Short Message Service (SMS) Parser

• US 20070167178A1
• Filed: 02/13/2007
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mansour A. Al-Harbi
• Original Assignee: Mansour A. Al-Harbi
• Inventors: Al-Harbi, Mansour A.
• Application Number:
  US11/674,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20070167178A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• 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 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 short message service parser is disclosed. The short message service parser is typically a computer server programmed by computer software. The short message service parser has the ability to handle different short message service messages from different senders and process, analyze, parse, and reformat the messages. The messages are typically reformatted into a format readable for various backend computer systems available on a computer network. The backend computer system processes a request or a transaction and returns a result back to the short message service parser. The short message service parser sends the results back to a sender device, which may be a cellular telephone.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a computer;

wherein the computer is programmed by a computer software application;

wherein the computer software application has the ability to link a short message service (SMS) sender with a first backend computer system available on a computer network using SMS technology;

wherein the computer receives a first SMS message from the SMS sender;

wherein the first SMS message includes a command and a list of parameters having a plurality of corresponding values;

wherein the computer is programmed by the computer software application to parse, analyze, and reformat the first SMS message according to the requirements of the first backend computer system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1

wherein the SMS sender is a mobile device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1

wherein the SMS sender is a computer system that has the ability to send SMS messages.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the computer is programmed by the computer software application to receive the first SMS message in a first natural language and transmit it to the first backend computer system in a second natural language

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the computer is programmed by the computer software application to receive the command and the parameters of the first SMS message in a first order and to reorder the parameters in the first SMS message in a second order to form a modified first SMS message and to transmit the modified first SMS message to the first backend computer system wherein the first order is unknown to the first backend computer system.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the computer is programmed by the computer software application to recognize whether the first backend computer system is a public system and if the first backend computer system is a public system, to send the modified SMS message to the first backend computer system.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the computer is programmed by the computer software application to recognize that the first backend computer system is a secured system and to send a request to the SMS sender to have a user type an access code into the SMS sender to access the first backend computer system.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the computer is programmed by the computer software application to divide the first SMS message into a command and a plurality of parameters, each of which has a corresponding value;

wherein the command is selected from the group consisting essentially of one of the following command types;

(a) an external command dedicated to only the first backend computer system;

(b) an external command shared between two or more backend computer systems; and

(c) an internal command not linked to any backend computer system.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein

the parameter is selected from the group consisting essentially of one of the following:

(a) a required parameter as defined by the first backend computer system; and

(b) an optional parameter as defined by the first backend computer system.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein

each of the corresponding values have a length selected from the group consisting essentially of one of the following:

(a) a fixed length as defined by the first backend computer system; and

(b) a variable length as defined by the first backend computer system.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein

each of the corresponding values have a type selected from the group consisting essentially of one of the following

(a) a string as defined by the first backend computer system;

(b) an integer as defined by the first backend computer system;

(c) a decimal as defined by the first backend computer system;

(d) a date as defined by the first backend computer system;

(e) an alternative direct value as defined by the first backend computer system; and

(f) a list of an alternative direct values as defined by the first backend computer system.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the computer is programmed by the computer software application to return an error message to the SMS sender in any case selected from the group consisting essentially one of the following:

(a) if the command in the first SMS message is unknown;

(b) if a first parameter is not included in the first SMS message when required by the first backend computer system;

(c) if a value type in the first SMS message does not match a value type assigned by the first backend computer system to the same parameter;

(d) if a value length in the first SMS message does not match a value length assigned by the first backend computer system and the value length assigned by the first backend computer system is not a variable length; and

(e) if the SMS sender user is not registered with the first backend computer system;

and wherein the first backend computer system is a secured system.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the computer is programmed by the computer software application to provide a default value for a first parameter to be sent to the first backend computer system if the first parameter is an optional parameter as specified by the first backend computer system and a value for the first parameter is not included in the first SMS message.

14. A method comprising

linking a short message service (SMS) sender with a first backend computer system available on a computer network using short message service technology;

receiving a command and a plurality of parameters having a plurality of corresponding values in a first SMS message from the SMS sender; and

parsing, analyzing, and reformatting the first SMS message according to a first set of criteria.

15. The method of claim 14

wherein the SMS sender is a mobile device.

16. The method of claim 14

wherein the SMS sender is a computer system that has the ability to send SMS messages.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising

receiving the first SMS message in a first natural language and transmitting it to the first backend computer system in a second natural language.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising

wherein the plurality of parameters are in a first order;

reordering the list of parameters in a second order to form a modified first SMS message;

wherein the second order is specified by the first backend computer system;

further comprising transmitting the modified SMS message comprised of the plurality of parameters and values in the second order to the first backend computer system;

and wherein the first order is unknown to the backend computer system

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising

determining that the first backend computer system is a public backend computer system;

and

sending the modified first SMS message directly to the first backend computer system.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising

determining that the first backend computer system is a secured backend computer system;

and

sending a request to the SMS sender to have a user to type an access code into the SMS sender to access the first backend computer system.

21. The method of claim 14 further comprising

dividing the first SMS message into a command and a plurality of parameters, each parameter having an assigned value;

wherein the command is selected from the group consisting essentially of one of the following;

(a) an external command dedicated to only the first backend computer system

(b) an external command shared among two or more backend computer systems; and

(c) an internal command not linked to any backend computer system.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising wherein

each of the plurality of parameters is selected from the group consisting essentially of one of the following:

(a) a required parameter that must exist in the SMS message as defined by the first backend computer system; and

(b) an optional parameter as defined by the first backend computer system.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising and wherein

a value length of each of the plurality of parameters is selected from the group consisting essentially of one of the following:

(a) a fixed length as defined by the first backend computer system; and

(b) a variable length as defined by the first backend computer system.

24. The method of claim 21 further comprising wherein

each of the values have a type selected from the group consisting essentially of one of the following

(a) a string as defined by the first backend computer system;

(b) an integer as defined by the first backend computer system;

(c) a decimal as defined by the first backend computer system;

(d) a date as defined by the first backend computer system;

(e) an alternative direct value as defined by the first backend computer system; and

(f) a list of alternative direct value as defined by the first backend computer system

25. The method of claim 14 further comprising

returning an error message to the SMS sender in a case selected from the group consisting essentially of one of the following:

(a) if a command does not exist in the first SMS message;

(b) if a parameter required by the first backend computer system is not included in the first SMS message;

(c) if a value type in the first SMS message does not match a value type assigned by the first backend computer system for the same parameter;

(d) if a value length coming in the first SMS message does not match the value length assigned by the first backend computer system and the value length assigned by the first backend computer system is not variable length; and

(e) if an SMS sender user requesting access to a secured backend computer system is not registered with the secured backend computer system.

26. The method of claim 14 further comprising

providing a default value for a first parameter to be sent to the first backend computer system if the first parameter is an optional parameter as specified by the first backend computer system and a value for the first parameter is not included in the first SMS message.