# US 2013/0260802 A1 · Enhanced multi-media messaging services that permit oversized messages > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0260802 A1 - Document ID: US20130260802A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/434,404 - Filed: 2012-03-29 - Published: 2013-10-03 - Earliest claimed: 2012-03-29 - Assignees: Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless - Inventors: Amir MAYBLUM - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130260802A1 ## CPC - H04W 4/12: Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements - H04W 4/14: Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD] - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A multimedia messaging service (MMS) subsystem may include a user interface configured to allow a user to formulate an MMS message for delivery to a designated phone number; an oversized MMS message detection subsystem configured to detect when the formulated MMS message exceeds an allowable size limit; and an oversized MMS message management subsystem configured to divide an oversized MMS message into smaller MMS messages that are each within the allowable size limit and to cause each smaller MMS message to be delivered to the designated phone number/address. The MMS subsystem may be part of a wireless mobile communication device. Portions of the MMS subsystem may in addition or instead be part of a multimedia messaging service center (MMSC) server. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A multimedia messaging service (MMS) subsystem comprising: a user interface configured to allow a user to formulate an MMS message; an oversized MMS message detection subsystem configured to detect when the formulated MMS message exceeds an allowable size limit; and an oversized MMS message management subsystem configured to automatically divide an oversized MMS message into smaller messages that are each within the allowable size limit and to transmit each smaller message. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The MMS subsystem of claim 1 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to cause the user interface to issue an oversized alert when an oversized MMS message is detected. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The MMS subsystem of claim 2 wherein the MMS message detection system is configured to detect when the formulated MMS message exceeds an allowable size limit after the user directs that the MMS message be sent. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The MMS subsystem of claim 2 wherein: the oversized MMS message detection system is configured to monitor the size of an MMS message as it is being formulated using the user interface and to detect that it exceeds the allowable size limit as soon as it exceeds the allowable size limit; and the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to cause the user interface to issue the oversized alert as soon as the oversized MMS message detection system detects that the MMS message that is being formulated exceeds the allowable size limit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The MMS subsystem of claim 2 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to cause the user interface to allow the user to specify whether the oversized MMS message management subsystem should automatically divide an oversize MMS message into the smaller messages. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The MMS subsystem of claim 1 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to automatically divide the oversized MMS message into the smaller messages in a manner that minimizes the total number of the smaller messages. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The MMS subsystem of claim 1 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to deliver each of the smaller messages to the designated phone number in a sequence that causes the information in the smaller messages to be delivered to the designated phone number in the same sequence as the information appeared in the oversized MMS message. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The MMS subsystem of claim 1 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to automatically divide the oversized MMS message into the smaller messages in a manner that first minimizes the total number of the smaller messages and, to the extent thereafter possible, causes the information in the smaller messages to be delivered to the designated phone number in the same sequence as the information appeared in the oversized MMS message. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The MMS subsystem of claim 1 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to automatically divide the oversized MMS message into the smaller messages in a manner that minimizes network resources needed to deliver the smaller messages. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The MMS subsystem of claim 1 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to cause the user interface to query the user as to how the user wants the oversized MMS message management subsystem to automatically divide the oversized MMS message into the smaller messages and to thereafter divide the oversized MMS messages in the manner specified by the user in response to the query. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The MMS subsystem of claim 1 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to cause each of the smaller messages to include a number that is representative of the total number of the smaller messages that comprise the oversized MMS message and a number that is representative of the sequence of the smaller message within this set of messages. ### Claim 12 A multimedia messaging service center (MMSC) server comprising: a network communication system configured to receive MMS messages from a computer network that each originated from a sender; an oversized MMS message detection subsystem configured to detect when a received MMS message exceeds an allowable size limit; and an oversized MMS message management subsystem configured to automatically divide each received oversized MMS message into smaller MMS messages that are each within the allowable size limit and to cause each of the smaller MMS messages to be delivered. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The MMSC server of claim 12 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to cause an oversized alert to be delivered to the sender of a received MMS message when the received MMS messages is detect to be an oversized MMS message. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The MMSC server of claim 12 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to allow the sender to specify whether the oversized MMS message management subsystem should automatically divide an oversize MMS message into the smaller messages. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The MMSC server of claim 12 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to automatically divide an oversized MMS message into the smaller MMS messages in a manner that minimizes the total number of the smaller MMS messages. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The MMSC server of claim 12 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to deliver each of the smaller MMS messages to the designated phone number in a sequence that causes the information in the smaller MMS messages to be delivered to the recipient's phone number in the same sequence as the information appeared in the oversized MMS message. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The MMSC server of claim 12 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to automatically divide an oversized MMS message into the smaller MMS messages in a manner that first minimizes the total number of the smaller MMS messages and, to the extent thereafter possible, causes the information in the smaller MMS messages to be delivered to the recipient's phone number in the same sequence as the information appeared in the oversized MMS message. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The MMSC server of claim 12 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to automatically divide an oversized MMS message into the smaller MMS messages in a manner that minimizes network resources needed to deliver the smaller MMS messages. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The MMSC server of claim 12 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to receive information from the sender of each oversized MMS message indicative of how the oversized MMS message management subsystem should automatically divide an oversized MMS message into the smaller MMS messages and to thereafter divide the oversized MMS messages in the manner specified by the received information. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The MMSC server of claim 12 wherein the oversized MMS message management subsystem is configured to cause each of the smaller MMS messages to include a number that is representative of the total number of the smaller MMS messages that comprise the oversized MMS message and a number that is representative of the sequence of the smaller MMS message within this set of messages. ### Claim 21 A multimedia messaging service (MMS) subsystem comprising: a user interface configured to communicate MMS messages to a user; a fragment MMS message detection subsystem configured to detect when a received MMS message is part of a larger MMS message; and a fragment MMS message consolidation subsystem configured to consolidate all detected fragment MMS messages into the larger MMS message of which they are a part and to cause the user interface to deliver the larger consolidated MMS message to the user.