Mobile services control platform providing a message forwarding service
View Patent ↗A mobile services control platform supports enhanced services for SMS or MMS message forwarding. The service allows a subscriber to receive SMS (Short Message Service) directed to his or her mobile number across a range of devices, depending on the context, the device, and the network the user is connected from. In a representative example, when the user connects over a Wi-Fi network, e.g., using his or her laptop or other such device, he or she selects “Wi-Fi SMS” option from a client. As a result, future SMS sent to the user's mobile number get routed to his or her laptop over Wi-Fi—without the sender being aware that the user has connected over a different network. Similarly, SMS messages sent by the user from his or her laptop Wi-Fi client (e.g., through a softphone) are delivered to the recipient's mobile device as if they originated from the mobile phone. When Wi-Fi SMS is activated, preferably voice calls continue to be received over the mobile phone, with only SMS forwarded to Wi-Fi. When the user disables Wi-Fi SMS or disconnects from the Wi-Fi network, SMS messages are routed back over to the mobile phone.
1. A method of communicating a data message within a converged networking operating environment wherein a gateway is deployed in a service provider's telecommunications network and client software is embedded in a subscriber mobile device that is operable within both the telecommunications network and a wireless local area network to which the subscriber mobile device is connectable, the service provider's telecommunications network having a set of one or more network elements that route data messages, and a database that, in use during the communicating method, consists of a first address field for storing MSC/VLR voice presence and location information, and a second address field for storing GPRS data presence and location information, and wherein a connection is established between the client software and the gateway, the method comprising:
updating data message routing information in the database by overloading the second address field in the database with information sufficient to identify the gateway as a location of the subscriber mobile device when the subscriber mobile device is connected to the wireless local area network while leaving the first address field unchanged so that voice signaling remains unaffected; and
communicating data messages to and from the subscriber mobile device by:
(a) upon receipt at a first network element of a first data message intended for the subscriber: (i) querying the database for the subscriber's location, (ii) returning to the first network element location information associated with the gateway, (iii) forwarding the first data message from the first network element to the gateway, and (iv) forwarding, over the connection, the first data message from the gateway to the client device;
(b) upon generation of a second data message originated by the subscriber: (i) receiving at the gateway the second data message; and (ii) forwarding the second data message from the gateway to a second network element for subsequent delivery over the service provider's telecommunications network.
2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the first data message or the second data message is an SMS.
3. The method as described in claim 2 wherein the SMS data message is associated with receipt of an MMS intended for the subscriber.
4. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the service provider's telecommunications network is a GSM network, the first network element includes an SMS-GMSC, and the database is an HLR.
5. The method as described in claim 4 further including configuring the SMS-GMSC to enable delivery of SMS over GPRS prior to updating data message routing information in the HLR.
6. The method as described in claim 4 wherein updating data message routing information in the HLR configures the gateway as an SGSN.
7. The method as described in claim 1 further including the step of re-updating the data message routing information in the database to de-identify the gateway as a location of the subscriber mobile device.
8. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the step of updating the data message routing information in the database occurs in response to receipt, at the gateway, of a subscriber's request to initiate a data message forwarding service.
9. The method as described in claim 1 further including the step of receiving a delivery report at the second network element following delivery of the second data message, and forwarding the delivery report from the second network element to the gateway for subsequent delivery over the connection to the subscriber's mobile device.
10. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the second network element includes an SMS-IWMSC.
11. The method as described in claim 3 further including the step of receiving at the gateway a request to obtain the MMS intended for the subscriber, and forwarding the request from the gateway to a MMS relay server.
12. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the subscriber mobile device is a wireless client having a first interface to the wireless local area network and a second interface to the telecommunications network.
13. A system for use in a service provider's telecommunications network having a set of one or more network elements that route data messages and a database that, in use, consists of a first address field for storing MSC/VLR voice presence and location information, and a second address field for storing GPRS data presence and location information, comprising, in combination:
a gateway;
client software executable within a subscriber mobile device that is operable within both the telecommunications network and a wireless local area network to which the subscriber mobile device is connectable, wherein the client software is connectable to the gateway over a secure connection;
code executable on the gateway and responsive to a service request received from the client software over the secure connection for initiating a request to update data message routing information in the database, wherein the updated data message routing information overloads the second address field in the database with information sufficient to identify the gateway as a location of the subscriber mobile device when the subscriber mobile device is connected to the wireless local area network while leaving the first address field unchanged so that voice signaling remains unaffected; and
code executable on the gateway and responsive to receipt from the first network element of a first data message for forwarding the first data message to the subscriber over the secure connection, and responsive to receipt from the subscriber of a second data message for forwarding the second data message to a second network element for subsequent delivery over the telecommunications network.
14. The system as described in claim 13 wherein the data message is an SMS.
15. The system as described in claim 14 wherein the SMS data message is associated with receipt of an MMS intended for the subscriber.
16. The system as described in claim 15 further including code executable on the gateway and responsive to receipt from the subscriber of a third data message for fetching the MMS and forwarding the MMS to the subscriber mobile device.
17. The system as described in claim 14 further including code executable on the gateway and responsive to a service de-registration request received from the client software over the secure connection for initiating a request to re-update data message routing information in the database, wherein the re-updated data message routing information de-identifies the gateway as a location of the subscriber mobile device.
18. The system as described in claim 14 wherein the service provider's telecommunications network is a GSM network, the first network element is an SMS-GMSC, and the database is an HLR.
19. The system as described in claim 14 wherein the subscriber mobile device is a wireless client that has a first interface to the wireless local area network and a second interface to the telecommunications network.
20. Apparatus for use in a service provider's telecommunications network having a set of one or more network elements that route data messages and a database that, in use, consists of a first address field for storing MSC/VLR voice presence and location information, and a second address field for storing GPRS data presence and location information, comprising:
at least one processor;
a first set of instructions executable on the processor and responsive to a service request from a subscriber mobile device for initiating a request to update data message routing information in the database, wherein the updated data message routing information overloads the second address field in the database with information sufficient to identify the apparatus as a location of a subscriber mobile device in the service provider's telecommunications network when the subscriber mobile device is connected to the wireless local area network while leaving the first address field unchanged so that voice signaling remains unaffected; and
a second set of instructions executable on the processor and (a) responsive to receipt from a first network element of a mobile terminated data image for forwarding the mobile terminated data message to the subscriber mobile device and (b) responsive to receipt from the subscriber of a mobile originated data message for forwarding the mobile originated data message to a second network element.
21. A method of communicating a data message within an networking operating environment wherein a gateway is deployed in a telecommunications network and client software is embedded in a subscriber mobile device that is operable within both the telecommunications network and an IP network to which the subscriber mobile device is connectable, the service provider's telecommunications network having a set of one or more network elements that route data messages, and a database that, in use during the communicating method, consists of a first address field for storing MSC/VLR voice presence and location information, and a second address field for storing GPRS data presence and location information, and wherein a secure connection is established between the client software and the gateway, the method comprising:
updating data message routing information in the database by overloading the second address field in the database with information sufficient to identify the gateway as a location of the subscriber mobile device when the subscriber mobile device is connected to the wireless local area network while leaving the first address field unchanged so that voice signaling remains unaffected; and
communicating data messages to and from the subscriber mobile device by:
(a) upon receipt at a first network element of a first data message intended for the subscriber: (i) querying the database for the subscriber's location, (ii) returning to the first network element location information associated with the gateway, (iii) forwarding the first data message from the first network element to the gateway, and (iv) forwarding, over the connection, the first data message from the gateway to the client device;
(b) upon generation of a second data message originated by the subscriber: (i) receiving at the gateway the second data message; and (ii) forwarding the second data message from the gateway to a second network element for subsequent delivery over the service provider's telecommunications network.
22. A method of communicating a data message within a converged networking operating environment wherein a gateway is deployed in a provider's telecommunications network and client software is embedded in a mobile device that is operable within both the telecommunications network and a wireless or wired local are network to which the mobile device is connectable, the provider's telecommunications network having at least one network element that routes data messages, and a database that, in use during the communicating method, consists of a first address field for storing MSC/VLR voice presence and location information, and a second address field for storing GPRS data presence and location information, the method comprising:
updating data message routing information in the database by overloading the second address field in the database with information sufficient to identify the gateway as a location of the mobile device when the mobile device is connected to the local area network while leaving the first address field unchanged so that voice signaling remains unaffected; and
using the updated data message routing information, communicating data messages to and from the mobile device;
wherein the data messages are SMS or MMS.
23. The method as described in claim 22 wherein the step of updating data message routing information in the database enables the gateway to emulate a SGSN.