Methods and systems for transmitting video messages to mobile communication devices
Methods and systems for managing messaging are described. An illustrative messaging system includes a processor and a content database storing video content and/or other content, and a user database that stores an identifier corresponding to a telecommunications carrier associated with a user mobile phone, and an indicator indicating the messaging capability of the mobile phone of the user. Code is stored in memory that is configured to provide for display on a terminal a faun via which a user can view a plurality of videos from the content database, select a video to be sent as a message, and specify a recipient for the video message. The system is optionally configured to initiate the transmission of an approval request message to a terminal, such as a mobile phone associated with the user, wherein the user can approve the sending of the video message to the recipient by taking an action in response to the approval request.
1. A method of transmitting video messages to a mobile phone, the method comprising:
receiving over a network at a message management system a request from a user that a video message be sent to a recipient mobile phone;
transmitting an authorization request message to a mobile phone associated with the user, wherein the user needs to provide a user authorization response in order for the video message to be sent to the recipient;
at least partly in response to receiving an authorization response from the user, initiating the transmission of the video message to the recipient mobile phone;
determining whether the recipient mobile phone is capable of receiving an MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) message;
when the recipient mobile phone is capable of receiving an MMS message, having the video message delivered to the recipient mobile phone via an MMS message; and
when the recipient mobile phone is not capable of receiving an MMS message, having access to the video message provided to the recipient mobile phone via a SMS (Short Message Service) WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) push message,
wherein the SMS WAP push message includes an option of connecting to a specified URL (Uniform Resource Locator) via a recipient mobile phone browser to access the video message.
2. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the authorization request message is an SMS (Short Message Service) message.
3. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the authorization response is provided via an SMS (Short Message Service) message.
4. The method as defined in claim 1 , the method further comprising:
determining whether the recipient mobile phone is capable of receiving an MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) message;
when the recipient mobile phone is capable of receiving an MMS message, having the video message delivered to the recipient mobile phone via an MMS message; and
when the recipient mobile phone is not capable of receiving an MMS message, having access to the video message provided to the recipient mobile phone via a SMS (Short Message Service) WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) push message.
5. The method as defined in claim 1 , the method further comprising:
determining whether the recipient mobile phone is capable of receiving an MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) message;
when the recipient mobile phone is capable of receiving an MMS message, having the video message delivered to the recipient mobile phone via an MMS message; and
when the recipient mobile phone is not capable of receiving an MMS message, having access to the video message provided to the recipient mobile phone via a SMS (Short Message Service) WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) push message,
wherein when the SMS WAP push message is to be used, a corresponding WAP push object is created and the WAP push object is transmitted to a gateway for forwarding to the recipient mobile phone carrier.
6. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the video message is delivered using deferred MMS delivery.
7. The method as defined in claim 1 , the method further comprising:
receiving from the user a request that a second message be sent;
determining whether the user had previously provided authorization for at least one other message to be sent in response to at least one authorization notification; and
at least partly in response to determining the user had previously provided authorization for at least one other message to be sent in response to at least one authorization notification, initiating transmission of the second message without sending another authorization notification to the user's telephonic device.
8. The method as defined in claim 1 , the method further comprising sending another notification request authorizing transmission of the second message to the user's telephonic device at least partly in response to determining the user had not, within a specified period of preceding time, provided authorization for at least one message to be sent in response to at least one authorization notification.
9. The method as defined in claim 1 , the method further comprising:
determining whether the user has a subscription for the sending of video messages; and
determining whether a third party has sponsored the sending of the video messages.
10. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the recipient is the user.
11. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the user is billed for the video included in the video message transmission via a carrier associated with user mobile phone.