Employing the SMS protocol as a transport layer protocol

• US 8,050,693 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2007
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nair, Rahul
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MONG-THUY THI
• Application Number:
  US11/695,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20080242323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,674 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/567, 370/328, 709/227, 709/206, 709/237
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

Communicating data by transforming images or other non-text data into subsets of text characters and communicating each subset in an electronic message that can carry only a limited number of text characters. An embodiment transforms portions of binary data of an image or other non-text data into subsets of hexadecimal data that represents text characters. The subsets of hexadecimal text character data are included in SMS messages that have a predefined maximum number of characters. A header is included in the SMS messages to identify the ordering of the data. The SMS messages are communicated to a receiving device that orders the messages, transforms each subset of hexadecimal text characters back into the binary data, and assembles the binary data into it prior form for rendering to a user of the receiving device. A server may process the SMS messages, such as by inserting additional SMS messages with advertising data.

Claims

1. A method for communicating data between devices over a network with a Short Message Service (SMS) protocol, comprising:

providing a data transfer notice to a receiving device and enabling a transforming of non-text data into text data in response to determining an affirmative capability to convert text data into non-text data at the receiving device;

transforming a first portion of non-text data into a first subset of text data, wherein a number of text characters in the first subset is less than a maximum amount of text for a single message of an electronic messaging system;

communicating the first subset of text data in a first electronic message to the receiving device;

transforming a second portion of the non-text data into a second subset of text data, wherein a number of text characters in the second subset is less than the maximum for the single message of the electronic messaging system;

communicating the second subset of text data in a second electronic message to the receiving device and enabling each electronic message to be automatically deleted from both the client device after communication and the receiving device after transformation of the text data in each electronic message into non-text data occurs; and

automatically resending to the receiving device each electronic message of non-text data that is determined to be unreceived by the receiving device over the network with the SMS protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic messaging system comprises a short message service messaging system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transforming each of the first portion and the second portion comprises converting binary data to hexadecimal data that represents at least one text character.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a header to at least the first electronic message, wherein the header and the first subset together are at most equal to the maximum for the electronic messaging system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the header indicates at least one of the following:

an indication that the at least the first electronic message is associated with another electronic message;

a start flag;

a message identifier;

a data type;

a total number of electronic messages to communicate all of the non-text data; and

an end flag.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising compressing the non-text data prior to transforming the first portion.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication of whether a receiving device received at least one of the following:

the first electronic message;

a predetermined plurality of electronic messages; and

all electronic messages to communicate all of the non-text data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating to a server the communication of at least the first electronic message.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising executable instructions for causing an electronic device to perform the actions of claim 1.

10. A client device for sending communication over a network with a Short Message Service (SMS) protocol, comprising:

a processor;

a communication interface in communication with the processor and in communication with a network; and

a memory in communication with the processor and storing data and machine instructions that at least in part cause the processor to perform the operations of;

providing a data transfer notice to a receiving device and enabling a transforming of non-text data into text data in response to determining an affirmative capability to convert text data into non-text data at the receiving device;

transforming a first portion of non-text data into a first subset of text data, wherein a number of text characters in the first subset is less than a maximum amount of text for a single message of an electronic messaging system;

communicating the first subset of text data in a first electronic message to the receiving device;

transforming a second portion of the non-text data into a second subset of text data, wherein a number of text characters in the second subset is less than the maximum for the single message of the electronic messaging system;

communicating the second subset of text data in a second electronic message to the receiving device and enabling each electronic message to be automatically deleted from both the client device after communication and the receiving device after transformation of the text data in each electronic message into non-text data occurs; and

automatically resending to the receiving device each electronic message of non-text data that is determined to be unreceived by the receiving device over the network with the SMS protocol.

11. The client of claim 10, wherein the electronic messaging system comprises a short message service messaging system.

12. The client of claim 10, wherein the non-text data comprises at least one of the following;

image data and audio data.

13. The client of claim 10, wherein transforming each of the first portion and the second portion comprises converting binary data to hexadecimal data that represents at least one text character.

14. The client of claim 10, wherein the client comprises a mobile device.

15. A method for processing data on a device that is communicated over a network with a Short Message Service (SMS) protocol, comprising:

enabling conversion of text data into non-text data based at least on receiving a data transfer notice from another device;

receiving a first electronic message from the other device that includes;

a first subset of text data, wherein a number of text characters in the first subset is less than a maximum amount of text for a single message of an electronic messaging system; and

an indication that the first subset of text data was transformed from a first portion of non-text data;

receiving a second electronic message from the other device that includes;

a second subset of text data, wherein a number of text characters in the second subset is less than the maximum for the single message of the electronic messaging system; and

an indication that the second subset of text data was transformed from a second portion of the non-text data; and

enabling each electronic message to be automatically deleted from both the other device after communication and the device after transformation of the text data in each received electronic message into non-text data occurs;

performing an operation based at least in part on at least one of the following;

the first electronic message and the second electronic message; and

enabling the other device to automatically resend to the device each electronic message of non-text data that is determined to be unreceived by the device over the network with the SMS protocol.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the operation comprises at least one of the following:

communicating at least one of the first electronic message and the second electronic message to at least one receiving device;

communicating an advertisement to at least one receiving device; and

determining a fee.

17. A method for receiving data that is communicated over a network with a Short Message Service (SMS) protocol, comprising:

enabling conversion of text data into non-text data at a device based at least on receiving a data transfer notice from another device;

receiving a first electronic message from the other device that includes a first subset of text data;

transforming the first subset of text data into a first portion of non-text data, wherein a number of text characters in the first subset is less than a maximum amount of text for a single message of an electronic messaging system;

receiving a second electronic message from the other device that includes a second subset of text data;

transforming the second subset of text data into a second portion of the non-text data, wherein a number of text characters in the second subset is less than the maximum for the single message of the electronic messaging system;

enabling each electronic message to be automatically deleted from both the other device after communication and the device after transformation of the text data in each received electronic message into non-text data occurs; and

automatically resending to the receiving device each electronic message of non-text data that is determined to be unreceived by the receiving device over the network with the SMS protocol.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the electronic messaging system comprises a short message service messaging system.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising assembling the first portion of non-text data together with at least the second portion of non-text data.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising rendering the non-text data for a user.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising executable instructions for causing an electronic device to perform the actions of claim 19.