RU2731548C2 - Method of notifying of voice message - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: data processing; communication equipment.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to telecommunications, in particular to a method of informing subscribers on the status of their voice messages in different systems for processing voice messages, and can be used in MRCN (mobile radio communication networks) of any types. Said technical result is achieved by a method of notifying a voice message, according to which a telecommunication provider receives a voice message from a calling party, generates and sends a short message with a voice message notification to the called subscriber, generates and sends to the calling subscriber at least one short message with notification on the status of its voice message, in which it informs on its receiving and acquaintance with its content.

EFFECT: simple and reliable notification of the calling party on the status of its voice messages for the called party in systems for processing voice messages of any standards without any improvement of standardized MRCN nodes.

8 cl, 2 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of telecommunications, in particular to a method for informing subscribers about the status of their voice messages in various voice processing systems VPS (Voice Processing System), voice mail (Voice Mail), systems of pre-recorded voice messages IVR (Interactive Voice Response) when providing her ability to record a message for the recipient. The method can be used by operators of NP (Network Provider) of the intelligent network IN (intelligence network) in MRS (mobile radio communication networks) of any type - GSM, UMTS, LTE and others.

The well-known mobile services Skype, Viber, GoogleTalk, FacebookMessenger, WhatApp, Telegram and others are called messengers. They use the TCP / IP protocol stack to transfer messages without direct contact with the carrier, i.e. outside his signaling network. Such technology in SPRS is usually called OTT (Over the Top) networks, packet network or media layer SPRS - Packet Switched (PS) Domain (clause 3.2. 3 GPP TS 23.002 Technical Specification). Due to the organizational and technical measures taken in TCP / IP interfaces - confirmation of receipt of data by the recipient (receipt), the sender's timeout for retransmission in the absence of a receipt, etc. text messages are delivered without errors. The high speed of message delivery is achieved due to the constantly growing connection speed up to the promising 1-2 Gb / s in 5G. Messenger developers provide users with a graphical interface, a visual environment - chat for exchanging text, audio and video messages. To recognize the status of the sent message, the chat interface provides special markers, usually the so-called. "Check marks" which are usually drawn in the interface of the sent message. In general, one check mark means the successful sending of a message to the messenger server, two of the message delivery to the recipient's device, and when the recipient is familiarized with the message, the check marks are colored in the color provided by the interface.

Traditional SRS services are provided by the telecom operator through a set of signaling protocols of general channel signaling No. 7 OKS7 (clause 102, GOST R 53801-2010) SS7 (3GPP TS 28, 29 series) or by the signal level of the SRS, also referred to as the signaling network - Circuit Switched (CS) Domain , (p. 3.2. 3 GPP TS 23.002 Technical Specification). By analogy with OTT messengers, the signaling SMPP protocol provides for the Transaction Message Mode and, as you know, marks SMS messages on the sender's device with “delivered” markers. Also, the SMPP protocol interacts with VPS systems to notify the user about the presence of voice messages in his voice mailbox VM (voice mail). As you know, VM service is provided by operators based on call forwarding services by signaling SIP, ISUP connection establishment protocols. Reasons for call forwarding are predetermined according to various scenarios - the subscriber is busy, not available, does not answer. After recording the message, the called subscriber is sent an SMS with information about the received message to his voice mailbox. For the caller, redirected by the switching node to the VM server and recorded a voice message in it, its further status remains undefined.

There are scenarios in which an insolvent prepaid subscriber has the ability to send a message to the subscriber of interest via the IVR system with a request to call back, for example, patent RU 2571424. The method does not provide prepaid notification of the subscriber about the status of the sent message. This uncertainty prevents him from making a decision about receiving a temporary payment or waiting for an incoming call.

The method proposed by the authors is aimed at solving these problems, namely, at notifying the caller about the status of the voice message sent by him to the called subscriber in the SRS, or, in general, the method for marking the status of the voice message in the SRS signaling network.

In the part of IVR systems in the current state of the art, patent application WO 2017109748 is known.

The description of the application declares the solution to the problem of stimulating calls in the SPRS. The solution describes various scenarios of notifying the caller when the called subscriber is unavailable for various reasons (busy, unavailable) or notifying the called subscriber about an attempt to call him by an insolvent prepaid subscriber. In the IVR scenario, the method involves the automatic initiation of an outgoing call to the called subscriber from the IVR system when it appears in the network, playing a message about the missed call and sending a SIM STK (PUSH) notification with the number of the called for. The method also provides for sending a notification to the calling party about the appearance of the called subscriber in the network. One of the scenarios provides for the connection to the IVR of both subscribers, while, if the called subscriber wants to initiate a call, the IVR puts him in standby mode and simultaneously initiates a call with the called party. In this solution, all notifications are sent through the SIM STK technology, which entails additional organizational and technical measures for the SIM applet to identify the call as a caller's call, and not the IVR system - adding special prefixes, suffixes, etc. to the identifier. The application does not provide for monitoring the presence of the called subscriber in the network and does not disclose the fact that he listened to an IVR message from the calling subscriber.

The disadvantage of this solution is obviously the need to program the SIM card for the implementation of the SIM STK technology, while for subscribers of different operators there is a need to coordinate SIM applets between them, which, for obvious reasons, is extremely difficult. Therefore, it is preferable to use a solution based on signaling protocols commonly used by operators.

The solution only notifies about the call, but does not notify the caller about the status of the IVR message he recorded, and in most scenarios it does not imply its recording at all.

The disadvantage of the solution is the case when the subscriber has spent the advance of outgoing minutes, but has prepaid Internet traffic - in this case, it is obviously easier for him to make a voice call through the OTT messenger.

The closest technical solution to the authors is the application US 20130268611 aimed at expressing various emotions of the sender in the notification to the called subscriber about the message received on his voice mailbox. The method includes sending a short message with a notification from a voicemail server to a recipient, including expressing an emotion in connection with the received voice message and sending a voicemail message to the recipient based on the voicemail header from the notification. The method does not provide for any notifications to the sender of the voice mail about the status of his message, which is its drawback, for the elimination of which the authors offer their own method of notifying the status of the sent voice message.

The technical result of the method proposed by the authors for notification of a voice message in the SPRS is the implementation of a simple and reliable notification of the caller about the status of his voice messages for the called party in voice message processing systems of the SPRS of any standards without any modification of the standardized SPRS nodes. The proposed method is preferably applicable to messages by the head of mail, but without limitation of legal protection can be applied in any other VPS systems for processing voice messages.

The technical result is achieved by means of a method for notification of a voice message, in accordance with which a telecommunications provider receives a voice message from a calling party, generates and sends to the called subscriber a short message with notification of a voice message, forms and sends to the caller at least one short message with a notification about the status of his voice message, which informs about its receipt and familiarization with its content. Moreover, a short message about the status of a voice message can be a message of SMPP, SMTP, SIP, ISUP protocols or any other telecommunication protocol.

The method is illustrated by the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a simplified diagram of the SPRS with an additional software and hardware node SCP XDRay. FIG. 1 does not limit the connection methods of the XDRay node in the SPRS architecture, but illustrates the preferred connection option within the framework of the present invention.

FIG. Figure 2 shows a signaling exchange diagram for notifying the calling party of the status of a voice message.

In the figures, the signaling network is shown with dashed lines, the packet network with solid lines.

This method can be implemented in SPRS of different ITU-T, 3GPP and ETSI standards. FIG. 1 illustrates simplified SRS of telecommunication providers NP (Network Provider) A, B, including interacting main nodes - mobile terminals of MS subscribers (Mobil Station); SSP service switching nodes - MSC (Mobil Switching Center) switch with VLR (Visitors Location Register) subscribers located in its service area; SMS center SMSC; a voice mail server VM (Voice Mail) in terms of IN (Intelligence Network) networks defined as an IP node (Intellectual Periphery); SCP XDRay software and hardware node providing additional VAS services of IN intelligent networks and connected to the operator's core network. Some standardized SRS nodes are the SCP service control node performing billing functions (in the context of the application, it is functionally included in the SSP node), the home register of subscribers HLR, base station system BSS, gateway nodes GW, etc. for simplicity in FIG. 1, 2 are not shown.

Within the framework of the proposed method, but without limiting the scope of its legal protection by the software and hardware part of the DVO node, it is presented developed by the authors of the PAK SCP XDRay. The proposed method can be implemented by various VAS and / or IP network nodes performing the functions of switching and controlling the services of IN networks (Golstein B.S. Intelligent networks, Radio and Communication Publishing House, Moscow, 2000, p. 53, etc.). Moreover, the method without limiting the scope of legal protection can be implemented by standard SSP, SCP nodes of the SPRS. According to the authors, the preferred embodiment of the method is illustrated on the basis of the SCP XDRay PAK - a complex developed by the applicant for notification of events in the behavior of subscribers in cellular networks developed by the authors - application WO No. 2013107454. The complex can be passively included in the operator's network (Fig. 1) and can be configured to capture any network dialogues of the operator's basic network, the program logic of its operation, which is the know-how of the authors, is optimized for instant response to captured events and is adjusted in terms of the time of formation and transmission to the network notification messages and the possibility of their reception by subscribers or an operator. Subscriber parameters are extracted from the intercepted messages of the SPRS core network and, using a special algorithm of the software complex, are compared with the subscriber profile data to generate a notification method. For the transmission of notification messages, the unit for sending notifications PAC SCP XDRay is implemented with the ability to initiate any SS7 signaling connections and is also an element of the external short message system ESME (External Short Message Entity). In different architectures SPRS PAK SCP XDRay can listen to data exchange of both signaling and packet networks of the operator. In various network architectures, SCP XDRay interacts with IP intelligent peripheral nodes, including the VM server, GW gateway node and / or SSP switching node, SCP service control node, or connecting to the physical network of the SPRS through a generalized gateway. The hardware and software architecture of the SCP XDRay PAK is optimized for instant response to events in the operator's signaling network in the "capture-storage-notification" linkage, and the PAK provides such linkage in various combinations.

The call diagram of FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified SRS signaling exchange for implementing a voice notification method. For simplicity, the call diagram is illustrated using the SIP protocol. Without limiting legal protection, the method can be implemented by the ISUP protocol, as well as by any other protocols for establishing the connection of the SPRS. The standby mode of the SCP XDRay PAK provides for passive listening to signaling messages of the SPRS core network. It is determined that subscriber (MS) A is not available to receive a voice call - busy-busy, detach-offline, or not answer-not answering and subscribed to the VM voicemail service. Such a subscription can be implemented by an N-CSI trigger (Network Service CAMEL Subscription Information, N-CSI) at the switching node MSC A (SSP A). After receiving the SIP connection setup message 1 INVITE A, the switch MSC A raises the N-CSI trigger of MS A's subscription to VM A's voicemail and checks the conditions under which the message 1 INVITE A-MS A busy, detach, not answer was received. Because conditions correspond to forwarding to the voice mail server VM A, switch MSC A routes the call to the server VM A - 2 INVITE VM A. Subscriber B leaves a voice message on the server for subscriber A - for example, "Call back if possible." Then the connection is disconnected at the initiative of subscriber B (MS B) - messages 3 BYE, 4 200 OK.

After disconnecting and releasing the signaling channels, the standard logic of voice mail VM A sends an SMS notification to subscriber A about an incoming voice message - 5 SMS A. SMS A message can be stored on SMSC A until the reasons for unavailability of subscriber A (MS A) are eliminated, for example, the appearance in network of the registration message in the MS A Attach Request (IMSI, ..) network, after which SMSC A delivers a notification of the voice message to MS A-message 6 SMS A. The program logic of the SCP XDRay PAK provides for interception as Attach Request messages (IMSI,. .) and messages 6 SMS A. Upon the appearance in the network and the capture of these messages, SCP XDRay PAK determines that MS A is notified of the fact of receipt of a voice mail message from subscriber B (MS B) to its address. Upon this definition, the program logic changes the status of the voice message to “delivered to the recipient” (subscriber A) and sends a notification SMS message to subscriber B - message 7 SMS B with the updated status, for example “subscriber A has been notified of your voice message”. The interaction of the SCP XDRay PAK with the VM A server using the agreed API (..) (Fig. 1) program interfaces provides for periodic polling of the VM server about the fact that subscriber A has listened to a voice message - dialogue 8-9 API (req. Data), API (resp. data). After confirmation of the fact that subscriber A has listened to a voice message, the program logic of the PAK SCP XDRay changes the status of the voice message to "listened to by the recipient" (subscriber A) and sends a notification SMS message to subscriber B message 10 SMS B with a changed status - for example, "subscriber A listened to your voice message" ... If the program logic of the PAC SCP XDRay does not receive confirmation from the VM server A that subscriber A has listened to a voice message, its algorithm changes the status of the voice message to "delivered but not heard." In different scenarios, the SCP XDRay PAK algorithm may provide timers for the last status change. In this case, SCP XDRay PAK sends to subscriber B a 10 SMS C message with the status, for example, “subscriber A is notified of your voice message, but did not listen to it”. SMS text in messages may vary depending on the preferences of the service provider.

As a specialist understands and without limiting the legal protection of the proposed method, in another embodiment, this method can be implemented directly by the server VM A, provided that SMS A is sent with confirmation of end-to-end delivery, i.e. directly on MS A. However, such an implementation seems less preferable to the authors, since "Unties" the functionality of the VM A server as a node of the intelligent IP periphery to the functions of switching and service control that are not characteristic of it.

The above-described technical appearance of the proposed method of notification of a voice message fits well into the paradigm of the SPRS signaling network, since uses only signaling switching channels and transfers the marking of voice messages from OTT media layer applications to the SPRS signaling network, which was previously impossible.

The illustrated above method of implementation through a passive VAS node, SCP XDRay PAK is preferable based on the IN paradigm of separating the functions of providing services and managing them in IN networks.

Ease of implementation nullifies the need for any modification of standard network nodes, SCP XDRay, as a VAS server by definition of IN networks, is endowed with switching and service management functions within the framework of providing other services based on the analysis of network events of the SPRS signaling network.

The effect of this method is obviously to inform subscriber B about the status of his message (as well as prepaid subscriber A) by analogy with OTT messengers. Additionally, the method stimulates subscriber B to re-call subscriber A.

Additionally, without limiting the legal protection of the proposed method, notifications to the called subscriber can be generated and sent as PUSH messages or in any other formats known from the current state of the art.

This method was tested by the applicant in the SPRS of a well-known operator based on the PAK SCP XDRay complex and confirmed compliance with the declared technical result.

Claims (8)

1. A method of notification of a voice message, according to which the telecommunications provider of the called party receives a voice message from the calling party, generates and sends to the called subscriber a short message with notification of the voice message, characterized in that the telecommunications provider, without the participation of the subscriber, generates and sends to the caller at least one short message notifying the status of the voice message. 2. The method for notification of a voice message according to claim 1, characterized in that the short message about the status of the voice message informs the caller that the called subscriber has received a voice message. 3. The method for notification of a voice message according to claim 1, characterized in that a short message about the status of a voice message informs the caller that the called subscriber has not received a voice message. 4. The method of notification of a voice message according to claim 1, characterized in that the short message about the status of the voice message informs the caller about familiarizing the called subscriber with the content of the voice message. 5. A method for notification of a voice message according to claim 1, characterized in that a short message about the status of a voice message informs the caller that the called subscriber is not familiar with the content of the voice message. 6. The method for notification of a voice message according to claim 1, characterized in that the short message about the status of the voice message is an SMPP protocol message. 7. The method for notification of a voice message according to claim 1, characterized in that the short message about the status of the voice message is a SIP protocol message. 8. The method for notification of a voice message according to claim 1, wherein the short message on the status of the voice message is an ISUP protocol message.

Images