Patent Publication Number: US-2010124909-A1

Title: Apparatus and method for message transmission in a mobile communication system

Description:
PRIORITY 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of a Korean patent application filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Nov. 20, 2008 and assigned Serial No. 10-2008-0115610, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for message transmission in a mobile communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for, upon multimedia message transmission, providing an interface state between a multimedia message and a corresponding application in a mobile communication system. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     When first introduced, a portable terminal provided a user with the ability to perform wireless communication with mobility. However, with advances in mobile communication technology and the introduction of the wireless Internet, the portable terminal can now realize not only simple telephone service or function such as schedule management but can also perform various advanced applications such as games, remote control of short-range communication, and image capturing using an embedded digital camera, thus meeting the desires of users. 
     One such advanced function is the short message function. The short message function is widely used because of its lower cost as compared to voice telephony. 
     Beyond the simple text message provided by the short message function, a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) delivers a message that may include a moving picture, a photograph, a music file, and so on. The MMS is a representative wired/wireless integrated service with advantages of the short message service, the electronic mail (e-mail) service, and the like. The MMS may include and provide multimedia content and thus, is frequently used by portable terminal users within and outside the country. 
     The MMS may compositely construct and transmit/receive texts, music, images, moving pictures, link information, and the like. Through the MMS, a user can send a digital postcard, a picture, a moving picture, a moving picture card, a map, a business card, and the like. 
     Regarding the MMS, the ‘MMS 1.3 specification’ provides a definition to enable transactions between a multimedia message and an application, by newly adding three fields of an ‘Applic-Identification (ID)’, a ‘ReplyApplic-ID’, and an ‘Aux-Applic-Info’. The three fields related to the application are used in MMS Protocol Data Units (MMS PDUs) of an ‘M-Send.req’, an ‘M-Notification.ind’, an ‘M-Retrieve.con’, an ‘M-Delivery.ind’, an ‘M-Read-Rec.ind’, and an ‘M-Read-Orig.ind’, and are devised to deliver information on multimedia message transmission/reception. 
     However, it may occur that, after receiving a multimedia message, the portable terminal fails to deliver the received multimedia message to each application because an application requiring a delivery of the multimedia message (i.e., an application related to the multimedia message) is not registered in the portable terminal or because of an internal problem, etc. 
     Accordingly, there is a problem that, despite that the portable terminal sending the multimedia message does not deliver the sent multimedia message according to the original purpose, it is recognized as if the portable terminal successfully delivers the multimedia message to an intended application since a transmission completion is indicated in an “MMS delivery report”. 
     In other words, the outgoing portable terminal may determine transmission/reception of the multimedia message itself to operate a specific application but cannot determine actual delivery or non-delivery to the application and thus, there is a problem that the outgoing portable terminal continuously sends an unnecessary multimedia message to an incoming portable terminal. 
     Thus, there is a need for an apparatus and method for, upon multimedia message transmission, determining an interface state between a multimedia message and a corresponding application in a mobile communication system providing the multimedia message service. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An aspect of the present invention is to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for, upon multimedia message transmission, determining an interface state between a multimedia message and a corresponding application in a mobile communication system. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for identifying if a multimedia message is successfully delivered to a corresponding application in a mobile communication system. 
     Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for generating information indicative of delivery or non-delivery of a multimedia message in a mobile communication system. 
     The above aspects are addressed by providing an apparatus and method for message transmission in a mobile communication system. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for message transmission in a mobile communication system is provided. The apparatus includes an application manager and a message processor. The application manager determines an application corresponding to a receive message, sends the receive message to the determined application, and determines a response to the message reception from the application. The message processor sets a response informing that a message is delivered to the application or a response informing that a message is not delivered to the application depending on an operation of the application manager. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method for message transmission in a mobile communication system is provided. The method includes determining an application corresponding to a receive message, sending the receive message to the determined application, if receiving a response to message reception from the application, setting a response informing that the message is delivered to the application, if not receiving a response to message reception from the application, setting a response informing that the message is not delivered to the application, and sending the set response to a message server. 
     Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a construction of a portable terminal for processing message reception according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating a message reception process of a portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a ladder diagram illustrating a message handling process of a mobile communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a ladder diagram illustrating a message handling process of a mobile communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a ladder diagram illustrating a message handling process of a mobile communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood to refer to like parts, components and structures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplary embodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness. 
     The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces. 
     By the term “substantially” it is meant that the recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations or variations, including for example, tolerances, measurement error, measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to those of skill in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect the characteristic was intended to provide. 
     Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus and method for generating information for notifying if an incoming terminal receiving a multimedia message successfully delivers the received multimedia message to a corresponding application to determine an interface state between the multimedia message and the corresponding application at the time of multimedia message transmission. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a construction of a portable terminal for processing message reception according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the portable terminal may include a controller  100 , an application manager  102 , a message processor  104 , and a communication unit  106 . 
     The controller  100  of the portable terminal controls a general operation of the portable terminal. For example, the controller  100  performs a process and control for voice telephony and data communication. In an exemplary implementation, the controller  100  performs a process for receiving a message transmitted by an outgoing terminal and, upon execution of the process, delivers the received message to a corresponding application. 
     After delivering the received message to the application corresponding to the message, the controller  100  determines if a response is received from the application and generates a message notifying of a transmission success or failure depending on the determination. 
     In an exemplary implementation, the controller  100  may determine a success or failure of message delivery to the application using the application manager  102 , and may control the message processor  104  to generate a message that notifies of success or failure of message transmission to the application. 
     Under control of the controller  100 , the application manager  102  processes to deliver a message, which is received from an outgoing terminal, to a corresponding application. Furthermore, the application manager  102  determines success or failure of delivery of the message to the corresponding application. 
     In an exemplary implementation, the application manager  102  may determine the success or failure of delivery of the message to the application based on reception or non-reception of a response from the application. 
     The message processor  104  performs an operation for receiving a multimedia message transmitted by the outgoing terminal. Also, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the message processor  104  generates a message notifying of the success or failure of the message delivery as determined by the application manager  102 . 
     The communication unit  106  processes to transmit/receive a wireless signal input/output through an antenna (not shown). For example, in a transmission mode, the communication unit  106  channel-codes and spreads original data, converts the original data into a Radio Frequency (RF) signal, and transmits the RF signal. In a reception mode, the communication unit  106  converts a received RF signal into a baseband signal, de-spreads and channel-decodes the baseband signal, and restores original data. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the above described functions of the application manager  102  and the message processor  104  may be performed by the controller  100  of the portable terminal. However, these are separately constructed and shown in  FIG. 1  as an exemplary construction for description convenience with no limitation to the scope of the present invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of construction may be made within the scope of the present invention. For example, construction may be such that the controller  100  processes all of these functions. 
     A description has been made above of an exemplary apparatus for notifying if an incoming terminal receiving a multimedia message successfully delivers the received multimedia message to a corresponding application to determine an interface state between the multimedia message and the corresponding application. The following description is made of an exemplary method for identifying if an incoming terminal receiving the multimedia message successfully delivers the received multimedia message to the corresponding application. 
       FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating a message reception process of a portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , in step  201 , the portable terminal receives information informing of message reception from a message server. In step  203 , the portable terminal requests the message server to provide the corresponding message. 
     In step  205 , the portable terminal receives the corresponding message from the message server and, in step  207 , determines application information of the received message. 
     Here, the application information refers to information indicative of an application using the received message. 
     The portable terminal proceeds to step  209  and delivers the received message to a corresponding application using the determined application information. 
     In step  211 , the portable terminal determines if a response is received informing that the corresponding application receives the message. 
     If the portable terminal determines that it has not received the response informing that the corresponding application receives the message in step  211 , the portable terminal proceeds to step  217  and performs an application corresponding to a non-response setting. Here, the application non-response setting refers to setting information informing that an application does not receive a corresponding message. 
     On the other hand, if it is determined that the portable terminal has received the response informing that the corresponding application receives the message in step  211 , the portable terminal proceeds to step  213  and performs an application corresponding to a response setting. Here, the application response setting refers to setting information informing that an application receives a corresponding message, contrary to the application non-response setting. 
     Then, the portable terminal proceeds to step  215  and sends a message reception or non-reception notification to the message server and then terminates the process. 
       FIG. 3  is a ladder diagram illustrating a message handling process of a mobile communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the mobile communication system includes an outgoing terminal  301 , a message server  303 , and an incoming terminal  305 . For ease of description, the incoming terminal  305  is considered as divided into an incoming Mobile Station (MS)  307  and a corresponding application  309 . Here, the corresponding application  309  refers to an application using a received multimedia message. 
     If the outgoing terminal  301  intends to send a multimedia message to the incoming terminal  305 , in step  310 , the outgoing terminal  301  sends a message send request to the message server  303 . Upon receiving the message send request, in step  312 , the message server  303  sends a response to the request to the outgoing terminal  301 . 
     In step  314 , the message server  303  notifies the incoming terminal  305  that there is a message that the outgoing terminal  301  intends to send. In step  316 , the incoming terminal  305  transmits a response to the notification to the message server  303 . In step  318 , the incoming terminal  305  sends a request for a corresponding message (i.e., the message that the outgoing terminal  301  intends to send) to the message server  303 . If so, in step  320 , the message server  303  sends the message requested by the incoming terminal  305  to the incoming terminal  305 . 
     After receiving a multimedia message through the above process, in step  322 , the incoming terminal  305  determines application information included in the received multimedia message and sends the multimedia message to the corresponding application  309  using the determined application information. 
     The above operation of the incoming terminal  305  is described in more detail below by considering the MS  307  and the application  309  separately constructed according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     The multimedia message is received by the MS  307  of the incoming terminal  305 . Upon receiving the multimedia message, in step  322 , the MS  307  sends the received multimedia message to the corresponding application  309 . Accordingly, in step  324 , the application  309  sends a response to the message delivery to the MS  307  and, by doing so, in step  326 , the incoming terminal  305  sets an application response. 
     Here, if the response to the message delivery is successfully received, the MS  307  performs an application response setting for informing that it receives an application response. If the response to the message delivery is not successfully received, the MS  307  performs an application non-response setting for informing that it does not receive an application response. 
     In step  328 , the MS  307  sends a message reception notification including the application response or non-response to the message server  303 . 
       FIG. 4  is a ladder diagram illustrating a message handling process of a mobile communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the mobile communication system includes an outgoing terminal  401 , a message server  403 , and an incoming terminal  405 . For ease of description, the incoming terminal  405  is described as divided into an incoming MS  407  and a corresponding application  409 . Here, the corresponding application refers to an application using a received multimedia message. 
     If the outgoing terminal  401  intends to send a multimedia message to the incoming terminal  405 , in step  410 , the outgoing terminal  401  sends a message send request to the message server  403 . Upon receiving the message send request, in step  412 , the message server  403  sends a response to the request to the outgoing terminal  401 . 
     In step  414 , the message server  403  notifies the incoming terminal  405  that there is a message that the outgoing terminal  401  intends to send. If so, in step  416 , the incoming terminal  405  sends a request for a corresponding message (i.e., the message that the outgoing terminal  401  intends to send) to the message server  403 . In step  418 , the message server  403  sends the message requested by the incoming terminal  405  to the incoming terminal  405 . 
     After receiving a multimedia message through the above process, in step  420 , the incoming terminal  405  processes to determine application information included in the received multimedia message and send the multimedia message to the corresponding application  409  using the determined application information. 
     The above operation of the incoming terminal  405  is described in more detail below by considering the MS  407  and the application  409  separately constructed according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     The multimedia message is received by the MS  407  of the incoming terminal  405  in step  418 . Upon receiving the multimedia message, in step  420 , the MS  407  sends the received multimedia message to the corresponding application  409 . Accordingly, in step  422 , the application  409  sends a response to the message delivery to the MS  407  and, by doing so, in step  424 , the incoming terminal  405  sets an application response. 
     Here, if successfully receiving the response to the message delivery, the MS  407  performs an application response setting for informing that it receives the application response. If not successfully receiving the response to the message delivery, the MS  407  performs an application non-response setting for informing that it does not receive the application response. 
     In step  426 , the MS  407  sends a message reception notification including the application response or non-response to the message server  403 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a process of, upon receiving information that there is a multimedia message that the outgoing terminal intends to send using the message server, directly requesting for a corresponding message.  FIG. 3  illustrates a process of, upon receiving information that there is a multimedia message that the outgoing terminal intends to send, receiving a response for informing the information reception and then requesting for a corresponding message. 
       FIG. 5  is a ladder diagram illustrating a message handling process of a mobile communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. A description of  FIG. 5  is made assuming previously executing a process of requesting message transmission between an outgoing terminal and a message server. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the mobile communication system includes a multimedia message server  501  and an incoming terminal. The incoming terminal includes an incoming MS  503  and an application  505 . 
     Upon accepting (M-Send.conf) a multimedia message send request (M-Send.req) from an outgoing terminal, in step  510 , the multimedia message server  501  sends an indicator message (M-Notification.ind) notifying that there is a multimedia message that an outgoing terminal intends to send. 
     After receiving the indicator message (M-Notification.ind), in step  512 , the incoming MS  503  sends an indicator response message (M-Notifyresp.ind) to the indicator message to the multimedia message server  501 . 
     After sending the indicator response message (M-Notifyresp.ind), in step  514 , the incoming MS  503  sends a multimedia message request message (WSP/HTTPGet.req) to the multimedia message server  501  on the basis of information included in the indicator message (M-Nofitication.ind). Thus, in step  516 , the incoming MS  503  receives a multimedia message sent by the outgoing terminal (M-Retrieve.conf). 
     In step  518 , the incoming MS  503  sends the received multimedia message to the application  505  requiring the received multimedia message (i.e., an application corresponding to the received multimedia message). In step  520 , the incoming MS  503  receives a response message indicative of reception or non-reception of the multimedia message from the application  505 . 
     Accordingly, the incoming MS  503  sets an application response that is indicative of message reception or non-reception from the application  505 . 
     Here, the application response is to address a problem of the conventional art in which, upon message or data transmission between a multimedia message and an application, if a received multimedia message cannot be delivered to the application because the application having a delivery of the multimedia message is not registered, because of an internal problem, or because of any other problem, the outgoing terminal sending the multimedia message cannot determine if the message is properly received by the application. So, the incoming MS  503  sets the application response to an existing multimedia message format or generates a new field in the existing multimedia message format, thus being able to inform if actual message delivery to the application is successfully carried out. 
     For example, if using the existing multimedia message format, the incoming MS  503  requests the message server  501  to send a success or failure of message delivery to the outgoing terminal, by adding an ‘X-Mms-Status’ used in an ‘M-NotiResp.ind’ and an ‘M-Delivery.ind’ to an ‘M-Acknowedge.ind’, adding a value suitable to the above conditions among status values of the ‘X-Mms-Status’, and sending a success or failure of message delivery to the message server  501 . 
     If intending to define a new field in an existing multimedia message format and deliver a success or failure of message delivery to the application, in step  522 , the incoming MS  503  identically adds a new field to the ‘M-Delivery.ind’, ‘M-NotiResp.ind’, and ‘M-Acknowledge.ind’, and delivers the ‘M-Delivery.ind’, ‘M-NotiResp.ind’, and ‘M-Acknowledge.ind’ to the multimedia message server  501 . At this time, the incoming MS  503  may add a field such as “retrieved”, “unregistered”, and “unrecognized”. 
     As described above, exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus and method for, upon multimedia message transmission, providing an interface state between a multimedia message and a corresponding application in a mobile communication system. By identifying if an incoming terminal receiving a multimedia message successfully delivers the received multimedia message to a corresponding application and delivering the identification result to an outgoing terminal, exemplary embodiments of the present invention may address a problem that, in a conventional mobile communication system, an outgoing terminal continuously sends an unnecessary multimedia message because it fails to determine if an incoming portable terminal delivers a multimedia message to an application. 
     While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.