METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ACCESSING COMPUTER NETWORK ACCESSIBLE SERVICE APPLICATIONS VIA A MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20100311443A1
• Filed: 06/05/2009
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Abuelsaad, Kelly, Verma, Dinesh C., Abuelsaad, Tamer E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,165,612 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Methods and systems for accessing computer network accessible services, such as internet based service applications, via a mobile terminal of a mobile telecommunication system using a mediation layer between a person'"'"'s mobile terminal and the IT world. The mobile terminal in response to receiving user inputs interacts with this mediation layer via text messages. The mediation layer turns around and executes the appropriate IT services on behalf of the mobile terminal user.

Claims

1. A method for accessing computer network accessible service applications via a mobile terminal, the method comprising

providing a user profile associated with a user of at least one mobile terminal, said user profile containing information for executing at least one computer network accessible service;

at a mediation node receiving over a mobile telecommunication network at least one text message from at least one mobile terminal for requesting execution of said at least one computer network accessible application;

interpreting said at least one text message received from said mobile terminal based on said user profile; and

executing said computer network accessible application(s) using said interpretation of said at least one text message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing said user profile associated with said user of at least one mobile terminal comprises providing a user profile containing information for executing a plurality of different internet service applications and/or plurality of internet service application tasks;

wherein interpreting said at least one text message from said user mobile terminal based on said user profile comprises using said text message(s) to select from said information contained in said user profile information for executing a particular one of a plurality internet service applications and/or a particular one of a plurality of internet service application tasks; and

wherein executing said computer network accessible service application(s) using said interpretation of said at least one text message comprises using said information selected from said user profile to selectively executing said particular one of a plurality internet service applications and/or said particular one of a plurality of internet service application tasks.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending from said mobile terminal to said mediation hub at least one text message containing a predefined security word or phrase; and

opening or activating said provided user profile using said security word or phrase.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least one security prompt text message from said mediation node to said user mobile terminal, receiving at said mediation hub at least one answer text message in response to said at least one security prompt text message, and checking at least one answer contained in said received at least one answer text message against at least one corresponding answer stored in said user profile for verifying the identity of the user of said user mobile terminal.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining the identity of said at least one mobile terminal; and

associating said user profile with said at least one text message based on said determined identity of said at least one mobile terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein said at least one text message comprises at least one text message aliases and/or short cut; and

wherein interpreting said at least one text message from said user mobile phone terminal based on said associated user profile comprises mapping said received at least one text message alias(es) and/or short cut(s) to corresponding information stored in said user profile for executing said at least one computer network accessible service application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one text message comprises an SMS text message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing said user profile(s) includes setting up said user profile via a service provider.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the user profile using SMS text messaging commands sent to the mediation hub from said mobile terminal.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining from said associated user profile a plurality of different applications and/or internet service application tasks a user is permitted to execute;

sending at least one text message reply to said mobile terminal from said mediation hub containing said determined plurality of internet service applications and/or internet service application tasks;

rendering said plurality of internet service applications and/or internet service application tasks as menu options on said mobile terminal;

receiving at said mobile terminal a selection of a particular menu options, sending from said mobile terminal to said mediation hub a reply text message containing said selected menu option; and

executing said internet service application(s) corresponding to the selected menu option contained in said reply text message.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each one of said plurality of internet service applications is provided by a different service provider.

12. An automated system for accessing computer network service applications via a mobile terminal, the system comprising:

at least one user profile associated with a user of at least one mobile terminal, said user profile containing information for executing at least one computer network accessible service;

a mediation controller configured to;

receive over a mobile telecommunication network at least one text message from the user mobile terminal for requesting execution of said at least one computer network accessible service application;

interpret said at least one text message from said user mobile phone terminal based on said user profile associated with said user; and

execute said computer network accessible service application(s) using said interpretation of said at least one text message.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said user profile associated with said user of at least one mobile terminal comprises a user profile containing information for executing a plurality of different internet service applications and/or plurality of internet service application tasks, wherein said mediation controller is further configured to:

interpret said at least one text message from said user mobile terminal by using said text message(s) to select from said information contained in said user profile information for executing a particular one of said plurality internet service applications and/or a particular one of said plurality of internet base service application tasks; and

using said information selected from said user profile to selectively execute said particular one of said plurality internet service applications and/or said particular one of said plurality of internet service application tasks.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

wherein said at least one text message comprises at least one text message alias and/or short cut; and

wherein said mediation controller is configured to map said received at least one text message alias(es) and/or short cut(s) to corresponding information for executing said at least one computer network accessible application.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein said at least one text message comprises an SMS text message.

16. A computer program product comprising:

a computer—

usable data carrier storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for accessing computer network accessible service applications via mobile terminal, the method comprising;

providing a user profile associated with a user of at least one mobile terminal, said user profile containing information for executing at least one computer network accessible service;

receiving over a mobile telecommunication network at least one text message from the user mobile terminal for requesting execution of said at least one computer network accessible service application;

interpreting said at least one text message from said user mobile phone terminal based on said user profile associated with said user; and

executing said internet service application(s) using said interpretation of said at least one text message.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein providing said user profile associated with said user of at least one mobile terminal comprises providing a user profile containing information for executing a plurality of different internet service applications and/or plurality of internet service application tasks, wherein interpreting said at least one text message from said user mobile terminal based on said user profile associated with said user comprises:

using said text message(s) to select from said information contained in said user profile information for executing a particular one of said plurality of internet service applications and/or particular one of a plurality of internet service application tasks; and

wherein executing said internet service application(s) using said interpretation of said at least one text message comprises using said information selected from said user profile to selectively execute said particular one of said plurality of internet service applications and/or said particular one of said plurality of internet service application tasks.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

wherein said at least one text message comprises at least one text message alias(es) and/or short cut; and

wherein interpreting said at least one text message from said user mobile phone terminal based on said associated user profile comprises mapping said received at least one text message alias(es) and/or short cut(s) to corresponding information stored in said user profile for executing said at least one computer network accessible service application.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said at least one text message comprises an SMS text message.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising configuring the user profile using SMS text messaging commands received from a mobile terminal of the user.