System and method for message-based conversations

• US 8,903,434 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2008
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sybase Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Sybase Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Sarmah, Dilip, Choy, Kim Hung, Sutton, Raphael Hercules, Theiding, Mark Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisner, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US12/347,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20100167764A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,162 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/403, 455406-408, 455/410, 455/411, 4554141-4143, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 4554141-4144, 455/456.3, 370/342, 370/310, 370/312, 705 63- 80, 705/1.1, 705/4, 705/5, 705/6, 705/14.1, 705 1415- 1418, 705/14.21, 705/14.23, 705/14.26, 705 261- 272, 705 35- 45, 705/500, 326/56, 725/1, 725/5, 725 32- 36, 725/56, 725/62, 725/86, 725/87, 725/90
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

Leveraging the ubiquitous nature of wireless devices and the popularity of (Short Message Service, Multimedia Message Service, etc.) messaging, an infrastructure that supports message-based conversations (with for example the maintenance or preservation of state, context, etc. across or during the message exchanges) allowing users of wireless devices to employ their wireless devices to engage in and complete increasingly more complicated activities. The infrastructure may optionally leverage the capabilities of a centrally-located Messaging Inter-Carrier Vendor.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a stateful, message-based conversation involving a Wireless Device (WD) of a Mobile Subscriber (MS), the method comprising:

receiving, at an intermediary device, a first request from a service provider to initiate a first message-based conversation between the service provider and the MS, wherein the first request includes information relating to a first set of accounts of the MS;

upon receiving the first request, validating, by the intermediary device, the information relating to the first set of accounts of the MS to advance the first request;

upon validating the information relating to the first account of the MS, generating, by the intermediary device, a message containing one or more selectable options, wherein the one or more selectable options are generated based on a current state of the first message-based conversation, and wherein the first message-based conversation occurs in a first secure, authenticated session where the MS uses the WD to participate in a first financial transaction with a financial institution;

sending, by the intermediary device, the generated message containing the one or more selectable options to the WD of the MS;

receiving, by the intermediary device, a reply from the WD of the MS, in response to the generated message, the reply comprising at least one selected option of the one or more selectable options;

performing, by the intermediary device, one or more processing steps to initiate a monetary transaction, based on the at least one selected option received from the WD of the MS, using at least in part;

information contained in the first message-based conversation, or MS information collected as part of a registration process;

determining, by the intermediary device, a next state of the first message-based conversation based on performing the one or more processing steps;

storing, by the intermediary device, at least the determined next state of the first message-based conversation; and

receiving, by the intermediary device from the MS, a second request to initiate a second message-based conversation between the service provider and the MS, wherein the second request includes information relating to a second set of accounts of the MS, wherein the second message-based conversation occurs in a second secure, authenticated session while the first message-based conversation is in progress, and wherein the first set of accounts and the second set of accounts have at least one account in common.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message and the reply each comprise one of a Short Message Service (SMS) message and a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more selectable options are encoded in a fashion unique to the message-based conversation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the MS information collected as part of the registration process comprises at least one of identifying information, account information, and billing information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the registration process generates a MS profile.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the registration process is web-based.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the registration process includes a billing component.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the registration process generates one or more confirmation messages.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more confirmation messages each comprise one of a SMS message and MMS message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the reply must be received within a time period.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the message-based conversation is implemented as a finite state machine.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the message-based conversation employs a key.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the key is a telephone number associated with the WD.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one or more processing steps includes completing a billing transaction.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one or more processing steps incorporates information about a physical location of the WD.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the information relating to the MS contains at least one of an identifier, access credentials, and an address of the WD.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediary device comprises a messaging inter-carrier vendor (MICV).

24. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the next state occurs during a plurality of message exchanges.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the plurality of message exchanges are out of sequence exchanges.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the plurality of message exchanges are asynchronous exchanges.

16. A method for conducting a stateful, message-based conversation involving a Wireless Device (WD) of a Mobile Subscriber (MS) and a third-party participant, the method comprising:

receiving a first request from a service provider, at an intermediary device, to initiate a first message-based conversation between the service provider and the MS, wherein the first request includes information relating to a first set of accounts of the MS;

upon receiving the first request, validating, by the intermediary device, the information relating to the first set of accounts of the MS to advance the first request;

upon validating the information relating to the first account of the MS, generating, by the intermediary device, a message comprising one or more selectable options, wherein the one or more selectable options are generated based on a current state of the first message-based conversation, and wherein the first message-based conversation occurs in a first secure, authenticated session where the MS uses the WD to participate in a first financial transaction with a financial institution;

sending, by the intermediary device, the generated message containing the one or more selectable options to the WD of the MS;

receiving, by the intermediary device, a reply from the WD of the MS in response to the generated message, the reply comprising at least one selected option of the one or more selectable options;

performing, by the intermediary device, one or more processing steps to initiate a monetary transaction, based on the at least one selected option received from the WD of the MS, using at least in part;

information contained in the first message-based conversation, or MS information collected as part of a registration process;

updating, by the intermediary device, the third-party; and

receiving, by the intermediary device from the MS, a second request to initiate a second message-based conversation between the service provider and the MS, wherein the second request includes information relating to a second set of accounts of the MS, wherein the second message-based conversation occurs in a second secure, authenticated session while the first message-based conversation is in progress, and wherein the first set of accounts and the second set of accounts have at least one account in common.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the message and the reply each comprise one of a SMS message and MMS message.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more selectable options are encoded in a fashion tailored to the MS participating in the message-based conversation.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the reply message must be received within a predetermined time period.

20. A system for conducting a stateful, message-based conversation involving a Wireless Device (WD) of a Mobile Subscriber (MS), comprising:

an alert module configured to receive a first request from a service provider to initiate a first message-based conversation between the service provider and the MS, wherein the first request includes information relating to a first set of accounts of the MS;

a validation module configured to validate, upon receiving the first request, the information relating to the first set of accounts of the MS to advance the first request;

a message generator configured to create, upon validating the information relating to the first account of the MS, a message containing one or more selectable options based on a current state of the first message-based conversation, wherein the first message-based conversation occurs in a first secure, authenticated session where the MS uses the WD to participate in a first financial transaction with a financial institution;

a message communicator configured to send the generated message containing the one or more selectable options to the WD of the MS;

a message receiver configured to receive a reply from the WD of the MS, in response to the generated message, the reply comprising at least one selected option of the one or more selectable options; and

a message-based conversation processor configured to;

perform one or more processing steps to initiate a monetary transaction, based on the at least one selected option received from the WD of the MS, using information contained in the first message-based conversation, or MS information collected as part of a registration process,

determine a next state of the first message-based conversation

store at least the determined next state of the first message-based conversation; and

receiving, from the MS, a second request to initiate a second message-based conversation between the service provider and the MS, wherein the second request includes information relating to a second set of accounts of the MS, wherein the second message-based conversation occurs in a second secure, authenticated session while the first message-based conversation is in progress, and wherein the first set of accounts and the second set of accounts have at least one account in common.

21. A computer readable storage device having control logic recorded thereon that when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations to conduct a stateful, message-based conversation involving a Wireless Device (WD) of a Mobile Subscriber (MS), the operations comprising:

receiving a first request, at an intermediary device, from a service provider, to initiate a first message-based conversation between the service provider and the MS, wherein the first request includes information relating to a first set of accounts of the MS;

upon receiving the first request, validating, by the intermediary device, the information relating to the first set of accounts of the MS to advance the first request;

upon validating the information relating to the first account of the MS, creating a message containing one or more selectable options based on a current state of the first message-based conversation, wherein the first message-based conversation occurs in first a secure, authenticated session where the MS uses the WD to participate in a first financial transaction with a financial institution;

sending, by the intermediary device, the generated message containing the one or more selectable options to WD of MS;

receiving, by the intermediary device, a reply from the WD of the MS, in response to the generated message, the reply comprising at least one selected option of the one or more selectable options;

performing, by the intermediary device, one or more processing steps to initiate a monetary transaction, based on the at least one selected option received from the WD of the MS, using at least in part;

information contained in the first message-based conversation, or

MS information collected as part of a registration process;

determining, by the intermediary device, a next state of the message-based conversation based on performing the one or more processing steps;

storing, by the intermediary device, at least the determined next state of the message-based conversation; and

receiving, by the intermediary device from the MS, a second request to initiate a second message-based conversation between the service provider and the MS, wherein the second request includes information relating to a second set of accounts of the MS, wherein the second message-based conversation occurs in a second secure, authenticated session while the first message-based conversation is in progress, and wherein the first set of accounts and the second set of accounts have at least one account in common.