Multimedia message center for delivering a multimedia message to a telecommunication device during an established traffic channel connection
View Patent ↗The present application discloses an apparatus, system and method for reducing the time required for transmitting a multimedia message from any sender to any addressee and thus generally cut the cost of the multimedia message service. A traffic channel connection is kept to a receiving telecommunication device, which is established by a multimedia message service center that has received a multimedia message designated by a transmitting telecommunication device for said receiving telecommunication device, for example, in order to transmit an information message to the receiving telecommunication device during an SMS session by means of which the multimedia message service center informs the receiving telecommunication device about the arrival of the multimedia message, established for at least the period of time it takes the receiving telecommunication device to evaluate the received information message and hold an MMS session for fetching the message content of the multimedia message designated for the receiving telecommunication device from the multimedia message service center.
1. A multimedia message service center for delivering a multimedia message to a telecommunication device, the multimedia message service center comprising:
a central control unit that controls the operating and function sequences in the multimedia message service center, and to which a storage location for storing the multimedia messages is assigned;
a receiving device, for receiving multimedia messages, which receives the multimedia message to be delivered to the telecommunication device, and is connected to the central control unit for the purpose of forwarding said message to it;
registration means, assigned to the central control unit, which store the multimedia message that has arrived in the central control unit at the storage location;
information message generation means, assigned to the central control unit, which generate an information message concerning the multimedia message that has arrived in the central control unit; and
a transmitting and receiving device, for transmitting and receiving messages, which is connected to the central control unit, receives the information message from the central control unit and sends said message directly or indirectly to the telecommunication device in order to inform the telecommunication device about the stored multimedia message,
such that during an information session, the transmitting and receiving device sends the information message to the telecommunication device via an established direct or indirect traffic channel connection to the telecommunication device;
wherein upon the transmission of the information message the information session is terminated but the traffic channel connection to the telecommunication device remains established at least until the telecommunication device has analyzed the received information message and retrieved the stored multimedia message from the multimedia message service center via the established traffic channel connection during a fetching session;
such that both (a) the information message informing the telecommunication device about the stored multimedia message and (b) the multimedia message itself are transmitted to the telecommunication device during the same single traffic channel connection.
2. The multimedia message service center according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting and receiving device is configured such that during the information session the telecommunication device is informed that the traffic channel connection remains established for a specified time which is sufficient for the analysis of the information message and for the duration of the fetching session.
3. The multimedia message service center according to claim 2 , wherein the central control unit and the transmitting and receiving device are configured such:
a special information element of an information element container used for the transmission of the information message is generated and transmitted together with the information message, or
a separate message is generated and transmitted separately from the information message.
4. The multimedia message service center according to claim 1 , wherein the central control unit and the transmitting and receiving device are configured such that during the information session, the telecommunication device requests that the traffic channel connection remain established for a specified time sufficient for the analysis of the information message and for the duration of the fetching session.
5. The multimedia message service center according to claim 1 , wherein the information message is inserted into a short message configured as a short message service message, and the multimedia message service center is connected to a short message service center, such that the short message is sent on the instructions of the multimedia message service center from a short message service center to the telecommunication device.
6. The multimedia message service center according to claim 5 , wherein the transmitting and receiving device is configured such that the short message service center is instructed by the multimedia message service center when the information message is sent by the multimedia message service center to the short message service center.
7. The multimedia message service center according to claim 1 , wherein the information message is inserted in a wireless application protocol push message, the wireless application protocol push message is inserted into a short message configured as a short message service message, and the multimedia message service center is connected to a short message service center, such that the short message is sent on the instructions of the multimedia message service center from a short message service center to the telecommunication device.
8. The multimedia message service center according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting and receiving device is configured such that the information message is transmitted using in-band signaling.
9. The multimedia message service center according to claim 8 . wherein the transmitting and receiving device is configured such that the in-band signaling uses FSK transmission or DTMF transmission.
10. The multimedia message service center according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting and receiving device is configured such that the information session is carried out according to a modem protocol or a facsimile protocol.
11. The multimedia message service center according to claim 1 , configured such that the fetching session is carried out according to a TCP/IP protocol, a WSP protocol, a modem protocol or a facsimile protocol.
12. The multimedia message service center according to claim 1 , wherein the multimedia message contains at least one of audio, video and text data.
13. A multimedia message service center for delivering a multimedia message to a telecommunication device, the multimedia message service center comprising logic instructions stored in tangible computer-readable storage and executable to:
receive a multimedia message;
store the multimedia message; and
send, directly or indirectly, an information message to the telecommunication device informing the telecommunication device about the stored multimedia message, the information message being transmitted during an information session and via an established direct or indirect traffic channel connection to the telecommunication device;
wherein upon the transmission of the information message the information session is terminated but the traffic channel connection to the telecommunication device remains established at least until the telecommunication device has analyzed the received information message and retrieved the stored multimedia message from the multimedia message service center via the established traffic channel connection during a fetching session;
such that both (a) the information message informing the telecommunication device about the stored multimedia message and (b) the multimedia message itself are transmitted to the telecommunication device during the same single traffic channel connection.