Sending and Receiving Text Messages Using a Variety of Fonts

• US 20080280633A1
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fontip Ltd.
• Original Assignee: My-Font Limited
• Inventors: Agiv, Omer
• Granted Patent: US 8,116,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/109 Font handling; Temporal or kinetic typography
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/225 comprising a loadable character generator character generators per se G09G5/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A method for sending a text message over a telephone network from a sending device to a receiving device. A set of images (or font) is selected by a user of the sending device. The text message is displayed using the set of images on the sending device as a presented rich content message. The sending device uploads the text message and one or more codes indicative of the set of images to a server operatively connected to the telephone network. A message is transmitted from the server to the receiving device, the message including information of the text message and of the set of images. The message presented on the receiving device is the same rich content message previously presented on the sending device. The rich content message presented at the sending and receiving devices preferably includes sounds associated with the set of images.

Claims

1. A method for sending a text message over a telephone network from a sending device to a receiving device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting at least one set of images;

(b) displaying the text message using said at least one set of images on the sending device, thereby presenting a rich content message;

(c) uploading from the sending device to a server, the text message and at least one code indicative of said at least one set of images, wherein said server is operatively connected to the telephone network;

(d) transmitting a message from the server to the receiving device, wherein said message includes information of the text message and of said at least one set of images; and

(e) displaying the message, thereby presenting on the receiving device said rich content message.

2. The method, according to claim 1, wherein said at least one set of images is previously downloaded to the sending device from said server.

3. The method, according to claim 1, wherein said message is transmitted from said server to said receiving device as a multimedia message.

4. The method, according to claim 1, wherein said message is transmitted from said server to the receiving device as a text message including said at least one code.

5. The method, according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(f) editing the text message on the sending device;

(g) encoding the text message on the sending device, thereby producing an encoded text message including characters of the text message and said at least one code; and

(h) decoding said encoded text message at said server.

6. The method, according to claim 1, wherein said rich content message includes sounds associated with said at least one set of images.

7. The method, according to claim 5, wherein said editing includes retrieving at least one of the images from of the set of images, and pasting said at least one of the images into a composite image presented by an application previously installed on the sending device.

8. The method, according to claim 5, wherein said editing is performed remotely over a gateway using an application previously installed on said server.

9. The method, according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(f) generating said rich content message as a composite image composed using a plurality of cells wherein for at least one character of the text message an image is selected from at least one of said cells from said at least one set of images by indicating said at least one code.

10. The method, according to claim 9, wherein said selecting is performed remotely over a gateway, further comprising the step of prior to said (b) displaying on the sending device:

(g) downloading said composite image to the sending device.

11. The method, according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(f) constructing said at least one set of images by superimposing a set of alphanumeric images with a set of background images; and

(g) uploading said at least one set of images to the server.

12. The method, according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(f) providing handwritten images of a user of the sending device;

(g) uploading said handwritten images to the server;

(h) scanning said handwritten images thereby producing said at least one set of images; and

(i) downloading said handwritten images to the sending device.

23. The method, according to claim 6, wherein said sounds include sounds generated by vibrating the receiving device.

24. The method, according to claim 6, wherein said sounds include vibrations generated by vibrating the receiving device.

13. A method for sending a message over a telephone network from a sending device to a receiving device, the method comprising:

(a) editing a text message on the sending device;

(b) selecting on the sending device at least one code indicative of at least one set images;

(c) generating a composite image composed using a plurality of cells wherein for at least one character of the text message an image from said at least one set of images is selected from at least one of said cells by indicating said at least one code;

(d) displaying said composite image on the sending device; and

(e) transmitting said composite image to the receiving device.

14. The method, according to claim 13, the composite message is included in selectably either:

a multimedia message, a web page, or attachment file to an electronic mail message.

15. A program storage device tangibly embodying a set of instructions readable by a processor installed in the sending device of claim 13 which performs the method steps of claim 13.

16. The method, according to claim 13, further comprising the step of:

(f) downloading to the sending device said at least one set of images from a server operatively attached to the telephone network.

17. The method, according to claim 13, further comprising the step of:

(f) displaying said composite image on the receiving device.

18. A method for processing a text message sent over a telephone network from a sending device to a receiving device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a text message and at least one code indicative of at least one set of images; and

(b) transmitting a multimedia message to the receiving device, wherein said multimedia message includes information of the text message and of said at least one set of images.

19. A font server which performs the method steps of claim 18.

20. The font server, according to claim 19, comprising a transactions module which determines billing based on said multimedia message.

21. A program storage device tangibly embodying a set of instructions readable by a processor in a font server for performing the method steps of claim 18.

22. The method, according to claim 18, wherein a rich content message including information of said text message and said at least one code is displayed both on the sending device and on the receiving device.

25. A business method for providing a rich-content-message transmittal service, the business method comprising the steps of:

(a) offering for sale use of the rich-content-message transmittal service;

(b) selecting at least one set of images;

(c) displaying the text message using said at least one set of images on the sending device, thereby presenting a rich content message;

(d) uploading from the sending device to a server, the text message and at least one code indicative of said at least one set of images, wherein said server is operatively connected to the telephone network;

(e) transmitting a message from the server to the receiving device, wherein said message includes information of the text message and of said at least one set of images; and

(f) displaying the message, thereby presenting on the receiving device said rich content message.