Caller ID for text messaging
View Patent ↗Systems and methods for providing caller ID information for text messaging. In one embodiment, a message center receives a text message from a sender, and identifies a name of the sender. The message center then inserts the sender name in the text message, and transmits the text message towards a recipient.
1. A system comprising:
a Short Message Service Center (SMSC) configured to receive a text message from a message center over a network, and to determine whether the text message includes a sender name of a person who sent the text message;
when the text message does not include the sender name, the SMSC is configured to parse the text message to locate a directory number of the sender, to send a query to a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) to acquire a name of the sender that is defined within the network as associated with the directory number, and to insert the sender name in the text message;
when the text message includes the sender name, the SMSC is configured to process policy rules defined by a recipient to determine whether to override the sender name, to identify an alternate name for the sender of the text message responsive to a determination to override, and to insert the alternate name in the text message;
the SMSC is configured to transmit the text message towards the recipient.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the SMSC is further configured to insert the sender name in a header defined in a signaling protocol used for transporting the text message.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the SMSC is further configured to insert the sender name in a payload of the text message.
4. The system of claim 2 wherein:
the signaling protocol comprises MAP; and
the SMSC is further configured to insert the sender name in a MAP TP-Originating-Address parameter.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the SMSC is further configured to process the policy rules to determine whether to insert the sender name in the text message.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein:
the SMSC is further configured to process an identity of the recipient to determine whether to insert the sender name in the text message.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the SMSC is further configured to identify a plurality of names defined for the sender, and to select one of the names based on the policy rules.
8. A method comprising:
receiving a text message from a message center into a Short Message Service Center (SMSC);
determining, at the SMSC, whether the text message includes a sender name of a person who sent the text message;
when the text message does not include the sender name:
parsing the text message in the SMSC to locate a directory number of the sender;
sending a query from the SMSC to a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) to acquire a name of the sender that is defined within the network as associated with the directory number; and
inserting the sender name in the text message;
when the text message includes the sender name:
determining, at the SMSC, whether to override the sender name by processing policy rules defined by a recipient;
identifying an alternate name for the sender of the text message responsive to a determination to override; and
inserting the alternate name in the text message; and
transmitting the text message towards the recipient.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein inserting the sender name in the text message comprises:
inserting the sender name in a header defined in a signaling protocol used for transporting the text message.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein inserting the sender name in the text message comprises:
inserting the sender name in a payload of the text message.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein:
the signaling protocol comprises MAP; and
inserting the sender name in the header of the text message comprises inserting the sender name in a MAP TP-Originating-Address parameter.
12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
processing the policy rules to determine whether to insert the sender name in the text message.
13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
processing an identity of the recipient to determine whether to insert the sender name in the text message.
14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
identifying a plurality of names defined for the sender; and
selecting one of the names based on the policy rules.