1. A computer implemented method of federating communications between a first network and a second network, wherein the first network uses a Short Message Service (SMS) format and the second network uses an instant messaging (IM) format, the method comprising:
receiving, at an SMS gateway, a message from the first network and formatted in the SMS format;
converting, at the SMS gateway, the message from the SMS format to a unified format;
sending the message formatted in the unified format to the second network;
determining, at the second network after receiving the message formatted in the unified format, whether an IM client of a user is currently online on the second network;
in response to determining that the IM client of the user is currently online on the second network:
converting, at the second network, the message formatted in the unified format to the IM format; and
sending the message in the IM format to the IM client of the user on the second network, wherein the sending of the message in the IM format comprises:
querying a database to receive an identifier associated with the user, wherein the identifier comprises at least one of an IM username and an SMS capable telephone number; and
sending the message in the IM format according to the identifier; and
in response to determining that the IM client of the user is not currently online on the second network:
selecting, at the second network, a phone number associated with the user;
returning, to the SMS gateway, the message formatted in the unified format;
converting, at the SMS gateway, the message from the unified format to the SMS format; and
sending, from the SMS gateway, the message formatted in the SMS format to the first network using the selected phone number.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unified format comprises at least one of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS).
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a source address, a destination address, and text.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether to federate the message between the first network and the second network, wherein the determining whether to federate the message comprises querying a database for information regarding the availability of the second network to receive the message and the location of the second network.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining whether to federate the message is made at the SMS gateway.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the message formatted in the unified format to the second network comprises:
selecting the second network from a plurality of networks each having a message format; and
sending the message formatted in the unified format to the second network based on the selecting of the second network.
7. A computer implemented method of federating communications between a first network and a second network, wherein the first network uses a Short Message Service (SMS) format and the second network uses an instant messaging (IM) format, the method comprising:
receiving, at an SMS gateway, a message from the first network and formatted in the SMS format;
determining, at the SMS gateway, whether an IM client of a user is currently online on the second network;
in response to determining that the IM client of the user is not currently online on the second network, forwarding the message formatted in the SMS format to the user; and
in response to determining that the IM client of the user is currently online on the second network:
converting, at the SMS gateway, the message from the SMS format to a unified format;
sending the message formatted in the unified format to the second network;
converting, at the second network, the message formatted in the unified format to the IM format; and
sending the message in the IM format to the IM client of the user on the second network, wherein the sending of the message in the IM format comprises:
querying a database to receive an identifier associated with the user, wherein the identifier comprises at least one of an IM username and an SMS capable telephone number; and
sending the message in the IM format according to the identifier.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the unified format comprises at least one of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS).
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the message comprises a source address, a destination address, and text.
10. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining whether to federate the message between the first network and the second network, wherein the determination comprises querying a database for information regarding the availability of the second network to receive the message and the location of the second network.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein the determination is made at the SMS gateway.
12. The method of claim 7, wherein sending the message formatted in the unified format to the second network comprises:
selecting the second network from a plurality of networks each having a message format; and
sending the message formatted in the unified format to the second network based on the selecting of the second network.
13. A system for federating the communication of a message between a Short Message Services (SMS) communications network operating using an SMS message format and an instant messaging (IM) communications network operating using an IM message format, wherein the SMS communications network and the IM communications network are not in direct communication, the system comprising:
a gateway in communication with both the SMS communications network and a federation interface, wherein the gateway is configured to:
convert messages received from the SMS communications network in the SMS message format to a unified message format and transmit the converted message over a third communications network to the federation interface; and
convert messages received over the third communications network from the federation interface in the unified message format to the SMS message format and transmit the converted message to the SMS communications network; and
wherein the federation interface is in communication with both the IM communications network and the gateway and the federation interface is configured to:
convert messages received over the third communications network from the gateway in the unified message format to the IM message format and transmit the converted message over the IM communications network; and
convert messages received over the IM communications network in the IM message format to the unified message format and transmit the converted message over the third communications network to the gateway; and
wherein the system further comprises a server hosting a database storing a listing of users on the IM communications network, the listing comprising at least one entry, the at least one entry comprising an IM username, a telephone number, and an indication of whether a user corresponding to the at least one entry may receive IM messages converted from SMS messages.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the unified message format comprises at least one of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS).
15. The system of claim 13 wherein the message comprises a source address, a destination address, and text.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the gateway is further configured to determine whether to federate a message sent on the SMS network to the IM communications network according to the destination address.
17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of federation interfaces, wherein the gateway is configured to:
compare the destination address to a corresponding database entry;
determine a destination federation interface; and
convert the message received from the SMS communications network in the SMS message format to the unified message format and transmit the converted message to the destination federation interface.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein the transmitting of the converted message to the destination federation interface comprises at least one of:
sending the message according to the indication of whether the database entry may receive IM messages; or
converting the message back to the SMS message format and sending the message on the SMS communications network.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An ultrasonic transducer fabrication method using a micromachining technique, comprising the steps of:
depositing a conductive material on an insulating layer on a surface of a substrate, partially etching the conductive material, and thereby forming lower electrodes;
depositing an insulating material so as to cover the lower electrodes and the insulating layer and thereby forming a first insulating layer;
depositing a sacrificial material on the first insulating layer, performing etching, and thereby creating two or more cavities and a channel-shaped sacrificial layer which communicates the cavities with each other;
depositing an insulating material on the first insulating layer and the sacrificial layer and thereby forming a second insulating layer;
partially etching the second insulating layer formed on the channel-shaped sacrificial layer and thereby forming holes;
etching and removing the sacrificial layer through the holes and thereby forming the cavities and the channels;
depositing a conductive material on the second insulating layer by a vacuum evaporation or a sputtering process so as to plug the holes, thereby forming a conductive film;
partially etching the conductive film and thereby forming upper electrodes and sealing portions which plug the holes; and
forming a protective film on the second insulating layer using a protective material so as to cover the upper electrodes and the sealing portions.
2. The ultrasonic transducer fabrication method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of depositing an insulating material on the conductive material, partially etching the insulating material, and thereby forming the upper electrodes covered from above by a third insulating layer and the sealing portions covered from above by an insulating film after the step of depositing the conductive material on the second insulating layer, by the vacuum evaporation or the sputtering process so as to plug the holes.
3. The ultrasonic transducer fabrication method according to claim 2, wherein the third insulating layer and the insulating film are formed of the insulating material by the chemical vapor deposition.
4. The ultrasonic transducer fabrication method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of further depositing a conductive material by Chemical Vapor Deposition to form another conductive film after depositing the conductive material by the sputtering process or the vacuum evaporation.