Pigeon: a wireless two-way messaging system

Wireless messaging is an integral component of universal personal communication services (PCSs). Its growth is likely to be further fueled by the availability of new data capabilities in the new PCS air interfaces. Our research focuses on high-level issues such as new messaging functionalities, high-layer protocols, and overall system design. Pigeon is our proposal of a wireless two-way messaging system. The novelty of our system lies in: (1) the techniques used in mitigating the wireless media and end device constraints, (2) the functionalities provided, and (3) its modular architecture. Examples of (1) include the use of asymmetric protocols and the introduction of user agents. Examples of (2) include group addressing, transaction support, and flexible messages. The modularity of Pigeon allows its individual components to be adopted by specific systems, A prototype of Pigeon has been implemented, and is operational at Bell Laboratories. We describe the motivation, design, and functionality of Pigeon. We also present, as an example, a mapping of Pigeon to a standard cellular/PCS messaging system.