WO2002103991A2

WO2002103991A2 - A system and method for providing an address book

Info

Publication number: WO2002103991A2
Application number: PCT/CA2002/000845
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cameron Stevenson; Iain Jones
Original assignee: Hummingbird Ltd.
Priority date: 2001-06-15
Filing date: 2002-06-07
Publication date: 2002-12-27
Also published as: CA2350850A1; WO2002103991A3; AU2002311127A1

Abstract

A message is routed from a sender having a unique user address to a receiver having a unique user address. A memory stores addresses of a plurality of communication devices by which to contact the receiver. The memory further stores information indicating to which of the plurality of communication devices to route the message. A server formats and transmits the message to the receiver via a network in accordance with the information in the memory. The receiver receives the message at a desired communication device without requiring the sender to have knowledge of anything other than the receiver's unique user address.

Description

A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING AN ADDRESS BOOK

The present invention relates to a computer based communication network service, and particularly to a system and method for routing messages to a user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Communication by text messaging is steadily becoming more popular. There are several advantages to using text messaging over voice communication. Text messaging makes more efficient use of communication capacity. That is, text based electronic mail requires less channel capacity then an equivalent voice message. Text messaging is also more time efficient since often communications do not include unnecessary, but socially traditional, greetings and salutations. Furthermore, there is the opportunity for more careful composition, since the more concise and precise the message, the easier it will be to input. Furthermore, the message can be buffered when a recipient is unavailable or unwilling to receive a message immediately. Therefore, the recipient has more time to plan a response, often making the response more informative.

With the proliferation of the Internet and mobile devices such as cellular telephones (cell phones), pagers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs), individuals are becoming increasingly accessible regardless of their geographical location. A vast majority of these devices have the capability to receive text messages.

However, the consequence of increased accessibility is an increase in the number of contact methods that need to be remembered to contact the individual. For example, it is not uncommon for a person to have a home telephone number, a work telephone number, a cell phone number, an e-mail address, and a facsimile number. Such numerous methods of access require a sender to have knowledge of at least some, but preferably all, of a receiver's access numbers and addresses. Furthermore, if the sender leaves several messages for the receiver on separate devices and then gets hold of the receiver using an alternate device, the receiver has to determine whether or not the messages were left before the contact with the sender was made. This is often time consuming and can lead to redundant conversations. A typical solution to this problem is the use of address books for personal computers and PDAs. These address books allow people to store contact information for various numbers of devices. However, even though a sender may have access to the contact information, the sender is still not privy to which device the receiver will be using and when the receiver will be using it. Therefore, the sender cannot know to which device the text message should be sent.

In a further solution, United States Patent No. 5,802,510 issued to Jones, describes a directory system wherein a sender can search for an individual using a plurality of the various different attributes. If a match is detected with the attributes, public information relating to the match is displayed to the sender. Further, the system allows the sender to send a message to a query rather than a final destination. For example, the sender can send a message to all people who have salaries under $50,000, and all people who have a matching salary as one of their attributes will receive the message.

However, the patent does not prescribe a solution to the above-mentioned problem. That is, there is no way for the sender to know to which device to send the text message. Therefore, there is a need for a system that allows the sender to send a text message to an appropriate device.

Furthermore, it is often difficult to remember how to contact an individual should they travel between countries. For example, if a person is dialing a North American telephone number, the number consists of a country prefix "1" followed by a three digit area code and a seven digit telephone number. However, if a sender is attempting to contact an individual in London, England, the prefix depends on where the sender is located. If the sender is located within England, the telelpone number comprises a prefix of "0", a three digit area code, and a seven digit telephone number. If the sender is located outside of England, the telephone number comprises a two digit country code followed by the three digit area code and the seven digit number. Note that the prefix "0" has been dropped. Therefore, in order to communicate effectively to a global traveler, the sender has to be familiar with numerous telephone procedures worldwide. Therefore, there is a need for a system that shifts the onus for selecting a method of contacting the receiver from the sender to the receiver. It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least some of the above mentioned disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system and method for routing a message from a sender having a unique user address to a receiver having a unique user address. The system comprises a memory for storing addresses of a plurality of communication devices by which to contact the receiver. The memory further stores information indicating to which of the plurality of communication devices to route the message. The system further comprises a server for formatting and transmitting the message to the receiver via a network in accordance with the information in the memory. The receiver receives the message at a desired communication device without requiring the sender to have knowledge of anything other than the receiver's unique user address.

The method comprises the steps of intercepting the message for determining a destination for the message, looking up the destination in an address book associated with the receiver, and transmitting the message to the destination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic drawing of a communication network; Figure 2 is a block diagram of a sample screen for configuring receiver information; and

Figure 3 is a schematic drawing of a network for sending a message from a sender to a receiver.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For convenience, like numerals in the description refers to like structures in the drawings. Referring to Figure 1, an example of a communication network is illustrated generally by numeral 100. The communication network comprises various communication devices such as a personal computer 102, a cellular telephone 104, a pager 106, a personal digital assistant (PDA) 108, and a facsimile machine 110 coupled via a network 101. The network 101 includes the Internet, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), wireless networks, and the like. The network 101 is further coupled to client computers 116 via a local area network (LAN) 112. The client computers 116 of the LAN 112 are further coupled to a server 114.

In the present embodiment, a sender, Alice and a receiver, Bob, are users on the same LAN 112. Therefore, Alice has a unique user name and Bob has a unique user name. Generally the unique user names have corresponding simple text equivalents, such as the user's full name. Such methods of addressing are common in the art. Typically, when messages are sent from Alice to Bob, Alice simply enters Bob's unique user name, for example "BobSmith", in the destination and sends the message. The message is sent via the server 114 to Bob's client terminal 116. However, if Bob travels frequently, or spends little time at his desk, he will not be able to receive the message until he returns to his terminal 116. Therefore, Bob is provided with an address book for identifying where his messages should be forwarded.

Referring to Figure 2, a block diagram of a sample address book is illustrated generally by numeral 200. The address book 200 provides Bob with the opportunity to store contact information for communicating with him when he is away from the terminal 116. Therefore, the universal address book includes a plurality of alternate communication devices. For example, Bob may enter a work e-mail address 202, a home e-mail address 208, a North American cell phone number 204, a British cell phone number 210, and a pager number (not shown). Bob further enters the carrier 206 of the mobile services as required. For example, Bob would enter whether the cell phone carrier for North America was Bell Mobility, or Rogers AT&T. In the present embodiment, Bob simply enters the cell phone numbers in their international format. The system uses the carrier information to determine how to make the long distance connection to the carrier network.

The address book 200 further provides Bob with a plurality of radio buttons or check boxes 212 for selecting a desired communication device or devices. Therefore, for example, if Bob is in the office, he can select his work e-mail address 202. Any text messages sent to Bob's unique user name will be delivered to his terminal 116. However, if Bob is going to be at a conference in San Francisco, he can select his North American cell phone 204. Any text messages sent to Bob's unique user address will be automatically routed to his North American cell phone. If however, he was going to be at a conference in Oxford, England, he can select his British cell phone 210, and all text messages sent to his unique user address will be automatically routed to his British cell phone. The messages are only routed to the communication devices that Bob selects.

Bob can also select rules for each device. For example, some mobile carriers may have restriction on the size of a text message. Also, it can be cumbersome to review a lengthy text message on a cell phone. Therefore, Bob is provided with the option of separating the text message into several smaller sub-messages. The length of each sub-message is selected from a first drop down list box associated 212 with the communication device.

Furthermore, some mobile carriers may have restrictions on the amount of text that may be buffered. Also, it is expensive to send a large number of text messages to Bob if he is in England and the messages are to be sent on his British cell phone. Therefore, Bob is provided with a further option of truncating the message after a certain number of characters, or sub-messages. This is selected from a second drop down list box 214 associated with the communication device.

Bob can add new devices by simply selection a type of address from a third drop down list 216 and press a new address button 218. Bob enters the specifics for the device, such as address and carrier, as well as defines the rules. The new device is added to the list of available devices from which Bob can select.

Therefore, as long as Bob desires to do so, he can remain in contact and receive text messages from a user on the LAN. Furthermore, the message routing is transparent to Alice, the sender. All Alice is required to know is that she is sending a text message to Bob at his unique user address.

Referring to Figure 3, the operation of the address book is illustrated generally by numeral 300. The sender, Alice 302 sends a twenty-two-character message to the receiver, Bob 304. The message is sent to Bob's specific address on the LAN 101. The server retrieves an address book 306 corresponding to the Bob's address identified in the message. The server uses the contact information stored in the address book 306 for determining to which device the message is to be sent. The appropriate communication device as selected by Bob is retrieved and the text message is forwarded to it.

If Bob has selected his business email address, the message is simply forwarded to his business email account, which is generally accessed from his terminal 116. Similarly, if Bob has selected another email account, the text message is simply forwarded to that account. It is possible that Bob can access his business email account away from his terminal, but this is not true for many people and may require the installation of specific software. Use of specific software may be acceptable for access from a home computer, but is unacceptable for access from a publicly shared computer.

If Bob has selected a mobile device such as a cell phone or a pager, the server verifies that the text message follows the rules set in the address book. For the present example, it is assumed that Bob has set the maximum character-per-sub-message length at four and the maximum sub-message-per-message length at four. A split in the message occurs at the first available word boundary after the fourth character. Therefore, Alice's message is sent to Bob as four sub-messages comprising at least four characters apiece. If the four sub-messages do not comprise the full twenty-two characters, the remaining characters are truncated.

Once the server has determined the mobile communication device and its associated carrier from the address book, the server retrieves the appropriate protocols and formats the message accordingly. The server uses a standard dial-up modem to call the number of the associated device and transmit the message. The number dialed is that entered by Bob in the address book. The server communicates with the mobile device four times, sending a four-character message each time. The server repeats the communication for each mobile device selected by Bob.

In the embodiment described above, the receiver, Bob, selected communication devices for routing messages by manually selecting them. In order to change the communication device, Bob has to have access to his address book to alter it. In an alternate embodiment, Bob selects communication devices by scheduling them. Therefore, if Bob is in the office in the morning, has a meeting in the early afternoon, and works from home for the remainder of the day he can schedule how his messages will be routed accordingly. In the present example, Bob selects his business email address from 09h00 to 12h00, his work cell phone from 12h00 to 15h00, and his home email address from 15h00 to 18h00. Using such a scheduler does not require Bob to stop at the office on his way home to change the routing information stored in the address book.

Furthermore, the scheduling mechanism allows Bob to organize how information is sent to him on a regular basis. If Bob has regular work patterns, the address book is set up accordingly. For example, Bob works at home every Tuesday and out of a branch office every Thursday. The last week of every month he travels to England. Bob can set up the address book scheduler to automatically route message home every Tuesday, to the branch office every Thursday, and to his British cell phone during the last week of every month.

In yet an alternate embodiment, the server does not use a dial-up modem to communicate with the selected device. Rather, the server connects to a server belonging to the carrier of the communication device. The message is transmitted over the Internet to a server local to the country, and preferably city, where Bob is located. If the country where bob is located cannot be directly accessed, the nearest neighbouring country is used. At that point, the communication is transmitted to Bob's communication device. This method reduces the costs involved with sending long distance text messages.

In yet an alternate embodiment, the receiver, Bob, can respond to the message from the sender, Alice. The message originally sent to Bob includes Alice's unique user address. Therefore when Bob responds, the message is automatically sent to Alice's unique user address. The response is then sent directly to Alice. Alternately, Alice may also have configured her address book to forward her message to her cell phone. Therefore, Alice and Bob can communicate with each other as if they are both connected to the LAN when, in fact, they may be miles away. In the embodiments described above, Alice and Bob were both users of a common LAN. It will apparent to a person skilled in the art that is not necessarily true. The system can be implemented as long as a sender can identify a receiver by a unique address, and the messaging server of the receiver allows for the use of an address book.

In yet an alternate embodiment the length of a sub-message is defined by the number of words, rather than characters. Therefore, using the same example as in the previous embodiment, Alice's message is separated into four portions. Each portion comprises four words. The total message comprises sixteen words. If Alice's message included more than sixteen words, the remaining words are truncated.

In yet an alternate embodiment the system is configured to recognize various mobile device carriers such that the user, Bob, only has to enter telephone numbers in a national format. The system uses the recognized carrier to convert the nationally formatted telephone number to an internationally formatted telephone number.

Although the invention has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in the claims appended hereto.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A system for routing a message from a sender having a unique user address to a receiver having a unique user address, said system comprising:

(a) memory for storing addresses of a plurality of communication devices by which to contact said receiver, said memory for further storing information indicating which of said plurality of communication devices to route said message; and

(b) a server for formatting and transmitting said message to said receiver via a network in accordance with said information in said memory, whereby said receiver receives said message at a desired communication device without requiring said sender to have knowledge of anything other than said receiver's unique user address.

2. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein said information further includes a minimum number of characters per transmission for determining an approximate transmission size.

3. A system as defined in claim 2, wherein said information for storing in said memory further includes a maximum number of separate transmissions per message.

4. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein said receiver is provided with a graphical user interface (GUI) for entering information into said system, said information comprising said addresses of said plurality of communication devices and types of said plurality of communication devices.

5. A system as defined in claim 4, wherein said receiver further enters carrier information if said type of said communication device is a mobile device.

6. A system as defined in claim 5, wherein said receiver further enters a minimum number of characters per transmission for determining an approximate transmission size.

7. A system as defined in claim 6, wherein said receiver further includes a maximum number of transmissions per message.

8. A method for sending a message from a sender to a receiver having a unique address via a message server, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) intercepting said message for determining a destination for said message;

(b) looking up said destination in an address book associated with said receiver;

(c) transmitting said message to said destination, wherein said sender does not need to have knowledge of said destination to send said message.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein said message is intercepted at a server for determining a destination for said message.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein said server associates said address book with said receiver in accordance with said receiver's unique address.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said server formats said message in accordance with said destination.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein said message is portioned into a number of sub-messages of an approximate predefined size.

13. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein said number of sub-messages is restricted to be less than or equal to a predefined number.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein after said predefined number of sub- messages is reached the remainder of said message is truncated.

15. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein said message is transmitted to a foreign country via a publicly available network and said message is transmitted to said destination from said foreign country, thereby reducing transmission costs.

16. A memory comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

(a) intercepting a message from a sender to a receiver for determining a destination for said message;