Extended Messaging Platform

• US 20100325470A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thinking Active Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: 3Rd Brand Pte. Ltd.
• Inventors: UNDERWOOD, John Anthony, LEINONEN, Rainer, KERO, Markku, KEYS, Christopher Edward
• Granted Patent: US 9,237,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A message system, including at least one server configured to receive a message from a originating device for delivery to at least one recipient device via a first delivery channel; and wherein the at least one server is further configured to select an alternate delivery channel in the event that delivery of the message via the first delivery channel cannot be effected, is disclosed. The invention further discloses a method for routing messages including the steps of receiving at a server a message from an originating device for delivery to a to at least one recipient; forwarding the message to the at least one recipient device via a first delivery channel; awaiting receipt of acknowledgement message from said least one recipient device, and in the event that no acknowledgment message is received, the at least one server resends the message to said at least one recipient device via an alternate delivery channel.

Claims

1. A message system said system including:

at least one server configured to receive a message from a originating device for delivery to at least one recipient device via a first delivery channel; and

wherein the at least one server is further configured to select an alternate delivery channel in the event that delivery of the message via the first delivery channel cannot be effected.

2. The messaging system of claim 1 wherein the first delivery channel is an Internet Protocol channel and the message is an instant message.

3. The messaging system of claim 1 wherein the first delivery channel is selected from at least one of SMTP, MIME, POP, IMAP channel and said message is an email message

4. The messaging system of claim 1 wherein the first delivery channel is an SS7 channel and the message is an SMS or MMS.

5. The messaging system of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the server is configured to reformat the message to comply with the alternate delivery channel'"'"'s messaging standard.

6. The messaging system of claim 1 wherein the at least one server is adapted to receive an acknowledgement message from said at least one recipient device on receipt of the message via the first messaging channel, whereon said at least one server notifies the originating device of the receipt of the message by the least one recipient device.

7. The messaging system of claim 6 wherein the originating device may instruct the server to immediately send the message via the alternate delivery channel on failure to receive the acknowledgement message.

8. The messaging system of claim 6 or 7 wherein the acknowledgement message includes a serial number, a timestamp or a unique ID which associates the acknowledgement message with the message sent by the originating device.

9. The messaging system of any one of the preceding claims wherein the server further includes one or more predefined rules sets, for governing how the message is transmitted to the at least one recipient device.

10. The messaging system of claim 9 wherein the predefined rule set includes information relating to the period of time the server waits before resending the message on the first delivery channel and the maximum amount of times the server is to retry delivery of the message on the first delivery channel before switching to an alternate delivery channel.

11. The messaging system of claim 10 wherein the message includes a retry counter which is incremented on each attempt of the server to deliver the message to the at least one recipient device.

12. The messaging system of claim 11 wherein the at least one server maybe configured to periodically write a log of each attempt to deliver a message, along with network specific information to the database.

13. The messaging system of claim 12 wherein a copy of all messages passing through the at least one server are stored in the database for later retrieval by a user.

14. The messaging system of any one of the preceding claims wherein duplicate messages on the recipient device are not displayed to users based on a unique identifier.

15. A method for routing messages said method including the steps of:

receiving at a server a message from an originating device for delivery to at least one recipient device;

forwarding the message to the at least one recipient device via a first delivery channel

awaiting receipt of an acknowledgement message from said at least one recipient device, and in the event that no acknowledgment message is received, the at least one server resends the message to said at least one recipient device via an alternate delivery channel.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the first delivery channel is an Internet Protocol (IP) channel and the message is an instant message.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the first delivery channel is selected from at least one of SMTP, MIME, POP, IMAP channel and said message is an email message

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the first delivery channel is an SS7 channel and the message is an SMS or MMS.

19. The method of any one of claims 15 to 18 wherein the server is configured to reformat the message to comply with the alternate delivery channel'"'"'s messaging standard.

20. The method of any one of claims 15 to 19 further including the step of re-sending the message via the first delivery channel a predetermined number of times before attempting to send the message via the alternate delivery channel.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the step of resending the message via the first delivery channel includes the step of incrementing a retry counter associated with the message.

22. The method of any one of claims 15 to 22 wherein duplicate messages on the recipient device are not displayed to users based on a unique identifier.

23. The method of any one of claims 15 to 22 wherein the server stores a copy of all messages for later retrieval by a user.

24. The method of any one of claims 15 to 23 wherein the server automatically tags messages based on system defined content rules as well as user defined rules for later searching by the user.

25. A method for routing messages said method including the steps of:

receiving at a server a message from an originating device for delivery to at least one recipient device;

forwarding the message to the at least one recipient device via a primary delivery channel;

awaiting receipt of an acknowledgement message from said at least one recipient device and forwarding the acknowledgement back to the originating device and, in the event that no acknowledgment message is received by the originating device, the originating device resends the message to said server indicating that the message be routed to the recipient device using an alternate delivery channel.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the first delivery channel is an Internet Protocol (IP) channel and the message is an instant message.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the first delivery channel is selected from at least one of SMTP, MIME, POP, IMAP channel and said message is an email message

28. The method of claim 25 wherein the first delivery channel is an SS7 channel and the message is an SMS or MMS.

29. The method of any one of claims 25 to 28 where in the server is configured to reformat the message to comply with the alternate delivery channel'"'"'s messaging standard.

30. The method of any one of claims 25 to 29 further including the step of re-sending the message via the first delivery channel a predetermined number of times before attempting to send the message via the alternate delivery channel.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the step of resending the message via the first delivery channel includes the step of incrementing a retry counter associated with the message.

32. The method of any one of claims 25 to 32 wherein duplicate messages on the recipient device are not displayed to users based on a unique identifier.

33. The method of any one of claims 25 to 32 wherein the server stores a copy of all messages for later retrieval by a user.

34. The method of any one of claims 25 to 33 wherein the server automatically tags messages based on system defined content rules as well as user defined rules for later searching by the user.

35. The method of any one of claims 25 to 34 wherein the originating device displays an indicator to the user as to the delivery status of a message.

36. The method of any one of claims 25 to 35 wherein the originating device will warn a user that a message has not been delivered before performing a shut down or log out operation.