Methods and apparatus for providing consistency in SMS message timestamp formatting for mobile communication devices

1. In a terminating message center, a method of providing consistency in Short Message Service (SMS) time stamp formatting for mobile communication devices, the method comprising:

receiving, at the terminating message center and from an originating message center, an SMS message to be delivered to a mobile communication device, the SMS message containing an originating message center time stamp added by the originating message center, the originating message center time stamp being formatted using a time stamp mode of the originating message center;

converting, at the terminating message center, the originating message center time stamp from a Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) format to a non-UTC time format using a home time zone of the terminating message center when the originating message center time stamp is in UTC format, thereby creating a converted message center time stamp; and

causing the SMS message having the converted message center time stamp to be sent to the mobile communication device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining the time stamp mode based on an identification of the originating message center.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining the time stamp mode based on an address of an originating mobile communication device which originated the SMS message.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the terminating message center comprises a terminating Short Message Service Center.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining the time stamp mode based on an indication in the SMS message.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

refraining from converting the originating message center time stamp to the non-UTC time format when the originating message center time stamp is in non-UTC format.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

translating, at the terminating message center, the originating message center time stamp from a home time zone of the originating message center to the home time zone of the terminating message center if the time stamp mode is non-UTC.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the time stamp mode of UTC specifies that message center time stamps of SMS messages from the originating message center are set to UTC time regardless of a home time zone associated with an originating mobile communication device that originates the SMS messages.

9. A method of providing consistency in Short Message Service (SMS) message timestamp formatting for mobile communication devices, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving, at a first message center, a first SMS message addressed to a first mobile communication device from a second message center, the first SMS message containing a first message center time stamp provided by the second message center;

modifying the first SMS message at the first message center to convert the first message center time stamp of the first SMS message from a Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) format to a non-UTC format using a home time zone associated with the first mobile communication device when the first message center time stamp is in UTC format;

receiving, at the first message center, a second SMS message to be transmitted to a second mobile communication device via the second message center;

modifying the second SMS message at the first message center to provide a second message center time stamp in the second SMS message in the UTC format; and

transmitting the second SMS message to the second message center.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first message center operates in a non-UTC time stamp mode.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein each said first and second SMS message comprises an SMS Teleservice layer message in accordance with 3GPP2.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first message center is a home message center of the first mobile communication device.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein wherein the first message center comprises a Short Message Service Center.

14. A message center which is operative to provide consistency in Short Message Service (SMS) message timestamp formatting for mobile communication devices by receiving, at the message center, a first SMS message addressed to a first mobile communication device, from another message center, the first SMS message containing a first message center time stamp provided by the other message center; modifying the first SMS message at the message center to convert the first message center time stamp of the first SMS message from a Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) format to a non-UTC format using a home time zone associated with the first mobile communication device when the first message center time stamp is in UTC format; receiving, at the message center, a second SMS message to be transmitted to a second mobile communication device via the other message center; modifying the second SMS message at the message center to provide a second message center time stamp in the second SMS message in the UTC format; and transmitting the second SMS message to the other message center.

15. The message center of claim 14 , wherein the message center operates in a non-UTC time stamp mode.

16. The message center of claim 14 , wherein each said first and second SMS message comprises an SMS Teleservice layer message in accordance with 3GPP2.

17. The message center of claim 14 , which is the home message center of the first mobile communication device.

18. The message center of claim 14 , which comprises a Short Message Service Center.

19. In a terminating Short Message Service (SMS) Message Center (SMS-MC), a method of providing consistency in SMS time stamp formatting for mobile communication devices, the method comprising:

receiving, at the terminating SMS-MC and from an originating SMS-MC, an SMS message to be delivered to a mobile communication device, the SMS message containing an originating message center time stamp added by the originating SMS-MC, the originating message center time stamp being formatted using a time stamp mode of the originating SMS-MC;

converting, at the terminating SMS-MC, the originating message center time stamp from a Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) format to a non-UTC time format using a home time zone of the terminating SMS-MC when the originating message center time stamp is in UTC format, thereby creating a converted message center time stamp; and

causing the SMS message having the converted message center time stamp to be sent to the mobile communication device.

20. A method of providing consistency in Short Message Service (SMS) message timestamp formatting for mobile communication devices, the method comprising:

receiving, at a terminating message center, a first SMS message to be sent to a first mobile communication device from a second mobile communication device through an originating message center, the first SMS message containing an originating message center timestamp provided by the originating message center;

modifying the first SMS message at the terminating message center to convert the originating message center time stamp of the first SMS message from a Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) format to a non-UTC format using a home time zone associated with the first mobile communication device; and

for a second SMS message to be sent from the first mobile communication device to the second mobile communication device through the originating message center: modifying the second SMS message at the terminating message center to provide a terminating message center time stamp in the second SMS message in the UTC format.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the terminating message center operates in a non-UTC time stamp mode.

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein the first and the second SMS messages are SMS Teleservice layer messages in accordance with 3GPP2.

23. The method of claim 20 , wherein the UTC format is independent of a local time in a home time zone of the second mobile communication device.