Method and system for sending messages

Abstract

The present publication discloses a method and system for sending messages in a telecommunications network. In the method, a first text-form message is sent to a user of the service, a reply to the first text-form message is received from the user of the service to an address defined in the previous message, if the reply is of the correct form and content, the desired service is sent to the user of the service. According to the invention, the user of the message service is offered a second service by a message, the information (such as the sending number is text-message traffic) defining the reply address of which differs from that of the first message, and the second offer message is sent with a sending delay, which depends of the content or type of the first service.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 sending, in a telecommunications network, to a mobile terminal, a text-form message, wherein the text-form message relates to a current session and a current stage of the current session within a predefined dialog including a plurality of stages in which the current stage of the predefined dialog determines a sender address of the text-form message, wherein the sending comprises altering the sender address of the text-form message, and wherein the altered sender address is determined based on a combination of a session number of the current session and the current stage of the current session; and   receiving, at the altered sender address or at an address contained in the sent text-form message, a reply message from the mobile terminal, wherein the predefined dialog proceeds based on contents of the reply message,   wherein the reply message is a service order message, which is associated with at least one order for a supplementary service, and which is subject to payment, and   wherein the method further comprises initiating delivery of the supplementary service over a communications channel that is not used to send or receive the text-form messages.   
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising repeating the sending and receiving for at least one subsequent current stage of the session, wherein the repeating comprises further altering the sender address of the text-form message based on the at least one subsequent current stage and sending the text-form message with the further altered sender address. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the text-form message comprises a Short Message Service message. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the text-form message comprises a Multimedia Message Service message. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the text-form message comprises an electronic mail message. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the sender addresses comprises an Internet Protocol Address. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the altering of the sender address of the text-form message comprises altering the sender address to an address operative in the mobile terminal's home network or country. 
     
     
       8. A telecommunications apparatus comprising:
 a processor coupled to a memory executing:   a transmission system for sending, in a telecommunications network to a mobile terminal, a text-form message, wherein the text-form message relates to a current session and a current stage of the current session within a predefined dialog including a plurality of stages in which the current stage of the predefined dialog determines a sender address of the text-form message, wherein the telecommunication apparatus further comprises a sender-address altering system for altering the sender address of the text-form message, wherein the altered sender address is determined based on a combination of a session number of the current session and the current stage of the current session; and   a reception system for receiving, at the altered sender address or at an address contained in the sent text-form message, a reply message from the mobile terminal, wherein the predefined dialog proceeds based on contents of the reply message,   wherein the reply message is a service order message, which is associated with at least one order for a supplementary service that is subject to payment, and   wherein the telecommunication apparatus further initiates delivery of the supplementary service over a communications channel which is not used to send or receive the text-form messages.   
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the apparatus repeating the sending and receiving for at least one subsequent current stage of the session, wherein the repeating comprises further altering the sender address of the text-form message based on at least one subsequent current stage and sending the text-form message with the further altered sender address. 
     
     
       10. The telecommunication apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the text-form message comprises a Short Message Service message. 
     
     
       11. The telecommunication apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the text-form message comprises a Multimedia Message Service message. 
     
     
       12. The telecommunication apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the text-form message comprises an electronic mail message. 
     
     
       13. The telecommunication apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the sending alters the sender address of the text-form message to an address operative in the mobile terminal's home network or country. 
     
     
       14. The telecommunication apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein each of the sender addresses comprises an Internet Protocol Address. 
     
     
       15. The telecommunication apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the telecommunication apparatus comprises an SMS bulk-delivery system. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sending comprises altering the sender address of the text-form message based on the current stage of the session for each of several mobile terminals. 
     
     
       17. The telecommunication apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the sender-address altering system alters the sender address of the text-form message based on the current stage of the session for each of several mobile terminals. 
     
     
       18. A method comprising:
 sending, in a telecommunications network, to a mobile terminal, a first text-form query message that relates to a current session and a current stage of the current session within a predefined dialog, which includes a plurality of stages, wherein the current stage of the predefined dialog determines a sender address of the first text-form query message, wherein the sending comprises altering the sender address of the first text-form query message, and wherein the altered sender address is determined based on a combination of a session number of the current session and the current stage of the current session; and   receiving, at the altered sender address or at an address contained in the sent first text-form query message, a first reply message from the mobile terminal, wherein the predefined dialog proceeds based on contents of the first reply message, wherein the first reply message is a service order message, which is associated with at least one order for a supplementary service, and which is subject to payment, and wherein the method further comprises initiating delivery of the supplementary service over a communications channel that is not used to send or receive the text-form query messages,   wherein, in response to the receipt of the first reply to the first text-form query message indicating acceptance of terms in the first text-form query message, both delivery of a first service event is initiated to the user and a second text-form query message is sent to the mobile terminal of the user, wherein the second text-form query message indicates a second reply address, which is distinct from the first reply address.   
     
     
       19. The method of claim 18, further comprising repeating the sending and receiving for at least one subsequent current stage of the session, wherein the repeating comprises further altering the sender address of a second text-form query message based on the at least one subsequent current stage and sending the second text-form query message with the further altered sender address. 
     
     
       20. The method of claim 18, wherein the text-form query message comprises a Short Message Service message. 
     
     
       21. The method of claim 18, wherein the text-form query message comprises a Multimedia Message Service message. 
     
     
       22. The method of claim 18, wherein the text-form query message comprises an electronic mail message. 
     
     
       23. The method of claim 18, wherein each of the sender addresses comprises an Internet Protocol Address. 
     
     
       24. The method of claim 18, wherein each of the sender addresses comprises a telephone number. 
     
     
       25. The method of claim 18, wherein the altering of the sender address of the first text-form query message comprises altering the sender address to an address operative in the mobile terminal's home network or country. 
     
     
       26. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 18, wherein the telecommunication apparatus comprises an SMS bulk-delivery system. 
     
     
       27. The method of claim 18, wherein the sending comprises altering the sender address of the text-form query message based on the current stage of the session for each of several mobile terminals. 
     
     
       28. A telecommunications apparatus comprising:
 a processor coupled to a memory for executing:
 a transmission system for sending, in a telecommunications network to a mobile terminal, a first text-form query message that relates to a current session and a current stage of the current session within a predefined dialog that includes a plurality of stages, wherein the current stage of the predefined dialog determines a sender address of the first text-form query message, 
 a sender-address altering system for altering the sender address of the first text-form query message, wherein the altered sender address is determined based on a combination of a session number of the current session and the current stage of the current session; and 
 a reception system for receiving, at the altered sender address or at an address contained in the sent first text-form query message, a reply message from the mobile terminal, wherein the predefined dialog proceeds based on contents of the reply message, wherein the reply message is a service order message, which is associated with at least one order for a supplementary service that is subject to payment, and wherein the telecommunication apparatus further initiates delivery of the supplementary service over a communications channel which is not used to send or receive the text-form query messages 
   wherein, in response to the receipt of the first reply to the first text-form query message indicating acceptance of terms in the first text-form query message, the processor both initiates delivery of a first service event to the user and sends a second text-form query message to the mobile terminal of the user, wherein the second text-form query message indicates a second reply address, which is distinct from the first reply address.   
     
     
       29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the apparatus repeating the sending and receiving for at least one subsequent current stage of the session, wherein the repeating comprises further altering the sender address of a second text-form query message based on the at least one subsequent current stage and sending the second text-form query message with the further altered sender address. 
     
     
       30. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 28, wherein the text-form query message comprises a Short Message Service message. 
     
     
       31. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 28, wherein the text-form query message comprises a Multimedia Message Service message. 
     
     
       32. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 28, wherein the text-form query message comprises an electronic mail message. 
     
     
       33. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 28, wherein the sending alters the sender address of the text-form query message to an address operative in the mobile terminal's home network or country. 
     
     
       34. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 28, wherein each of the sender addresses comprises an Internet Protocol Address. 
     
     
       35. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 28, wherein the telecommunication apparatus comprises an SMS bulk-delivery system. 
     
     
       36. The telecommunication apparatus of claim 28, wherein the sender-address altering system alters the sender address of the text-form query message based on the current stage of the session for each of several mobile terminals.