DE20015612U1 - Mobile network with SMS service - Google Patents

Description

PATENT ATTORNEYS EUROPEAN* PATENT AND TRADEWfaXATTORNEYS

PO BOX 26 02 51 TELEPHONE:+49-89-22 18 06 HERRNSTRASSE 15

D-80059 MUNICH FAX: +49-89-22 26 27 D-80539 MUNICH
5

7973 ll/mk

ANNONCE PUBLISHING JOSEF KUDLACEK KG

Kaiserplatz 3
D-53113 Bonn

Mobile network with SMS service

The invention relates to a mobile radio network with a device for transmitting SMS data contents, according to the preamble of claim 1.

Traditionally, a user of a mobile phone, which is a terminal in a mobile network, can send so-called SMS messages to other users' mobile phones. SMS stands for Short Message System. The SMS message contains certain SMS data content that the user enters into their mobile phone before sending it. Alternatively, it is also possible to edit SMS messages on a computer and transmit them via the Internet to a corresponding mobile network operator, who then forwards the SMS message to the recipient's mobile phone. Up to now, it has only been possible to permanently store SMS messages that have already been transmitted in the respective user's terminal. However, since there is very little storage space available, only up to ten SMS messages can usually be stored. If you want to receive or create and send more SMS messages, you must first free up the memory of the mobile phone.

nes, which will result in irretrievable loss of deleted SMS messages.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a mobile radio network of the above-mentioned type which eliminates the aforementioned disadvantages and expands the SMS service with additional features and thus makes it even more attractive for the user.

This object is achieved by the invention with the features characterized in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments emerge from the further claims.

For this purpose, the invention provides that the device for transmitting SMS data contents is provided with a storage device that is spatially separate from the terminal devices and is designed in such a way that it stores the transmitted SMS data contents in a diary-like, user-related, permanent manner and can be retrieved repeatedly by the respective user at any time.

This has the advantage that a user of a mobile network using the SMS service has the option of storing personal data contents of SMS messages independently of a limited memory area of the mobile phone and of retrieving them at any time in a variable and structured form selected by the user. The form of retrieval is freely selectable and can, for example, include transfer to another data storage device such as a CD-ROM or a diary-like printout. This printout then contains SMS data contents such as text and/or images and is adapted in appearance, format and color to the user's personal ideas or wishes. In this way, the user can retrace communications made in the past using the SMS service at any time. This means that important information is not lost after the SMS data contents have been transmitted and read by deleting the mobile phone's message memory.

The user of the terminal device is given appropriate control over which SMS data contents are actually stored in the memory by the storage device being designed in such a way that the permanent storage of transmitted SMS data contents takes place exclusively in response to a predetermined signal, the predetermined signal being a corresponding input by a user of a terminal device, such as a keyboard or voice input, and the storage device having an input for receiving the corresponding input for the permanent storage of transmitted SMS data contents.

To enable a respective user to retrieve the stored SMS data contents, the storage device preferably has an interface with the Internet, an email sending device, a fax sending device, a device for reading out text, an SMS sending device, a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) and/or a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service).

In a preferred embodiment, the storage device is a mass storage device, in particular in a data server.

The invention further enables the implementation of a method for operating a mobile radio network for terminals communicating with it, in particular mobile phones, wherein SMS data contents are transmitted between the terminals, wherein before and/or after sending and/or receiving SMS data contents, these are stored on request in diary-like, user-related, permanent, and retrievable by the respective user at any time and repeatedly in a storage device of the mobile radio network or a storage device connected to the mobile radio network, spatially separated from the terminals.

This has the advantage that a user of a mobile network using the SMS service is given the opportunity to store personal data contents of SMS messages independently of a limited memory area of the mobile phone and to retrieve them at any time in a variable and structured form selected by the user. This retrieval is in its form

can be freely selected and can include, for example, transfer to another data storage device, such as a CD-ROM, or a diary-like printout. This printout then contains SMS data content, such as text and/or images, and is adapted in appearance, format and color to the user's personal ideas or wishes.

The user of the terminal device is given appropriate control over which SMS data contents are actually stored in the memory by transmitting a signal to the sending terminal device immediately before and/or after the SMS data contents are sent to issue a request for permanent storage of the SMS data contents transmitted or to be transmitted, or by transmitting a signal to the receiving terminal device immediately before and/or after the SMS data contents are received to issue a request for permanent storage of the SMS data contents transmitted.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. The single figure shows a schematic representation of a mobile radio network according to the invention and illustrates a corresponding functional sequence or interaction of the components provided in the mobile radio network according to the invention.

The mobile radio network 10 shown schematically in the single figure contains base stations, radio links and computer systems (not shown in detail) as well as terminals 12, 14 and 16 of different users that are connected to or communicate with the mobile radio network via radio. The transmission of SMS messages (short message system) is possible between the terminals 12, 14 and 16 using a so-called SMS service.

According to the invention, the mobile radio network 10 additionally has a storage device 18, for example in the form of a server with a BTS (base station) interface, wherein within this storage device 18 different storage areas 20, 22 and 24 are provided, which are assigned to the respective terminals 12, 14 and 16 respectively. The storage device 18 is either part of the mobile radio network

10 itself or an external device that is connected to the mobile network 10 via a corresponding interface.

The memory areas 20, 22 and 24 are used to permanently store SMS data contents of SMS messages that have already been transmitted. This function is explained in more detail below.

The user of a first terminal 12 creates a first SMS message 26 and sends it to a second terminal 14 of a second user, as indicated by arrow 28. The first user of the first terminal 12 also has the option of storing this transmitted SMS message 26 in the memory area 20 assigned to him. This is indicated by arrow 30. The memory area 20 now contains corresponding SMS data contents 32 of the first SMS message 26.

The second user of the second terminal 14 now also has the option of permanently storing the SMS message 26 received by him in the memory area 22 assigned to him, as indicated by arrow 34. The memory area 22 now accordingly contains SMS data contents 32 of the first SMS message 26.

If the second user of the second terminal 14 creates and sends a new second SMS message 36 himself, or forwards the original SMS message 26, the second user of the second terminal 14 again has the option of storing corresponding SMS data contents 38 of the second SMS message 36 in the memory area 24 assigned to him, as indicated by arrow 40.

Arrow 42 illustrates the transmission of the second SMS message 36 to a third user of the third terminal 16. This recipient of the second SMS message 36 now has the option, upon request, of permanently storing the SMS data contents 38 of the second SMS message 36 in the memory area 22 assigned to it, as indicated by arrow 44.

In this way, the memory areas 20, 22«iintl24 are filled with corresponding SMS data contents 32, 38, 46 and are preferably assigned to corresponding terminals 12, 14 and 16, for example via their mobile phone number. For example, all SMS messages 26 that the first user of the first terminal 12 sends to a second user of the second terminal 14 are assigned to the second terminal 14 in the memory area 20 of the first user of the first terminal 12. If the first user of the first terminal 12 now retrieves the SMS data contents permanently stored in his memory area 20, he can do so in order of recipient. In this way, the first user can, for example, retrieve and read all SMS messages sent to the second user of the second terminal 14 in the past.

In the preferred embodiment shown, an interface 48 to an Internet server 50 is provided for this retrieval. The respective users of the terminals 12, 14 or 16 can dial into the Internet server 50 via the Internet and, after appropriate identification, retrieve the contents of their storage areas 20, 22 or 24. The retrieval can be complete in any desired manner or restricted to certain data contents using search criteria.

So that the respective users of the terminals 12, 14 or 16 have control over the SMS messages 26, 36 to be stored in the memory areas 20, 22 or 24 assigned to them, the storage 30, 34, 44 in the memory areas 20, 22, 24 is expediently only carried out upon express request by the corresponding users. For this purpose, it is provided, for example, that the corresponding terminal 12, 14, 16, before or after sending or before or after receiving corresponding SMS messages 26, 36, prompts the user to enter whether he wishes the corresponding SMS message 26, 36 to be permanently stored in the memory area 20, 22, 24 of the storage device 18 assigned to him. Only if the user answers this request in the affirmative will the corresponding permanent storage in the storage device 18 follow. This is also important in view of the fact that the permanent storage of SMS messages 26, 36 in the storage device 18 may be necessary.

is subject to a charge. The retrieval of the SMS data contents 32, 38, 46 stored in the storage areas *20* 22, 24 is, for example, free of charge or is also linked to a corresponding fee for the operator of the mobile network 10 or for an operator of an external storage device 18.

The request to the user as to whether he wants to permanently store a respective SMS message in the storage device 18 is made, for example, by a request coming directly from the terminal 12, 14, 16 or a system-side request that is transmitted to the respective terminal 12, 14, 16.

The SMS message 26, 36 intended for storage in the storage device 18 is forwarded unfiltered by a mobile operator to the storage device 18. This is preferably done via the HLRs (Home Location Register) of the provider and/or via the VLRs (Visitor Location Register) of the provider and/or via the BTSs of the provider. For this purpose, appropriate software of the storage device 18 is equipped with individual interfaces to the HLRs and/or the VLRs and/or the BTSs of the German or European GSM networks. Furthermore, the software used on the storage device 18 has the following functions: It is UMTS-capable and/or GPRS-capable and/or can be linked to other services and/or is able to translate SMS messages into other languages (HTML, XML, etc.) and/or manage and output future SMS formats (with images or larger texts) in a structured manner and/or structure and archive current and future SMS formats and make them available in a searchable manner to users assigned to a respective storage area 20, 22 or 24.

The software installed in the storage device 18 differentiates the SMS messages 26, 36 according to the following criteria: date and/or time and/or telephone number of the sender and/or telephone number of the recipient and/or according to other criteria that can be provided individually by the mobile network operator. In this case, based on the aforementioned criteria for distinguishing the SMS messages 26, 36, a distinction is also made as to whether the received SMS message 26, 36 to be stored is that of an existing customer or a new customer. Furthermore, different text formats are converted into a uniform format before they are sent to the

memory areas 20, 22, 24. The memory device 18 expediently distinguishes between received SMS messages and sent SMS messages 26, 36 and makes these SMS messages available on a customer-specific basis for selection.

The owner of the corresponding storage area 20, 22 or 24 can obtain an overview of his stored SMS data contents 32, 38, 46 in various ways. In addition to the Internet shown, the following other access methods are available to him: E-mail on demand, fax on demand, print on demand, reading via a "telephone box query", SMS (with no limitation to 160 characters), UMTS and/or GPRS.

When retrieving the data contents of the corresponding storage areas 20, 22, 24, the respective user identifies himself, for example, by means of telephone number, PIN number, super PIN number, password, e-mail address and/or other suitable personal data.

The user can, for example, access the memory area 20, 22 or 24 allocated to him via the Internet or a suitable technology, prepare the data contents according to his personal wishes. The user can sort the data by telephone numbers, date, time and/or name (if previously edited). The user can also edit his saved SMS data contents 32, 38, 46. Here he has the following options, for example: creating a dialog (by sorting two telephone numbers according to the date/time criterion), creating a group conversation (by sorting three or more telephone numbers according to the date/time criterion), replacing a telephone number with a name, replacing two or more telephone numbers with one name, combining several names into one category and/or combining several categories into one or more main categories. Finally, the user can search the SMS data contents 32, 38, 46 stored in the memory area 20, 22, 24 assigned to him according to the following criteria: By telephone numbers, date, time, name (if previously edited), dialogues, group messages.

languages, categories, supercategories and/or individual letters, numbers, characters or terms (using a full-text search).

Claims (8)

1. Mobile radio network with a device, in particular an SMS server, for transmitting SMS data contents ( Short Message System ) between two or more terminals communicating with the mobile radio network, in particular mobile telephones, characterized in that the device for transmitting SMS data contents is provided with a storage device spatially separate from the terminals and is designed in such a way that it stores transmitted SMS data contents in a diary-like, user-related, permanent manner and can be retrieved by the respective user at any time and repeatedly. 2. Mobile radio network according to claim 1, characterized in that the storage device is designed such that the permanent storage of transmitted SMS data contents takes place exclusively in response to a predetermined signal. 3. Mobile radio network according to claim 2, characterized in that the predetermined signal is a corresponding input by a user of a terminal and the storage device has an input for receiving the corresponding input for permanently storing transmitted SMS data contents. 4. Mobile radio network according to claim 3, characterized in that the input is a keyboard input and/or a voice input on the terminal. 5. Mobile radio network according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the SMS data contents comprise text and/or images. 6. Mobile radio network according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage device for retrieving the stored SMS data contents by a respective user has an interface with the Internet, an email sending device, a fax sending device, a device for reading out text, an SMS sending device, a UMTS and/or a GPRS. 7. Mobile radio network according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage device is a mass storage device, in particular in a data server. 8. Mobile radio network according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage device is part of the mobile radio network or an external device connected thereto.