GB2361840A

GB2361840A - Telephone text processing systems including user interfaces

Info

Publication number: GB2361840A
Application number: GB0010073A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jeffrey Wilson
Original assignee: Intellprop Ltd
Current assignee: Intellprop Ltd
Priority date: 2000-04-25
Filing date: 2000-04-25
Publication date: 2001-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 2020-04-25
Also published as: GB2361840B; GB0010073D0

Abstract

A telephone text processing system provides a facility for a text message user, such as a mobile telephone SMS user, requesting follow-up information from that already requested and received by the user. The user initially requests an item of information in text form by text messaging to the service centre 20. The item of information sent back to the user from a database 24 may include the word "more". If the user wants more information, he simply uses an appropriate function to return the text message in identical form back to the apparatus. A comparison 26 is made between the received text message and those pre-stored in the database 24, and a positive comparison is interpreted as a request for further information, which is then sent from the database 24 as a follow-up text message to the user. The item of information originally sent to the user may include the message "next=", and identify certain numbered options. If the user edits the text message by adding the number of the required option, and then uses the function to return the edited text message, the system will send on further information relating to the selected option.

Description

2361.840 TELEPHONE TEXT PROCESSING SYSTEMS INCLUDING USER INTERFACES This

invention relates to telephone text processing systems including user interfaces, such as those suitable for use with mobile telephone networks for processing Short Message Service (SIVIS) text on the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM).

The ability to send text messages (such as SMS) using mobile telephones has led to increased use of mobile telephone networks for purposes other than voice communication. In particular, text messages sent from mobile telephones may be interpreted at the network centre as requests for information, such as requests for news, weather or share prices, and these requests can be answered by the network centre sending back the appropriate information in text form.

There will be situations in which the owner of a mobile telephone will require more complex functionality from the network centre. One example is when the quantity of requested information is too great to fit within a single text message in SMS form which is limited to 160 characters, and also to the relatively small screens typically provided on mobile telephones.

Another example is when either there is some ambiguity about the exact nature of the request, or possibly for some other reason the network centre will require further parameters before being able to provide a full reply message.

According to the invention there is provided a telecommunications services apparatus for receiving and responding to text messages from a telephone network, the apparatus comprising means for receiving and comparing a received text message with a plurality of pre-stored messages in a database, and means for sending back a related follow-up text message from the database to the originator of the text message in the event of a positive comparison.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the apparatus is intended for a mobile telephone network such as a GSM network, and provides the 2 requested follow-up information to the user in a simple and speedy manner, based on text information previously requested and received by the user.

In the preferred embodiment, the user initially requests an item of information in text form by sending a text message to the SMS service centre. The requested item of information sent back to the user may include the word "more", if too much information is available to send in a single SMS text message. If the user wants more information, he simply uses an appropriate function to return the text message in identical form back to the apparatus. A comparison is made between the received text message and those pre-stored in the database, and a positive comparison is interpreted as a request for further information, which is then sent from the database as a follow-up text message to the user. Alternatively, or in addition, the item of text information originally sent to the user may include the message 11 next=", and identify certain numbered options. If the user edits the text message by adding the number of the required option, e.g. to give fl next= 2 ", and then sends the edited text message back to the apparatus, the apparatus will then send on the further information relating to the selected option.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying single figure drawing which shows a block diagram of a mobile telephone text processing system embodying the invention.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a mobile telephone network incorporating a telecommunications services apparatus with a text message user interface. The network includes an SMS gateway mobile switching centre 10 operatively associated with a home location register 12 providing information as to the cells within which mobile stations 14 are currently registered. The gateway switching centre 10 is connected to a number of mobile switching centres 16 which are networked together. Each mobile switching centre 16 is connected to a base station 18 which communicates with the mobile stations 14. The gateway switching centre 10 is also 3 connected to an SMS service centre 20.

Thus far, the network is configured in a standard manner, with incoming text messages from a mobile station 14 being directed to the service centre 20 via the corresponding base station 18, the mobile switching centre 16 and the gateway switching centre 10. Return text messages are sent via the gateway switching centre 10 which identifies from the home location register 12 which mobile switching centre 16 is required, based on the registered location of the mobile station 14. The text message is then sent to the appropriate mobile switching centre 16, and transmitted from the corresponding base station 18 to the requesting mobile station 14.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the system also includes an SMS server 22 connected to the SMS service centre 20, a database 24 connected to the SMS server 22, and a comparison means 26 for comparing data in the SMS server 22 with that stored in the database 24.

In operation, the SMS service centre 20 recognises a text message from one of the mobile stations 14 as being a request for information, such as the text message being in a certain recognisable format, and forwards the message to the SMS server 22. The requested information is then sent back from the database 24, in known manner, to the mobile station 14 which had requested the information. According to the proposed technique, if there is too much information to fit into a single text message (e.g. more than 160 characters for SMS), the text message sent from the system will include an indication that further information is available, such as by inclusion of the word "more" in the reply text message. If the person making the original request requires further information, that person will simply invoke a function on the mobile terminal 14 to return the text message in identical (i.e. unedited) form to the service centre 20. This is sent on to the SMS server 22 and the comparison means 26 compares the returned text message with pre-stored messages in the database 24. In the event of a positive 4 (identical) match, the system interprets the result as a request for further information, and the next item of related information is extracted from the database 24, and sent on to the requesting mobile station 14, in similar manner to that described before. Of course, this follow-up text message may itself also include an invitation to request still further information, such as by including the word "more" in the text, and so on.

As an alternative, or in addition to that described above, a text message from the system in reply to a request by the user of the mobile station 14 may give alternative possibilities for further information, and request the user to identify the required alternative, rather than simply informing the user that more information is available. This feature may be particularly helpful in the case of ambiguity, or other uncertainty, about the precise nature of the information being requested. For example, in an encyclopedialdictionary type system, the user may send a text message to the system asking for information about 'WERCURY". The system may then send back to the user a text message of the type:

MERCURY PLANET (#1) GOD (#2) ELEMENT (#3) (next If, for example, the user requires information about the element mercury, "W is entered in the text message at "(next=") to give "(next=3)", and the userthen invokesthe function to send backthe edited text message to the system. The comparison means 26 detects the presence of an edited reply message and causes the database 24 to send the selected one of the three optional messages (in this case "W) to the user's mobile terminal 14; in the example given, the further information will relate to the element mercury.

It will be apparent that the limitations of the system will be defined only by the capacity of the database, and by the information located therein. In appropriate cases, the format of the text messages and options given to the user may combine a number of "more" and/or "next=" options so that quite complex menu-type structures can be provided, in order to simplify the manner in which these options are selected by the information requester. Particularly in the case of mobile telephone keypads, in which text messaging such as SIVIS message input may be a comparatively complex operation, involving several key operations to generate a single character, the fact that the "more" operation requires no character input provides a quick and simple way of requesting follow-up information. Likewise, in the case of the "next= " operation, only a single character (numeral) needs to be inserted to edit the text message which is also a quick and simple way of selecting an option. Certain mobile telephones have a range of functions such as "edit" and "forward" operations for manipulating and resending received SMS messages.

Therefore a user can easily use the system interface to receive a wide range of information.

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Claims

1 A telecommunications services apparatus for receiving and responding to text messages from a telephone network, the apparatus comprising means for receiving and comparing a received text message with a plurality of pre-stored messages in a database, and means for sending back a related follow-up text message from the database to the originator of the text message in the event of a positive comparison.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first text message sent from the apparatus includes an invitation to the message recipient for requesting further information, whereby a reply involving return of the first text message in identical form from the message recipient to the apparatus is indicative of the message recipient requiring further information.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the invitation included in the first text message is the word "more".

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the receiving and comparing means is operable to detect receipt of a text message edited in comparison to one of the pre-stored messages in the database, and the means for sending back a related follow-up text message is responsive to the manner in which the text message has been edited in order to select the follow-up text message to be sent.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first text message sent from the apparatus to the message recipient includes an invitation for selecting and requesting one of a plurality of items of further information, whereby a reply involving return of the first text message in edited form from the message recipient to the apparatus is indicative of the message recipient requiring the selected item of further information.

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6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the editing of the first text message involves inserting a character or numeral after the invitation thereby to select the required item of further information by sending back the edited text message.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the invitation included in the first text message is in the form "next= ", and wherein the editing involves inserting a character or numeral after the invitation.

8. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the telephone network is a mobile telephone network.

9. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the text messages are in short message service (SMS) form.

10. A telecommunications services apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.