Patent ID: 7526298

Claim:
A system to handle short messages under phone number portability between multiple telecommunications networks, where the phone numbers do not permit an unambiguous linkage of the user to a specific telecommunication network and where several attempts at delivery of the short messages are possible, and where the parameters or data required for delivery of the short message are determined during the first attempt at delivery, said system comprising: means for determining parameters or data required for the delivery of a short message from a sending entity to a recipient by determining the relevant home register HLR for the recipient through at least one mobile number portability signaling relay function MNP-SRF and then generating a routing inquiry to the relevant HLR; the relevant HLR including means for responding to the inquiry by returning parameters or data for delivery; means for performing a first attempt at delivery based on the parameters or data required for delivery; means for temporarily storing in a short message service center SMSC in the sending network that is involved in the transaction the short message to be delivered and the HLR address of the relevant home register HLR containing the required parameters or data obtained during the first attempt at delivery, the HLR address of the relevant home registrar HLR being stored in an additional HLR address field in the SMSC and being correlated with the short message to be delivered, the correlated relevant HLR address and short message remaining correlated and stored in the SMSC for future delivery in the event delivery is not successful; in the situation where the short message was not delivered successfully, means for performing at least a subsequent attempt at delivery by retrieving the message and the relevant HLR address which is already stored in the SMSC, and interrogating directly said relevant HLR; storage space reserved to store all or part of the parameters or data relating to the first attempt at delivery in the short message service center (SMSC) involved in the transaction, where such storage space is associated with a temporary storage location housing the short message to be delivered, and where the relevant HLR address is stored in said temporary storage location for use at least in part in subsequent attempts at delivery; and means for erasing from the short message service center SMSC the short message and the relevant HLR address when the short message is delivered successfully.