JP3761515B2 - Instant messaging communication system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an instant message communication system, and more particularly to a communication system that transmits a text message to a mobile terminal (PDA, mobile phone, PHS) that can be connected to the Internet in real time.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Instant messaging is attracting attention as an Internet infrastructure following mail and Web. Instant messaging is a technology that enables referencing presence information indicating the current state of the other party, such as whether the other party is connected to the network, and allows text messages to be exchanged in real time. Instant messaging is mainly applied as a communication service. It allows users to publish and refer to information information (presence information) such as online and offline status of their network usage, and has a presence function to notify the changed status information and over the network. It consists of two functions, a messaging function that can immediately transmit a text message on a one-to-one basis. Instant messaging is highly expected as an Internet infrastructure for various information services such as electronic commerce as well as communication services because information can be exchanged in real time.
[0003]
There are two forms of using instant messages: a form in which instant messages are transmitted and received between PC terminals, and a form in which instant messages are transmitted and received between PC terminals and mobile terminals such as mobile phones, PHS, and PDAs. In any form, the instant message cannot be transmitted to the other party in real time unless the user receiving the instant message is logged in to the instant message communication system. In other words, in order to transmit the instant message to the other party in real time when the user wants to send the instant message, the other party must always be logged in to the instant message communication system. In that case, communication charges such as Internet connection charges are anxious. However, in recent years, low-cost Internet connection services have become widespread, and when exchanging instant messages between PC terminals, the user must pay communication charges. You can keep logging in without worrying too much. Therefore, since the probability that the other party is logged in when you want to send an instant message is high, the possibility of sending an instant message in real time has increased.
[0004]
However, in the case of a form using a mobile terminal, the mobile user is logged in for a short time due to restrictions on communication charges and mobile terminal battery capacity, so when you want to send an instant message The probability of logging in is very low. As a result, in the case of a form using a mobile terminal, it is difficult to use a real-time message function, and it is difficult to provide a highly convenient instant message service.
[0005]
As prior art documents related to the present invention, there are the following.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-313666
The above-mentioned document describes an instant message communication system that can notify the arrival of a message using a telephone even when the counterpart terminal is offline. In the present invention, when the partner terminal is detected to be offline, a call is made to the telephone provided in the partner terminal via the telephone network, and when the telephone is connected, the telephone call announcement device Notify by voice that a message has arrived.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In an instant message communication system, an instant message cannot be immediately delivered to a user who is not logged in. Therefore, in order to enjoy this immediacy, it is necessary to always log in. However, as described above, since the login time is generally very short for a mobile terminal that does not operate on the basis of constant connection to the Internet, in the form of using a mobile terminal, the immediacy of instant messaging can be utilized. Not.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is communication that can instantly receive an instant message even if the mobile terminal is logged in the instant message communication system for a very short time. To provide a system.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, the instant message communication system of the present invention has a function of performing proxy logon to an instant message system server (hereinafter referred to as an IMS server) operated on the Internet and a WOR (Wake On Ring) server. An instant message system gateway (hereinafter referred to as an IMS gateway) having a function of making a WOR request to the WOR server, a WOR server for transmitting a WOR signal to a mobile terminal via a mobile network in accordance with an instruction from the IMS gateway, and a WOR server Mobile terminal that automatically logs in to the IMS gateway in response to a WOR signal from the mobile phone. Also, the IMS gateway refers to the registration information of its own database and determines whether to send a WOR request to the WOR server. The user of the mobile terminal registers predetermined information in this database by using a reception rejection setting associated with the IMS client application or a setting system using the Web.
[0011]
That is, the instant message communication system of the present invention is as follows.
[0012]
An instant message communication system according to the present invention provides an instant message service in an instant message communication system that transmits and receives messages between a PC terminal connected to the Internet and a mobile terminal connected to a mobile network. Server, a gateway that receives a message addressed to the mobile terminal by logging in to the first server on behalf of the mobile terminal, and issues an activation command to the mobile terminal according to an instruction from the gateway And a second server, and when the mobile terminal receives the activation command, the mobile terminal collects a message received by the gateway by logging in to the gateway.
[0013]
The instant message communication system according to the present invention is characterized in that the activation command is a command for activating a specific application program installed in the mobile terminal.
[0014]
In the instant message communication system of the present invention, whether or not the gateway logs in to the server on behalf of the mobile terminal is set from the mobile terminal.
[0015]
The instant message communication system according to the present invention is characterized in that the gateway determines whether or not to issue the instruction to the second server based on a transmission source of the received message.
[0016]
In the instant message communication system according to the present invention, the gateway includes storage means for storing login information for the mobile terminal to log in to the first server and a calling number of the mobile terminal. And
[0017]
The instant message communication system according to the present invention is characterized in that the gateway includes storage means for storing information on whether or not to issue the instruction to the second server for each message transmission source.
[0018]
The instant message communication system of the present invention is characterized in that the mobile terminal has a function of notifying the user of the mobile terminal that the message has been received after receiving the activation command.
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0020]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Communication system of this embodiment includes a PC terminal 11 installed in a home or office, the IMS server 12, the IMS gateway 13 to login to the IMS server 12 becomes a proxy of the user, the mobile terminal WOR (Wake On Ring) signal WOR server 14, mobile terminal 15, the Internet, and a mobile network.
[0021]
A typical example of the mobile terminal 15 is a PDA with a wireless function. The WOR signal is a signal for starting (Wake Up) a specific application program built in the mobile terminal 15 via the mobile network. The mobile terminal 15 that has received the WOR signal accesses the Internet via the mobile network and automatically performs instant message reception processing.
[0022]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the IMS / gateway 13. In FIG. 3, the IMS gateway 13 includes an IMS gateway processing control unit 31, a database control unit 32, a database 33, a WOR request communication unit 34, and an Internet network I / F unit 35. As will be described later, the database 33 includes a master database and a WOR availability database.
[0023]
Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described with reference to the operation sequence diagram shown in FIG.
[0024]
The user of the mobile terminal 15 performs proxy login setting / instruction 21 to the IMS gateway 13 via the mobile network. The setting / instruction 21 is performed using a user interface provided by the IMS gateway 13. When the proxy login is set, the IMS gateway 13 performs proxy login 22 to the instant message system provided by the IMS server 12 on behalf of the mobile terminal 15. With this proxy login 22, the IMS gateway 13 receives an instant message 23 addressed to the mobile terminal 15 instead of the mobile terminal 15.
[0025]
Here, how to set the login information will be described in detail. In order for the IMS gateway 13 to log in to the IMS server 12 on behalf of the mobile terminal 15, login information for that purpose is required. The user registers login information in a master database held by the IMS gateway 13 using a user interface provided by the IMS gateway 13. FIG. 4A shows the data structure of the master database. In FIG. 4A, the IMS field indicates the type of the IMS server, the USER field indicates the login ID, the PASSWORD field indicates the password, the STATUS field indicates the status (presence information), and the TEL field indicates the telephone number. A combination of login ID and password corresponds to login information. In the IMS field, an IMS server supported by the IMS gateway is selected and registered.
[0026]
A process when the user of the PC terminal 11 logs in to the instant message communication system and transmits an instant message to the user of the mobile terminal 15 in the state where proxy login is performed by the above-described method will be described.
[0027]
The user of the PC terminal 11 transmits an instant message 23 to the ID used by the user of the mobile terminal 15. This instant message 23 is first received by the IMS server 12. Next, the IMS server 12 confirms whether the IMS gateway 13 is logged in as a proxy. Since the IMS gateway 13 is logged in to the IMS server 12 by proxy, the IMS server 12 transmits an instant message 23 to the IMS gateway 13. Next, the IMS gateway 13 returns a message reception response 26 indicating that the instant message 23 has been received to the IMS server 12 and temporarily stores the received instant message 23. Next, the IMS gateway 13 confirms whether or not the user of the mobile terminal 15 is actually logged in to the IMS gateway 13 by referring to the status field of the master database in FIG. As a result, when logged in, the instant message 23 is transmitted to the mobile terminal 15 via the mobile network, and when not logged in, the WOR request 24 is transmitted to the WOR server 14 via the Internet. The WOR request 24 includes a telephone number or identification number extracted from the IMS / User and TEL fields of the master database.
[0028]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the flow from the WOR request to the login to the IMS gateway.
In FIG. 5, the WOR server 14 that has received the WOR request 24 from the IMS gateway 13 calls the mobile terminal 15 by sending a WOR signal 25 to the mobile terminal 15 via the mobile network. When receiving the WOR signal 25, the WOR client middleware in the mobile terminal 15 activates the IMS client application software. Then, the IMS client application software logs in 27 to the IMS gateway 13 via the mobile network.
[0029]
Next, when the IMS gateway 13 confirms that the mobile terminal 15 has logged in, the IMS gateway 13 transmits the retained instant message 23 to the mobile terminal 15, and the mobile terminal 15 receives it. Since these series of operations of the mobile terminal 15 are automatically performed, a means for notifying the user of the mobile terminal 15 that the instant message has been received is desired. Therefore, it is preferable to notify the user of receipt of the instant mail by using an alarm function using voice / light / vibration provided in the mobile terminal 15. As a result, the user can immediately know that the instant message has been received, and thus can immediately read the received instant message. In addition, in order to enable a message to be returned early after confirming that an instant message has been received, a function of continuing login for a certain time after the alarm may be added. It is assumed that the process of automatically disconnecting the login is canceled when the user performs some operation during the predetermined time. Furthermore, a function may be added that allows selection of whether to continue logon for a certain time or to disconnect immediately after receiving a message.
[0030]
In the above-described procedure, the WOR server 14 that has received the WOR request signal 24 transmits a WOR signal 25 to the mobile terminal 15 via the mobile network. For this reason, unless special measures are taken, if an unspecified number of people send a message maliciously or erroneously, a communication cost unnecessary for the user is generated. Therefore, a method of registering source information in the database of the IMS gateway 13 in order to determine whether or not to perform a WakeUp of the mobile terminal 15 by the WOR signal 25 when a message arrives for a user who is logged on by proxy. Can be considered. That is, the IMS gateway 13 acquires the identification information of the sender user / IMS from the instant message 23, and determines whether or not to send a message to the user of the mobile terminal 15 based on this information, that is, the WOR server 14 A method for determining whether or not to transmit the WOR request signal 24 can be considered, and this will be described in detail.
[0031]
As shown in FIG. 3, the MS gateway 13 includes an IMS gateway processing control unit 31, a database control unit 32, a database 33, a WOR request communication unit 34, and an Internet network I / F unit 35. The instant message 23 is transmitted to the IMS gateway processing control unit 32 via the Internet network I / F unit 36. The IMS gateway processing control unit 32 acquires the identification information of the sender user / IMS from the instant message 23 and sends a search instruction to the database control unit 33 based on this identification information. Upon receiving the search instruction, the database control unit 32 searches the WOR availability database (FIG. 4B) stored in the database 33. In the WOR availability database, the availability of WOR is registered for each user of the mobile terminal 15. For example, when the user is tomo, it is registered that WOR is permitted when an instant message is sent from kyoro and giko, and is not allowed when sent from neco. The database control unit 33 refers to the WOR availability database and determines whether WOR is possible. If WOR is possible, the database control unit 32 instructs the WOR request communication unit 34 to issue the WOR request 24 via the IMS gateway processing control unit 33. Upon receiving the instruction, the WOR request communication unit 34 makes a WOR request 24 to the WOR server 14 . On the other hand, if WOR is rejected, no special processing is performed thereafter. In short, the IMS gateway 13 determines whether or not to issue the WOR request 24 based on the source of the message 23.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, an instant message can be received immediately even if the device is logged in to the instant message system for a very short time, such as a mobile terminal.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an operation flow of the communication system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the IMS gateway 3.
FIG. 4 is a database in the IMS gateway 3;
FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a flow of log-in from the transmission of the WOR signal to the IMS gateway.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 PC terminal 12 IMS server 13 IMS gateway 14 WOR server 15 Mobile terminal 31 IMS gateway processing unit 32 Database control unit 33 Database 34 WOR request communication unit 35 Internet I / F unit

Claims (7)

In an instant message communication system for sending and receiving messages between a PC terminal connected to the Internet and a mobile terminal connected to a mobile network,
A first server that provides an instant message service; a gateway that receives a message addressed to the mobile terminal by logging in to the first server on behalf of the mobile terminal; and an instruction from the gateway A second server that transmits an activation command to the mobile terminal, and the mobile terminal logs in the gateway and takes the message received by the gateway when the activation command is received. An instant message communication system. 2. The instant message communication system according to claim 1, wherein the activation command is a command for activating a specific application program installed in the mobile terminal. The instant message communication system according to claim 1, wherein whether or not the gateway logs in to the server on behalf of the mobile terminal is set from the mobile terminal. 4. The instant message communication system according to claim 2, wherein the gateway determines whether or not to issue the instruction to the second server based on a transmission source of the received message. 2. The instant message communication system according to claim 1, wherein the gateway comprises storage means for storing login information for the mobile terminal to log in to the first server and a calling number of the mobile terminal. . 2. The instant message communication system according to claim 1, wherein the gateway includes a storage unit that stores information on whether or not to issue the instruction to the second server for each message transmission source. The instant message communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the mobile terminal has a function of notifying a user of the mobile terminal of reception of a message after receiving the activation command.

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