Method, system, gateway and user device for receiving/sending multimedia message

A multimedia message wireless user device comprising:

• a heartbeat sender for sending heartbeat signals to be detected by a presence manager of a multimedia message gateway for detecting whether the multimedia message wireless user device is located within a wireless LAN, wherein the heartbeat signals comprise a device number and IP address of the multimedia message wireless user device;
• a message transceiver,
• a notification receiver for receiving from the multimedia message gateway over the wireless LAN a notification indicating that there is a multimedia message to be received,
• a short message receiver, and
• a message transceiver for sending multimedia messages by sending a request carrying said multimedia message over said wireless LAN to the multimedia message gateway, and in response to said notification, sending a request carrying a storage location information of the multimedia message over said wireless LAN so that the multimedia message wireless user device directly receives said multimedia message from the multimedia message gateway over said wireless LAN when the presence manager confirms that the multimedia message user device is located within the wireless LAN
• wherein the multimedia message wireless user device is part of a telecom network comprising a short message center and a gateway, said telecom network communicating with said multimedia message wireless user device and said gateway, and
• wherein said multimedia message wireless user device and said multimedia message gateway make use of the telecom network to send, receive and store multimedia messages,
• wherein when said multimedia message wireless user device is located within a wireless LAN, said multimedia message gateway communicates with the multimedia message wireless device via said wireless LAN;
• and
• wherein when said multimedia message user device fails to be detected within said wireless LAN, said multimedia message gateway communicates with said multimedia message wireless user device via the telecom network;
• wherein when said multimedia message storage/transceiver has a multimedia message stored therein and said presence manager detects that said multimedia message wireless user device is not located within said wireless LAN, the notification sender sends a short message notification to said short message center, which sends a short message to said short message receiver so as to notify said multimedia message wireless user device;
• wherein said message transceiver is configured to send a multimedia message by sending a HTTP request carrying said multimedia message over said wireless LAN to said multimedia message storage/transceiver, or, when said notification receiver receives said notification, to send a request carrying storage location information of the multimedia message over said wireless LAN to said multimedia message storage/transceiver, so that said multimedia message storage/transceiver retrieves the multimedia message according to said storage location information and returns it to said multimedia message wireless user device via said wireless LAN to be received by said message transceiver;
• wherein said second message transceiver is configured to send a multimedia message to said multimedia message storage/transceiver by sending a request carrying said multimedia message to said gateway, or, when said short message receiver receives said notification, to send a request carrying storage location information of the multimedia message via said gateway to said multimedia message storage/transceiver, so that said multimedia message storage/transceiver retrieves the multimedia message according to said storage location information and returns it to said multimedia message wireless user device via said telecom network, said multimedia message is received by said second message transceiver;
• wherein the multimedia message storage/transceiver, upon confirmation that the wireless user device is located within the wireless LAN, sends the stored multimedia message to the wireless user.

A multimedia messaging service (MMS) system comprising:

• a communication interface configured to communicate with a wireless local area network (LAN);
• a communication interface configured to directly communicate with a MMS wireless user device to send and receive multimedia messages over said wireless LAN;
• wherein said MMS wireless user device comprises a heartbeat sender, a message transceiver, a notification receiver, a short message receiver and a second message transceiver;
• a MMS gateway for storing and sending the multimedia messages sent by said MMS wireless user device, said MMS gateway to operate cooperatively with said wireless user device deployed in Business-to-Enterprise and Business-to-Customer applications to securely support mobile employee and consumers;
• and
• wherein said MMS gateway sets up a direct communication channel between the MMS wireless user device and enterprise applications, and enables bypassing of an operator's MMS Center with no need to store MMS messages on an MMS Center;
• the MMS gateway comprising:
• a multimedia message storage/transceiver comprising a multimedia message stored therein;
• a presence manager that detects a location of the MMS user device and confirms whether said MMS user device is located within said wireless LAN by detecting heartbeat signals sent by a heartbeat sender of the MMS user device, wherein the heartbeat signals contain a wireless user device number and IP address, wherein the presence manager further detects roaming by the user device and responsive to said roaming, switches the multimedia message storage/transceiver's multimedia message preferred delivery medium;
• a database for recording the user device number and the IP address;
• a notification sender that sends a notification to the MMS wireless user device, over said wireless LAN, upon confirmation that said wireless user device is located within the wireless LAN, said notification indicating that the MMS gateway has a stored multimedia message to be sent to the wireless user device;
• and
• wherein the multimedia messaging service system further comprises:
• a telecom network comprising a short message center and a gateway, said telecom network communicating with said MMS wireless user device and said MMS gateway, and
• wherein said MMS wireless user device and said MMS gateway make use of the telecom network to send, receive and store multimedia messages,
• wherein when said MMS wireless user device is located within said wireless LAN, said MMS gateway communicates with the MMS wireless device via said wireless LAN;
• and
• wherein when said MMS user device fails to be detected within said wireless LAN, said MMS gateway communicates with said MMS wireless user device via the telecom network;
• wherein the multimedia message storage/transceiver, upon confirmation that the wireless user device is located within the wireless LAN, sends the stored multimedia message to the wireless user;
• wherein the presence manager detects the heartbeat signals sent by the heartbeat sender so as to confirm whether said MMS wireless user device is located within said wireless LAN;
• wherein when said multimedia message storage/transceiver has a multimedia message stored therein and said presence manager detects that said MMS wireless user device is located within said wireless LAN, the notification sender sends a notification over said wireless LAN to said MMS wireless user device, said notification is received by said notification receiver;
• wherein when said multimedia message storage/transceiver has a multimedia message stored therein and said presence manager detects that said MMS wireless user device is not located within said wireless LAN, the notification sender sends a short message notification to said short message center, which sends a short message to said short message receiver so as to notify said MMS wireless user device;
• wherein said message transceiver is configured to send a multimedia message by sending a HTTP request carrying said multimedia message over said wireless LAN to said multimedia message storage/transceiver, or, when said notification receiver receives said notification, to send a request carrying storage location information of the multimedia message over said wireless LAN to said multimedia message storage/transceiver, so that said multimedia message storage/transceiver retrieves the multimedia message and returns it to said MMS wireless user device via said wireless LAN to be received by said message transceiver;
• and
• wherein said second message transceiver is configured to send a multimedia message to said multimedia message storage/transceiver by sending a request carrying said multimedia message to said gateway, or, when said short message receiver receives said notification, to send a request carrying storage location information of the multimedia message via said gateway to said multimedia message storage/transceiver, so that said multimedia message storage/transceiver retrieves the multimedia message and returns it to said MMS wireless user device via said gateway and said telecom network, said multimedia message is received by said second message transceiver.