Patent ID: 6463291
Filing Date: 2002-10-08
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
A method performed at a receiving mobile switching center and to process a short message received by the receiving mobile switching center from a sending unit during transmission of at least one previously received short message, wherein the mobile switching centre is configured to optionally store received short messages in a queue, the method comprising:estimating a total delay, the total delay being defined as a time period between a moment when an arriving short message arrives at the mobile switching centre and a moment when the mobile switching centre will send the arriving short message to the B-subscriber; comparing the estimated total delay with a predefined threshold value; if the estimated total delay is less than the predefined threshold value, storing the arriving short message in the queue and sending the arriving short message when at least one previously received short message previously stored in the queue has been sent; and if the estimated total delay is greater than the predefined threshold value, not storing the arriving short message in the queue and sending a negative acknowledgement to the sending unit; wherein estimating includes adding short-message-specific partial delays associated with the at least one previously received short message located in the queue and that of the arriving short message arriving at the mobile switching centre; wherein the short-message-specific partial delays are defined by adding a fixed first partial time and a second partial time, which is based on a length of the arriving short message.