the indication; and

e) based on the indication, selectively sending out a notification to the message recipient;

wherein if the indication specifies that a first notification has been already sent to the recipient by the first server, the second server refrains from sending out another notification, and if the indication is representative that a first notification has not been already sent to the recipient by the first server, the second server sends out a notification for the recipient.

3. The method claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the notification to the recipient is a message selected from the group of messages consisting of;

a Short Message Service (SMS) message, and Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS) message, a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message, and a direct HTTP Push message.

4. The method claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the message is a Multimedia Messaging System (MMS) message;

the first server is an MMS Center (MMS-C) server; and

the second server is a Value Added Service Provider (VASP) server;

wherein the MMS message is forwarded from the MMS-C to the VASP based on a detected condition for forwarding.

5. The method claimed in claim 4, wherein the detected condition for forwarding comprises an automatic forwarding feature activated by the MMS message recipient.

6. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein step a) of determining whether or not a notification is to be sent to the recipient for alerting of the presence of the message at the first server is performed based on setting internal to the first server.

7. A first server acting to receive a message destined to a recipient, and upon receipt of the message further acting to determine whether or not a notification is to be sent to the recipient for alerting of the presence of the message, the first server selectively inserting in a copy of the message that is to be forwarded to a second server an indication representative of whether or not a notification has been sent by the first server to the recipient of the message, the first server transmitting the copy of the message with the indication to the second server.

8. The first server claimed in claim 7, wherein the notification to the recipient is a message selected from the group of messages consisting of:

a Short Message Service (SMS) message, and Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS) message, a Multimedia Messaging (MMS) service, and a direct HTTP Push message.

9. The first server claimed in claim 7, wherein:

the message is a Multimedia Messaging System (MMS) message;

the first server is an MMS Center (MMS-C) server; and

the second server is a Value Added Service Provider (VASP) server;

wherein the MMS message is forwarded from the MMS-C to the VASP based on a detected condition for forwarding.

10. The first server claimed in claim 7, wherein the detected condition for forwarding comprises an automatic forwarding feature activated by the MMS message recipient.

11. The first server claimed in claim 7, wherein the determination related to whether or not a notification is to be sent to the recipient for alerting of the presence of the message is based on settings internal to the first server.

12. A communications system comprising:

a first server;

a second server;

wherein upon receipt of a message destined to a recipient at a first server, the first server determines whether or not a notification is to be sent to the recipient for alerting of the presence of the message at the first server, and based on a result of the determination the first server selectively inserts in a copy of the message that is to be forwarded to a second server an indication representative of whether or not a notification has been sent to the recipient of the message, and transmits the copy of the message with the indication to the second server.

13. The communications system claimed in claim 12 wherein upon receipt of the copy of the message at the second server, the second server detects the indication, and based on the indication, selectively sends out a notification to the message recipient;

wherein if the indication specifies that a first notification has been already sent to the recipient by the first server, the second server refrains from sending out another notification, and if the indication is representative that a first notification has not been already sent to the recipient by the first server, the second server sends out a notification for the recipient.

14. The communications system claimed in claim 13, wherein:

the notification to the recipient is a message selected from the group of messages consisting of;

a Short Message Service (SMS) message, and Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS) message, a Multimedia Messaging (MMS) service, and a direct HTTP push message.

15. The communications system claimed in claim 13, wherein:

the message is a Multimedia Messaging System (MMS) message;

the first server is an MMS Center (MMS-C) server; and

the second server is a Value Added Service Provider (VASP) server;

wherein the MMS message is forwarded from the MMS-C to the VASP based on a detected condition for forwarding.

16. The communications system claimed in claim 15, wherein the detected condition for forwarding comprises an automatic forwarding feature activated by the MMS message recipient.

17. The communications system claimed in claim 13, wherein the first server uses settings internal to the first server for determining whether or not a notification is to be sent to the recipient for alerting of the presence of the message.