Title of Invention

SYSTEM AND METHOD OF WIRELESS APPLICATION PROTOCOL-BASED INSTANT MESSAGING

Abstract

Abstract The present invention relates to a method of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)-based Instant Messaging (IM), comprising: checking whether a user has logged in an IM system; checking whether the user has a new message if the user has logged in; and providing, in a WAP page which the user is browsing, information indicating there is a new message coming if the user has a new message.. The present invention provides IM services for a user without installing any instant messaging client on any user terminal; transmission of instant messages is based on a WAP browser in the instant messaging user terminal, therefore the user may use IM tools at any time and any place, which will be of great convenience to the user.

Full Text

SYSTEM AND METHOD OF WIRELESS APPLICATION PROTOCOL-BASED INSTANT MESSAGING Field of the invention The present invention relates to communication technologies, and particularly to a system and method of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)-based Instant Messaging (IM). Background of the invention Instant Messaging (IM) is an Internet-based communication service providing mainly an instant communication function over a network. An IM tool is an application providing online instant messaging services, and is also called an instant messaging client application. IM tools are widely used and accepted on throughout the Internet. While communicating via IM tools, a user may check in real time the state of another user, which may be online, temporary leave or offline; the user may also inquire a profile of another user, e.g., basic information, contact information, detailed information, etc.; the user may further send instant messages or files to another user, or add another user into a list of friends. At present, the fimctions provided by the IM tools are accessible only through IM clients when users have launched and logged into the IM clients, which means users must install the IM software in their terminals. Users are imable to enjoy IM services if the terminals of the users have no IM software installed, which is inconvenient for the users. Furthermore, 3G technology is going to be applied widely and IM services are thus adopted in mobile communication to provide closer interaction among people. By using wireless communication terminals, such as mobile phones, users may talk with each other as well as browsing the Internet, read news, send and receive emails, play games, purchase products and services, etc. However, the present mobile IM services have the following disadvantages: 1) at present, all IM service providers require their IM tools to be installed in mobile communication terminals, therefore only high-end mobile phones may have mobile IM functions, while medium and low class mobile phones are unable to support IM functions; 2) the IM service providers at present are independent of each other and are not interworking, and mobile phones usually cannot support multiple IM tools installed as in computers, therefore once a mobile phone manufacturer has installed a specific IM tool into mobile phones by default, then users of the mobile phones can only use the services provided by the provider of the specific IM tool; if the users want to switch to a new system instead of using the specific IM tool, much inconvenience will emerge; 3) when a user is browsing news, downloading articles, posting a topic in a forum or playing games, if an instant message from another user is received, the user must terminate the current activity and switch to the IM interface in order to read the instant message, which is also very inconvenient. Summary of the Invention In view of the above, the major objective of the present invention is to provide a WAP-based IM system and method which enable instant messaging across platforms at any time, anywhere. To attain the above objective, technical schemes provided by embodiments of the present invention include: a method of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)-based Instant Messaging (IM) which includes: checking whether a user has logged in an IM system; checking whether the user has a new message if the user has logged in; and providing, in a WAP page which the user is browsing, information indicating there is a new message coming if the user has a new message. A WAP-based IM system includes: a server cluster, an IM protocol conversion module, a portal instant message module and a user interface module, wherein the server cluster is adapted to store and manage instant messages, friend lists and settings; the portal instant message module is adapted to process instant messages incoming, search whether a user has a new message; and the IM protocol conversion module is adapted to convert IM protocols between the portal instant message module and the server cluster; the user interface module is adapted to display, in a WAP page, information indicating that the user has a new message . It can be seen from the above technical scheme that, the present invention provides instant messaging services for users based on WAP browsers of the user terminals without installing any IM tools in the user terminals. Therefore the users may use IM services at any moment and at any place, which will be of great convenience to the users. Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 is a schematic illustrating a WAP-based IM system in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a WAP-based IM system in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a schematic illustrating a user interface of the WAP-based IM system in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is the schematic illustrating a user interface of the WAP-based IM system in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed description of the invention This invention is hereinafter described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as well as preferred embodiments so as to make the objective, technical solution and merits thereof more apparent. WAP, the Wireless Application Protocol, is a universal open protocol. WAP defines general platforms and converts information in HyperText Markup Language (HTML) on the Internet into information in Wireless Markup Language (WML). By adopting WAP, the information on the Internet can be accepted by mobile phones or other wireless communication terminals. By using WAP technology, massive information and varieties of services on the Internet can be introduced into mobile phones or other wireless communication terminals such as a mobile handheld device using a Palm operation system. A user can enjoy endless online information or resources, e.g., general news, weather forecast, stock information, commercial news, exchange rates, etc., whenever and wherever needed by turning on a WAP mobile phone. E-commerce and online banks will also be introduced into mobile phones. The user may also watch sports and celebrity news over a WAP mobile phone for entertainment in life, and the user may even customize online services. In an embodiment of the present invention, a wireless communication terminal of a user logs into a website through WAP technology. And according to a menu provided on a page of the website, the user logs into the IM system by inputting an IM ID and a password into a menu interface in the WAP page, then the user is capable of checking the state of another user, e.g., online, temporary leave or offline, inquiring a profile of another user, e.g., basic information, contact information, or detailed information, etc., sending an instant message or a file to another user, or adding another user into a list of friends. Figure 1 is a schematic illustrating a WAP-based IM system in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the WAP-based IM system includes: a server cluster 100, a IM protocol conversion module 101, a portal instant message module 102, a user interface (UI) module 103, an instant message storage center 104 and a system broadcast module 105, wherein the server cluster 100 is adapted to store and manage instant messages, friend lists and settings; the IM protocol conversion module 101, as a communication bridge between the portal instant message module 102 and the server cluster 100, is adapted to provide a simplified protocol for the IM system and convert and simplify IM protocols; the portal instant message module 102 is adapted to process all ingoing instant messages, including messages from the same WAP platform and messages fi*om Internet platforms, and said processing includes searching and managing the instant messages; the UI module 103 is adapted to display a user interface of the IM system, receive instant messages, e.g., page requests, from a user and forward the instant messages to the portal instant message module 102; the instant message storage center 104 is adapted to store the instant messages of the user, including unread messages and message history in case the user may inquire the history information; and the system broadcast module 105 is adapted to distribute, search and store system broadcast messages. The system broadcast module 105 can be omitted. Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a WAP-based IM system in an embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment of the WAP-based IM system is explained with reference to system user interface examples shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4, and the method provided by the embodiment includes the following steps. In Step S200, when User A browses a WAP page via a wireless communication terminal, the system acquires a page request from User A. In Step S205, the portal instant message module 102 checks, every time when receiving a page request from User A, whether the user has logged in. In Step S210, User A is identified as a guest if User A has not logged in, and the system prompts User A to log in and displays a link to a login page in the system page. In Step S215, if User A has logged in, the system invokes the system broadcast module 105 to check whether there is a new system broadcast message. In Step S220, when there is a new system broadcast message, an icon indicating the new system broadcast message as well as a link for displaying the message is shown in the system page. For example, when the user receives a new message while browsing news, the user may close a window displaying the message after finishing reading and replying to the message and continue browsing news. In Step S225, when there is no new system broadcast message, the portal instant message module 102 continues to check whether User A has new incoming messages (including messages from the same WAP platform and messages from Internet platforms). It should be noted that, when the system does not include the system broadcast module 105, the portal instant message module 102 directly checks whether User A has new incoming messages in Step S215 after identifying that User A has logged in. In Step S230, when User A has no new message, an icon indicating no new message is shown in the system page. In Step S235, when User A has new messages, an icon indicating the new messages, the number of the new messages and a link for displaying new messages are shown in the system page, and the new messages is stored in the instant message storage center. For example, when the user receives a new message while browsing news, the user may close the message window after finishing reading and replying to the message, and continue browsing news. It should be noted that the actions taken in Step 235 are only used for illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. When the user has logged in and it is detected that the user has new messages, prompt information indicating the new messages will be provided and displayed in the system page, and the prompt information may include: a link to the new messages, and / or the number of the new messages, and / or processing information in response to the request from the user for reading the new messages, and the current page will be displayed after the process is finished. In Step S240, fiarther requests of User A are processed, in which the requests may include a request for reading the new messages through the link to the new messages. In Step S245, when the user finishes reading and processing the new messages, the system provides a page to User A in response to a request of User A so that User A may continue with what was going on previously, e.g., browsing news and so on. In the process explained above, the system may accommodate two information notification patterns: prompt pattern (as shown in Figure 3) and pop-up pattern. In the prompt pattern, when a new message is received, a shaking icon is displayed on top of the page to notify the user of the new message; the use may click the icon to activate a message window to read the message; in the pop-up pattern, the message window will pop up directly upon receipt of a new message so that the user may read the message. The user may choose voluntarily between the two information notification patterns. Furthermore, an IM service icon can be added into the WAP page so that the user may receive and send instant messages on the page. The icon also serves as a portal to the IM system and the user may click the icon to send a message on the user's initiative (as shown in Figure 4). The method further comprises: sending a message through the IM protocol conversion module by User A after login, storing the message in the instant message storage center after the message is successfully sent, displaying a notice of the transmission success and the contents of the message sent, and displaying a previous page for User A. If the message transmission fails, the system will display a notice of the transmission failure to User A and the cause of the failure, and then display a previous page for User A. In the above embodiments, the user needs not launch and log into a local IM client and the functions of the local IM client can be fulfilled by accessing a website by the user through a wireless communication terminal and login from a WAP page. The method and system provided by the present invention enable a user to obtain the same services provided by IM tools directly from a WAP page through a wireless communication terminal, and the user may interact with the IM system through instant messages and exchange instant messages with users of IM clients and users of other wireless communication terminal platforms. The foregoing are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not for use in limiting this invention, any modification, equivalent replacement or improvement made under the spirit and principles of this invention is included in the protection scope of this invention. CLAIMS 1. A method of Wireless Application Protocol, WAP,-based Instant Messaging, IM, comprising: checking whether a user has logged in an IM system; checking whether the user has a new message if the user has logged in; and providing, in a WAP page which the user is browsing, information indicating there is a new message coming if the user has a new message. 2. The method according to Claim 1, further comprising: displaying, in the WAP page, a link to a login page for the user to log in the IM system. 3. The method according to Claim 1 or 2, further comprising: before checking whether a user has logged in the IM system, obtaining an IM ID and a password inputted into the WAP page by the user. 4. The method according to Claim 1, wherein checking whether the user a new message comprises at least one of: checking whether there is a new system broadcast message; and checking whether the user has a new instant message from the same WAP platform or from Internet platform. 5. The method according to Claim 1, further comprising at least one of: providing, in the WAP page, the number of the new message; providing, in the WAP page, a link for displaying the new message; providing, in the WAP page, processing information in response to the request for reading the at least one new message from the user before returning to current page. 6. The method according to Claims 1 or 4, wherein providing information indicating there is a new message coming comprises at least one of: displaying an icon indicating there is a new message; displaying prompt information indicating there is a new message; and displaying a message window for the user to read the message when receiving the new message. 7. The method according to Claim 6, wherein the icon is used for activating a message window when the user clicks the icon, and the prompt information comprises a link to the new message and the number of the new message. 8. The method according to Claim 6, further comprising: returning to a page the user was browsing in response to a request from the user after displaying the message window. 9. The method according to Claim 1, further comprising: providing, in the WAP page, an IM service icon, wherein the IM service icon is used by the user for receiving and sending instant messages through the WAP page by clicking the IM service icon. 10. The method according to Claim 9, further comprising: when the user has successfully sent a message, storing the message sent and displaying a notice of the transmission success and the contents of the message sent, and returning to a page the user was browsing; or displaying a notice of transmission failure and a cause of the failure when the message transmission fails, and returning to a current page. 11. An Instant Messaging, IM, system based on Wireless Application Protocol, WAP, comprising: a server cluster, an IM protocol conversion module, a portal instant message module and a user interface module, wherein the server cluster is adapted to store and manage instant messages, friend lists and settings; the portal instant message module is adapted to process instant messages incoming, search whether a user has a new message; and the IM protocol conversion module is adapted to convert IM protocols between the portal instant message module and the server cluster; the user interface module is adapted to display, in a WAP page, information indicating that the user has a new message . 12. The system according to Claim 11, further comprising an instant message storage center, adapted to store instant messages of the user; wherein the IM protocol conversion module is adapted further to receive a message from the user, store the message in the instant message storage center after the message is successfully sent; the user interface module is adapted further to display a notice of the transmission success and the contents of the message sent, and display a page the user was browsing.

Documents:

5381-CHENP-2008 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 23-05-2013.pdf

5381-CHENP-2008 OTHER DOCUMENT 23-05-2013.pdf

5381-CHENP-2008 AMENDED CLAIMS 19-11-2013.pdf

5381-CHENP-2008 EXAMINATION REPORT REPLY RECEIVED 19-11-2013.pdf

5381-CHENP-2008 FORM-13 19-11-2013.pdf

5381-CHENP-2008 FORM-3 19-11-2013.pdf

5381-CHENP-2008 OTHERS 19-11-2013.pdf

5381-CHENP-2008 CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 21-04-2014.pdf

5381-CHENP-2008 FORM-1 21-04-2014.pdf

5381-CHENP-2008 OTHER PATENT DOCUMENT 17-04-2014.pdf

5381-chenp-2008 abstract.pdf

5381-chenp-2008 claims.pdf

5381-chenp-2008 correspondence others.pdf

5381-chenp-2008 correspondence-others.pdf

5381-chenp-2008 description(complete).pdf

5381-chenp-2008 drawings.pdf

5381-chenp-2008 form-1.pdf

5381-chenp-2008 form-18.pdf

5381-chenp-2008 form-26.pdf

5381-chenp-2008 form-3.pdf

5381-chenp-2008 form-3.tif

5381-chenp-2008 form-5.pdf

5381-chenp-2008 pct.pdf

5381-CHENP-2008_Petition.pdf