Two-way wireless messaging system with transaction server

• US 6,014,429 A
• Filed: 08/12/1996
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: LaPorta, Thomas F., Sabnani, Krishan Kumar, Woo, Thomas Yat Chung
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US08/695,497
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/89, 379/67.1, 379/76, 379/80, 379/88.01, 379/88.04, 379/88.12, 379/88.14, 379/88.16, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.22, 379/88.15 , 379/170, 379/217, 455/32.1, 455/33.3, 455/54.1, 455/38.1, 455/38.4
• US Class Current: 379/88.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53325 Interconnection arrangements between voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• 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 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A two-way wireless messaging system has a messaging network, and a two-way messaging device that originates, receives and replies to messages having dynamic message components to and from the messaging network. A transaction server is located within the messaging network for opening and tracking messages among various users of the two-way messaging system, and closing a transaction to prevent further message delivery and replies after a predetermined transaction is completed. A transaction can remain open until a reply has been received by every intended message recipient; until a desired number of message recipient received a message; or until a specified amount of time has expired.

Claims

1. A two-way messaging system, comprising:

a messaging network over which messages are sent;

a pager coupled to the messaging network via a downlink and an uplink;

said pager including a plurality of messages and corresponding message codes;

the pager sending an originating message code to the messaging network via the uplink;

said originating message code including a multiple message destination address that includes a plurality of destination addresses;

the messaging network including a plurality of messages and corresponding message codes that are identical to said messages and codes in said pager;

the messaging network expanding the originating message code into a message, and forwarding the message to each of the plurality of destination addresses;

a transaction server coupled to the messaging network, the transaction server opening a transaction for tracking each message sent over the messaging network corresponding to the message code from the pager to a message recipient, and closing the transaction for preventing further delivery of the message and a reply to the message after a service associated with the transaction is complete;

a conversation manager within the transaction server maintaining the transaction server in open and closed states;

a transaction manager within the transaction server communicating with the conversation manager and tracking a state of a message recipient involved with the transaction,

the transaction manager communicating with the conversation manager to close a transaction after the transaction manager determines that the transaction should be closed, thereby limiting replies from one or more of the plurality of destination addresses of the multiple message destination address.

2. The two-way messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the service associated with the transaction is receipt of a reply by the pager from each message recipient.

3. The two-way messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the service associated with the transaction is receipt of a reply by the pager from a predetermined number of message recipients.

4. The two-way messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the service associated with the transaction is complete when a predetermined amount of time expires after the message is sent to each message recipient.

5. The two-way messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the service associated with the transaction is complete based on a number of replies that are accepted for the transaction and a number of message recipients that have the closed state.

6. The two-way messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the messaging network is a wireless messaging network.

7. A two-way messaging system, comprising:

a messaging network over which messages are sent;

a pager coupled to the messaging network via a downlink and an uplink;

said pager including a plurality of messages and corresponding message codes;

the pager sending an originating message code to said messaging network via the uplink;

the originating message code including a multiple message destination address that includes a plurality of destination addresses;

the messaging network including a plurality of messages and corresponding message codes that are identical to said messages and codes in said pager;

the messaging network expanding the originating message code into a message, and forwarding the message to each of the plurality of destination addresses;

a transaction server coupled to the messaging network, the transaction server initializing at least one record for monitoring a service associated with each message sent over the messaging network corresponding to the message code from the pager to a message recipient, and deleting each record initialized for a message for preventing further delivery of the message and a reply to the message after the service associated with the message is complete;

a conversation manager within the transaction server maintaining the transaction server in open and closed states;

a transaction manager within the transaction server communicating with the conversation manager and tracking a state of a message recipient involved with the transaction,

the transaction manager communicating with the conversation manager to close a transaction after the transaction manager determines that the transaction should be closed, thereby limiting replies from one or more of the plurality of destination addresses of the multiple message destination address.

8. The two-way messaging system according to claim 7, wherein the service associated with the message is complete when a predetermined amount of time expires after the message is sent to each message recipient.

9. The two-way messaging system according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined amount of time is specified by the pager.

10. The two-way messaging system according to claim 7, wherein the service associated with the message is receipt of a reply by the pager from each message recipient.

11. The two-way messaging system according to claim 7, wherein the service associated with the message is receipt of a reply by the pager from a predetermined number of message recipients.

12. The two-way messaging system according to claim 7, wherein the service associated with the message includes one of an all-reply, an N-reply and a timed-reply.

13. The two-way messaging system according to claim 7, wherein the service associated with the message is complete based on a number of replies that are accepted for the transaction and a number of message recipients that have the closed state.

14. The two-way messaging system according to claim 7, wherein the messaging network is a wireless messaging network.

15. A two-way messaging system, comprising:

a messaging network having a first communication channel over which a subscriber to the messaging network receives a message from the messaging network and a second communication channel over which the subscriber sends a message to the messaging network;

a pager of said subscriber coupled to said messaging network via said first communication channel and said second communication channel;

said pager storing a plurality of predetermined messages and corresponding message codes;

said pager sending a message code to said messaging network;

a user agent coupled to the messaging network, the user agent storing a plurality of predetermined messages and corresponding message codes that are identical to said messages and codes in said pager, each predetermined message corresponding to a message code, the user agent receiving a message code from a subscriber of the messaging network and forwarding the predetermined message corresponding to the received message code to a message recipient over the messaging network; and

a transaction server coupled to the messaging network, the transaction server opening a transaction for tracking each message sent over the messaging network corresponding to the message code from the pager to a message recipient, and closing the transaction for preventing further delivery of the message and a reply to the message after a service associated with the transaction is complete;

a conversation manager within the transaction server maintaining the transaction server in open and closed states;

a transaction manager within the transaction server communicating with the conversation manager and tracking a state of a message recipient involved with the transaction,

the transaction manager communicating with the conversation manager to close a transaction after the transaction manager determines that the transaction should be closed, thereby limiting replies from one or more of the plurality of destination addresses of the multiple message destination address.

16. The two-way messaging system according to claim 15, wherein the service associated with the transaction is receipt of a reply by the pager from each message recipient.

17. The two-way messaging system according to claim 15, wherein the service associated with the transaction is receipt of a reply by the pager from a predetermined number of message recipients.

18. The two-way messaging system according to claim 15, wherein the service associated with the transaction is complete when a predetermined amount of time expires after the message is sent to each message recipient.

19. The two-way messaging system according to claim 18, wherein the predetermined amount of time is specified by the pager.

20. The two-way messaging system according to claim 15, wherein the service associated with the transaction is complete based on a number of replies that are accepted for the transaction and a number of message recipients that have the closed state.

21. The two-way messaging system according to claim 15, wherein the service associated with the transaction includes one of an all-reply, an N-reply and a timed-reply.

22. The two-way messaging system according to claim 15, wherein the messaging network is a wireless messaging network.

23. A method for two-way messaging, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of predetermined messages and corresponding message codes in a pager;

storing a plurality of predetermined messages and corresponding message codes that are identical to said messages and codes in said pager within a two-way messaging network, each of the plurality of predetermined messages corresponding to a message code selected by a subscriber of a two-way messaging network;

receiving a message code from the pager via an uplink;

expanding the message code received from the pager within the two-way messaging network to form the predetermined message corresponding to the received message code and a multiple message destination address that includes a plurality of destination addresses;

forwarding the predetermined message corresponding to the message code from the pager to a recipient at each of the plurality of destination addresses based on a content of the message code received from the pager;

opening a transaction for tracking a service between the pager sending the message code and each recipient;

closing the transaction for preventing further delivery of the predetermined message and a reply to the predetermined message after the service is complete; and

limiting replies from one or more of the plurality of destination addresses of the multiple message destination address.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the step of maintaining the transaction open until a reply has been received by the pager from each message recipient.

25. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the step of maintaining the transaction open until a predetermined amount of time expires after the message is sent to each message recipient.

26. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the step of maintaining the transaction open until a predetermined number of message recipients receive the predetermined message.

27. The method according to claim 23, wherein the messaging network is a wireless messaging network.

28. The method according to claim 23, wherein the service is complete when a predetermined amount of time expires after the message is sent to each message recipient.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the predetermined amount of time is specified by the pager.