SEQUENTIAL MESSAGE DELIVERY FOR FDA PROCESSING AND STORE-AND-FORWARD PROCESSING

1 . A message system for a mobile network, the message system comprising:

a message processor operable to receive a text message intended for a destination, to determine whether a prior text message is pending in a store-and-forward system for the destination, to forward the received text message to a First Delivery Attempt (FDA) system for FDA processing responsive to a determination that a prior text message is not pending in the store-and-forward system, and to forward the received text message to the store-and-forward system for store-and-forward processing responsive to a determination that the prior text message is pending in the store-and-forward system.

2 . The message system of claim 1 further comprising:

a central database operable to store message indicators for a plurality of destinations, wherein each message indicator indicates whether a prior text message is pending in the store-and-forward system for a destination.

3 . The message system of claim 2 wherein:

the message processor is further operable to transmit a query to the central database as to whether a prior text message is pending in the store-and-forward system for the destination;

the central database is further operable to receive the query, to process the query to identify a destination identifier for the destination, to search for a message indicator that is mapped to the destination based on the destination identifier, and to transmit a response that includes the message indicator mapped to the destination; and

the message processor is further operable to receive the response that includes the message indicator for the destination, and to process the message indicator to determine whether a prior text message is pending in the store-and-forward system for the destination.

4 . The message system of claim 2 further comprising:

the store-and-forward system operable to detect the prior text message pending for the destination, to generate a first update message indicating that the prior text message is pending for the destination, and to transmit the first update message to the central database.

5 . The message system of claim 4 wherein:

the central database is further operable to receive the first update message from the store-and-forward system, and to update the message indicator for the destination based on the first update message.

6 . The message system of claim 5 wherein:

the store-and-forward system is further operable to detect a successful delivery of the prior text message to the destination, to generate a second update message indicating that the prior text message was successfully delivered to the destination, and to transmit the second update message to the central database.

7 . The message system of claim 6 wherein:

the central database is further operable to receive the second update message from the store-and-forward system, and to update the message indicator for the destination based on the second update message.

8 . A method within a mobile network, the method comprising:

receiving a text message intended for a destination;

determining whether a prior text message is pending in a store-and-forward system for the destination;

forwarding the received text message to a First Delivery Attempt (FDA) system for FDA processing responsive to a determination that a prior text message is not pending in the store-and-forward system; and

forwarding the received text message to the store-and-forward system for store-and-forward processing responsive to a determination that the prior text message is pending in the store-and-forward system.

9 . The method of claim 8 further comprising:

storing message indicators in a central database for a plurality of destinations, wherein each message indicator indicates whether a prior text message is pending in the store-and-forward system for a destination.

10 . The method of claim 9 further comprising:

transmitting a query to the central database as to whether a prior text message is pending in the store-and-forward system for the destination;

receiving a response that includes a message indicator for the destination; and

processing the message indicator in the response to determine whether a prior text message is pending in the store-and-forward system for the destination.

11 . The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving the query in the central database;

processing the query to identify a destination identifier for the destination;

searching for the message indicator that is mapped to the destination based on the destination identifier; and

transmitting the response that includes the message indicator mapped to the destination.

12 . The method of claim 9 further comprising:

detecting the prior text message in the store-and-forward system pending for the destination;

generating a first update message indicating that the prior text message is pending for the destination; and

transmitting the first update message from the store-and-forward system to the central database.

13 . The method of claim 12 further comprising:

receiving the first update message in the central database from the store-and-forward system; and

updating the message indicator for the destination based on the first update message.

14 . The method of claim 13 further comprising:

detecting a successful delivery of the prior text message to the destination in the store-and-forward system;

generating a second update message indicating that the prior text message was successfully delivered to the destination; and

transmitting the second update message from the store-and-forward system to the central database.

15 . The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving the second update message in the central database from the store-and-forward system; and

updating the message indicator for the destination based on the second update message.

16 . A mobile network comprising:

a First Delivery Attempt (FDA) system operable to implement FDA processing, wherein FDA processing comprises attempting delivery of text messages first before storing the text messages;

a store-and-forward system operable to implement store-and-forward processing, wherein store-and-forward processing comprises storing text messages first and then attempting delivery of text messages; and

a message processor operable to receive a text message intended for a destination, to determine whether a prior text message is pending in the store-and-forward system for the destination, to forward the received text message to the FDA system for FDA processing responsive to a determination that the prior text message is not pending in the store-and-forward system, and to forward the received text message to the store-and-forward system for store-and-forward processing responsive to a determination that the prior text message is pending in the store-and-forward system so that the prior text message and the received text message are delivered in sequence.

17 . The mobile network of claim 16 further comprising:

a central database operable to store message indicators for a plurality of destinations, wherein each message indicator indicates whether a prior text message is pending in the store-and-forward system for a destination;

wherein the message processor is further operable to transmit a query to the central database as to whether a prior text message is pending in the store-and-forward system for the destination;

wherein the central database is further operable to receive the query, to process the query to identify a destination identifier for the destination, to search for a message indicator that is mapped to the destination, and to transmit a response to the query that includes the message indicator mapped to the destination;

wherein the message processor is further operable to receive the response that includes the message indicator for the destination, and to process the message indicator in the response to determine whether a prior text message is pending in the store-and-forward system for the destination.

18 . The mobile network of claim 17 wherein:

the store-and-forward system is further operable to detect the prior text message pending for the destination, to generate a first update message indicating that the prior text message is pending for the destination, and to transmit the first update message to the central database; and

the central database is further operable to receive the first update message from the store-and-forward system, and to update the message indicator for the destination based on the first update message.

19 . The mobile network of claim 18 wherein:

the store-and-forward system is further operable to detect a successful delivery of the prior text message to the destination, to generate a second update message indicating that the prior text message was successfully delivered to the destination, and to transmit the second update message to the central database; and

the central database is further operable to receive the second update message from the store-and-forward system, and to update the message indicator for the destination based on the second update message.

20 . The mobile network of claim 16 wherein the FDA system comprises a cluster of FDA processors sharing a common network address.