Messaging services in a wireless communications network

Abstract

A wireless device for providing a message service is disclosed, along with a computer readable medium. The wireless device may be capable of sending messages via a packet switched WLAN base station in a first mode, or via an SMS base station that is independent of the packet switched base station, in a second mode. A message client on the wireless device determines whether a recipient's wireless device corresponds to a subscriber of a service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer. The wireless device sends, via a WLAN transceiver, if the recipient's wireless device corresponds to a subscriber of the service, the outgoing message to the recipient's wireless device in the first mode. Alternatively, if the recipient's wireless device does not correspond to a subscriber of the service, the outgoing message is sent by a cellular transmitter via the SMS base station in the second mode.

1 . A wireless device capable of sending messages, in a first mode, via a packet switched wireless local area network (WLAN) base station or, alternatively, in a second mode, via a short message service (SMS) base station that is independent of the packet switched WLAN base station, the wireless device comprising:
 a message client configured to receive information associated with a destination address of a wireless device of a recipient, the message client capable of determining a delivery mode for sending an outgoing message to the destination address;   a WLAN transceiver configured to:
 send a request, via the packet switched WLAN base station, to a server to determine whether the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of a service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer; and 
 to receive a response from the server via the packet switched WLAN base station, 
   wherein the server is not a component of a cellular core network;   the message client further configured to determine whether the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer;   if the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer, the WLAN transceiver further configured to send in the first mode the outgoing message to the wireless device of the recipient via the packet switched WLAN base station; and   a cellular transmitter configured, if the wireless device of the recipient does not correspond to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer, to send in the second mode, the outgoing message to the wireless device of the recipient using the destination address via the SMS base station.   
     
     
         2 . The wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the WLAN transceiver is further configured to send the request to the server without the request passing through the SMS base station, and the WLAN transceiver is further configured to receive the response from the server without the response passing through the SMS base station. 
     
     
         3 . The wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the SMS base station is associated with the cellular core network, and the WLAN transceiver is configured to transmit the request to the server via the packet switched WLAN base station without traversing the cellular core network, and the WLAN transceiver is configured to receive the response from the server via the packet switched WLAN base station without traversing the cellular core network associated with the SMS base station. 
     
     
         4 . The wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the message client is further configured to construct the outgoing message in a first syntax if the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer, and to construct the outgoing message in a second syntax if the wireless device of the recipient does not correspond to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer, wherein the first syntax is different from the second syntax. 
     
     
         5 . The wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the message client is further configured to select at least one type of permissible attachment based on whether the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer. 
     
     
         6 . The wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the message client is further configured to deny, when the wireless device of the recipient does not correspond to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer, any type of attachment. 
     
     
         7 . The wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the destination address is a mobile phone number. 
     
     
         8 . The wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the message client is further configured to queue the outgoing message for later delivery if the message cannot be delivered to the wireless device of the recipient. 
     
     
         9 . The wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the WLAN transceiver is further configured to receive a delivery confirmation message from the server if the outgoing message is successfully delivered to the wireless device of the recipient via the packet switched WLAN base station when the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer, further comprising:
 a display configured to display an indication of the delivery confirmation message.   
     
     
         10 . The wireless device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a display configured to display an indication of whether the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer.   
     
     
         11 . The wireless device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a display configured to display sent messages and received messages, wherein sent messages are displayed with a first characteristic and received message are displayed with a second different characteristic so as to distinguish the sent messages from the received messages.   
     
     
         12 . The wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the WLAN transceiver is further configured to receive presence information associated with the wireless device of the recipient if the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer, further comprising:
 a display configured to display the received presence information associated with the wireless device of the recipient.   
     
     
         13 . The wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the wireless device of the recipient is capable of receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer. 
     
     
         14 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a set of instructions for execution by a wireless device capable of sending messages, in a first mode, via a packet switched wireless local area network (WLAN) base station or, alternatively, in a second mode, via a short message service (SMS) base station that is independent of the packet switched WLAN base station, the set of instructions comprising:
 a message client code segment for receiving information associated with a destination address associated with a wireless device of a recipient, the message client code segment capable of determining a delivery mode for sending an outgoing message to the destination address;   a second code segment for sending a request to a server, via the packet switched WLAN base station, to determine whether the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of a service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer, wherein the server is not a component of a cellular core network;   a third code segment for receiving a response from the server via the packet switched WLAN base station;   a fourth code segment for determining whether the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via the packet switched bearer;   a fifth code segment for sending, in the first mode, if the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer, the outgoing message to the wireless device of the recipient via the packet switched WLAN base station; and   a sixth code segment for sending, in the second mode, if the wireless device of the recipient does not correspond to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer, the outgoing message to the wireless device of the recipient using the destination address via the SMS base station.   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the second code segment further includes instructions for sending the request to the server without the request passing through the SMS base station, and the third code segment further includes instructions for receiving the response from the server without the response passing through the SMS base station. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the SMS base station is associated with the cellular core network, and the second code segment further includes instructions for sending the request to the server via the packet switched WLAN base station without traversing the cellular core network, and the third code segment further includes instructions for receiving the response from the server via the packet switched WLAN base station without traversing the cellular core network associated with the SMS base station. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the message client code segment includes instructions for constructing the outgoing message in a first syntax if the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer, and for constructing the outgoing message in a second syntax if the wireless device of the recipient does not correspond to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer, wherein the first syntax is different from the second syntax. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the message client code segment includes instructions for selecting at least one type of permissible attachment based on whether the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the message client code segment includes instructions for denying, when the wireless device of the recipient does not correspond to a subscriber of the service for of receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer, any type of attachment. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the destination address is a mobile phone number. 
     
     
         21 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the message client code segment further includes instructions for queuing the outgoing message for later delivery if the message cannot be delivered to the wireless device of the recipient. 
     
     
         22 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 a seventh code segment for receiving a delivery confirmation message from the server if the outgoing message is successfully delivered to the wireless device of the recipient via the packet switched WLAN base station when the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer; and   an eighth code segment for displaying an indication of the delivery confirmation message.   
     
     
         23 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 an ninth code segment for displaying an indication of whether the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer.   
     
     
         24 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the message client code segment includes instructions for displaying sent messages and received messages, wherein sent messages are displayed with a first characteristic and received message are displayed with a second different characteristic so as to distinguish the sent messages from the received messages. 
     
     
         25 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the message client code segment includes instructions for receiving presence information associated with the wireless device of the recipient if the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer; and
 a tenth code segment for displaying the received presence information associated with the wireless device of the recipient.   
     
     
         26 . The wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the response received from the server via the packet switched WLAN base station includes an indication of whether the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer. 
     
     
         27 . The non-transitory storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the response received from the server via the packet switched WLAN base station includes an indication of whether the wireless device of the recipient corresponds to a subscriber of the service for receiving the outgoing message via a packet switched bearer.