Text messaging system and method

• US 7,437,413 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2001
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Okuyama, Satoshi, Manabe, Ai
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOLD, AVI M
• Application Number:
  US09/772,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20010005859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,814 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/566, 455/445, 455/561, 455/417, 455/412.3, 455/424, 455/467, 379/88, 379/93.27, 709/200, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• 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 69/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass networks security protocols H04L9/40; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

The text messaging system consists of mobile terminal (5) connected to mobile communication network (4), information terminal (3) connected to computer network (2), and server (1) connected to the mobile communication network and the computer network. The information terminal (3) has status detection means (22), (23), and (24), and detects an operational status including at least the connection status of the computer network and notifies the server (1) of it. The server (1) has status administration means (8) and (9) and decision means (10). The status administration means (8) and (9) retain the operational status of the information terminal (3) notified from status detection means (24) for each user. The decision means (10) determines a send mode according to the operational status of the information terminal such as whether to send a text message to an information terminal or to send a text message with a network application.

Claims

1. A text messaging system including a plurality of information terminals provided with communications parts, and servers connected to the information terminals via communication lines responsive to the communication parts, the text messaging system comprising:

a plurality of transmitters having different transmission modes and one of the transmitters provided in each of the information terminals for transmitting to the servers text messages addressed to other of the information terminals;

a receiver provided in the information terminals for receiving from the servers a text message from other of the information terminals;

a status detector provided in the information terminals for detecting and reporting to the servers an operational status of each of the transmitters including at least a change of status of the connection with the communication lines;

a receiver provided in the servers for receiving text messages from any one of the information terminals;

a status administrator provided in the servers for storing, per user of any one of the information terminals, the operational status, including the change of status, of each of the transmitters means of each information terminal reported from said status detector;

a selector provided in the servers for referring to the operational status, including the change of status, stored by the status administrator of an information terminal that is selecting a message destination and a transmitter and transmission mode for the received text messages according to the stored operational status and change of status; and

a transmitter provided in the servers for transmitting text messages received from the information terminals to the destination information terminal according to the dynamically selected transmission mode using the dynamically selected transmitter.

2. The text messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the change of status that is detected and reported is a change from a connected status with the Internet to a disconnected status or change in a use of an information terminal by a user.

3. A text messaging system including a mobile terminal and an information terminal respectively provided with communication parts, and a server connected to the mobile terminal and to the information terminal via a communications line responsive to the communication parts, the text messaging system comprising:

a plurality of transmitters having different transmission modes in the information terminal for transmitting to the server text messages addressed to the mobile terminal, or to another information terminal;

receiver provided in the information terminal for receiving from the server text messages from the mobile terminal, or from another information terminal;

a status detector means in the information terminal for detecting and reporting to the server an operational status of the each transmitters including at least a change of status of the connection with the communications line;

a receiver provided in the server for receiving text messages from the mobile terminal or the information terminal;

a status administrator means provided in the server for storing per user of the information terminal, an operational status of each transmitter of the information terminal reported from said status detector; and

a selector provided in the server for referring to the operational status, including the change of status, stored by the status administrator of an information terminal that is a destination of the text message received from the information terminal, and for dynamically selecting a message destination and a transmission mode and a transmitter for the received text messages according to the stored operational status and change of status; and

a transmitter provided in the server for transmitting to the information terminal text messages received from the mobile terminal, and transmitting to the mobile terminal text messages received from the information terminal, or transmitting text messages received from the mobile terminal or the information terminal to another mobile terminal or to another information terminal according to the dynamically selected transmission mode using the dynamically selected transmitter.

4. A text messaging system according to claim 3, wherein:

said status detector means further detects and reports to the server whether the information terminal is being used; and

said selector, upon the information terminal being used determines the information terminal to be a transmission destination for text messages.

5. A text messaging system according to claim 3, the information terminal further being provided with a service detector for detecting and for reporting to the server network-application operational status in the information terminal, wherein:

said status administrator stores the reported network-application operational status; and

said selector means, wherein the network application is operable on the server, determines to transmit received text messages using the network application if the network application is running on the information terminal.

6. A text messaging system according to claim 3, wherein said transmitters is enabled to notify the server that a text message has been read, further comprising:

a reporting administrator provided in the server for saving text messages transmitted to the information terminal, and, wherein if not notified to the effect that a text message has been read, for forwarding the text message to the mobile terminal.

7. A text messaging system according to claim 6, wherein said reporting administrator means forwards to the mobile terminal text messages transmitted to the information terminal in response to change in operational status of the information terminal.

8. A text messaging system according to claim 6, wherein if a text message transmitted to the information terminal is not read within a predetermined time period, said reporting administrator means forwards the text message to the mobile terminal.

9. A text messaging system according to claim 6, wherein said reporting administrator means in predetermined instances reports to text message send sources that their text messages have been sent to the mobile terminal.

10. A text messaging system according to claim 6, wherein if said reporting administrator cannot send a text message to the mobile terminal, said reporting administrator stores the text message and reports to the text message send source that its text message has been stored.

11. A text messaging system according to claim 3, wherein:

said status detector reports to the server text message senders′

contact phone numbers;

said status administrator stores the reported phone numbers; and

wherein a text message is sent from the information terminal to the mobile terminal, if the senders′

contact phone number has been set, said detector adds the phone number to and transmits the text message.

12. A text messaging system according to claim 3, further comprising a proxy information terminal connected to the communications line, wherein said proxy information terminal is provided with:

a receiver for receiving from the server text messages from the mobile terminal;

an information acquirer for obtaining in accordance with the received text messages operational status of other information terminal wherein the system includes a plurality thereof;

a transmitter for transmitting the obtained operational status as a text message to the mobile terminal; and

an information setter for setting and reporting to the server an operational status of the other information terminal in accordance with the received text messages.

13. A text messaging system including a mobile terminal and an information terminal respectively provided with communication parts, a first server connected to the information terminal via communications line responsive to the communication parts, and a second server connected to the mobile terminal and to the information terminal via the communications line, the text messaging system comprising:

a plurality of transmitters having different transmission modes provided in the information terminal for transmitting to the second server text messages addressed to the mobile terminal, or to another information terminal wherein the system includes a plurality thereof;

a receiver provided in the information terminal for receiving from the second server text messages from the mobile terminal, or from other information terminal wherein the system includes a plurality thereof;

a status detector provided in the information terminal for detecting and reporting to the first server an operational status of the each transmitter including at least a change of status of connection with the communications line;

a status administrator provided in the first server for gathering and storing per user of the information terminals, an operational status, including the change of status, of the each transmitter from each information terminal;

a receiver provided in the second server for receiving text messages from the mobile terminal or the information terminal;

a selector provided in the second server for obtaining from the first server operational status, including the change of status, of the information terminal that is a destination of the text message received from the information terminal, and for dynamically selecting a transmission mode for received text messages according to the obtained operational status and change of status; and

a transmitter provided in the second server for transmitting text messages received from the mobile terminal or the information terminal to another mobile terminal or a destination information terminal according to the dynamically selected transmission mode using the dynamically selected transmitter.

14. A text messaging system according to claim 13, wherein the information terminal is enabled to notify the second server that a text message has been read, and further comprising:

a reporting administrator provided in the second server for saving text messages transmitted to the information terminal, and, wherein not notified to the effect that a text message has been read, for forwarding the text message to the information terminal.