Method for transmitting multimedia messages and a multimedia message communication system

• US 7,289,792 B1
• Filed: 05/25/1999
• Issued: 10/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Turunen, Matti
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban; Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee; John J.
• Time in patent office: 3080 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/389, 370352-356, 370/386, 370/397, 370/400, 370/401, 370/474, 370/351, 370/316, 370/328, 370/254, 370/410, 370/259, 370/310, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455/3.01, 455/413, 455/433, 455/466, 455/418, 455/432.3, 455/435.1, 455/414.4, 455/412.1, 455/419, 455/452.1, 455/517, 455/515, 455/420, 455/415, 455/446
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 29/06027 Protocols for multimedia communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/38 in combination with wireless systems mobile application service signalling using messaging, e.g. SMS, H04W4/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 adapted for terminals or networks with limited resources or for terminal portability, e.g. wireless application protocol [WAP] services or facilities specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer, i.e. layer seven network arrangements or network communication protocols for networked applications H04L67/00; data processing systems and methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial or managerial purposes G06Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• 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 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for transmitting multimedia messages to a wireless terminal (MS1) in a data transmission system which comprises at least one mobile communication network (HPLMN) and at least one multimedia message server (MMSV). In the method, each wireless terminal (MS1) connected to the mobile communication network (HPLMN), is allocated an address specifying said wireless terminal (MS1), and at least one data transmission connection is activated for said wireless terminal (MS1). Information on the activation of the data transmission connection for said terminal (MS1) is transmitted to the multimedia message server (MMSV).

Claims

1. A method for transmitting multimedia messages to a wireless terminal in a data transmission system which includes at least one mobile communication network and at least one multimedia message server, the method comprising:

specifying for each wireless terminal coupled to the mobile communication network, an address identifying said wireless terminal;

activating at least one data transmission connection for the wireless terminal;

informing the at least one multimedia message server of the activation of the data transmission connection for said wireless terminal; and

upon informing the at least one multimedia message server of the activation of the data transmission connection, transmitting the multimedia messages to the wireless terminal using the activated data transmission connection;

wherein messages addressed to said wireless terminal are transmitted to the multimedia message server, and that before the multimedia messages received by the multimedia message server and addressed to the wireless terminal are transmitted to the wireless terminal,

it is examined, whether there is an activated data transmission connection for said wireless terminal,

if a data transmission connection is activated for said terminal, the multimedia messages are transmitted to the wireless terminal by using said activated data transmission connection,

if there is no activated data transmission connection for said wireless terminal, the next phase is to store the multimedia messages in the multimedia message server and wait until a data transmission connection is activated for said wireless terminal, to use it to transmit multimedia messages to said wireless terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at the transmission stage, packets are formed of the multimedia messages, to be transmitted to the wireless terminal.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the data transmission system, a data transfer protocol in a packet form, intended for e-mail transmission is used, wherein multimedia messages are formed into packets according to said data transfer protocol.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein data of the type of the multimedia message is transmitted in the multimedia messages, wherein in the method it is possible to select which types of multimedia messages are transmitted in the activated data transmission connection.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein multimedia messages are formed into packets according to an Internet protocol, which are framed at the transmission stage into packets according to a data transfer protocol intended for transmitting e-mail messages, and which packets are formed into packets according to the Internet protocol in said terminal.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein information on deactivation of the data transmission connection activated for said wireless terminal is transmitted to the multimedia message server.

7. A system for transmitting multimedia messages to a wireless terminal comprising:

at least one mobile communication network;

at least one multimedia message server;

means for specifying an identifying address for each wireless terminal connected to the mobile communication network;

means for activating at least one data transmission connection for said wireless terminal; and

means for transmitting a communication message to the multimedia message server informing the multimedia message server of the activation of a data transmission connection for said wireless terminal and for transmitting the multimedia messages to the wireless terminal over the data transmission connection in response to the communication message;

wherein the messages addressed to said wireless terminal are transmitted to the multimedia message server, and that before the multimedia messages received by the multimedia message server and addressed to the wireless terminal are transmitted to the wireless terminal,

it is examined, whether there is an activated data transmission connection for said wireless terminal,

if a data transmission connection is activated for said terminal, the multimedia messages are transmitted to the wireless terminal by using said activated data transmission connection,

if there is no activated data transmission connection for said wireless terminal, the next phase is to store the multimedia messages in the multimedia message server and wait until a data transmission connection is activated for said wireless terminal, to use it to transmit multimedia messages to said wireless terminal.

8. The system according to claim 7, further comprising means for forming packets of the multimedia messages to be transmitted to the wireless terminal, means for transmitting packets addressed to said wireless terminal to the multimedia message server, and means for forwarding packets further by using said data transmission connection activated for the wireless terminal.

9. The system according to claim 8, further comprising means for using a data transfer protocol, in a packet format intended for transmitting e-mails, wherein the multimedia messages are arranged to be formed into packets according to said data transfer protocol.

10. A system according to claim 8, further comprising at least one packet radio network, such as GPRS network.

11. A multimedia terminal which is intended to be used in the system according to claim 7, wherein the multimedia terminal comprises means for transmitting a data transmission connection activation request to the mobile communication network.

12. A multimedia message server, which is arranged to be connected to a multimedia message communication system having at least one wireless terminal, at least one mobile communication network, means for specifying an identifying address for each wireless terminal connected to the mobile communication network, means for activating at least one data transmission connection for said wireless terminal, the multimedia message server comprising:

means for receiving a notification that the data transmission connection has been activated including activation data on the data transmission connection,

means for examining the activation data, and

means for transmitting packets further by using said data transmission connection activated for the wireless terminal,

wherein packets embodying multimedia messages addressed to said wireless terminal are transmitted to the multimedia message server, and that before the multimedia messages received by the multimedia message server and addressed to the wireless terminal are transmitted to the wireless terminal,

it is examined, whether there is an activated data transmission connection for said wireless terminal,

if a data transmission connection is activated for said terminal, the multimedia messages are transmitted to the wireless terminal by using said activated data transmission connection,

if there is no activated data transmission connection for said wireless terminal, the next phase is to store the multimedia messages in the multimedia message server and wait until a data transmission connection is activated for said wireless terminal, to use it to transmit multimedia messages to said wireless terminal.