WO2009026608A1

WO2009026608A1 - A method of communicating

Info

Publication number: WO2009026608A1
Application number: PCT/AU2007/001814
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mark Fortunatow
Original assignee: Mgm Wireless Holdings Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2007-08-31
Filing date: 2007-11-26
Publication date: 2009-03-05
Also published as: AU2007100840A4

Abstract

A method of communicating involving the steps: a) maintaining a computerised database (5) of subscribers (7) and storing in the database unique identifiers corresponding to those subscribers plus personal information related to those subscribers, b) receiving messages from the subscribers (7), such messages having been initiated from mobile telephones as SMS or MMS communications, each message incorporating information as to the respective subscriber's unique identifier plus a subscriber generated query, c) for each message assessing the respective subscriber's unique identifier by way of computer means to determine whether that subscriber is authorised to receive information from the database and thus have the query answered, d) for each query, if it is determined that the respective subscriber (7) is so authorised, extracting information from the database, or from further databases, sufficient to answer the query, and e) sending an answer to the query by way of a computer initiated message received at the mobile telephone recorded in the database against the respective subscriber (7), the answer received by that subscriber as an SMS or MMS message.

Description

TITLE

A method of communicating.

FIELD OF INVENTION A preferred form of this invention relates to a method of communicating utilising mobile telephones.

BACKGROUND

It is known to use informational databases in the process of delivering information to database subscribers on demand. Such databases are typically accessed by subscribers via the internet and this may require a subscriber to navigate through a series of web pages to get the desired information. This mode of obtaining information can be reasonably time consuming or inconvenient, particularly if one does not have a PC readily available for accessing the internet.

It is known to use SMS (short message service) and MMS (multimedia message services) messaging to communicate using mobile telephones, for example cellular phones. The SMS protocol is sometimes called the IS-136 protocol. SMS and MMS forms of communication are generally simpler than internet communications. However they have not been used in the manner of the present invention. Indeed industry thinking has been very much in a different direction.

It is an object of a preferred embodiment of the present invention to facilitate communications, for example between a care giver and a school, utilising SMS or MMS messaging, or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.

The term "comprising" or derivatives thereof, if and when used in this document, should be interpreted non-exclusively, eg to mean "consisting of or including".

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of communicating involving the steps: a) maintaining a computerised database of subscribers and storing in the database unique identifiers corresponding to those subscribers plus personal information related to those subscribers, b) receiving messages from the subscribers, such messages having been initiated from mobile telephones as SMS or MMS communications, each message incorporating information as to the respective subscriber's unique identifier plus a subscriber generated query, c) for each message assessing the respective subscriber's unique identifier by way of computer means to determine whether that subscriber is authorised to receive information from the database and thus have the query answered, d) for each query, if it is determined that the respective subscriber is so authorised, extracting information from the database, or from further databases, sufficient to answer the query, and e) sending an answer to the query by way of a computer initiated message received at the mobile telephone recorded in the database against the respective subscriber, the answer received by that subscriber as an SMS or MMS message.

Optionally at least some of the queries are variable (ie they do not all call for the same type of information).

Optionally the subscriber generated query comprises an SMS short code.

Optionally the unique identifiers are the mobile telephone numbers applicable to the subscribers respectively.

Optionally the subscribers are in each case the parent or legal guardian of a child which attends a school and the personal information related to each subscriber is at least one of: i. information as to whether the subscriber's child is or was in attendance at the school on a given day or time, ii. information as to the venue or time or school sports event times that the child is scheduled to participate in, iii. information as to a closure date of the school, and iv. information as to assignment deadlines applicable to the child.

Optionally the personal information related to each subscriber is at least one of: i. information as to current events or news items concerning the school, and ii. information as to sports results for sports events in which the school has participated.

Optionally the personal information referred to at step a) can be entered into the database by way of a Web interface.

Preferably for each message referred to at step b) the answer referred to at step e) is sent substantially immediately.

Preferably step d) involves determining from information contained in each message the type of information being requested and interrogating multiple institutional subscriber databases to obtain that information.

Preferably the institutional subscriber databases are at schools for children.

Optionally the personal information related to the subscribers is monitored for changes (eg by way of computer technology), and notification of such changes is automatically sent to respective subscribers, preferably received as an SMS or MMS message.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some preferred forms of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a schematic view illustrating a method of achieving communications between a school and parents or guardians of children attending that school, Figures 2, 3 and 4 schematically illustrate various details of the method of figure 1, and

Figure 5 is a schematic view illustrating a particularly preferred method of achieving communications between a school and parents or guardians of children attending that school,

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to figures 1 and 2, there is an informational database 5 (optionally a collection of separate databases) having on it information provided to it by personal subscribers 7 or institutional subscribers 9, noting that in order for the personal subscriber 7 to have access to the informational database 5, they must first pre-register 10 with the institutional subscriber 9 that they are associated with. An example of the institutional subscriber 9 would be a school, where the school has a number of students 13, with each student having a parent or guardian 7 that is legally responsible for them and where that legal guardian 7 is registered 10 with the school 9.

Referring to figure 3, in order to correctly identify each legal guardian, the legal guardian registers with the school their mobile phone number, referred to as a calling number identifier (CNI) 15. It is noted that under the SMS format, each message has attached to it its original calling number identification 15 unique to the mobile phone 12. By then correlating that calling number identification 15 of the mobile phone 12, it is possible to identify the parent or guardian 7 and subsequently their children 13. This is an element to the correct identification of individuals that have pre-registered with the school or institutional subscriber 9.

Referring to figure 4, each morning at school, a teacher or person of authority marks a roll 20 indicating which students 13 are present or absent. Additionally, the roll 20 may also indicate students who are late, depending on the frequency of updates of the roll 20 that are required to produce the attendance data 22.

This attendance data 22 is then put into a database 24 that may either reside at the school in the form of a school management system or alternatively it may be directly input into the informational database 5, depending upon the setup. Once the appropriate attendance data 22 has been entered into the informational database 5, it is possible for personal subscribers 7 to make enquiries as to the relevant attendance status of their children. This is achieved by sending an SMS or MMS message 26 to a predefined number requesting the status of attendance of their child. This would be done in a shorthand manner, such as with the notation in the SMS message being '^ATTENDANCE", which effectively translates to the inquiry: "has my child arrived at school?"

The informational database 5, by way of computer technology, first checks the calling number identification 15, that is the telephone number corresponding to the SMS or MMS message, checks to see that the number has been registered 10 with the institutional subscriber 9, and if so collates details of the student or students 13 that are registered with that caller identification number 15 and their most recent attendance status 22 and then formats that information into an SMS or MMS message 28, which is sent back to the registered number of the parent or guardian 7. In this way it is quick and easy for a parent or guardian 7 to send an enquiry regarding the status 22 of the student 13 to the informational database 5, which can then quickly respond, taking the data provided to it by the school .

In addition to the attendance enquiry, it is possible using the current invention to make other enquiries regarding the activities of the students belonging to a particular parent or guardian. For example, if the child or student is booked to attend extra curricular activities, such as after school care or pre-organised events happening outside regular school hours, such as music lessons or sporting events, it would be possible for the parent to make a specific enquiry directed towards that event. An example of this would be where a parent whose child is required to attend music lessons after school and the parent sends an SMS message to a predefined number with the query "*MUSIC" effectively asking the question, "did my child attend music class?" Again, as previously, the informational database 5 receives the SMS query from the parent with the accompanying calling number identification 15 and, after checking that that number is registered for the service, collates the data on the database relevant to the enquiry and, in this instance, sends a return SMS message advising the parent of the student's attendance at the music class. The detail of the possible requests are dependent upon the information provided by the school to the informational database, but it is possible for the school to provide attendance information for each class, rather than simply for attendance at morning class. In this way then, it is possible for the parent to be able to track a child's attendance through the day to provide additional comfort to them regarding the current status of their child at the school.

In addition, the current method allows for the institutional subscriber to input further information 32 (see figure 4) into the informational database 5 pertaining to a particular student or group of students. For example, if a particular student plays football for the school, then the school would make that information available to the informational database along with, for example, information relating to the location of up coming football games. Then, a parent wanting to know where their child's football team is playing would send a SMS message 26 to the informational database 5 such as "^*SPORT LOCATION", which asks the question, "where is my child's football team playing next?". A return SMS message 28 would be sent back to the parent 7, after corroborating the calling number identification 15 with details on the informational database 5, providing both location and time details for their child's 13 various registered sporting events.

As can be clearly seen, the scope of the current invention and its application is only limited then by the degree and detail of information provided by the institutional subscribers 9.

Moreover, the method allows for the input of specific information related to that institutional subscriber via the personal subscribers 7 via a Web interface 32. In this manner then, it is possible for personal subscribers 7 to provide updates on sporting events, if they are authorised to do so. That information is then stored directly on the informational database 5.

The advantage of this system is clear in that it provides an opportunity for, in this case, parents 7 to be able to make enquiries regarding their child's 13 attendance at school when they feel the need to ask, but also enables the school 9 to provide additional information to the parent 7 in a quick and efficient manner, without unnecessarily diverting school resources away from their core activities and in addition provides information to the parent on demand.

Referring to figure 5, in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention SMS or MMS messages 26a sent by subscribers 7a are received at the normal telecommunications company 33 applicable to each subscriber. In each case the telecommunications company 33 passes the message 26a through to a network server 34 forming part of an informational database system 5a, optionally via an aggregator in the case of messages from multiple telecommunications companies. A further network server 35 forming part of the system 5a monitors all incoming messages 26 by way of an automation engine 36, looking for enquiries from the personal subscribers 7a. When the automation engine 36 finds such an inquiry it determines the identity of the respective subscriber 7 by way of that subscriber's calling identification number (CNI). The automation engine 36 determines which subscribed school 37 (ie an institutional subscriber) the personal subscriber 7 is registered with. If there is no such registration then an SMS or MMS message is sent by the system back to the initial caller informing the person that he or she is not registered and thus cannot be given the requested information.

If it is determined that the subscriber 7 is registered with a subscribed school 37 the automation engine 36 determines what type of information is being requested, eg student attendance information, student sports event information, etc. Based on that determination the automation engine 36 interrogates a specific database 38 within the database system 5a, searching for all schools that the subscriber is registered with and determines whether any of those schools have, via a telecommunications link, forwarded information relevant to the subscriber's inquiry. If no such information is available then the system 5a sends an SMS or MMS message back to the subscriber informing him or her of such. If the requested information is available then such information is sent to the subscriber as an SMS or MMS message, via the respective telecommunications company 33, again via an aggregator if need be. In some embodiments of the invention the database 38 may be remote, for example at the site of a school or elsewhere. Indeed there may be multiple databases 38, each at a different school. In cases where the database(s) 38 is/are remote, eg at a school site or sites, the database 38 is in each case interrogated automatically by way of computer technology using a telecommunications link. In such cases the off-site database 38 may provide information in a raw format which is subsequently processed and/or formatted by the system 5a

In some embodiments of the invention requests for information may trigger a subscription request. When that happens an automation engine that is responsible for handling such requests stores the parent's/guardian's contact details in a database. At hourly intervals, the automation engine reviews information that has been submitted by institutional subscribers, and on finding content which is different to the previous information, an SMS or MMS message is generated to inform the parent/guardian, hence ensuring the parent is kept up to date with all relevant changes.

While some preferred embodiments of the invention have been described by way of example it should be appreciated that modifications and improvements can occur without departing from the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A method of communicating involving the steps: a) maintaining a computerised database of subscribers and storing in the database unique identifiers corresponding to those subscribers plus personal information related to those subscribers, b) receiving messages from the subscribers, such messages having been initiated from mobile telephones as SMS or MMS communications, each message incorporating information as to the respective subscriber's unique identifier plus a subscriber generated query, c) for each message assessing the respective subscriber's unique identifier by way of computer means to determine whether that subscriber is authorised to receive information from the database and thus have the query answered, d) for each query, if it is determined that the respective subscriber is so authorised, extracting information from the database, or from further databases, sufficient to answer the query, and e) sending an answer to the query by way of a computer initiated message received at the mobile telephone recorded in the database against the respective subscriber, the answer received by that subscriber as an SMS or MMS message.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the queries are variable in that they do not all call for the same type of information.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the subscriber generated query comprises an SMS short code.

4. A method according to claim 1 , 2 or 3, wherein the unique identifiers are the mobile telephone numbers applicable to the subscribers respectively.

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the subscribers are in each case the parent or legal guardian of a child which attends a school and the personal information related to each subscriber is at least one of: i. information as to whether the subscriber's child is or was in attendance at the school on a given day or time, ii. information as to the venue or time or school sports event times that the child is scheduled to participate in, iii. information as to a closure date of the school, and iv. information as to assignment deadlines applicable to the child.

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the personal information related to each subscriber is at least one of: i. information as to current events or news items concerning the school, and ii. information as to sports results for sports events in which the school has participated.

7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the personal information referred to at step a) can be entered into the database by way of a Web interface.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein for each message referred to at step b) the answer referred to at step e) is sent substantially immediately.

9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein step d) involves determining from information contained in each message the type of information being requested and interrogating multiple institutional subscriber databases to obtain that information.

10. A method according to claim 10 wherein the institutional subscriber databases are at schools for children.

11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the personal information related to the subscribers is monitored for changes by way of computer technology, and notification of such changes is automatically sent to respective subscribers.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the notification of changes is received by the respective subscribers as an SMS or MMS message.

13. A method substantially as herein described with reference to figures 1 , 2, 3 and 4.

14. A method substantially as herein described with reference to figure 5.