WO2001097037A1

WO2001097037A1 - Method and apparatus for providing integrated message delivery to wireless devices over the internet

Info

Publication number: WO2001097037A1
Application number: PCT/US2001/018890
Authority: WO
Inventors: I-Pai T. Hsiao; Kirk Tsai
Original assignee: Inphomatch
Priority date: 2000-06-14
Filing date: 2001-06-13
Publication date: 2001-12-20
Also published as: AU2001268348A1

Abstract

An integrated message delivery system delivers messages to wireless devices from web sites (101, 102, 103) that provide content (e.g., news, stocks, sports scores, etc). A software component accessible from each content provider's web page link subscribers to a registration process that creates a centralized message delivery service (100) for content that meets subscriber-defined criteria (e.g., news regarding a particular company, or sports scores for a particular baseball team). After a subscriber (105, 106) registers and indicates content of interest, each content provider generates messages in response to detecting matching content, and forwards the messages to an integrated delivery service. The integrated delivery services uses a subscriber identifier to determine the user's wireless telephone number and message delivery protocol, converts the message into the appropriate delivery protocol, and transmits the message to a wireless gateway for transmission to the subscriber's wireless device. A transaction fee may be charged by the delivery system for each message that is delivered.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING INTEGRATED MESSAGE DELIVERY TO WIRELESS DEVICES OVER THE INTERNET

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates generally to systems that deliver messages to wireless devices such as cellular telephones and wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs). More particularly, the invention provides a method and apparatus for integrating the delivery of messages to wireless devices across different wireless carriers, content providers, and delivery protocols. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The advent of cellular telephones capable of receiving text-based computer messages has spawned the growth of so-called wireless Internet services. Subscribers can now receive e-mail messages on cellular telephones and PDAs, and can search for content of interest on the Internet. Various companies have begun offering tailored message delivery services for users of wireless devices. As shown in FIG. 1 , for example, wireless subscribers 105 and 106 can receive messages from a wireless gateway 104 that are forwarded by an Internet portal 100. Internet portal 100 consolidates content from a variety of content providers 101, 102, and 103, matches content to triggers 100A that identify content of interest, and look up subscriber-specific information 1 OOB to forward the message to wireless gateway 104. Wireless gateway 104 then transmits each message over a wireless telephone network, such as a TDMA or CDMA network.

The term "trigger" is used generally to refer to a subscriber-specified condition that determines whether and when a message is to be generated; i.e., it automatically detects content of interest for a particular subscriber and generates a message to the subscriber. In this manner, subscribers can receive messages that pertain to content specific to their interests. Each content provider delivers content to Internet portal 100 pursuant to a contract between the content provider and the portal. One company that is believed to provide services in the manner shown in FIG. 1 is MicroStrategy, based in McLean, Virginia. The model shown in FIG. 1 , which will be referred to as a "consolidator" model, suffers from certain disadvantages and drawbacks. For example, subscribers are limited to content for which Internet portal 100 has subscribed. If portal 100 has a subscription agreement with only a single news content provider, then subscribers will not be able to receive news from other news-related content providers. Similarly, if portal 100 has an agreement with only one on-line stock brokerage, then certain subscribers may not be able to trade stocks if they do not have an account with the one selected brokerage. Conversely, on-line brokerages must enter into agreements with a large number of portals in order to make their brokerage services available to a large number of their customers. Additionally, the triggers that determine when and whether a message will be generated are all centrally maintained in portal 100. If one of the content providers 100 through 103 invents a new trigger-specific function (e.g., generation of a message whenever a subscriber-specified company reports earnings growth), portal 100 must be modified to make this change. Each content provider is thus at the mercy of the portal owner to support its content-specific triggers.

Finally, subscriber-sensitive trigger information is centrally located in portal 100, potentially leading to privacy concerns by each subscriber. Some subscribers may be wary about storing all their content-of-interest information at a central location.

Another type of system that provides wireless message delivery services is shown in FIG.2. In this model, dedicated content providers 201 and 202 independently provide wireless message delivery services to subscribers. Each content provider maintains a list of subscriber-specific triggers 20 IB and 202B, and also maintains subscriber profiles

201 C and 202C to permit messages to be appropriately routed to the particular subscriber.

Each site provides its own content, maintains its own triggers, and maintains information regarding each subscriber (e.g., name, wireless telephone number, and the like).

One major disadvantage of the model shown in FIG. 2, which will be referred to as a "direct delivery model," is the high cost and inefficiency associated with providing wireless message delivery services for each content provider. Each content provider must develop, install, and maintain software, databases, and other infrastructure necessary to transmit wireless messages to subscribers. This overhead imposes a large cost, and may discourage content providers from providing message delivery services.

Another disadvantage of the model shown in FIG. 2 is that subscriber profile information may be unnecessarily duplicated across different content provider web sites. For example, if a wireless subscriber changes his wireless telephone number, he must separately change the number with all content providers to which he has registered. If he forgets to change his registration information with one of the content providers, that provider will not forward messages to the correct number. Similarly, each content provider must maintain information concerning the wireless carrier used by each subscriber. If the subscriber changes to a different carrier, each content provider's database must be updated to reflect the change.

Another drawback common to both of the systems described above is the possibility that a third party may be able to register unwitting wireless subscribers by providing phony subscription information but a valid wireless telephone number, thus leading to a flood of worthless or unwanted wireless messages to subscribers. For example, if a prankster subscribes to a message delivery service by providing phony subscriber information but a valid (or mistakenly entered) wireless telephone number, an unwitting wireless user may receive messages that are not wanted. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a system and method for delivering targeted messages to wireless devices such as mobile telephones and wireless PDAs. In one embodiment, an integrated message delivery system delivers messages to wireless devices from web sites that provide content. A linkage on each content provider's web page advertises wireless delivery services and links subscribers to a registration process that establishes an integrated message delivery service for content that meets subscriber-defined criteria. Each subscriber's wireless telephone number is verified by sending a confirmation code to the wireless device using the subscriber-supplied telephone number. The subscriber enters this confirmation code from the wireless device to complete the registration process and validate the subscription. After a subscriber registers for wireless delivery services and indicates content of interest, each content provider generates messages in response to detecting content that matches one or more subscriber-defined triggers. Each content provider forwards the messages to the message delivery service with information concerning the subscriber to which the message pertains. The integrated delivery service uses a subscriber identifier to determine the user' s wireless telephone number and message delivery protocol, converts the message into the appropriate delivery protocol, and transmits the message to a wireless gateway for transmission to the subscriber's wireless device. A transaction fee may be charged by the delivery system for each message that is delivered, in contrast to the subscription models shown in FIGs. 1 and 2. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a conventional wireless message delivery service that operates according to a "consolidator" model.

FIG.2 is a schematic block diagram of a conventional wireless message delivery system that operates according to a "direct delivery" model.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless message delivery system that operates according to one variation of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing how user identifiers (UIDs) and partner identifiers (PIDs) can be correlated with a telephone number and wireless gateway IP address in accordance with one variation of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing steps for registering a subscriber with a wireless message delivery system according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing steps for delivering a message received from a content provider through a message delivery system according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 shows a computer screen including a message delivery icon 701.

FIG. 8 shows a computer screen including a pop-up subscriber registration window.

FIG. 9 shows a computer screen including a pop-up subscriber confirmation window. FIG. 10 shows a computer screen including a pop-up subscriber error message. FIG. 11 shows a computer screen including a pop-up subscriber registration window including additional subscriber information.

FIG. 12 shows a computer screen including a pop-up subscriber registration completion window.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless message delivery system that operates according to one variation of the present invention. As shown in FIG.3, one or more content-based web sites 301 and 302 deliver messages to a message delivery computer system 300, which in turn delivers the messages to wireless subscribers 305 and 306 through one or more wireless gateways 303 and 304. Messages are preferably delivered from each web site to delivery system 300 over the Internet (e.g., using TCP/IP protocols), and from delivery system 300 to wireless gateways 303 and 304 over the Internet. The invention is not limited in this respect, however, and the transmission can occur over any of various media including wireless, cable, fiber optic, and the like. Messages are conventionally routed to subscribers by using a subscriber's telephone number as a user name and a wireless gateway name as a domain name (e.g., 7035551234@sprintpcs.messaging.com).

Each content-based web site displays web pages that pertain to the specific content supported by each web site (e.g., news, stocks, sports, etc.). Moreover, each web site registers with and cooperates with message delivery system 300 as described in more detail below.

As shown in FIG. 3, a first web site 301 includes content 301 A, which may be internally generated or derived from external sources (e.g., a news wire). Web site 301 also includes a set of triggers 301B, which are specific to web site 301 and created using one or more web-accessible forms generated by web site 301. Each content-based web site permits subscribers to define and store triggers that are specific to content on that site.

A web site that generates news stories, for example, may permit subscribers to create a trigger using a web-based form running on web site 301 that specifies a subscriber-identified company of interest, such that any news story mentioning the company of interest will cause the trigger to be fired. For a different content-based web site 302, such as an on-line brokerage, a subscriber might define triggers corresponding to a particular interest rate threshold or other event of interest. When a trigger on one of the content-based web sites fires, a message is delivered to message delivery service 300, as described in more detail below.

According to one aspect of the invention, each content-based web site displays on one or more of its web pages an icon that advertises the wireless message delivery service and invites subscribers to set up such a service. Turning briefly to FIG. 7, a web page retrieved from a content-based web site includes a wireless delivery icon 701 that, when selected by the subscriber, causes a registration process to be invoked and ultimately takes the subscriber to a trigger definition page. In contrast to the conventional system of FIG. 1, the trigger definition page (not shown) may be created by and retrieved from the content-based web site, rather than from the message delivery service. In this manner, triggers need not be centrally maintained, and can be modified at any time individually by content-based web sites.

Returning to FIG. 3, message delivery service 300 preferably comprises a computer that receives messages over the Internet and delivers messages to subscribers through one or more wireless gateways. In one embodiment, message delivery service 300 includes a registration function 3 OOC that is invoked when a user clicks on one of the wireless delivery icons 301C or 302C. This registration function collects information from the user, such as his or her wireless telephone number, as described in more detail below. The subscriber information is maintained in one or more databases 300B, and this information is used by a delivery function 300 A to deliver incoming messages to the appropriate wireless gateway corresponding to the subscriber.

Message delivery system 300 optionally includes one or more protocol converters 300D and 300E, which convert messages from one protocol (e.g., HTTP, SMTP, or MSMQ) to another in order to maintain compatibility with each subscriber's wireless network type. In this respect, databases 300B may include information regarding the type of protocol needed to transmit messages to each subscriber. The conversion of messages from one protocol format to another is well within the knowledge of a person of ordinary skill in the art and no further elaboration is necessary.

Users can visit content-based web sites 301 and 302, click on a message delivery icon that links them to message delivery service 300 to provide delivery instructions, then automatically returns them to the content-based web site to create or modify triggers. When each content-based web site generates content-based messages based on triggers that have fired, the messages are forwarded to message delivery service 300, which locates subscriber-specific information in its database, converts messages to the appropriate protocol, and forwards the messages to the subscriber. FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing how user identifiers (UIDs) and partner identifiers (PIDs) can be correlated with a telephone number and wireless gateway IP address in accordance with one variation of the present invention. According to this variation of the invention, each content-based web site 401 and 402 is assigned a partner identifier (PID) that uniquely identifies the content provider to message delivery system 403. This identifier, which can be assigned when each content provider agrees to provide message delivery services using system 403, is used in one embodiment to prevent "spam" attacks by unauthorized or unknown web sites.

Each content web site preferably maintains, in addition to trigger information, a user identifier (UID) for each user that has registered with message delivery system 403. As explained below, the UID is assigned by the message delivery system at registration time, but is transmitted to and stored in each web site. Each web site preferably includes this UID in messages that are to be delivered to delivery service 403.

As shown in FIG. 4, two different web sites can include triggers for the same UID. Consequently, if the telephone number for a particular subscriber changes, the new number (and corresponding carrier and IP address of the gateway) can be changed in a central location, rather than requiring that changes be replicated across different content- based web sites. However, content-based triggers are preferably stored on each content- based web site rather than being centrally located.

When a web site 401 fires a trigger corresponding to a particular user, the web site generates a message including the UID, PID, and content, and transmits the message to message delivery service 403. A mapping function 403 A in delivery service 403 uses the UID and PID to authenticate the message (i.e., confirm that it is from a valid web site partner and user), and to retrieve the appropriate telephone number, carrier, and IP address for the intended subscriber. Based on the retrieved information, mapping function 403 A is able to create a message containing the subscriber's unique telephone number and IP address, and to select the appropriate protocol conversion based on the carrier identifier for transmission to the subscriber.

In one embodiment, each web site can include multiple user identifiers (UIDs) in a single message, such that a single message is expanded into multiple destinations at delivery service 403. For example, if ten different subscribers have all expressed an interest in news stories that involve IBM, web site 401 can generate a single message with the content of interest containing ten different UIDs in the message, indicating that ten different subscribers should receive the message. In that event, message delivery service 403 would generate multiple messages, one for each subscriber, based on the incoming message with multiple UIDs.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing steps for registering a subscriber with a wireless message delivery system according to one embodiment of the invention. One possible computer screen and web page design that can be used to carry out the steps shown in FIG. 5 is shown in FIGs. 7 through 12. Beginning in step 501 , a web page accessible from a content provider' s web site displays an icon that advertises the wireless message delivery services in conjunction with content, such as stock price notifications, news reports, and the like. The web page is preferably accessed by subscribers using a web browser on a graphics-enabled computer. In other embodiments, one or more versions of the web page may be accessed using a wireless device such as a PDA or a cellular telephone. FIG.7 shows one possible icon 701 displayed on a web site that supports this feature. A small amount of software on each web site can be downloaded from the message delivery service computer in order to support registration functions as described herein.

In step 502, in response to a subscriber clicking on the wireless delivery icon, the subscriber is redirected to a web page on messaging delivery service 300. As shown in FIG. 8, this web page can open in a new browser window of a smaller size, such that it does not completely block the web page of the content-based web site. A registration web page, such as the page shown in FIG. 8, is used to solicit the subscriber's last name and wireless telephone number. In step 503 , the subscriber enters his last name and telephone number and submits the form to delivery system 300. In one embodiment the subscriber is asked only for a wireless telephone number and need not enter his or her wireless carrier name or Internet address; the latter information can be derived from commercially available sources and stored in database 300B. Consequently, the user is able to subscribe to wireless message delivery services with a minimal amount of information.

In step 504, message delivery system checks its database to see whether a subscriber having the same last name and telephone number has previously registered. If it is a new subscriber, then in step 505 message delivery system 300 generates a confirmation code and transmits the confirmation code to the wireless telephone number supplied by the subscriber (see FIG. 9). This step can be performed by accessing a database that correlates wireless telephone numbers to carrier gateway IP addresses, composing a message containing a randomly-generated number, and transmitting the message to the wireless telephone number at the carrier's wireless gateway (e.g., sending a message containing the code 4719 to 7035551234@sprintpcs.messaging.com). It will be appreciated that the confirmation number can altematively be a fixed value or derived in some other manner.

Thereafter, in step 506, the user is asked to enter the number transmitted to his or her wireless device into another form (see FIG. 9). This form is submitted to message delivery service 300, which compares the number entered by the user with the number transmitted to the wireless device. Assuming that the numbers match, a new entry is created in the database of the message delivery service, and the subscriber is notified that an account has been created (FIG. 12). If the number did not match, the user is notified and offered the option of re-entering the number (FIG. 10). Assuming the number was correctly entered, an optional step of entering additional subscriber information (e.g., birth date, preferences, survey questions, etc.) can be executed (see FIG. 11). The reason for transmitting the confirmation number to the telephone number supplied by the subscriber as part of the registration process is two-fold: (1) it confirms that the telephone number is a valid wireless number; and (2) it prevents bogus subscriptions, such as a third party who tries to subscribe an unsuspecting wireless user. Because the account is not created until a known message is transmitted to the user's wireless device and is actually received by the intended recipient, fraudulent accounts can be prevented.

In step 507 an entry for the new subscriber is created in a database of message service 300, including a UID and the partner identifier (PID) that was assigned to the content-based web site. Additionally, the user's wireless telephone number, wireless carrier, and IP address of the wireless gateway can be stored in the database as shown in FIG. 4. Each wireless carrier typically maintains a list of wireless telephone numbers, gateway addresses, and related information for each of its subscribers. A database comprising information from multiple wireless carriers can be purchased or assembled into a database of the type shown in FIG. 4.

If a subscriber has already registered with the message delivery service, then steps 505 through 507 can be bypassed as shown in FIG. 5. If, however, the subscriber is adding triggers from a different web site (i.e., one for which the user has not activated wireless messaging), then a new entry for a different partner identifier (PID) would be added to the database, as shown in FIG. 4. It will be appreciated that a PID can be any randomly assigned number, or could be the IP address of the content providing web site. In one variation of the invention, each content-based web site can arrange with the message delivery service to display the message delivery icon; multiple content-based web sites can thus display the same icon and be referred to the same message delivery web site to allow users to register for message delivery.

Finally, in step 508, the user's web browser is automatically redirected back to a trigger definition page on the content provider's web site so that the user can create one or more triggers. The trigger definition page (not shown) operates in the same manner as conventional trigger definition pages (e.g., it permits the user to define conditions that cause messages to be generated). However, in contrast to triggers that transmit messages directly to a wireless gateway corresponding to a subscriber's wireless telephone (as in FIG.2), triggers according to the present invention cause a message containing the UID, PID, and content to be transmitted to the known IP address of the message delivery service 300. Message delivery service 300 then processes each message for delivery as shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing steps for delivering a message received from a content provider through a message delivery system according to one embodiment of the invention. Beginning in step 601 , a trigger fires on a content provider' s web site. In step 602, the web site transmits a message including the triggered content along with the UID and PID to the message delivery service, preferably over the Internet.

In step 603, the message delivery service decomposes the message into its constituent parts, and verifies that the PID and UID correspond to valid entries in its database. If the PID or UID are not found in the database, the message is rejected. There may be many reasons for rejecting a message, such as receiving a message intended for a wireless subscriber who has not actually registered for the delivery service, or a "spam" message from a rogue web site attempting to transmit advertisements to subscribers who have already registered for the delivery service but who have not created triggers at the rogue web site. Assuming that the PID and UID are valid, message delivery service 300 retrieves the telephone number and wireless gateway address and composes a message including the triggered content for further transmission to the intended recipient.

In step 604, an optional step of replicating the message for multiple subscribers is performed if the incoming message indicates that multiple subscribers should receive the message.

In step 605, each message is converted to an appropriate protocol as necessary. As shown in FIG. 3, one embodiment of the invention includes one or more protocol converters that convert between message protocols such as HTTP, STMP, and MSMQ. If necessary, the message protocol is converted for delivery to the intended recipient before being transmitted to the wireless gateway corresponding to the subscriber.

Finally, in step 606 the message is transmitted to the destination through the wireless gateway associated with the subscriber. A transaction fee can be imposed on either the subscriber or the content provider on a per-message basis (e.g., a few cents for each message delivered). This revenue model may be more commercially appealing than the subscription-type arrangement used in the conventional system of FIG. 1 , particularly since it removes the risk associated with paying a subscription to one or more content- based web sites whose appeal to wireless subscribers is not known at the outset. Consequently, an additional step of recording a per-message transaction fee (not shown in FIG. 6) can be included in the method.

What has been described above is merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. Other arrangements and methods can be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Any of the methods of the invention can be implemented in software that can be stored on computer disks or other computer-readable media for execution in a host or target computer. While the communications channel has been described using a radio frequency medium, it will be appreciated that the inventive principles apply to wired networks, fiber optic or light channels, and other media. No claim should be interpreted to be in means plus function format. Numbered steps in method claims should not be interpreted to require a particular ordering of the steps.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of transmitting messages in a wireless system, comprising the steps of:

( 1 ) registering with a content provider web site to receive content from the content provider web site that matches subscriber-specified criteria;

(2) registering as a subscriber to a message delivery system that is separate and distinct from the content provider web site to receive wireless messages from the content provider web site;

(3) at the content provider web site, generating a message containing content matching the subscriber-specified criteria and transmitting the message to the message delivery system;

(4) at the message delivery system, correlating the message to the subscriber; and

(5) transmitting the message correlated in step (4) to a wireless gateway for delivery to the subscriber.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein step (2) comprises the steps of:

(a) generating a confirmation code;

(b) transmitting the confirmation code to a wireless device using a telephone number provided by the subscriber; (c) receiving a candidate confirmation code from the subscriber;

(d) comparing the candidate confirmation code with the generated confirmation code and, if a match is detected, registering the subscriber but otherwise inhibiting the registration of the subscriber.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein step (2) comprises the step of entering a wireless telephone number corresponding to the subscriber' s wireless device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein step (2) comprises the step of entering only the wireless telephone number and the subscriber's name and no further identifying information, and wherein step (4) comprises the step of mapping the wireless telephone number to a carrier identifier and an Internet address of a corresponding wireless gateway.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of repeating step (1) a plurality of times across a plurality of different content provider web sites, but performing step (2) only once per subscriber.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of, in the message delivery system, decomposing a single message that designates a plurality of subscribers into a plurality of messages each delivered to one of the plurality of subscribers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (1) and (2) are performed using a web browser; wherein step (1) is performed by redirecting the web browser to a trigger definition page on the content provider's web site; and wherein step (2) is performed by clicking on a wireless delivery icon on a home page of the content provider's web site.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (1) comprises the step of creating one or more content-based triggers on the content provider's web site.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of, at the message delivery system, converting each message received from the content provider web site into a protocol compatible with the subscriber's wireless gateway.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein step (4) comprises the step of rejecting the message if it cannot be correlated to a previously registered subscriber.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (4) comprises the step of rejecting the message if it cannot be correlated to a known content provider web site.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of charging a message transaction fee for every message that is delivered through the message delivery system.

13. A method of delivering messages to a wireless device of a subscriber, comprising the steps of:

(1) using a web browser to display a web page on a content-based web site, wherein the web page comprises a message delivery icon that advertises a wireless message delivery service; (2) using the web browser, clicking on the message delivery icon and redirecting the web browser to a subscriber registration page located on a message delivery web site that is separate and apart from the content-based web site and that handles registration for a plurality of content-based web sites; (3) receiving a telephone number and subscriber name on the subscriber registration page to complete the registration process;

(4) redirecting the web browser to a trigger definition page located on the content- based web site and defining one or more content-based triggers that define criteria under which a message will be generated; (5) at the content-based web site, in response to detecting content that matches the one or more content-based triggers, generating a message including information that identifies the subscriber and transmitting the message to the message delivery web site; and

(6) at the message delivery web site, correlating the message to the subscriber and transmitting the message to a wireless gateway corresponding to the subscriber.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of repeating steps (1) through (6) for a plurality of content-based web sites.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein step (3) comprises the step of transmitting a confirmation code to the telephone number and inhibiting the registration process unless the confirmation code transmitted to the telephone number matches a candidate confirmation code entered by the subscriber.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein step (6) comprises the step of discarding the message if it does not correspond to a previously registered subscriber.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein step (6) comprises the step of discarding the message if it does not correspond to a content-based web site that has arranged for wireless delivery of messages through the message delivery web site.

18. An integrated message delivery system that supports message delivery for a plurality of content-based web sites, comprising a computer system that includes in combination: a database that maps previously registered subscribers to a wireless gateway address on the basis of a wireless telephone number supplied by each subscriber; a computer-implemented registration function that receives wireless telephone numbers through a web page that is linked to web pages on the plurality of content-based web sites, wherein the computer-implemented registration function registers new subscribers and stores information concerning each new subscriber in the database; and a computer-implemented delivery function that receives content-triggered messages from one or more of the content-based web sites, correlates each message to one or more subscribers in the database, and delivers each content-triggered message to a wireless gateway corresponding to one of the subscribers in the database.

19. The integrated message delivery system of claim 18, wherein the computer- implemented registration function transmits a confirmation code to a wireless telephone number supplied by a potential new subscriber and inhibits a registration process unless the confirmation code matches a candidate confirmation code entered by the potential new subscriber.

20. The integrated message delivery system of claim 18, wherein the computer- implemented delivery function discards messages for which no corresponding subscriber in the database can be found.

21. The integrated message delivery system of claim 18, wherein the database further comprises partner identifiers that identify content- based web sites that have registered to provide message delivery services through the integrated message delivery system; and wherein the computer-implemented delivery function discards messages for which no corresponding partner identifiers in the database can be found.

22. The integrated message delivery system of claim 18, wherein the computer- implemented registration function redirects a subscriber's web browser to a trigger definition page on one of the plurality of content-based web sites after the subscriber completes a registration procedure.

23. The integrated message delivery system of claim 18, wherein the computer- implemented delivery function converts one or more of the messages into a different message protocol on the basis of information that identifies a corresponding wireless carrier.