APL-QC2403_00333665
`
`(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2002/0087549 A1
`Mostafa
`(43) Pub. Date:
`Jul. 4, 2002
`
`US 20020087549A1
`
`(54) DATA TRANSMISSION
`(76) Inventor: Miraj Mostafa, Tampere (FI)
`Correspondence Address:
`ANTONELL TERRY STOUT AND KRAUS
`SUTE 1800
`1300 NORTH SEVENTEENTH STREET
`ARLINGTON, VA 22209
`(21) Appl. No.:
`09/990,359
`(22) Filed:
`Nov. 23, 2001
`(30)
`Foreign Application Priority Data
`
`(52) U.S. Cl. ................................................................ 707/10
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`A multimedia messaging method comprising the Steps of:
`receiving a content from a Sender and addressed to one
`or more recipient;
`accessing a database comprising recipient data describ
`ing multimedia reception capabilities and/or recep
`tion preferences for at least one recipient;
`forming, in accordance with Said recipient data, a
`notification message containing information that Said
`media content is available to be streamed to the
`addressed recipient(s); and
`transmitting the notification message to the addressed
`recipient(s). A corresponding network entity, com
`munication System and computer program are also
`
`(51) Int. Cl." - G06F 7700 described.
`
`Nov. 22, 2000 (FI)............................................. 2OOO2566
`
`Publication Classification
`
`MMS User 21
`Agent (UA)
`
`d
`C
`Message C D
`Store
`User Databases
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`MMS
`Server
`MMS
`
`Relay N
`
`
`
`?nternet
`^P NetWor
`
`
`
`- Wired EMail
`
`Client
`
`Mobile
`Network
`
`MMSE
`
`Roaming MMS
`User Agent (UA
`
`Qualcomm Exhibit 2016
`Apple v. Qualcomm, IPR2018-01279
`Page 1
`
`

`

`APL-QC2403_00333666
`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`Jul. 4, 2002. Sheet 1 of 5
`
`US 2002/0087549 A1
`
`
`
`(vn) quæ6%
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Qualcomm Exhibit 2016
`Apple v. Qualcomm, IPR2018-01279
`Page 2
`
`

`

`APL-QC2403_00333667
`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`Jul. 4, 2002 Sheet 2 of 5
`
`US 2002/0087549 A1
`
`
`
`Qualcomm Exhibit 2016
`Apple v. Qualcomm, IPR2018-01279
`Page 3
`
`

`

`APL-QC2403_00333668
`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`Jul. 4, 2002. Sheet 3 of 5
`
`US 2002/0087549 A1
`
`ESWWESWW
`
`
`
`
`
`Qualcomm Exhibit 2016
`Apple v. Qualcomm, IPR2018-01279
`Page 4
`
`

`

`APL-QC2403_00333669
`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`US 2002/0087549 A1
`
`
`
`ULIJOJUI
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`g yn swlw gMNW SWN SWW SWW SWW VWNW W V^ SWW
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`XV-TEH HEAHES HE/\?+ES XWTHèl?u€?UOD SWNW
`
`
`
`
`
`Qualcomm Exhibit 2016
`Apple v. Qualcomm, IPR2018-01279
`Page 5
`
`

`

`APL-QC2403_00333670
`
`Patent Application Publication
`
`Jul. 4, 2002 Sheet 5 of 5
`
`US 2002/0087549 A1
`
`| MEM
`
`REL
`
`MMS,
`
`SERV
`
`DB
`
`Fig. 5
`
`Qualcomm Exhibit 2016
`Apple v. Qualcomm, IPR2018-01279
`Page 6
`
`

`

`APL-QC2403_00333671
`
`US 2002/0O87549 A1
`
`Jul. 4, 2002
`
`DATA TRANSMISSION
`0001. This invention relates to data transmission.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`0002. In mobile communications networks, the term
`Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is commonly used to
`describe a new approach for transmitting messages having
`multimedia content. The Multimedia Messaging Service
`allows messaging between different mobile users and/or
`between mobile users and the Internet. There is an already
`agreed solution for providing an MMS in 3" Generation
`mobile communication networks and its features are
`described in 3" Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)
`technical specification 23.140 V.3.0.1. “Multimedia Mes
`saging Service (MMS), Functional Description, Stage 2
`(Release 1999)”. The Multimedia Messaging Service pro
`posed in 3GPP 23.140 employs a store-and-forward
`approach to message delivery. Multimedia messages are
`constructed in Such a way that the media content, informa
`tion necessary to describe the media content and addressing
`information, identifying the intended receiver of the mes
`Sage, are encapsulated together. The multimedia message is
`then sent to a Multimedia Messaging Service Centre
`MMSC, which in turn notifies the receiver about the mes
`Sage. The multimedia message is downloaded by a recipient
`(typically by a multimedia terminal) as a whole and only
`presented to the user once downloaded and Stored in the
`receiving terminal.
`0003. It should be appreciated that although the term
`“multimedia message' is used generally to describe an
`electronic message that contains more than one type of
`media content, in the context of the description provided in
`this application, the term extends to cover messages that
`contain only one media type.
`0004. The MMS solution according to currently accepted
`recommendations will now be described with reference to
`FIGS. 1 and 2.
`0005 FIG. 1 shows a typical arrangement of a Multime
`dia Messaging System according to prior art. In connection
`with FIG. 1, and throughout this application, the term
`MMSE (Multimedia Messaging Service Environment) is
`used as a collective term to describe the functional elements
`that operate together to implement a multimedia messaging
`service. In the example of FIG. 1, the MMSE is shown to
`comprise an MMS relay and an MMS server which, in this
`example, are integrated into a single unit, commonly
`referred to as a Multimedia Messaging Service Centre
`(MMSC). The MMS server is connected to a message store,
`in which messages arriving at the MMSC and addressed to
`a particular MMS subscriber are temporarily stored. The
`MMS relay is linked to a database comprising, for example,
`user subscription and addressing information. The MMS
`relay is also shown to be linked with two mobile telecom
`munication networks. The different telecommunication net
`WorkS may, for example, have different operators, different
`geographical locations or coverage areas and/or differ in
`terms of their technical characteristics. For example, they
`may belong to different technical generations Such as GSM
`and UMTS. Naturally, the number of networks with which
`the MMS relay may be connected is not limited to two. As
`shown in FIG. 1, each of the mobile telecommunication
`networks comprises one or more MMS user agents (UA).
`
`The MMS user agents may be, for example, GPRS terminals
`with software providing the MMS, or any other suitably
`equipped terminal. Communication between the MMSE and
`a particular User agent in a given mobile network takes place
`via the radio interface of the mobile network in question.
`FIG. 1 also shows a connection between the MMS relay and
`an IP network, for example the Internet. This connection
`enables a User agent resident in a mobile network to e.g.
`receive multimedia messages from an electronic mailbox
`connected to the IP network or to exchange multimedia
`messages with a user (e.g. an e-mail client) in the IP
`network. The IP connection may also serve as a link,
`coupling the MMS relay to a third mobile telecommunica
`tion network, which also has access to one or more MMS
`user agents.
`0006 FIG. 2 shows MMS architecture elements of a
`prior art system comprising two MMS Environments
`(MMSE), which are assumed to be under the control of
`different Service Providers. For clarity, each MMSE is
`shown to comprises a single MMS user agent, but it should
`be appreciated that typically a large number of Such User
`agents will be present. Both MMSEs further comprise a
`mobile telecommunication network (MNW), an MMS Relay
`and an MMS server. The MMS Relays are coupled together
`to communicate using the SMTP protocol (SMTP, Simple
`Mail Transfer Protocol). The MMS Relays are also coupled
`with respective MNWs and with respective MMS servers in
`the same MMSE.
`0007 Next, the operation of the systems illustrated in
`FIG. 2 is described. An originating MMS user agent UA,
`here assumed to be MMS user agent A of MMSE A wishes
`to send some media content to MMS user agent B of MMSE
`B. MMS user agent Asends the media content (e.g. a video
`clip with voice) and all other related information encapsu
`lated in a multimedia message to MMS Relay A through
`MNWA. If the recipient MMS user agent were in the same
`MMSE, MMS Relay A would store the media content in
`MMS server A and send a notification to the recipient MMS
`user agent. Upon receiving the notification, the recipient
`MMS user agent would retrieve the media content from the
`server via the MMS Relay. Retrieval of the media content is
`initiated by signalling with the MMS Relay A. However, if
`the intended recipient resides in another MMSE (e.g. the
`recipient is the MMS user agent B in MMSE B), MMS
`Relay A forwards the multimedia message to MMS Relay B.
`MMS Relay B stores the media content in MMS server B
`and sends a notification to the recipient MMS user agent B.
`In response to receiving the notification, MMS user agent B
`retrieves the media content from (via) the MMS Relay B.
`The retrieval of the media content is initiated by Signalling
`with MMS Relay B. This occurs at the instigation of the
`receiving user agent.
`0008 Regardless whether the sender and recipient are in
`the same MMSE, the originating MMS user agent can be
`provided with a delivery report and/or a read-reply report to
`describe the Status of the delivery and the opening of the
`multimedia message.
`0009 Streaming is a technique that could enhance mul
`timedia messaging in many ways. The term "streaming” is
`generally used to describe the presentation of a media
`Stream, for example an audio or Video Stream, or a combi
`nation of different Streams, in a continuous way while those
`
`Qualcomm Exhibit 2016
`Apple v. Qualcomm, IPR2018-01279
`Page 7
`
`

`

`APL-QC2403_00333672
`
`US 2002/0O87549 A1
`
`Jul. 4, 2002
`
`Streams are being transmitted to a recipient over a data
`network. A “stream” can be, for example, a flow of data
`typically enabling the recipient to present Some continuous
`data Such as motion pictures (i.e. Video), voice or music. In
`a typical Video Stream, Some 10 to 20 Video frames are
`transmitted per Second. In practice, Streaming can be either
`live (real-time) or performed in an on-demand fashion. The
`term “live Streaming describes the creation of a media
`Stream from a live Source, for example a stream of digital
`imageS produced by a Video camera, while the term “on
`demand Streaming” describes the creation of a media Stream
`from, for example, a file Stored on a Server.
`0.010 The application of streaming in mobile networks
`lookS very promising, especially considering the fact that
`mobile terminals typically have limited multimedia playing
`resources Such as memory and processing power. Adoption
`of a Streaming approach to media download and presentation
`has the potential to reduce the amount of available memory
`required by mobile terminals. The use of Streaming would
`also be advantageous when multicasting media content to a
`number of recipients.
`0.011
`However, the encapsulation of media content, mes
`Sage description and addressing information in a Single
`entity as proposed in current MMS Specifications is incom
`patible with the Streaming of media content. In order to
`establish a Streaming Session, it is necessary for the receiv
`ing terminal to be aware, in advance, of certain information
`relating to the media content. Such information includes, but
`is not limited to, the type of media contained in the message,
`the way that media is encoded and a Suitable transport
`protocol that could be used to download the media content.
`Because current MMS specifications require information
`describing the media content to be encapsulated with the
`multimedia message itself, the receiving terminal cannot
`obtain prior knowledge about the properties of the media
`content and therefore cannot establish any form of Streaming
`Session. Thus, according to the present recommendations,
`the entire message must be downloaded to the receiving
`terminal in order for the details of the media content to be
`extracted. Only then can any media content, Such as Video
`and/or audio clips be played to the user of the receiving
`terminal. This limits the usability of the known MMS
`Solution because multimedia clips are usually bulky in terms
`of bits and therefore a receiving terminal, for example a
`mobile Station, would require a comparatively large avail
`able memory. The need to download an entire message
`before it can be presented may also give rise to significant
`delays in certain conditions, for example if the message is
`very large, or the data transmission rate of the connection is
`low.
`0012 One proposal, describing a way in which streaming
`functionality can be incorporated into a Multimedia Mes
`Saging Service, is presented in Finnish patent application Fl
`2000 1741. Fl 2000 1741 suggests the provision of an
`end-to-end notification to provide a recipient MMS user
`agent (UA) with information required to establish a stream
`ing Session for downloading media content.
`0013 An MMS user agent has no means of knowing the
`exact capabilities of other UAS, and thus, a UA-generated
`notification might not serve the purpose in many cases,
`especially in the case of an inter-MMSE (MMS Environ
`ment) situation. Furthermore, Such an end-to-end notifica
`
`tion useS radio resources at both the Senders and recipient's
`end, consuming radio resources at both ends. Moreover,
`considerable changes may be necessary to the existing
`(non-streaming) MMS Solution in order to Support end-to
`end notifications as proposed in F1 2000 1741. A new
`notification message type should be defined and then the
`MMSE should be modified to deal with exchanging the new
`notifications between the originating MMS user agent and
`its MMS Relay, and between the MMS Relay and the MMS
`Relay of the recipient. It is important to limit the changes
`required in the existing practice of providing both the
`Services of Streaming and MMS Separately. It is also impor
`tant in this regard to minimise the transmission of informa
`tion over the wireless interface to make efficient use of the
`Scarce and expensive resource, radio link bandwidth. Flex
`ibility is also very important in this regard to take into
`account different use cases, user-demands and telecommu
`nication network infrastructures.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`0014. According to a first aspect of the invention, a
`method is provided in a network entity comprising the Steps
`of:
`
`0015 receiving media content from a sending entity
`and addressed to at least one recipient,
`0016 accessing a database comprising recipient
`data describing multimedia reception capabilities
`and/or reception preferences for at least one recipi
`ent,
`0017 forming, in accordance with said recipient
`data, a notification message containing information
`that Said media content is available to be streamed to
`Said at least one addressed recipient; and
`0018 outputting the notification message for trans
`mission to Said at least one addressed recipient.
`0019 Advantageously, by adopting this method, an exist
`ing multimedia messaging System can be relatively easily
`and cheaply complemented with Streaming functionality,
`allowing Streamed reception of media content to Said at least
`one addressed recipient. Even more advantageously, in a
`case where more than one recipient is addressed, the pos
`Sibility of providing Streamed delivery reduces the required
`Storage resources of the communication System, because the
`Same content is Stored once but used a multiplicity of times.
`0020 Preferably, the method further comprises the steps
`of:
`
`0021 receiving the media content in a multimedia
`messaging Server; and
`0022 providing the at least one addressed recipient
`with the media content via the network entity;
`0023 wherein the network entity is a multimedia
`messaging relay.
`0024. The multimedia messaging server provides flex
`ibility to a communication System and can be easily
`upgraded. It can be upgraded by providing additional mass
`memory if its Storage capacity becomes insufficient, or by
`replacing it with a faster device if it becomes a bottleneck.
`On the other hand, the server can be initially dimensioned in
`
`Qualcomm Exhibit 2016
`Apple v. Qualcomm, IPR2018-01279
`Page 8
`
`

`

`APL-QC2403_00333673
`
`US 2002/0O87549 A1
`
`Jul. 4, 2002
`
`Such a way as to be capable of handling a relatively Small
`amount of data So that the communication Systems initial
`Set-up is inexpensive.
`0.025
`Preferably, the media content comprises a set of
`different types of components and each component may be
`formatted in one or more formats.
`0.026
`Preferably, the method further comprises the fol
`lowing Steps before Said providing of the media content:
`0027 checking the format of at least one component
`of the received media content;
`0028) determining by using the recipient data
`whether the format is appropriate for Said at least one
`addressed recipient; and
`0029) if necessary, translating the component into a
`format appropriate for Said at least one addressed
`recipient.
`0030 Advantageously, the media content is translated if
`necessary into an appropriate format, So that typically no
`regeneration or conversion of the media content is required
`at the Sending entity. Thus, retransmission of the content
`from the Sending entity can also be avoided. This feature has
`the advantage of Saving data transmission resources in the
`communication System, as the media content need not be
`retransmitted and received again at Said network entity. This
`is particularly advantageous, if the Sending entity is a
`terminal of a mobile telecommunication network, in which
`case retransmission of the media content would waste radio
`transmission capacity.
`0.031
`Preferably, a streaming session is established in
`order to Stream at least Some of the media content to Said at
`least one recipient.
`0.032
`Preferably, when the media content is translated, it
`is translated while it is being Streamed to Said at least one
`recipient. By translating the media content into an appro
`priate format while it is being Streamed, unnecessary trans
`lation can be avoided. This provides a particular advantage
`in situations where Streaming may be interrupted, or is not
`Started at all. If the media content were translated in its
`entirety before Streaming were started, in Such situations
`Some or all of the of the translations would be performed in
`Vain, unnecessarily consuming processing capacity and/or
`memory.
`0.033
`Alternatively, said media content is first translated
`into Said appropriate format and then Streamed to Said at
`least one recipient. This allows performing at least part of
`the translation proceSS during off-peak times, when fewer
`operations are pending and more processing capacity is
`available.
`0034 Preferably, the network entity is adapted to trans
`late the media components between at least two different
`formats. Even more preferably, it is adapted, or it is arranged
`in Such a way that it can be adapted to translate the media
`components between all necessary formats in order to allow
`reception and playing back of the media content by Said at
`least one addressed recipient. In the latter case, the media
`content can be relayed to Said at least one addressed recipi
`ent regardless of the format in which it was transmitted from
`the Sending entity.
`
`0035) Preferably, said establishing of the streamed ses
`Sion is preceded by transmitting a notification to Said at least
`one addressed recipient.
`0036 Preferably, said notification message provides a
`minimum amount of information necessary for Said at least
`one addressed recipient to establish a streaming Session with
`the Said network entity.
`0037 Alternatively, said notification message comprises
`all necessary information for Said at least one addressed
`recipient to establish a streaming Session with Said network
`entity. This allows the Streaming Session to be established
`without a need for further messaging to Separately gather
`Some of the necessary information.
`0038 Preferably, the method further comprises transmit
`ting the notification message to Said at least one addressed
`recipient via a first telecommunication network.
`0039 Preferably, said notification message is formed
`taking into account the properties of the first telecommuni
`cation network. Preferably, said properties of the first tele
`communication network comprise at least one of the fol
`lowing: the network's multimedia transmission capabilities,
`the network's traffic condition, the availability of processing
`resources in the network. In this way, more effective Stream
`ing of media content and usage of the communication
`System's resources can be achieved.
`0040 Preferably, said streaming session is formed with
`Said network entity at the instigation of Said at least one
`addressed recipient.
`0041) Preferably, the notification message is formed and
`transmitted only if, according to the recipient data, Said
`media content is of a format compatible with Said at least
`one addressed recipient. This reduces transmission of redun
`dant information.
`0042 Advantageously, the appropriateness of the content
`received at the network entity is checked before its trans
`mission to the at least one addressed recipient. This avoids
`unnecessary data transmission, Since inappropriate content
`need not be notified.
`0043 Alternatively, if said media content is incompatible
`with the recipient data maintained in the database, a first
`failure message indicating availability of inappropriately
`formatted media content is formed and transmitted to Said at
`least one addressed recipient. This improves usability, as a
`user or users of Said at least one addressed recipient is made
`aware of the failure in transmitting the media content.
`0044 Preferably, a second failure message is formed and
`transmitted to the Sending entity to acknowledge incompat
`ibility between the media contents format and the addressed
`recipient. Preferably, the Second failure message is Supple
`mented by an indication of an appropriate format. This helps
`the Sending entity to re-Send the media content in an
`appropriate format without first negotiating it with the
`network entity.
`0045 Advantageously, maintaining recipient data at the
`network entity allows early and accurate checking of the
`appropriateness of the media content. In this way, the
`transmission of a notification message to a recipient for
`which the media content is inappropriate is avoided. Net
`work resources are thus conserved.
`
`Qualcomm Exhibit 2016
`Apple v. Qualcomm, IPR2018-01279
`Page 9
`
`

`

`APL-QC2403_00333674
`
`US 2002/0O87549 A1
`
`Jul. 4, 2002
`
`Alternatively, the method allows a streaming ses
`0.046
`Sion to be established at the instigation of the network entity.
`In this way, a Streamed Session for transmitting the media
`content can be established without first messaging with the
`addressed recipient in two directions. Hence, data transmis
`Sion bandwidth can be conserved in both directions on a
`radio link between the addressed recipient and the first
`telecommunication network. This kind of automatic estab
`lishment of a streaming Session is useful when the user's
`desire to receive the content is already known, for example
`when the user has formerly ordered the content himself.
`0047 Preferably, said streaming session is established in
`a manner independent of the manner in which media content
`is received at Said network entity. It is a further advantage of
`the invention, that the reception of media content can be
`carried out in any manner according to a decision made by
`one or both of the network entity and the addressed recipi
`ent. The decision is not bound by the manner in which the
`media content is made available to the network entity. In this
`way, Streaming of media content may be implemented
`flexibly and without dependence on properties of any earlier
`phases preceding the receiving of Said media content by the
`addressed recipient.
`0.048
`Alternatively, the streaming session established by
`Said at least one recipient is dependent on the manner in
`which media content is received at Said network entity. In
`this way end-to-end Streaming of media content can be
`enabled.
`0049 Preferably, the method further comprises providing
`a radio link during communicating with the addressed
`recipient.
`0050 Advantageously, the method reduces the amount of
`redundant signalling/notification information it is necessary
`to transmit over the radio link.
`0051
`Preferably, said sending entity is chosen from a
`group consisting of a media Storing entity of the first
`telecommunication network, a media Storing entity of a
`Second telecommunication network, a media Storage in an
`external data transmission network, and a multimedia ter
`minal of the first telecommunication network.
`0.052
`In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the
`media content is provided to Said Sending entity from a
`multimedia terminal in either a Second or the first telecom
`munication network.
`0053. In an embodiment of the invention, the first and
`Second telecommunication networks are under the control of
`different operators.
`0054.
`In an embodiment of the invention, the first and
`Second telecommunication networks have different multi
`media transmission capabilities.
`0.055
`Advantageously, the method may be implemented
`on top of an existing multimedia messaging Service (MMS)
`System.
`0056 Preferably, said database is co-located with the
`network entity. Even more preferably, Said database and
`network entity are integrated into the same unit.
`0057 Preferably, each of the at least one addressed
`recipient is dealt with Separately. For example, each
`addressed recipient may have different capabilities, and the
`
`Streaming Sessions may be established at different times and
`media content Streamed in different formats.
`0058 According to a second aspect of the invention, a
`network entity is provided comprising:
`0059 means for receiving a media content from a
`Sending entity and addressed to at least one recipient;
`0060 means for accessing a database comprising
`recipient data describing multimedia reception capa
`bilities and/or reception preferences for the at least
`one addressed recipient;
`0061 notification means for forming, in accordance
`with Said recipient data, a notification message con
`taining information that Said media content is avail
`able to be Streamed to Said at least one addressed
`recipient; and
`0062 outputting means for outputting the notifica
`tion message for transmission to Said at least one
`addressed recipient.
`0063. According to a third aspect of the invention, a
`communication System is provided, comprising:
`0064 at least one recipient;
`0065 a network entity;
`0066 means for receiving media content from a
`Sending entity and addressed to Said at least one
`recipient;
`0067 means for accessing a database comprising
`recipient data describing multimedia reception capa
`bilities and/or reception preferences for the at least
`one addressed recipient;
`0068 notification means for forming, in accordance
`with Said recipient data, a notification message con
`taining information that Said media content is avail
`able to be Streamed to Said at least one addressed
`recipient; and
`0069 outputting means for outputting the notification
`message for transmission to Said at least one addressed
`recipient.
`0070 According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a
`computer program is provided for controlling a network
`entity, comprising:
`0071 computer code for causing the network entity
`to receive media content from a Sending entity and
`addressed to at least one recipient;
`0072 computer code for causing the network entity
`to access a database comprising recipient data
`describing multimedia reception capabilities and/or
`reception preferences for the at least one addressed
`recipient;
`0073 computer code for causing the network entity
`to form, in accordance with Said recipient data, a
`notification message containing information that Said
`media content is available to be streamed to Said at
`least one addressed recipient; and
`0074 computer code for causing the network entity
`to output the notification message for transmission to
`Said at least one addressed recipient.
`
`Qualcomm Exhibit 2016
`Apple v. Qualcomm, IPR2018-01279
`Page 10
`
`

`

`APL-QC2403_00333675
`
`US 2002/0O87549 A1
`
`Jul. 4, 2002
`
`0075 According to a fifth aspect of the invention, a
`computer program product is provided comprising:
`0076 computer code for causing a network entity to
`receive a media content from a Sending entity and
`addressed to at least one recipient;
`0077 computer code for causing the network entity
`to access a database comprising recipient data
`describing multimedia reception capabilities and/or
`reception preferences for the at least one addressed
`recipient;
`0078 computer code for causing the network entity
`to form, in accordance with Said recipient data, a
`notification message containing information that Said
`media content is available to be streamed to Said at
`least one addressed recipient; and
`0079 computer code for causing the network entity
`to output the notification message for transmission to
`Said at least one addressed recipient.
`0080 According to a sixth aspect of the invention a
`memory media is provided, comprising:
`0081 computer code for causing a network entity to
`receive media content from a Sending entity and
`addressed to at least one recipient;
`0082) computer code for causing the network entity
`to access a database comprising recipient data
`describing multimedia reception capabilities and/or
`reception preferences for the at least one addressed
`recipient;
`0083 computer code for causing the network entity
`to form, in accordance with Said recipient data, a
`notification message containing information that Said
`media content is available to be streamed to Said at
`least one addressed recipient; and
`0084 computer code for causing the network entity
`to output the notification message for transmission to
`Said at least one addressed recipient.
`0085. The various embodiments of the present invention
`have been illustrated only with reference to the first aspect
`for Sake of briefness, but one should appreciate that corre
`sponding embodiments apply to the other aspects as well.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`0086) The invention will now be described, by way of
`example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings,
`in which:
`0087 FIG. 1 illustrates architectural elements of a Mul
`timedia Messaging Service Environment;
`FIG. 2 shows interworking between different
`0088)
`MMSEs;
`0089 FIG. 3 illustrates the generation of a notification
`message at a recipient MMS relay according to a preferred
`embodiment of the invention;
`0090 FIG. 4 illustrates signalling performed in an
`MMSE according to an embodiment of the invention; and
`
`0091 FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the basic
`structure of an MMSC according to an embodiment of the
`invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`0092 FIGS. 1 and 2 have already been described in the
`foregoing.
`0093. The basic concept underlying a preferred embodi
`ment of the invention will now be described in the context
`of the present MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) archi
`tecture. A preferred embodiment of the invention is illus
`trated in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 illustrates a general situation in
`which communication of multimedia messages comprising
`media content to be streamed takes place between MMS
`user agents (UAS) in two different Multimedia Messaging
`Service Environments. This will be referred to as the “inter
`MMSE' situation. For simplicity and clarity, the two Mul
`timedia Messaging Service Environments, MMSE A and
`MMSEB, are shown to comprise a single MMS relay, linked
`to a single MMS server. It should be appreciated that in a
`practical MMSE, the number of MMS relays and servers
`may be, and typically will be, greater than this. In the
`situation where a particular MMSE comprises more than one
`MMS relay, the method according to the invention can also
`be applied within the MMSE. This situation will be referred
`to as the “intra-MMSE situation.
`0094) In the example shown in FIG. 3, both MMS user
`agents are depicted as devices that communicate With their
`respective MMSE via a radio communication network. It
`should be appreciated that either MMSE user agent A or
`MMSE user agent B, or both of them, could reside in a fixed
`line network.
`0.095. In connection with FIG.3, it will be assumed that
`MMS user agent A, which has subscribed to the multimedia
`messaging Service provided in Multimedia Messaging Ser
`Vice Environment A, wishes to Send Some media content to
`MMS user agent B, which has a subscription to the multi
`media messaging service provided in MMSE B. It will
`further be assumed that MMS user agent A a