Abstract:
A method and device for operating a mobile communications system includes a text message receiver and a printer for printing text messages. The method includes the steps of: 
     providing a website connected to the Internet, and receiving an automatic message from the mobile communication device, the message including an electronic serial number. The method assigns a mobile phone number to the device based on the electronic serial number and sends the phone number to the device and can automatically print out the phone number. The device can include a holder for displaying the phone number label on an exterior surface of the device housing. The device receives and prints text or other materials received by SMS messaging and can allow the user to send greetings, reply and send an urgent message in an emergency. The device includes action buttons that can be programmed to perform other functions.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Applicant claims priority under 35 USC 119 to provisional application 61/399723 filed Jul. 16, 2010 with the title “Dedicated SMS Enterprise Communication printer device and method”. 
     
    
       [0002]    Statement as to Rights to inventions made under Federally sponsored research and development: 
         [0003]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    This present invention relates generally to text messages, SMS and wireless data communication. 
         [0006]    2. Background Information 
         [0007]    In the communication industry it is common to use cell phones for mobile communication and to receive text messages. A problem with existing technology is that it can be overly complicated for the elderly and disabled and other users and often the small buttons and small screens of cell phone devices are difficult to use for those who are elderly or disabled. Further as it relates to mobile devices there is a need in many applications for tangible documentation that cell phones and other mobile devices do not provide. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The present invention solves the problems outlined above. A method and device for operating a mobile communications system includes a text message receiver and a printer for printing text messages. The method includes the steps of: 
         [0009]    providing a website connected to the Internet, and receiving an automatic message from the website. The message including an electronic serial number. 
         [0010]    The method assigns a mobile phone number to the device based on the electronic serial number and sends the phone number to the device and automatically printing out the phone number. The device includes a holder for displaying the phone number label on an exterior surface of the device housing. The device receives and prints text messages or other material and allows the user to have at least one action button that might send greetings, reply or send an urgent message in an emergency for example. The action button could be programmed to perform other actions. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a view of one embodiment of the device; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  shows one possible relational diagram for the device; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  shows a flow chart for the device operation; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  shows a diagram of the device and 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  shows a flowchart for the device. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0016]      FIG. 1  illustrates a preferred embodiment of a communication device  100  using the invention. The device  100  receives wireless signals such as SMS, text messages and wireless data communications for example. The device  100  includes an internal printer that can print messages  102  or other material on hard copy such as a thermal paper and can be battery powered for remote use. The printer device  100  includes a slot  104  that a printed message  102  comes through and a lighted action button  126  that can light red if paper is out and green if a message is waiting, this light can be separate or can be incorporated into the action button  126 . The device  100  can include a speaker that can pronounce messages such as reminders to take medicine and it can produce a sound such as a tweet when a message is waiting. The device  100  includes at least one action button  126  and could include more. The lighted action button  126  can send a reply to acknowledge receipt of a message or to participate in a survey for example. A second button could send a special message such as an urgent warning. For example, the button might automatically send a warning message from an elderly owner to an adult child that the owner needs help. For example, if an adult child sends the elder owner a text message the owner can acknowledge receipt of the message by pressing the reply action button  126 . The action button  126  can be programmed to serve other functions, for example the device  100  could be set up as a remote financial terminal that could send payment information, receive verification of funds availability, ask for and send transaction verification and print out a receipt for the customer and transaction information for the user. Alternatively the device  100  could have only one button to send a message to acknowledge receipt of a message back to the sender of the message. The device  100  includes a cube shaped housing  132  and has a transparent holder  134  on the housing  132 . The holder  134  can hold a printed message  136  and/or other indicia such as a person&#39;s name. The housing  132  includes an electronic serial number  140  prominently displayed on the outside. 
         [0017]      FIG. 2  shows a first possible relational diagram for the device  100 . The device  100  can be programmed through a computer  200  directly or via a communication network  202  like a wireless carrier or a public network like the internet. The website  210  can automatically access a device  100  through the Internet  202  or a wireless cellular data network. A communication device such as cell phone  204  can send a text message via SMS to the device  100  and the contents of the text message will be printed out. When the device  100  is purchased, turned on and connected to the Internet  202  it will connect automatically to a website  210  that will download a phone number from a cell phone carrier  240  and the website will send that number to the device via the Internet  202  and the number will print out on the device  100 . 
         [0018]      FIG. 3  shows a flow chart for the start up process  300  for this device  100 . The flow chart  300  process starts  302  with a user getting the device  100  such as buying it at the store or receiving it through the mail or can start at the time of manufacture for example. The user will turn the power on and connect the device  100  into a wireless cellular data network. The device  100  is ‘hot’ in that when connected to the wireless cellular data network and turned on  304  it will automatically connect via the wireless cellular data network  202  to a website  240  specific to the product. The website  240  will prompt the user through a series of registration screens and will ask for the user&#39;s electronic serial number  140  and zip code. Based on the unique electronic serial number and zip code the website will communicate via the wireless cellular network and assign the device  100  a phone number from a cell phone carrier  240  using over the air configuration. The device  100  will then automatically print  310  its phone number to form a label  136  that can be displayed on the device  100  so that an elder user will always know the phone number. The mobile phone number will also be retained by the website  240  and can be retrieved by entering the electronic serial number and/or a password. While connected to the website  210  a user can program user button  126 . The user can program a reply  320  if needed and select the users to receive that text message whenever the button  126  is pushed. The user will also have the option to select to receive services  330  such as coupons that would print out on the device, weather alerts, amber alerts or other information service options. 
         [0019]      FIG. 4  shows a diagram of the device  100 . The device  100  includes a communication module receiver  402  that has a mobile phone number. The receiver  402  saves a message in a memory  404 . A processor  406  will pull incoming text messages from the memory  404  and send them to a printer  410 , the processor  406  will also allow the senders phone number to print out on the message. The receiver  402  also receives text messages from a website  210 , these text messages include data to program button  126  messages. The text messages for these outputs are also stored in the memory  404  and are sent out to lists of recipients also sent from the website  210  and stored in the memory  404 . The process by which a user may create a phonebook in device  100  by entering names and numbers into a website, then using wireless cellular data communication, the website calls device  100  and stores the phonebook entries in memory  404 . Then, when a user receives a text message from a number listed in their phone book, both the name and the number of the sender is printed  102 . 
         [0020]      FIG. 5  shows an alternate business flow process  500  using the device  100 . A source such as a business customer wants to send  502  an HTML or XML message to one or several devices  100 . For example, a customer may have a coupon to send to a plurality of device users who have chosen to receive coupons from this business. The business customer will use a device application programming interface (API)  504  to post a graphic file and message via web service to web core services  506 . A sample message might be: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 &lt;doc&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;img src=”client_logo.png”/&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;b&gt;SPECIAL OFFER&lt;/b&gt;br 
               
               
                   
                 Show this coupon and receive $10 
               
               
                   
                 off the purchase of 1-month supply 
               
               
                   
                 of your prescription medication. 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;barcode values “2500274135”/&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;/doc 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0021]    The HTML or XML message request from the business customer is received by core services  506 . Core services  506  turns the message into a text and/or graphic file on a File Transfer Protocol (FTP). The FTP file for the sample message would look like: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 File:”c234” created on FTP server. 
               
               
                   
                 SPECIAL OFFER 
               
               
                   
                 Show this coupon and receive 1-month 
               
               
                   
                 supply of your prescription medication. 
               
               
                   
                 mQ#0830 (i.e. Barcode cmd) 2500274135 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0022]    Once the HTML or XML file is created and saved as file c 234 , the core service will send an SMS message  508  such as: SMS=mQ#09234 to the device  100  via a direct wireless carrier peer to peer connection. The device  100  will then send a request to the FTP server (in this case ‘c 234 ’ via a wireless cellular data connection). File ‘c 234 ’ is returned via a wireless cellular data connection then printed. In this case the user the user would receive a coupon identifying a business and offering $10 off the purchase of a 1 month supply of medicine. The coupon would display a graphic logo at the top and a barcode at the bottom. 
         [0023]    Using the Web Service API  504 , a business customer  502  may also send an HTML or XML file directly to device  100 . This file is received by  402 , stored in memory   404 , then processed  406  automatically by device  100  by communicating via the wireless data network to the Internet, capturing one or more graphic files and then assembling a file that includes graphics and text to be printed on device   100 . The file for the sample message might look like: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 &lt;doc&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 Get Your Free Drink Today !! 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;img src=http://website.at/software/dither/dither1.png/&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 This healthy choice brought 
               
               
                   
                 To you by ABC Stores!! 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;ima src=http://trade.mar.cx/images/WX7654321/&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;/doc&gt; 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0024]    After the startup process  300  the device  100  will be turned on ready to use and does not require Internet connection. In use if the device  100  receives a text message and the green light will display and the message will print out at printer slot  104 , the message can include the phone number and name of the sender which is stored in the memory. By printing the phone number and name with the message the user can identify the sender and has the option to call the sender to respond to the message. If more messages are received they will print in order on the paper  102  until the paper  102  is torn off to be read. When the messages are read the user can press the reply button  126  to acknowledge message receipt to the last phone number from which a message was received. The user can also press button  126  to advance the paper through slot   104 . The acknowledgement message can be in the form of a pre-recorded text message. The reply serves to assure the message sender such as an adult child that there elderly parent is OK. If no reply is needed the message sender can simply say no response required in their message and the device  100  user always has the option not to send a response. If the user opts in for message services they might receive weather reports, coupons or reminders such as to take medicine for example. 
         [0025]    It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the claims in the formal application and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.