Read Acknowledgement Information Elements for SMS Interoperability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies do not support read acknowledgements for text messages on Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) devices, limiting the ability to receive notifications about the time a message was opened by the recipient, and lack interoperability between different mobile communication protocols.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a read acknowledgement request Information-Element (IE) into text messages to request and return read acknowledgements, enabling GSM devices to support read acknowledgements and ensuring interoperability between GSM, CDMA, IP multimedia subsystem, Mobility Management Entity, and Short Message Peer-to-Peer protocols, using information-elements to associate and correlate read acknowledgements with specific messages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If GSM devices use conventional SMS protocols, then device compatibility is maintained, but read acknowledgement functionality is not supported
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing the read acknowledgement mechanism to work across multiple messaging protocols (SMS, MMS, IP messaging) through a common Information Element structure. The same IE format can be embedded in different message types and protocols, allowing GSM devices to support read acknowledgements while maintaining compatibility with existing messaging infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter structure of existing messages by adding Information Elements with specific tags (e.g., tag 0xC0 for read acknowledgement request, tag 0xC1 for read acknowledgement message indicator). This parameter extension allows read acknowledgement functionality to be added without changing the fundamental message structure, enabling backward compatibility while adding new capabilities.
2Loss of information
If read acknowledgement Information Elements are added to messages, then message tracking capability is improved, but message structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by embedding read acknowledgement Information Elements within the existing message body structure. The IE is nested as a sub-component of the message, containing compact binary data (tag, length, value fields) rather than expanding the message with separate structures. This allows rich tracking information to be conveyed with minimal structural overhead.
3Adaptability or versatility
If interoperability between multiple protocols is implemented, then communication versatility is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves protocol interoperability through a universal Information Element design that can be interpreted by different protocol handlers (SMS, MMS, IP messaging). The same IE format with standardized tags can be processed across protocol boundaries, allowing a single implementation to support multiple protocols without requiring separate read acknowledgement mechanisms for each.
Data Source
AI summary
Use of information-elements (IE) to enable global system for mobile communications (GSM) devices to support read acknowledgements for text messaging, e.g., short message service (SMS). A GSM device inserts a read acknowledgement request Information-Element (IE) into the body of an SMS message to request that a read acknowledgement be returned to the sending device upon opening. When a GSM recipient device opens an SMS message with a read acknowledgement request IE, the GSM recipient device creates a read acknowledgement SMS message by populating a read acknowledgement message indicator IE, inserting the read acknowledgement message IE into an SMS message, and forwarding the read acknowledgement SMS message to an originating GSM device. Read acknowledgement IEs have a message value that allows a mobile device to associate a read acknowledgement with a particular SMS message. A short message service center (SMSC) supports interoperability between GSM, CDMA, IP, MME, and SMPP read acknowledgements.