Patent Application
20070249378
The present invention is directed, in general, to messaging and, more particularly, relates to text messaging on mobile devices.
Mobile communication systems include a variety of services and functions beyond simple direct voice communication. Mobile communication service providers offer a variety of text messaging methods. Many of the services require that the text be input via the keypad of a mobile communication device such as a wireless telephone.
Most mobile device keypads are small. As a result, some users find it difficult to enter long text messages via the keypad. Current methods of routing text messages require input of lengthy text messages which can be difficult for some users.
There is a need for a system that overcomes the above problems, as well as providing additional benefits.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for a system, method, and computer program product for improved routing and delivery of text messages.
To address the above-discussed deficiencies of the prior art, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a system, method, and computer program product for improved text messaging.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a system and method is provided for a user to enter a single address or number into a mobile device and thereby request many types of information based on simple keywords. In one embodiment, the information is requested using a mobile-originated SMS message, and the user thereafter receives the requested information by a mobile-terminated SMS message.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that they may readily use the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.
Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION below, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words or phrases used throughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like; and the term “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation, whether such a device is implemented in hardware, firmware, software or some combination of at least two of the same. It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, and those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that such definitions apply in many, if not most, instances to prior as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers designate like objects, and in which:
Definitions: Following are short definitions of some of the technical terms and acronyms which are used in the present application. Some terms are particular to the disclosed embodiments, and others are well known to those of skill in the art. Those of ordinary skill will recognize whether the context requires a different meaning of an otherwise common term. Additional definitions can be found in the standard technical dictionaries and journals.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a system and method is provided for a user to enter a single address or number into a mobile device and thereby request many types of information based on simple keywords. In one embodiment, the information is requested using a mobile-originated SMS message, and the user thereafter receives the requested information by a mobile-terminated SMS message.
The SMPP Gateway Text Router (SGTR) routes Short Message Service (SMS) text messages using Short Message Point to Point (SMPP) protocol based on text keywords within the text message. A subscriber can send a message to a destination address or number and request information. The SGTR analyzes the content of the message and routes the message to a server that will respond with the information requested by the user. For example, the user sends a message to 1234 with text of “weather forecast Seattle.” The message is routed to the SGTR based on the 1234 address. The SGTR “reads” the message text and then routes the message to a server that can send the weather forecast for Seattle to the user. The server sends the requested information to the user's phone. The SGTR analyzes the message for any keywords and routes the message to a service based on those values. If no keyword is found in the message, the SGTR sends a message back to the user describing the valid keywords and how to use the service.
Any message that contains appropriate text keywords can be routed to applications that return some type of information or take some type of action based on the user's request.
SGTR provides routing capabilities necessary for introduction of SMS based information request services. A subscriber can request information using a Mobile Originated (MO) SMS message. The network routes the message to the application providing this service based on the destination address (DA) of the message, which is, in the preferred embodiment, a four-digit short code, and the content of the text message. Of course, the DA can be of various lengths, not necessarily limited to 4 digits. The text message contains a keyword and information requested. The keyword may be one or more consecutive words, but is preferably limited to two words. The keyword identifies the application to which the text message should be routed. The SGTR maintains routing rules that associate a DA short code and text keyword to a destination ESME.
Some examples of possible information request text messages are shown below. Keywords are shown in UPPERCASE for purposes of illustration, but preferably need not be actually entered in uppercase.
This figure shows a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) network 106 and an ANSI (American National Standards Institute) network 108; those of skill in the art will recognize that other networks can also be used. Note that components of networks 106 and 108 are omitted for clarity of illustration. The components, known to those of skill in the art, include message centers, mobile service centers, specific wireless networks and compatible mobile terminals, number portability databases (NPDB), and others.
Networks 106 and 108 communicate with SMPP Gateway (SG) 102; also, inter-carrier SMS service provider 104 can be used to communicate between network 106 and SG 102 if they are not in direct communication for SMS purposes. Unless otherwise noted, the communications described herein with relation to the SG can be by any known means, and are preferably SMPP (TCP/IP) communications. In particular, signaling system 7 (SS7)/ANSI-41 communications can be used between an NPDB and SG 102.
The SG 102 also communicates with SMS application server 110, and through it to SMS text service application 112.
The SG 102 also communicates with email hub 126, GSM over-air activation (OAA) 124 and ESME 122. Internet 128 is accessible to SG 102 via email hub 126. Subscriber data DS 120 and routing data DS 118 are accessed, preferably using a lightweight directory access protocol, by SG 102 and email hub 126.
SG 102 also communicates with SMS text service ESME 116 and SGTR 114. ESME 116 and SGTR 114 also communicate with each other. The SG 102 communicates with SMS application server 110 to access specific SMS text service applications 112.
The following description provides an example of the use of this service. A subscriber in either a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) network 106 or ANSI (American National Standards Institute) network 108 sends an MO message with a four-digit short code DA (for example, “1234”) and message content of “WEATHER Seattle.” The MO message is received at the MC of a network.
The MC provides the message to the SG 102. The SG 102 analyzes the DA and determines it is a short code that is to be routed to the SGTR 114. The SG 102 routes the message to the SGTR 114. The SGTR 114 analyzes the beginning of the text of the short message for a keyword. In this example the keyword is “WEATHER.” SGTR uses its routing rules to route the message to the text service ESME 116 providing the weather service. The text service ESME 116 receives the message and determines the weather report for Seattle should be sent to the originating subscriber. The text service ESME 116 formats the reply and sends it directly to the SG 102 for delivery to the subscriber.
While GSM and ANSI networks are described in the preferred embodiment, those of skill in the art recognize that the principles of the claimed invention can be applied to other communication networks.
Mobile-originated text messages with an SMS text application short-code destination address received by SMPP gateway 202 are passed to SMPP gateway text router 214, using SMPP (TCP/IP) techniques. The SGTR 214 processes and routes the message as described herein to the specific SMS text service application ESME 216, based on the message content. ESME 216 can then send an MT message containing an SMS text response to the MS via SMPP gateway 202.
The text service ESME 216 composes an MT reply short message containing the requested information and sends it directly to the SG 202, as routing the MT reply through SGTR provides no additional value. The SGTR is integrated with the existing SG and local directors (LD) as shown in
At start up the following binds occur:
Binds may be done to logical names.
As illustrated in this figure, the SGTR, SG, and LD can each have multiple nodes.
The SGTR will provide text routing services based on the DA and keyword within the text message. Routing is based on the unique combination of DA and text keyword. For example, a message with a DA of 1234 and text of “STOCK awe” routes to ESME A, a message with a DA of 2345 and text of “STOCK awe” routes to ESME B.
If the text keyword in the received message cannot be mapped to an ESME, the text routing service can be configured to respond in two ways: Return an “invalid destination address” command status to the MC, or send a pre-configured text message to the originating subscriber. The message contains help text describing how to use the service.
This could also be used as a general help function. For example, if a message contains the text “help,” the SGTR responds with a message that describes how to use the service, for example, “valid key words are Stock, Weather, etc.”
The message flows associated with SMS text routing are described in the following sections.
MO Message to Text Service ESME
The SMS request message is transported in the short_message parameter of the Deliver_SM PDU.
A keyword may be one or two words. If the keyword is two words, they may be separated by one or more spaces. Keywords are case insensitive (although commonly shown herein as uppercase for illustrative purposes). Keywords are always the first one or two words of the message.
The maximum length message that may be received, in the preferred embodiment, is 160 characters.
A keyword is preferably one or two words separated by one or more spaces, as shown. The keyword is preferably the first one or two consecutive words of the short_message parameter. Keywords are preferably case insensitive.
Text Routing Service
A text routing service defines the relationship between a destination address, text keywords, and destination ESME providing the requested service. The destination address is unique among all text routers (TRs). SGTR provides a message text to ESME routing capability. The message text routing capability is based on the content of the text within the short_message and destination_address parameters of the Deliver_SM PDU.
The SGTR of a preferred embodiment provides, at a minimum, the configurable parameters for each text routing service, as shown in the following table:
The destination address for a text routing service is preferably unique. It is preferably not possible to provision more than one text routing service with the same destination address.
The state of text routing service is configurable as available or unavailable. The SGTR is preferably capable of supporting a minimum of 100 text routing services. The SGTR is preferably capable of supporting a minimum of 250 keywords for each text routing service.
MO Message Logic
Here, when a mobile-originated (MO) SMS message is received (step 805), the system first determines if the SMPP gateway (SG) is bound (step 805). If not, the message is rejected (step 860) since the SGTR is not bound to the SG. This response is sent to the SG (step 850), and the system will await the next MO message (step 855).
If the SG is bound, then the system next determines if the destination address is valid (step 815). If not, the message is rejected (step 865) as having an invalid destination address or keyword. This response is sent to the SG (step 850), and the system will await the next MO message (step 855).
If the DA is valid, then the system analyzes the message text for a keyword (step 820). If no keyword is found, the system checks to see if the help-text-message option is activated (step 870). If not, the message is rejected (step 865) as having an invalid destination address or keyword. This response is sent to the SG (step 850), and the system will await the next MO message (step 855). If the help-text-message option is activated, the system will populate the Submit_SM message with the appropriate help text message (step 875). The system then applies the MT service type and routes the help text message to the SG (step 880). The system waits for the next MO message (step 855).
If a keyword is found in step 825, the system will invoke the MO routing method for the ESME (step 830), as described herein, and will determine if an ESME is available (step 835). If not, the system will reject the message as service_type not available (step 890). This response is sent to the SG (step 850), and the system will await the next MO message (step 855).
If the ESME is available, the system will route the message to the destination ESME (step 840), and receive a response from the destination ESME (step 845). This response is sent to the SG (step 850), and the system will await the next ME message (step 855).
When the SGTR receives a Deliver_SM PDU and the destination_address is not associated with a text routing service, the SGTR returns a command status of “invalid destination address” in the Deliver_SM_Resp PDU.
If the SGTR receives a Deliver_SM PDU and the destination_address is not associated with a text routing service, the SGTR it issues an alarm. The alarm contains, at a minimum, the destination_address and invalid destination address indication.
If the SGTR receives a Deliver_SM PDU and the destination_address is not associated with a text routing service the SGTR, it logs an event. The event contains, at a minimum, the destination_address and invalid destination address indication.
The only time the SGTR should receive an invalid DA is if the SG or SGTR is not provisioned correctly. Two scenarios could occur. The first is when the SG is configured to route a short code to the SGTR, but the SGTR is not provisioned for that short code. The second scenario is if the SGTR is not provisioned for the short code sent from the SG.
When the SGTR receives a Deliver_SM PDU and the destination_address is associated with a text routing service, the SGTR analyzes the short_message parameter of the PDU for keywords defined for the text routing service. If a keyword is found, the SGTR routes the message to the ESME associated with the keyword.
If the destination ESME selected by the text routing service is not available, the SGTR responds with a service type not available command_status in the Deliver_SM_Resp PDU.
The SGTR receives the Deliver_SM_Resp PDU from the destination ESME and subsequently sends it to the originating SG unaltered.
When the SGTR receives a Deliver_SM PDU and the destination_address is associated with a text routing service, the SGTR analyzes the short_message parameter of the PDU for keywords defined for the text routing service. If a keyword is not found, the SGTR takes the action defined by the keyword not found action provisioned for the text routing service.
If a keyword is not found and the keyword not found action is set to reject, the SGTR responds with an “invalid destination address” command_status in the Deliver_SM_Resp PDU.
If a keyword is not found and the keyword not found action is set to send a help message, the SGTR responds with a Submit_SM PDU containing the help text message configured for the text routing service. The Submit_SM PDU is preferably populated as described herein.
If the text routing service has a state of unavailable, the SGTR returns a command status of “service type not available” in the Deliver_SM_Resp PDU.
Composing Help Text Message
If the routing service is configured to send a help text message when it receives unrecognized keywords, the SGTR sends an MT message containing the help text to the SG for subsequent routing to the subscriber.
The SGTR populates the MT message, Submit_SM, with pre-configured values for each parameter except for the short_message and destination_address parameters. The Submit_SM short_message parameter is populated with the help text configured for the text routing service. The destination_address of the Submit_SM is the source_address received in the Deliver_SM.
The parameters of the Submit_SM PDU containing the help text message is preferably configurable, except for the destination_address and short_message parameter.
There is preferably one Submit_SM PDU configuration for the SGTR.
The destination_address of the Submit_SM message is preferably mapped directly from the originating_address of the received Deliver_SM PDU.
The short_message parameter of the Submit_SM PDU containing the help text message contains the help text message defined for the text routing service.
The Submit_SM PDU containing the help text message is preferably routed according to an MT service type for sending help text message provisioned for the text routing service.
Retries for Help Text Messages
When sending an MT message, it is possible that the SG or destination MC may not be available. The normal procedure is to store these messages and retry sending them at a later time. In the case of the SGTR, the only MT message sent is a help text message sent when a received message does not contain a recognized keyword. If the MT message cannot be routed to the SG or MC, then it will be discarded at the SGTR. This eliminates the need to develop message storage and retry capabilities at the SGTR.
In normal operation it is unlikely that the SGTR will be receiving messages, but unable to send them. This condition would occur if the SG has just failed or all of the MT MCs are out of service.
If the SGTR receives a command_status other than success when sending the Submit_SM PDU containing the help text message, the SGTR discards the message.
If the SGTR discards a help text message, it issues an alarm. The alarm contains, at a minimum, the text service name, failure to send help text indication, and command_status received.
If the SGTR discards a help text message, it logs an event. The event contains, at a minimum, the text service name, failure to send help text indication, and command_status received.
In one embodiment, the SGTR routes messages based on destination address and text keyword.
In the network architecture, the text External Short Message Entities (ESME) submit Mobile Terminated (MT) messages directly to the SG. If text ESMEs require query, cancel, and replace capabilities, these should generally be routed directly to the SG.
TXT-411 provides a text messaging-based directory assistance service for direct “text-access” to the White and Yellow Pages.™ and more. AT&T Wireless' TXT-411 service offers customers the added convenience of having phone numbers, business locations, and driving directions delivered right to their wireless phone via text messaging. The listings or directions can then be stored on the phone and recalled at any time.
A text messaging user can simply send a text message with a directory assistance query to the abbreviated number, or short code, such as, for example, “2411.” A message will be delivered to the user shortly thereafter with the requested listing or information.
Directory assistance listings for individuals or businesses may be submitted using a specific name and location in the body of the text short message query. The system may be designed to recognize multiple entry formats when selecting a location including the city, ZIP code, airport code, phone number (for businesses only) or street address. For example, a customer interested in finding a phone listing for someone can simply type “last name <space> first name.location” (e.g., Smith Jane.Seattle) and send it to “2411.” To find information about a business, they simply type “business name.location” (e.g., Acme Restaurant.New York) and send it to “2411.”
Keyword searching also allows for broader queries when message originators do not know the name of an individual or business. For example, a customer looking for a pizza place in Redmond, Wash. can simply send a text message with the query, “pizza.Redmond” to the number “2411.” The system would then return a message that includes a restaurant name, phone number, address, and menu of additional options such as driving directions. The message will also indicate if more than one listing meets the description and gives them the option to view the next listing.
This approach allows a service to be developed where a user can request many types of information using a single number and set of keywords.
As a further specific example of a method to get text message directory assistance, a text message can be created by following these query formats in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention:
Location information for such a query can include:
The user will then dial 2411 and send the message. He will receive a reply message with the first available listing corresponding to the query. Up to 10 listings will be available. The first will be indicated by ( 1/10) or the number of listings available ( 1/7, for example). If more are available, they will be grouped in sets of 10.
A menu will be included with options for using the information:
Those skilled in the art will recognize that, for simplicity and clarity, the full structure and operation of all data processing systems suitable for use with the present invention is not being depicted or described herein. Instead, only so much of a network system and mobile device as is unique to the present invention or necessary for an understanding of the present invention is depicted and described. The remainder of the construction and operation of these systems and devices can conform to any of the various current implementations and practices known in the art.
It is important to note that while the present invention has been described in the context of a fully functional system, those skilled in the art will appreciate that at least portions of the mechanism of the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of instructions contained within a machine usable medium in any of a variety of forms, and that the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of instruction or signal bearing medium utilized to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of machine usable mediums include: nonvolatile, hard-coded type mediums such as read-only memories (ROMs) or erasable, electrically programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), user-recordable type mediums such as floppy disks, hard disk drives and compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROMs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs), and transmission type mediums such as digital and analog communication links.
Although an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, substitutions, variations, and improvements of the invention disclosed herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.
For example, rather than the standard SMPP interface used in the preferred embodiment described herein, many other types of additional interfaces may be possible (e.g., HTTP, XML, SOAP, etc.).
A typical mobile device capable of benefiting from the preferred embodiments would typically include a processor, a memory for storing instructions and/or data, and input/output devices including, but not limited to a keypad, touchscreen, microphone, and speaker. Further, the mobile device would include a transceiver coupled with a processor and with an antenna assembly for wireless communication.
None of the description in the present application should be read as implying that any particular element, step, or function is an essential element which must be included in the claim scope: THE SCOPE OF PATENTED SUBJECT MATTER IS DEFINED ONLY BY THE ALLOWED CLAIMS. Moreover, none of these claims are intended to invoke paragraph six of 35 USC § 112 unless the exact words “means for” are followed by a participle.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/840,810, filed May 7, 2004, which claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/469,576, filed May 8, 2003, both of which applications are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60469576 | May 2003 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10840810 | May 2004 | US |
| Child | 11771274 | Jun 2007 | US |
