JP2006507607A - Method and system for single number text messaging. - Google Patents

Abstract

The method and system of the present invention provides an SMS message sent to a specific telephone number or address to a desired device (112). The sender (122) may send an SMS message to the user's phone number address (112). The SMS message (640) is then routed to the desired device selected by the user and displayed in the appropriate format on the desired device.

Description

  Applicant has priority over US Patent Application No. 60 / 428,704 “DIGITAL COMPANION” filed on November 25, 2002 and US Patent Application No. 60 / 436,018 “DIGITALCOMPANION” filed on December 26, 2002. The contents of both applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

  This application also includes US Patent Application No. 10 / 083,792 “VOICE MAIL INTEGRATION WITH INSTANT MESSENGER” filed on February 27, 2002, US Patent Application No. 10 / 083,884 filed on February 27, 2002. "DEVICE INDEPENDENT CALLER ID", US Patent Application No. 10 / 083,822 filed February 27, 2002 "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A UNIFIED COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT VIA INSTANT MESSAGING", US filed February 27, 2002 Patent Application No. 10 / 083,793 “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CALENDARED COMMUNICATIONS FLOW CONTROL”, US Patent Application No. 10 / 084,121 “CALENDAR-BASED CALLING AGENTS” filed on February 27, 2002, US Patent Application No. ( _____) "METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DRAG AND DROP CONFERENCE CALLING", US Patent Application No. (_____) "METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CONFERENCE CALL BUFFERING", US Patent Application No. (_____) "METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR COMPUTER ENHANCED CONFERENCE CALLING" , Rice Patent Application No. (_____) “METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR REMOTE CALL ESTABLISHMENT”, US Patent Application No. (_____) “METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CALL MANAGEMENT WITH USER INTERVENTION”, US Patent Application No. (_____) “METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DIRECTORY INFORMATION LOOKUP ”, US Patent Application No. (_____)“ METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR AUTOMATICALLY FORWARDING CALLS TO CELL PHONE ”, US Patent Application No. (_____)“ METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ADAPTIVE MESSAGE AND CALL NOTIFICATION ”, US Patent Application No. (_____) "METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR A CALL LOG", US Patent Application No. (_____) "METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR AUTOMATIC FORWARDING OF CALLS TO A PREFERRED DEVICE", US Patent Application No. (_____) "METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MULTI-LINE INTEGRATED DEVICE OR LINE MANAGEMENT ”, US Patent Application No. (_____)“ METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CONTACT MANAGEMENT ”, US Patent Application No. (_____)“ METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR NOTIFICATION OF CALL TO PHONE DEVICE ”, US Patent Application No. (_____) "METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MULTI-USER SELECTIVE NOTIFICATION", US Patent Application No. (_____) "METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CPN TRIGGERED COLLABORATION", US Patent Application No. (_____) "METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PREEMPTIVE REJECTION OF CALLS ", the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

  The present invention relates to a method and system for transferring SMS (Short Message Service) messages sent to a specific telephone number or address to a desired device.

  There are various types of communication means between users. For example, a user can place a call via a home phone, a company phone, and a mobile phone. Further, the user can communicate using a device such as a personal computer, a PDA, or a pager using a communication protocol such as electronic mail or instant message.

  Unfortunately, managing such various communication means is often difficult. In particular, when the user changes location, the means of communication with the user may also change. For example, while traveling, it may be possible to contact the user only by mobile phone. On the other hand, it is often best to communicate via email during work. Users also want to implement various rules to receive and control communications. For example, to contact the home, the user may want to ring the home phone three times before transferring it to the mobile phone. As another example, a user may wish to be called (by a pager, etc.) each time an e-mail is received from a particular person when outside the office.

  Normally, in order to manage communication, the user must operate each communication device individually. That is, if the user wants to change how the communication is managed, the user will have to operate multiple devices, and sometimes will need to contact a service center or the like.

  For example, a user may use multiple communication devices, each assigned to a different telephone number or address. In addition to the device assigned to the home phone number, the user can access the phone number assigned to the device at work, the phone number assigned to the mobile phone, and e-mail accessible only via a computer device connected to the Internet. May have an address. Also, at any time, the user may not have access to all these devices.

  Therefore, there is a need to provide a message to the user at any time, regardless of the device available to the user.

  The method and system of the present invention routes (or routes) SMS messages sent to any of the user's communication devices to the user's desired communication device. The SMS capable device may send an SMS message to the user by using the user's home phone number as the destination SMS address (or destination SMS address). Thus, the SMS message is routed (or routed) to the user's desired device or client based on the user's selection. The user's desired device includes, but is not limited to, another SMS-capable device, email address, instant messaging client, phone number (via a text-to-speech engine), or the user's digital companion client But you can.

  In accordance with an embodiment in accordance with the principles of the present invention, the method of the present invention provides an SMS message to a user having multiple devices, including the desired device. In accordance with the present invention, an SMS message for one of a plurality of devices is received. A desired device for receiving the message is determined. The SMS message is formatted according to the selected desired device characteristics. The formatted message is then sent to the desired device.

  In accordance with an embodiment based on the principles of the present invention, the system of the present invention provides an SMS message to a user having multiple devices, including the desired device. In accordance with the present invention, the database stores the specifications or characteristics of the desired device. The gateway server receives an SMS message sent to one of the user's devices. The server function determines the user's desired device. The SMS server then sends the SMS message to the desired device.

  In accordance with an embodiment based on the principles of the present invention, the device of the present invention provides an SMS message to a user who has multiple devices including the desired device. In accordance with the present invention, the database stores the specifications or characteristics of the desired device. The gateway server receives an SMS message sent to one of the user's devices. The server function determines the desired device. The SMS server then sends the SMS message to the desired device.

  In accordance with an embodiment based on the principles of the present invention, the device of the present invention provides an SMS message to a user who has multiple devices including the desired device. The apparatus of the present invention comprises means for storing a specification or characteristic of a desired device, means for receiving an SMS message sent to one of the user's devices, means for determining the desired device, and SMS Means for transmitting the message to the desired device.

  It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary only and are not intended to limit the invention as defined by the claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the detailed description of the invention, illustrate a number of embodiments of the invention together with the detailed description of the invention, and are used to explain the principles of the invention.

  The method and system of the present invention routes or forwards SMS messages sent to any of the user's communication devices to the user's desired communication device. The SMS capable device may send an SMS message to the user by using the user's home phone number as the destination SMS address (or destination SMS address). Thus, the SMS message is routed (or routed) to the user's desired device or client based on the user's selection. The user's desired device or client is not limited, but another SMS-capable device, email address, instant messaging client, phone number (via a text-to-speech engine), or the user's digital companion client May be included.

  Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same or similar reference numbers are used in the drawings to refer to the same or like elements.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a data processing and telecommunications environment 100 having features and aspects in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The number of components of environment 100 is not limited to the number shown, and other numbers of components are possible and are included in the embodiments of the present invention. The components of FIG. 1 may be implemented by hardware, software, and / or firmware. Data processing and telecommunications environment 100 may include a data network 102, a voice network 104, and a service center 106. User 110 may use user terminal 112 to interface with data network 102, and may use telephones 114, 116, 118 to interface with voice network 104. A caller (or calling party) 120 may use the telephone 122 to place a call to any one of a user's telephones 114, 116, 118, such as the user 110.

  Data network 102 provides communication between various entities (or entities) illustrated in environment 100 of FIG. 1, such as user terminal 112 and service center 106. Data network 102 may be a shared, public, or private network and encompasses a wide area or campus area. Data network 102 may be implemented via any suitable combination of wired and / or wireless communication networks. By way of example, the data network 102 may be implemented via a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), an intranet, and / or the Internet. Further, the service center 106 may be connected to a plurality of data networks 102 such as a wireless carrier network and the Internet.

  Voice network 104 may provide a telephone-based service to allow a caller, such as caller 120, to place a call to user 110. In one embodiment, voice network 104 may be implemented using a network such as a public switched telephone network (“PSTN”). Alternatively, the voice network 104 may be implemented using “VoIP (Voice-over Internet Protocol) technology”. Further, the voice network 104 may be implemented using both PSTN and VoIP technologies in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Further, the service center 106 may be connected to a plurality of voice networks 104 such as Verizon's “Voice Network®”, voice networks operated by other carriers, and wireless carrier networks.

  Service center 106 provides a platform for managing communications over data network 102 and voice network 104. The service center 106 may also provide gateway functions such as code and protocol conversions to communicate communications between the data network 102 and the voice network 104. Service center 106 may be implemented by hardware, software, and / or firmware. For example, the service center 106 may be implemented using a plurality of general purpose computers or servers connected by a network (not shown). In the figure, the service center 106 is shown as being directly connected to the data network 102 and the voice network 104; Network elements may be connected.

  User terminal 112 provides an interface to data network 102 for user 110. For example, the user terminal 112 may be implemented using any device that can access the Internet, such as a general-purpose computer or a personal computer with a modem. The user terminal 112 may also be implemented on other devices such as Blackberry® or Ergo Audrey®. Further, the user terminal 112 may be implemented on a wireless device such as a pager, a mobile phone (with data access capability), and a PDA (or electronic organizer) with a network connection.

  User terminal 112 also allows user 110 to communicate with service center 106. For example, user 110 may use instant messaging (“IM”) to communicate with service center 106. In addition, the user terminal 112 includes a hypertext transfer protocol (“HTTP”), a user datagram protocol (“UDP”), a file transfer protocol (“FTP”), a hypertext markup language (“HTML”), and an extensible mark. Other features of TCP / IP may be used, including a tagging language (“XML”).

  Further, the user terminal 112 may communicate directly with the service center 106. For example, a client application that communicates directly with the service center 106 may be installed in the user terminal 112. Further, the user terminal 112 may communicate with the service center 106 through a proxy.

  Phones 114, 116, 118, 122 interface with voice network 104. The telephones 114, 116, 118, 122 may be implemented using well-known devices including wired telephones and cell phones. In the figure, telephones 114, 116, 118, 122 are shown connected directly to voice network 104, but any number of intermediate elements, such as a private branch exchange (“PBX”), may be telephones 114, 116. 118, 122 and the voice network 104 may be interposed. One or more telephones 114, 116, 118, 122 may also be associated with the user 110. For example, the phone 114 may be a home phone with which the user 110 is subscribed, the phone 116 may be a mobile phone with which the user 110 is subscribed, and the phone 118 is signed with a friend of the user 110. It may be a home phone. For example, telephones 114 and 116 may be contracted with the same or different accounts of user 110.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a user terminal 112 according to the present invention. The user terminal 112 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 200, a memory 202, a storage module 204, a network interface 206, an input interface 208, an output interface 210, an input device 212, and an output device 214.

  The CPU 200 provides control and processing functions for the user terminal 112. Although FIG. 2 illustrates a single CPU, the user terminal 112 may include multiple CPUs. CPU 200 may also include, for example, one or more coprocessors, memory, registers, and other processing devices and systems. The CPU 200 may be implemented using, for example, a Pentium (registered trademark) processor supplied from Intel Corporation.

  The memory 202 may provide a main storage device for the CPU 200 such as a program code. The memory 202 may be implemented with various components or subsystems including random access memory (“RAM”) and read only memory (“ROM”). When the user terminal 112 is executing an application installed in the storage module 204, the CPU 200 may download at least a part of the program code from the storage module 204 to the memory 202. When CPU 200 executes the program code, CPU 200 may also obtain additional portions of the program code from storage module 204.

  Storage module 204 may provide a mass storage device for user terminal 112. The storage module 204 can be a variety of components including, for example, a hard disk, an optical disk, a CD-ROM drive, a DVD drive, a general purpose storage device, a removable storage device, and / or other devices capable of storing information or It may be implemented with a subsystem. Further, although the storage module 204 is shown inside the user terminal 112 in the figure, the storage module 204 may be implemented outside the user terminal 112.

  The storage module 204 includes program code and information for the user terminal 112 to communicate with the service center 106. The storage module is, for example, a calendar application such as GroupWise supplied by Novell Corporation or Outlook supplied by Microsoft Corporation; a client application such as Microsoft Network Messenger Service (MSNMS) client or America Online Instant Messenger (AIM) client. And program code for an operating system (OS) such as Windows (registered trademark) Operation System supplied by Microsoft Corporation. Further, the storage module 204 is supplied by Microsoft Corporation with program code for TCP / IP connection; kernel and device drivers; configuration information (or device configuration information) such as dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) configuration; Other program codes and information may also be included, such as Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator supplied by Netscape Corporation; and other software that may be installed on the user terminal 112.

  Network interface 206 provides a communication interface between user terminal 112 and data network 102. Network interface 206 may receive and transmit communications for user terminal 112. For example, the network interface 206 may be a modem or a local area network (“LAN”) port.

  The input interface 208 receives an input from the user 110 via the input device 212 and supplies the input to the CPU 200. The input device 212 may include, for example, a keyboard, a microphone, and a mouse. Also, other types of input devices may be implemented in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

  The output interface 210 provides information to the user 110 via the output device 214. The output device 214 may include, for example, a display, a printer, and a speaker. Other types of output devices may also be implemented in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

  FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the voice network 104 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. As shown, voice network 104 includes intelligent service control point (ISCP) 302, service transfer points (STP) 304 and 306, service switching points (SSP) 308 and 310, circuit information database (LIDB) 312, ISCP service. It includes a Service Provisioning And Creation Environment (ISCP SPACE) 314, a Recent Change Environment 316, and an Intelligent Peripheral (IP) 320.

  Voice network 104 may be implemented using PSTN and SS7 as signaling protocols. The SS7 protocol allows voice network 104 to provide features such as automatic forwarding, caller ID notification service, three-party calling, wireless services such as roaming and mobile subscriber authentication, local number portability, and free dial service. enable. The SS7 protocol provides various types of messages to support the voice network 104 features. For example, these SS7 messages may be used to support event “triggers” between ISCP 302 and SSPs 308 and 310, and Transaction Capabilities to support queries and responses (or questions and responses). Applications Part) ("TCAP").

  ISCP 302 may also be, for example, a standard service control point (SCP) or an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) SCP. ISCP 302 provides SS7 message translation and routing (or routing) services to support voice network 104 features such as call forwarding. Further, the ISCP 302 may exchange information with the service center using TCP / IP or SS7. The ISCP 302 may be implemented by a combination of well-known hardware and software. In the figure, ISCP 302 is shown connected directly to service center 106 via ISCP SPACE 314, but any number of network elements, including routers, switches, hubs, etc., may be used to connect ISCP 302 and service center 106. May be used.

  STPs 304 and 306 relay (or relay) SS7 messages within the voice network 104. For example, STP 304 may route (or route) SS7 messages between SSPs 308 and 310. STP 302 may be implemented using hardware and software from manufacturers such as NORTEL® and LUCENT Technologies®.

  SSPs 308 and 310 provide an interface between voice network 104 and phones 114 and 120, respectively, for setting up, managing, and releasing calls within voice network 104. SSPs 308 and 310 may be implemented as voice switches, SS7 switches, or computers connected to the switches. SSPs 308 and 310 exchange SS7 signaling units to support calls between caller 120 and user 110. For example, the SSPs 308 and 310 control message calls, perform database queries to the configuration database (or configuration database) 312, and provide maintenance information, as well as message signal units. ) ("MSU") may exchange SS7 messages such as TCAP messages.

  The Line Information Database (LIDB) 312 includes one or more well-known databases to support the features of the voice network 104. For example, the LIDB 312 may include subscriber information such as service profile, name and address, credit card verification information, and the like.

  An ISCP service provisioning and creation environment (SPACE) 314 may be provided as part of, or separate from, ISCP 302. For example, as part of system 100, Telcordia® ISCP may provide SPACE 314 functionality. Further, ISCP SPACE 314 may include one or more servers. ISCP SPACE 314 is the point of the ISCP platform where user records may be updated.

  In one embodiment, the user record may be stored in ISCP SPACE 314 so that the user record is updated and sent to ISCP 302. These records may include information on how to handle calls or calls to the user. For example, these user records may be directed to an IP, such as a voice mail system, if a user's call or call is forwarded to a different number after a certain number of calls and / or Information about whether or not it may be included. Additionally, one ISCP SPACE 314 may provide updates to one or more ISCPs 302 via an ISCP network (not shown).

  Additionally, the voice network 104 may be, for example, an Enterprise Recent Change engine (eRC); an Assignment Activation and Inventory System (AAIS); or a multi-service platform One or more recent change engines 316, such as a form (MSP), may be included. As an example, eRC and AAIS may be used in a voice network 104 located in the western region of the United States, and MSP may be used in a network in the eastern region. The recent change engine may be used to update the switch and the ISCP database. For example, the recent change engines may distribute database updates to SSPs and ISCPs so that these recent change engines emulate human operations upon database updates. Additionally, if an instruction (or instruction) is to be sent to ISCP 302, the recent change engine may first send an instruction to ISCP SPACE 314. Then, the ISCP SPACE 314 transmits the instruction to the ISCP 302 as described above. Further, MSP may be used to provide updates to both SSP 308 or 310 and ISCP 302, for example. Alternatively, eRC may be used to provide updates to, for example, SSP 308 or 310, and AAIS may be used to provide updates to ISCP 302.

  Additionally, the voice network 104 may include one or more intelligent peripherals (IP). For example, FIG. 4 shows the IP 320 connected to the SSP 308. These IPs may be used to provide services such as voice mail services.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a service center 106 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. As shown, service center 106 includes firewalls 402 and 404, one or more digital companion servers 406, one or more communication portal servers 408, one or more. Network access server 410 and voice portal 412. The voice portal 412 may include a voice portal application server 414 and a voice recognition server 416. Network 418 may be used to interconnect firewalls and servers. Additionally, a back end server 420 may be provided between the service center 106 and the voice network 104.

  Firewalls 402 and 404 provide security services for communications between service center 106, data network 102, and voice network 104, respectively. For example, firewalls 402 and 404 may restrict communication between user 112 and one or more servers in service center 106. Any suitable security policy may be enforced on firewalls 402 and 404 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. For example, firewalls 402 and 404 may be implemented using well-known hardware and software such as Raptor Firewall provided by Axent Corporation. Further, firewalls 402 and 404 may be implemented as separate machines within service center 106, or may be implemented by one or more machines external to service center 106.

  Network 418 may be any suitable type of network, such as an Ethernet or FDDI network. Additionally, the network 418 may also include switches and routers as needed without departing from the scope of the present invention. Additionally, additional firewalls may be provided, for example, to place one or more servers 406, 408, 410 or voice portal 412 behind the firewall.

  Each server (406, 408, 410, 414, 416, 420) may be any suitable server or computer, such as a Unix or DOS based server or computer. The server may perform various logic functions as described below. In FIG. 4, the different servers used for each logical function are shown. In other embodiments, multiple logical functions may be divided among multiple servers, multiple servers may be used for a single function, or all functions may be a single server. May be executed by

  In general, the digital companion server 406 provides software and hardware for providing specific services of the service center 106. Exemplary services, for example, allow a user 110 to add contacts to an address book from a history of calls sent or received by the user 110, and call a user 110 from a number retrieved from their address book. Allow users to make calls, schedule calls to be made at specific times, or allow users 110 to access and view names and / or addresses associated with phone numbers Including. Additionally, these services allow users 110 to listen to voice mail messages online over the Internet, transfer their calls based on the scheduler and / or calling number, and set up conference calls online. It may also include making it possible to do. For example, the user may specify a desired device or client for receiving the SMS message. When an SMS message is sent to the user's home phone number, the SMS is forwarded to the user's desired device or client, thereby sending the message sent to one number or address of multiple numbers or addresses. Can reach the user.

  Communication portal server 408 may provide hardware and software for managing user accounts and for interfacing with user account information stored by the user's voice network 104 provider. The network access server 410 may provide hardware and software for sending and receiving information to the voice network 104 in the processing of applications provided by the service center. For example, the network access server 410 may be used to send information to and / or receive information from the ISCP 302 or SSP 308 or 310 of the voice network 104.

  Voice portal 412 includes hardware and software for receiving and processing instructions (or instructions) from the user via voice. For example, the user may dial a specific number for the voice portal 412. Using the speech, the user may then give instructions to the service center 106 to change the service that the user subscribes to. The voice portal 412 may include, for example, a voice recognition server 416 and an application server 414. The speech recognition server 416 may receive and interpret the dictation, or may recognize spoken commands (or instructions). The application server 414 receives, for example, the output from the speech recognition server 416, converts it into a format suitable for the service center 106, and further converts the information to one or more servers (406, 408, 410) of the service center 106. ).

  FIG. 5 illustrates the logical architecture of an exemplary system according to the present invention. As shown, the logical architecture may be divided into four sections or planes: a client side plane 502, an application service plane 504, a network access plane 506, and a voice network plane 508.

  The client side 502 includes user terminals 112A and 112B that a user may use to send information to and / or receive information from the service center 106. Additionally, client side 502 includes user phone 114. As described above, user terminal 112 may be any suitable device that a user can use to communicate with service center 106. For example, the user terminal 112A may be a PDA (or electronic notebook) executing a program for communication with the service center 106, and the user terminal 112B may communicate with the service center 106 via the Internet. It may be a desktop computer running a web browser. Additionally, a user may have one or more phones 114, such as, for example, one or more standard wired phones and / or wireless phones.

  Application service plane 504 includes a digital companion server 406, a communication portal server 408, and a voice portal 412. These entities (or entities) may communicate with each other using, for example, a web service or other suitable protocol. Web services are Extensible Markup Language (XML), Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Web Service Description Language (WSDL), and Universal Description, Discovery and Integration on the Internet Protocol (IP) backbone (UDDI) A standardized method for incorporating web-based applications using the open standard.

  As shown, the digital companion server 406 provides the following functions: client proxy function 512, web server function 514, application server function 516, calendar server function 518, notification server function 520, and database server function 522. Also good. Each of these functions may be implemented in hardware, software, and / or firmware. In addition, these functions may each be executed by different servers, may be divided into multiple servers, may be included in the same server function, or executed in other ways. Also good.

  Client proxy function 512 provides a proxy function for a digital companion that may be used for security purposes. The client proxy function 512 may be included in a separate server so that all communications sent from the other digital companion functions / servers via the data network 102 to the user terminal 112 pass through the client proxy. When the client proxy 512 is included on a separate server, an additional firewall or the like may be provided between the client proxy 512 and another digital companion server to provide additional security.

  Web server 514 may provide functionality for receiving traffic from users over the data network (FIG. 1). For example, web server 514 may be a standard web browser server that a user may access using a web browser program such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Communicator.

  Application server function 516 includes general functions performed by digital companion server 406. For example, these functions (or functions) may include interfacing with a variety of other digital companion functions to implement a particular application provided by the service center. These services may include, for example, interfacing with other functions, software, and / or hardware to give users the ability to manage their online calls. For example, these functions (or functions) allow the user to add contacts to the address book from the history of calls sent or received by the user, and users make calls directly from their address book Enabling a user to schedule a call at a particular time, or allowing a user to view a name and / or address associated with a phone number. In addition, these services allow users to listen to their voice mail online, transfer their calls based on the scheduler and / or calling number, and set up conference calls online. May include.

  In accordance with the present invention, a call notification service provides a user with notification of a call sent to one of a plurality of user devices on the user's desired device for notification to the user. Also, according to the present invention, the voice mail notification service provides the user with a voice mail notification to one of a plurality of user devices on the user's desired device.

  Additionally, application server function 516 may interface with one or more external devices, such as an external web server, to obtain or send information. For example, the application server function 516 may interface with the voice network data center 556 to determine the services the user has subscribed to (eg, call waiting, call forwarding, voice mail, etc.).

  The calendar server function 518 may provide capabilities such as event scheduling, logging when a specific event occurs, triggering (or activation) of an application function to perform the function at a specific time.

  The notification server function 520 may provide a capability for transmitting information from the service center 106 to the user terminal 112. For example, the notification server function 520 may send a notification to the user terminal 112 that the user is currently receiving a telephone call to the user's telephone 114 at the direction of the application server function 516.

  Database function 522 stores information that can be used by applications executed by the digital companion server in the form of a database. These databases may be included in one or more external storage devices connected to a digital companion server, for example. Alternatively, the database may be included in the storage device of the digital companion server itself. The storage device providing the database function 522 may be any type of storage device such as a CD-ROM, DVD, hard disk, magnetic tape or the like.

  Digital companion server 406 may also include a SN SMS gateway 630 for receiving SMS messages. The SN SMS gateway 630 may receive an SMS message from the backend server 420 or from the network access server 410, for example. Additionally, the digital companion server 406 may include a SN SMS server 640 for processing and distributing received SMS messages.

  As described above, the communication portal server 408 provides hardware and software for managing user accounts and for interfacing with user account information stored by the user's voice network 104 provider. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the communication portal server 408 may provide the following functions: web server function 526, application server function 528, contact database function 530, and / or user profile function 532. These functions may be performed by separate servers, may be divided into multiple servers, may be included in the same server function, or may be performed in other ways.

  Web server function 526 provides functionality for receiving traffic from users over the data network, similar to web server function 514 of the digital companion server. For example, the web server may be a standard web browser server that a user may access using a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Communicator.

  Application server function 528 includes general functions implemented by communication portal server 408. For example, these functions may include interfacing with a voice network to obtain and / or change user profile information and creating and editing an address book for the user. Additionally, the application server function 528 may include functionality for sending information to and / or receiving information from external servers and / or devices. For example, the communication portal server 408 may be connected to a network such as the Internet. The application server function 528 provides connectivity to an external server 552 that provides a web service such as Superpages webpage via the Internet. The application function 528 may then contact these external servers 552 to obtain information such as the address for the person in the user's address book.

  In another example, application server function 528 of communication portal 408 may interface with a single sign on (SSO) on server 554. SSO 554 allows access to all services that a user subscribes to based on a single authentication (or one authentication) performed when the user first accesses the network. May be used.

  Contact database 530 includes a storage device for storing data that forms an address book for the user. This address book may be any suitable type of address book. For example, a user's address book may include person and / or organization names, phone numbers, and addresses. These storage devices may be provided inside or outside the communication portal server 406, or a combination thereof. Further, these storage devices may be any type of storage device such as a magnetic storage device, a memory storage device, or the like.

  User profile database 532 includes a storage device for storing profile information for the user. These storage devices may be the same storage device used for the contact database or a separate storage device. User profiles may include information about the user's account for their voice network. For example, this information may include the user's name, billing address, and other account information. Additionally, the user profile may include information about the voice service with which the user is subscribed, such as call waiting, call forwarding, etc.

  Additionally, the application service plane 504 of this architecture may include a voice portal 412. As described above, the voice portal 412 may include, for example, a voice recognition function 416 and an application server function 414 and may be used to receive and process instructions from a user via voice. The voice recognition function may be implemented using hardware and / or software capable of providing voice recognition capabilities. This hardware and / or software may be a commercially available product, such as the Voice Apptication platform available from Tellme Networks, Incorporated. The application server function 414 of the voice portal 412 may include hardware and / or software for exchanging information between the digital companion server 406 and the voice recognition function 416. In addition, the application server function 414 may be included in a separate server, or may be included in software in addition to hardware that provides the speech recognition function 416, or may be included in the digital companion server 406. .

  The network access plane 506 of this architecture may include functionality for providing connectivity between the application server plane 502 and the voice network 104. For example, this plane may include a recent change engine 316, a network access server 410, and / or a backend server 420.

  As described above, the recent change engine 316 may be used to update switches and ISCP databases included in the voice network 104. In one embodiment, recent change engine 316 may include AAIS 544, eRC 546, and / or MSP 548. Additionally, a proxy 542 may be used between the digital companion server 406 and the recent change engine 316 for security purposes.

  The network access server 410 may be included in the service center 106 and may provide hardware and software for sending and receiving information to the voice network 410 in the processing of applications provided by the service center. For example, the network access server 410 is a caller ID (CID) functionality for obtaining or retrieving a caller ID from the voice network 104, an intelligent peripheral (IP) over the voice network to make a call via SSP. It may include click to dial (CTD) functionality for commanding and / or real time call management (RTCM) functionality for interfacing with the ISCP of the voice network.

  Network access plane 506 may also include one or more back-end servers 420. These backend servers 420 may include hardware and / or software for interfacing the service center 106 and the voice network 104. The backend server 420 may be connected to the service center 106 by a network, direct connection, or other suitable manner. Further, the backend server 420 may be connected to one or more devices within the voice network 104 by a network, direct connection, or other suitable manner.

  The backend server 420 may include, for example, a server that provides voice mail acquisition and notification functions. For example, this voice mail acquisition and notification function receives a signal when a voice mail message is stored in a user's voice mailbox, sends an appropriate code to retrieve the voice mail message, It may obtain and convert the voice mail message into a digital file, and further communicate with the IP 320 voice mail storage system to send it to the digital companion server 406.

  Additionally, the backend server 420 may include, for example, a directory assistance server. For example, the directory assistance server may interface the service center 106 with a Reverse Directory Assistance Gateway (RDA gateway) of the voice network 104. The RDA gateway issues a request for name and / or address information associated with the telephone number to the data operations center (DOC) of the voice network 104 and obtains or retrieves the name and / or telephone number in response to the request. It is a device for.

  In another example, the backend server 420 may include a wireless internet gateway that is used to interface with a mobile switching center (MSC) of a wireless voice network. Similar to the backend server 420 described above, this wireless Internet gateway may be used to translate requests and information between the format used by the service center 106 and the format used by the wireless voice network.

  In another example, the back-end server 420 is a conference-blasting server for instructing a conference bridge in the voice network 104 to dial out to a voice conference participant via the SSP. ) May be included. Alternatively, the back-end server may include, for example, a server for instructing the IP of the voice network to call two parties (or call partners) by dialing out to each of the parties. . The back-end server also calls an audio digitizing device that can listen to the conference, converts the audio signal to a digital format, and transfers the digitized signal to the user's device, eg, via an audio streaming server Includes ability to command bridge or IP. The audio streaming server may, for example, allow a user to connect to it via the Internet or the like. Additionally, the audio streaming device may buffer (or temporarily store) or record the signal to allow the user to pause, rewind, and / or fast forward through the conference.

  In another example, the back-end server 420 may include a Single Number Short Message Service (SN SMS) server for interfacing the service center 106 with the SMS gateway of the voice network 104. This server may be used, for example, to direct an SMS message addressed (or addressed) to the user's home phone 114 to the SMS enabled device selected by the user.

  The voice network plane 508 includes hardware and software included in the voice network 104 as described above with reference to FIG. For example, voice network plane 508 may include ISCP SPACE 314, ISCP 302, intelligent peripheral 320, and SSP 310. In addition, the voice network plane 508 may also include hardware and software included in a network of wireless carriers such as, for example, a mobile switching center.

  As described herein, in accordance with the present invention, the method and system of the present invention provides a user with a single numbered SMS message address for receiving the SMS message at the user's desired device. For example, the caller may send an SMS message to the user, for example, directed to the user's home phone number that acts as the SMS destination address. The system described herein may then determine where to route (or route) the SMS message based on the selection set by the user. An incoming SMS message sent to the user's SMS destination can be another SMS-capable device, email address, instant messaging client, phone number (via a text-to-speech engine), or the user's digital companion client May be forwarded to.

  In one embodiment consistent with the principles of the present invention, the sender of an SMS message may send an SMS message to the user 110 by addressing the message to any of the user's communication devices (or specifying a destination). For example, an SMS capable device such as a telephone 122 may be used. The backend server 420 may receive an SMS message from the network access level 506. The backend server 420 may route (or route) SMS messages to the digital companion server 406. The digital companion server 406 may route (or route) the SMS message to the desired communication device 112, 114 identified by the user 110 using the notification server function 520.

  To select a desired device for receiving notifications, the user may communicate with the digital companion server 406, for example, by executing digital companion client software on the terminal 112B. For example, the user may access the web page resident of the digital companion server 406 to enter a telephone number or other identifier that identifies the desired device. Alternatively, the user may use the phone 114 to call the service number of the voice portal 412 so that the user may interact with an automatic voice response menu or user service to identify the desired device. You may talk to the staff. In another alternative, the user 110 may interact with the digital companion client software on the terminal 112 to send the desired device phone number to the digital companion server 406. Thereby, the identification of the device specified by the user is stored in the database 522 as a desired device.

  After identifying the initial desired device, the user may then change the desired device to a different device by repeating the process described above. Alternatively, the user may specify a particular desired device for receiving notifications on a daily or weekly basis. Similarly, the user may set in advance a time period during which different devices are identified as desired devices in order to receive notifications. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, various methods and systems are implemented to facilitate (or facilitate) the user's choice of the desired device without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Will be able to.

  Application server function 516 may determine the desired device specified by the user through query database (or question database) function 522. The user may pre-select a telephone such as telephone 114, user terminal 112A, or user terminal 112B as the desired device. For example, the phone 114 may be a regular phone or a wireless phone, the user terminal 112A may be, for example, client software, and the user terminal 112B may be a web for call-based (or alert) web-based browsing. A browser may be included.

  FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of an SMS message notification system according to the principles of the present invention. The phone 122 may be an SMS capable device that sends an SMS message to the user by specifying a destination address (or destination address) such as the phone number of the phone 116. The SMS message is sent to a wireless carrier 620, such as a mobile phone service provider that provides services for the SMS capable device 122. The wireless carrier 620 sends an SMS message to the SN SMS gateway 630. The SN SMS gateway then sends an SMS message to the SN SMS server 640 that accesses the database 522 to identify the user associated with the destination identifier (or destination identifier).

  The SN SMS server 640 performs a lookup operation (or matching operation) by accessing the database 522 to determine the user's desired device. After the SN SMS server 640 determines the user's desired device, the SN SMS server 640 sends a message to the user's desired device, such as the user terminal 112A. The SN SMS server 640 then formats the message into an appropriate format for display on the user's desired device, such as the user terminal 112A. For example, the message may be formatted as an SMS message, email message, instant message message, voice mail, or text message for display by the digital companion client software of terminal 112A.

  If the sender using the SMS enabled device 122 edits the message and sends the message to the SN SMS destination address, the sender's wireless carrier 620 indicates the carrier that owns the destination SMS phone number, message The message is routed (or routed) to the single number SMS gateway 630 based on the information sent with it. Additionally, this information may indicate how to route the SMS message.

  The SN SMS gateway 630 forwards the message to the SN SMS server 640, which accesses the user's pre-specified service selection associated with the SN SMS destination address. The SN SMS server 640 may be implemented as part of the application server 516 included within the digital companion server 406, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, or may exist independently of the digital companion server. May be. The SN SMS server 640 queries (or issues a query) for example the user's selection stored in the database 522, formats the message based on the user's desired device characteristics, and further, depending on the selection, The SMS message may be routed to a user's desired device such as terminal 112A.

  User 110 may interface with a website or server and specify service selection using a dedicated software application that stores the updated information in database 522 of digital companion server 406. Alternatively, the service selection may be stored on the SN SMS server 640 (without departing from the scope of the present invention).

  In accordance with the present invention, the SN SMS server 640 may maintain routing information for sending outbound (or outbound) SMS messages to other wireless and SMS providers. If the user selection indicates an SMS capable device such as terminal 112A as the user's desired device, SN SMS server 640 will format the incoming (or externally arrived) message into SMS format.

  The SN SMS server 640 may also maintain routing information for sending outbound SMS messages to the user's email address. If the user selection indicates an email address as the desired device, the SN SMS server 640 formats the incoming SMS message as an email and forwards it to the user's email address. Additionally, the user may subsequently change the email address, for example, by using a digital companion client to identify a new email address.

  The SN SMS server 640 may also maintain routing information for sending outbound SMS messages to devices that support instant messaging clients. If the user's selection indicates that the user's desired device is a device that supports an instant message client, the SN SMS server 640 formats the incoming SMS message as an instant message and sends it to the instant message client. A protocol suitable for an instant message service is used to generate an instant message. The SN SMS server 640 may hold routing information for various instant messaging applications such as MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and AOL Instant Messenger.

  The SN SMS server 640 may also maintain routing information for sending outbound SMS messages to the phone 114. If the user's selection indicates a phone as the desired device for the SMS message, the SN SMS server 640 can generate a text A speech engine may be used. The SN SMS server may then dial a specific telephone number associated with the phone 114, play a descriptive message, and play a voice file of the SMS message.

  The SN SMS server 640 may also maintain routing information for sending outbound SMS messages to the user's digital companion client. If the user's selection indicates the digital companion client as the user's desired device, the SN SMS server 640 converts the SMS message to digital companion format and sends the message to the user's digital companion desktop client as a notification.

  FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of the SMS message notification system. The sender edits the SMS message and sends it to the SN SMS destination address (step 710). The sender's wireless carrier consults the routing table and determines the SN SMS gateway information for the message (step 720). The sender's wireless carrier routes the SN SMS message to the SN SMS gateway (step 730). The SN SMS gateway forwards the SMS message to the SN SMS server (step 740). The SN SMS server examines the user's routing selection for the SN SMS destination address (step 750). The SN SMS server SMS message is then routed to the appropriate desired device (step 760).

  Various other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the above description of the invention. The foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention and the true scope and spirit of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary data processing and telecommunications environment having features and aspects in accordance with the principles of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a user terminal as an example based on the principles of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram of a voice network based on the principles of the present invention. FIG. It is a block diagram of a service center based on the principle of the present invention. 1 illustrates a logical architecture of an exemplary system based on the principles of the present invention. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an SMS message notification system based on the principles of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a flow diagram of an SMS message notification system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Data processing and telecommunications environment 102 Data network 104 Voice network 106 Service center 110 User 112 User terminal 114,116,118,122 Telephone 120 Caller 200 CPU
202 Memory 204 Storage Module 206 Network Interface 208 Input Interface 210 Output Interface 212 Input Device 214 Output Device 302 Intelligent Service Control Point 304, 306 Service Transfer Point 308, 310 Service Switching Point 312 Line Information Database 314 ISCP Service Provision and Generation Environment (ISCP) SPACE)
316 Recent Change Engine 320 Intelligent Preferential 402 Firewall 406 Digital Companion Server 408 Communication Portal Server 410 Network Access Server 412 Voice Portal 414 Voice Portal Application Server 416 Voice Recognition Server 418 Network 420 Back End Server 502 Client Side Plane 504 Application Service Plane 506 Network access plane 508 Voice network plane 512 Client proxy 514 Web server 516 Application server 518 Calendar server 520 Notification server 522 Query database 526 Web server 528 Application server 530 Contact database 532 User profile 542 Proxy 544 Assignment activation and inventory system 546 Enterprise recent change engine 548 Multi-service platform 552 Web service external server 554 Single sign-on 556 Voice network data center 620 Wireless carrier 630 SN SMS Gateway 640 SN SMS server

Claims (14)

A method for providing an SMS message to a user having a plurality of devices, including a desired device, comprising:
Receiving an SMS message to the plurality of devices;
Determining the desired device for the received message;
Formatting the SMS message according to the characteristics of the desired device; and
Transmitting the formatted message to the desired device.   The method of claim 1, wherein sending the formatted message comprises sending the formatted message to an SMS-capable device.   The method of claim 1, wherein sending the formatted message comprises sending the formatted message to an email address.   The method of claim 1, wherein sending the formatted message comprises sending the formatted message to an instant messaging client.   The method of claim 1, wherein sending the formatted message comprises sending the formatted message to a telephone.   The method of claim 1, wherein sending the formatted message comprises sending the formatted message to digital companion client software.   The method of claim 1, comprising storing the message in a database if the user's desired device is not available to receive the message. A system for providing an SMS message to a user having a plurality of devices including a desired device:
A database for storing desired device characteristics;
A gateway server for receiving an SMS message sent to one of the plurality of user devices;
A server function to determine the desired device; and
A system comprising an SMS server for sending an SMS message to the desired device. A device for providing an SMS message to a user having a plurality of devices including a desired device:
A database for storing desired device characteristics;
A gateway server for receiving an SMS message sent to one of the plurality of user devices;
A server function to determine the desired device; and
A device comprising an SMS server for sending an SMS message to the desired device.   The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the SMS server comprises a server for storing the message when a user's desired device is not available to receive the message.   9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the SMS server comprises a server that formats the message according to characteristics of the desired device before sending an SMS message to the desired device. A device for providing an SMS message to a user having a plurality of devices including a desired device:
Means for storing desired device characteristics;
Means for receiving an SMS message sent to one of the plurality of user devices;
Means for determining a desired device; and
An apparatus comprising means for transmitting an SMS message to the desired apparatus.   13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for sending the SMS message comprises means for storing the message if a user's desired device is not available to receive the message.   9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for transmitting the SMS message comprises means for formatting the message according to characteristics of the desired device prior to transmitting the SMS message to the desired device.

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