HK1186321A - Multimedia messaging method and system - Google Patents

Description

Multimedia messaging method and system

The application is a divisional application entitled "multimedia messaging method and system" with application number 02804760.5, application date 2002, 2/8.

The present invention relates to data transfer. More particularly, the present invention relates to streaming of media content in multimedia messaging services.

In mobile communication networks, the term Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is commonly used to describe a new method for transmitting messages with multimedia content. Multimedia messaging services allow messages to be communicated between different mobile users and/or between a mobile user and the internet. There have been agreed schemes for providing MMS in third generation mobile communication networks and their features have been introduced in the following technical specifications: technical Specification (TS)23.140 of the third generation partnership project organization (3GPP), v.4.1.0 "Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Functional Description, second phase (fourth edition, 2000-12)" ("Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Functional Description, Stage2(Release 4, 2000-12)". in 3GPP TS23.140, the Multimedia Messaging Service proposed in the fourth edition performs Messaging using a store and forward method the Multimedia message is constructed in such a way that Multimedia content, necessary information describing the Multimedia content, address information identifying the intended recipient of the message, etc. is encapsulated, then the Multimedia message is sent from the user agent sending the MMS to a Multimedia Messaging Service center MMSC, which in turn informs the intended recipient (recipient MMS user agent) of the message-later, the Multimedia message is completely downloaded by the recipient user agent terminal, and once downloaded and stored in the recipient user agent, causes display to the user.

Next, the structure and operation of a typical MMS system will be discussed with reference to fig. 1, 2 and 3.

Fig. 1 shows an overview of the elements of an MMS system according to 3GPP TS 23.140. The system comprises the following:

a plurality of MMS User Agents (UAs) 110, each capable of transmitting and receiving multimedia messages;

roaming MMS user agent 127;

different types of access networks 122, 124 and 126, including:

a second generation mobile telecommunications network 122 such as a GSM second stage network;

a third generation mobile telecommunications network 124 such as a universal mobile telecommunications network (UMTS);

a mobile access network 126, such as a wireless local area network.

The Internet (or other Internet Protocol (IP) network) 130, which has an external server 134, such as an email server, and a wired email client 132;

multimedia messaging service relay 142 and MMS server 144, which are integrated in this example into a single unit called Multimedia Messaging Service Center (MMSC)140, but which may alternatively be implemented as separate or distributed entities;

a message store 150 connected to the MMS server 144; and

a subscriber database 160 containing, for example, subscriber subscription fees and address information.

The collective term Multimedia Messaging Service Environment (MMSE) is used to describe those functional components that cooperate to implement a multimedia messaging service. In fig. 1, the MMSE consists of components in the elliptical region.

As described in more detail with reference to fig. 1, each MME user agent 110 is connected to an MMS relay 142 via its access network 122, 124. The roaming MMS user agent 127 is connected to the MMS relay 142 through the mobile access network 126 and via the internet 130. The MMS relay is connected to the MMS server 144 and the subscriber database 160. In addition, an external server 134 and a wired email client terminal 132 are connected to the internet 130.

Figure 2 shows an overview of the interworking between different MMSEs according to 3GPP TS 23.140. Communication of multimedia messages occurs between a user agent 110A (sender) and a user agent 110B (recipient), each residing in a different multimedia messaging service environment. For simplicity and clarity, both multimedia messaging service environments (mmsa and mmsb) are shown as containing separate MMS relays, respectively, which are connected to separate MMS servers to form the two MMSCs 214 and 224. It should be appreciated that in an actual MMSE, the number of MMS relays and servers may (and typically will) be greater than this value. MMSE a and MMSE B may also have different operators, different geographical locations or coverage areas, and/or different technical features and capacities, for example. Furthermore, the method of the invention can also be applied in a particular MMSE, in case the MMSE contains more than one MMS relay.

In the example shown in fig. 2, both MMS user agents 110A and 110B are shown as devices that communicate with their respective MMSEs 210, 220 via wireless communication networks 212, 222. However, it should be understood that either MMSE user agent a or MMSE user agent B, or both, may reside in a fixed line network (not shown).

With respect to fig. 2, it is assumed that the MMS user agent a 110A has subscribed to the multimedia messaging service provided in the multimedia messaging service environment a 210, wanting to send some media content to the MMS user agent B110B, which has subscribed to the multimedia messaging service provided in the MMSE B220. Typically, the content of a multimedia message will contain a variety of components, some of which are suitable for streaming and others of which are not, such as text or still images. In the following examples of the generation, transmission and reproduction of multimedia messages, it is assumed that all components of the message are not of the flowable content type. The current specifications for streaming download of multimedia message components provided by 3GPP TS23.140 will then be discussed separately.

Referring again to fig. 2, upon initiating a communication to send a multimedia message to the MMS user agent B, the MMS user agent a first selects media content to be transferred. For example, the media content may take the form of still images and some associated text that are stored in the memory of user agent A. The image may be recorded using, for example, a camera and a still image encoding device embedded in the user agent a. Alternatively, the image and text may have been downloaded to user agent a from another source. In either case, the user agent a encapsulates the media content into a multimedia message that contains the media content itself, the necessary information describing the media content, and address information representing the intended recipient of the message. The MMS user agent a then sends the message to MMS relay a via wireless network a 212.

Upon receiving the multimedia message, MMS relay a determines that the intended recipient is not a user agent of MMSE a but a user agent of MMS relay B based on the address information contained in the message and forwards the multimedia message to MMS relay B. The routing of the multimedia message to the correct MMS relay, i.e. the relay responsible for user agent B, can be done using e.g. the standardised mechanisms provided in the existing 3GPP multimedia messaging scheme. Upon receiving the multimedia message, the MMS relay B stores the multimedia content in the MMS server B and sends a notification to the intended recipient (MMS user agent B), thereby indicating that a multimedia message has arrived and that its content can be downloaded from the MMS relay B. In response to receiving the notification, the MMS user agent B renders the media content from (through) the MMS relay B. The reproduction of the media content is initiated by the MMS relay B through signaling.

Fig. 3 shows the process of notification and multimedia message reproduction in more detail. In particular, fig. 3 shows the flow of messages that occurs when the MMS relay B receives an MMS message intended for the recipient MMS user agent B. The MMS relay B receives the MMS message, stores it in the MMS server B, and notifies the MMS user agent B of the arrival of the message using an MMS notification message 310 (MM1_ notification.req in 3GPP TS 23.140).

Next, the MMS user agent B responds with an MMS notification response 320 (MM1_ notification.res in 3GPP TS 23.140) to acknowledge receipt of the MMS notification 310.

Upon receipt of the MMS notification message 310, the MMS user agent B will be aware that the multimedia message is already available for reproduction and may initiate a process for downloading the message. This may be performed directly after the notification message is received, or at some later time. When MMS user agent B desires to begin downloading the MMS message, it sends an MMS rendition request 330(MM1_ retrieve.res) to MMSC B224. MMSC B224 responds by retrieving the multimedia message from MMS server B and sends an MMS retrieval response 340 (MM1_ retrieval.res in 3GPP TS 23.140) to MMS user agent B. In case the multimedia message contains only non-flowable components as considered in this example, the actual multimedia message components to be downloaded are carried in the MMS playback response message. After receiving the entire multimedia message, the MMS user agent B sends an MMS acknowledgement 350 (confirming receipt of the entire multimedia message) to the MMS relay B.

As mentioned previously, some media components are suitable for downloading by streaming. The term "streaming" is commonly used to describe the presentation of media content, such as audio or video clips, or the combination of different media types in a continuous manner as it is delivered to a recipient over a data network. A "stream" may be a data stream that enables a recipient to display some continuous stream of information, such as a movie (i.e., video), sound, or music. In a typical video stream, 10 to 20 video frames are transmitted per second. In practice, the streaming can be either live (real-time) or performed on-demand. The term "live streaming" describes the generation of a media stream from a live source (e.g. a digital image stream generated using a camera), while the term "on-demand streaming" describes the generation of a media stream from a file, e.g. stored on a server.

Streaming is very promising in mobile networks, especially considering the fact that mobile terminals typically have limited multimedia playing resources (such as memory and processing power). Generally, streaming methods for media download and rendering have the potential to reduce the total amount of available memory required by the mobile terminal.

Recently, there has been an increased interest in merging flows into the proposed third generation multimedia messaging services. As mentioned before, however, MMS service is based on encapsulating media content, message description and address information into a single message. Such encapsulation is not compatible with the streaming of media content, so some modifications to the MMS service recommendations are necessary to accommodate the streaming download of media content. 3GPP TS23.140, release 4, allows a streaming session to be established between a recipient user agent and a recipient MMS relay, but requires some modification of the notification messages sent from the recipient MMS relay to the recipient MMS user.

According to this proposal, if a recipient MMS relay, such as MMS relay B described in the above example, receives a multimedia message containing flowable media content, it may compose a modified MMS notification message and send the message to the intended recipient user agent to notify the agent of the flowable multimedia components. The modified notification message contains the necessary information to initiate a streaming session between the recipient MMS user agent and the MMS server, which has access to the flowable multimedia component.

Thus, according to 3GPP TS23.140, release 4, a standard MMS notification message is used to inform the intended recipient that the user agent multimedia message is available for download, and the message must be modified so that it can provide, in particular, a downloadable, flowable multimedia component. This enables the recipient user agent to establish a streaming session to download the multimedia component.

Despite this change, however, there is still no mechanism available in the MMS specification to download both flowable and non-flowable multimedia components in a consistent manner. Thus, there is a need for such a capability as it would be beneficial to be able to receive both non-flowable components such as still pictures and text or program applets along with flowable multimedia components such as sound, voice or video streams.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for receiving a multimedia message, comprising the steps of:

receiving a multimedia messaging;

separating descriptors from the multimedia messaging that contain information necessary to initiate the streaming session; and

a streaming session is initiated using the descriptors to render the stored flowable media components described by the descriptors.

Preferably, the method further comprises the step of separating the non-flowable media components from the multimedia message delivery.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for multimedia messaging comprising the steps of:

storing a multimedia message containing flowable media components in an entity of a communication network;

sending a multimedia message from a network entity to a recipient user agent; and

a descriptor is included in the multimedia messaging that provides information that allows the recipient user agent to initiate a streaming session in order to render the flowable media components.

The advantage of the invention is that the transmission of flowable media components is enabled using a communication system according to the existing MMS specifications with only minor changes.

Preferably, for the same multimedia message, both flowable and non-flowable components can be sent from the originator to the recipient by using the descriptor before downloading the multimedia message.

Preferably, the method additionally comprises notifying the recipient user agent with a notification message: there is a message available, preferably the notification message conforms to the MMS specification.

The invention also allows the recipient to be informed of the MMS user agent using a single type of notification message, which multimedia message can be used for downloading. In other words, a single type of notification message may be used regardless of what particular multimedia content the media content is. This has the advantage that the format of the notification message can be simplified and allows to indicate the availability of downloading the multimedia message in a consistent way.

Preferably, the flowable media components of the multimedia message containing the non-flowable and flowable media components are replaced by the aforementioned descriptors, so that the multimedia message can be modified to contain the non-flowable components and the descriptors. Thus, when a modified message containing non-flowable components and descriptors is downloaded to the recipient user agent, the user agent may use the information provided by the descriptors to initiate a streaming session for downloading the flowable media components.

In the case where the multimedia message contains more than one flowable media component, each flowable media component is advantageously replaced with a corresponding descriptor. Optionally, the descriptor includes information about at least two or all of the flowable media components. The descriptors are then provided in the multimedia message in place of all the streamable media components they describe.

Alternatively, this replacement may be performed by the recipient MMS relay or by the MMS server. In other words, the replacement is preferably performed by an MMS relay or MMS server associated with the recipient user agent. Alternatively, other communication modules, such as proxy servers, can perform such substitution.

Preferably, the descriptor is selected from a group comprising: a session description file, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), and a Universal Resource Identifier (URI).

Preferably, the session description file is a Session Description Protocol (SDP) file.

Preferably, the session description file contains all the data necessary to initiate a streaming session in order to download the flowable media components.

The inclusion of descriptors in the multimedia messaging may eliminate the need to separately communicate data to initiate a streaming session. Communication bandwidth is saved and message transmission is accelerated because excessive message transmission can be avoided. Furthermore, if the recipient user agent rejects the message, the descriptor need not be sent in vain.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a multimedia messaging user agent comprising:

a transceiver for receiving a multimedia message and for establishing a streaming session;

characterized in that the user agent further comprises:

a processor for searching for a descriptor containing streaming initiation data in a multimedia message; and

the processor is arranged to control the transceiver to initiate a streaming session using the streaming initialisation data contained in the descriptor.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is also provided a multimedia messaging service system comprising:

a first network entity for storing a multimedia message;

a plurality of user agents;

a second network entity for notifying a user agent that a message is available to the user agent, said user agent being a recipient user agent;

a third network entity for searching the multimedia message for flowable media components, for storing such components of the multimedia message, and for modifying the multimedia message by placing an identifier in the multimedia message sufficient to allow the recipient multimedia user agent to initiate a streaming session for reproduction of the flowable media components;

the second network entity is arranged to receive a request for delivery of the multimedia message to the recipient user agent and to deliver the multimedia message to the recipient user agent in response to the request.

The second and third network entities may be the same, e.g. both multimedia relays. Alternatively, they may be different entities.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a multimedia message comprising an address of a recipient of the multimedia message;

characterized in that the multimedia message further comprises:

a descriptor containing the necessary information to allow a recipient user agent to use the descriptor to initiate a streaming session to render at least one flowable media component.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer program product for controlling a multimedia messaging user agent, comprising:

computer executable program code that enables a user agent to receive a multimedia message;

characterized in that the computer program product further comprises:

computer executable program code that enables a user agent to search for a descriptor containing flow initialization data in a multimedia message; and

computer executable program code that enables the user agent to initiate a streaming session using the streaming initialization data contained in the descriptor.

The invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows an overview of MMS system components according to 3GPP TS23.140, V.4;

fig. 2 shows an overview of MMS system component interworking according to 3GPP TS23.140, V.4;

fig. 3 shows a flow of receiving messages between an MMS relay/MMS server and a recipient MMS user agent;

fig. 4 shows a flow of receiving a message between an MMS relay/MMS server and a recipient MMS user agent according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 shows a flow chart describing the operation of an MMS relay in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the structure of an MMS user agent in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 1 to 3 have been introduced previously to illustrate the prior art. They also form a framework in which the invention may be practiced.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is discussed next with reference to the operation of the MMS system when receiving multimedia messages containing both flowable and non-flowable components. An exemplary implementation of the MMS system supporting the preferred embodiment will also be discussed.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention is based on replacing flowable multimedia components of a multimedia message with descriptors that provide information so that the recipient MMS user agent 110B can initiate a streaming session to download the flowable components. As mentioned before, only by modifying the MMS notification message 310, MMS related streaming has been made possible so far. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the descriptor is embedded in the multimedia message and received by the recipient user agent as other multimedia components in the MMS rendering response. The user agent extracts the information provided by the descriptor, which can then be used to initiate a streaming session to download the flowable components. This means that the MMS notification message 310 no longer needs to be modified.

Fig. 4 shows the flow of messages that occur between a recipient MMSC and a recipient MMS user agent in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. After the multimedia message arrives at the MMSC, messages 310 to 330 are exchanged first. The exchange is done in the same way as in a conventional MMS system where there are no flowable components in the received multimedia message. The modifications introduced by the present invention affect the signaling that occurs after the MMS rendering request 330. If the received multimedia message contains a flowable media component in addition to a non-flowable media component, the MMS rendition response 340 contains the non-flowable multimedia message component and a descriptor describing the flowable multimedia component in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, where the multimedia message contains more than one flowable media component, each flowable media component is replaced by a separate descriptor, each descriptor containing sufficient information to allow the recipient user agent 110B to initiate a streaming session for receiving the flowable media component in question.

If the multimedia message contains only flowable components, the multimedia message will contain only descriptors of the flowable components.

Typically, the descriptors are arranged in the form of a session description file, such as a Session Description Protocol (SDP) file, which SDP file is contained in MMS messages. The actual file structure can be implemented in many ways, but according to the invention the structure as shown in the wireless application protocol WAP multimedia messaging service version 1.0, the message encapsulation draft 0.8 (2.2.17/2000), fig. 2 is used. The multimedia message is advantageously arranged to: the descriptor is transmitted in the front part of the MMS message so that the streaming session can be initiated without a significant delay after the start of the download of the multimedia message.

In an alternative embodiment, a shared session description file contains descriptions of two or more downloadable multimedia components.

The session description file provides a description of the presentation of the individual flowable multimedia components and a media initiation portion that allows the recipient to complete the streaming process. The SDP file is a typical example of a widely used type of session description file. SDP has a Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) type registered by the internet address assignment authority (IANA), referred to as a content type that is part of the MMS rendition response message 340.

Advantageously, the session description file contains the following data: protocol version, information about the owner and/or creator of the media content, session identifier, session name and attributes, session information, originator identifier such as the phone number or email address of the message sender, connection information, bandwidth information, different time-related information, and the title and attributes of each media component described by the session description file. The session description file may also contain some cryptographic information, such as a Message Authentication Code (MAC), a cryptographic checksum for verifying the validity of the content, or a password that allows the recipient user agent to generate a session key that is used to decrypt or validate the content.

In alternative embodiments, other forms of files may be used for this purpose. TEXT, RTSL, and MHEG are other example files used for this purpose, and all of these files have a registered MIME type.

The streaming session is implemented according to commonly used streaming protocols. In this respect, the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) is a well-known session layer protocol. Real-time protocol/real-time control protocol (RTP/RTCP) is designed to control the transmission of streaming content, and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and/or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) may be used as the streaming transport protocol.

The use of separate session description files gives more flexibility to the use, since different network entities can use corresponding descriptors instead of different flowable multimedia components.

The multimedia message, i.e. the content, may be uploaded to the MMSC by streaming or any other suitable method. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the use of streaming for downloading multimedia content to a given recipient is independent of the way in which the content is uploaded to the MMS relay B.

Fig. 5 shows a flow chart describing the operation of the recipient MMS relay in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Operations begin at block 502. Next, the MMS relay B receives the multimedia message (block 504). The MMS relay detects whether any flowable media components are contained in the multimedia message (block 506). If so, each flowable media component is stored (block 508) and a descriptor appropriate for the component in question is constructed and included in the multimedia message in place of the media content itself (block 510). In a next operational step, the recipient MMS user agent is informed (MMS notification) that the multimedia message is available (block 512).

Upon receiving the notification that the multimedia message is available, the recipient MMS user agent acknowledges the notification by sending an MMS notification response message. The MMS relay detects whether an MMS notification response has been received (block 514). If not, the MMS relay checks whether the message has expired (block 515). If the message has not expired, the repeater attempts to notify the recipient again, for example after a predetermined period of time. If the message has expired, the MMS relay will no longer notify the recipient user agent and will conveniently clear the message (block 520), i.e., delete the media components stored in connection therewith.

If a notification response is received (block 514), operation continues by detecting receipt of the MMS rendering request (block 516). In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the MMS rendering request may be integrated with the notification response if both are transmitted within a short period of time (e.g. 1, 5 or 10 minutes) or if an automatic download of the received multimedia message has been selected.

If a rendition request is not received, the MMS relay detects whether the multimedia message has expired (block 518). If so, operation continues to block 520 and the multimedia message is purged as explained above. If the multimedia message has not expired, operation continues to block 522. Where the multimedia message, now already containing a descriptor of each flowable multimedia component, is transmitted to the recipient MMS user agent. After the multimedia message is delivered, the message is purged if it is not needed for delivery to other recipients (e.g., at multicast time) (block 524). Typically, messages are only purged upon receiving an acknowledgement of receipt from the recipient MMS user agent.

Typically, the MMS relay is implemented as a server computer and controlled by a computer program which enables the MMS relay to operate according to the aforementioned steps.

Fig. 6 shows the structure of an MMS user agent implemented in a wireless communication device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The module controlled by the microprocessor mup is responsible for the different functional blocks of the MMS user agent. These functional blocks comprise a random access memory RAM, a radio frequency module RF, a read only memory ROM, an input/output port I/O for external connections, a user interface UI having a video system SND and a display DPL for displaying multimedia messages, and a keyboard KBD for receiving data and commands from a user. The operating instructions of the microprocessor, i.e. the program code and the basic functions of the MMS user agent are pre-stored in the ROM, for example during the manufacturing process. According to its program, the microprocessor uses the RF module to transmit and receive messages on the radio wave path. The microprocessor monitors the status of the user interface UI and controls the MMS user agent according to the program code. Upon receipt of the multimedia message, the microprocessor mup checks the message for descriptors of the flowable multimedia components. If it finds the descriptor, it initiates the streaming session to render or stream download the corresponding multimedia component, respectively. If multiple descriptors are found, a corresponding number of streaming sessions are initiated for streaming download of the corresponding multimedia component.

Typically the streaming session is established substantially immediately, but alternatively the description information may be stored in the random access memory RAM and used at some later time to initiate the streaming session.

If the individual multimedia component is of a type that is not supported by the MMS user agent itself, the processor may control the input/output port I/O to forward such component to an external device that supports this type of multimedia component. Such an external device may be a personal computer, typically a laptop computer. This has the advantage of allowing the use of an enhanced user interface and sound capabilities if such functionality is provided by the external device. The input/output port may be an infrared port, a wired port, or a low power radio frequency connection port such as a bluetooth port.

Where streaming multimedia components, descriptor information may be transmitted to such external devices to allow the external devices to establish a streaming session through an MMS user agent or through other pathways, such as fixed internet access.

Advantageously, the MMS relay has access to a user profile of the recipient user agent stored in the user database 160, with which it can decide whether each multimedia component of the multimedia message complies with the capabilities of the recipient user agent and/or with the preferences defined by the user profile of the recipient user agent. If necessary, the multimedia components of the over-quality can be down-converted to a lower level but of sufficient quality so that their transmission is faster and can be conveniently used by the recipient user agent without any further conversion or processing before presentation to the user. Similarly, multimedia components may also be converted from one media form to another such that the results conform to the capabilities and/or preferences of the recipient user agent. This conversion can be performed during or before the MMS is reproduced accordingly.

Specific implementations and embodiments of the invention have been discussed. It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not restricted to details of the embodiments presented above, and that other embodiments of the invention can be implemented using equivalent means without deviating from the technical characteristics of the invention. The scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a notification message at a recipient device, the notification message indicating an availability of a multimedia message at a communication network entity, the multimedia message comprising non-streamable and streamable components;

sending a rendition request to the communication network entity for receiving the multimedia message;

receiving at the receiving device a multimedia message from the communication network entity in response to the rendition request, the received multimedia message comprising the non-flowable component and a descriptor associated with the flowable component, the flowable component having been replaced with the descriptor; and

a streaming session is initiated using the descriptor in order to render the flowable components of the multimedia message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the multimedia message comprises more than one flowable component, and wherein the method further comprises:

at least two of the flowable components are replaced with a descriptor that is common to all replaced components.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the descriptor is selected from the group comprising: a session description file, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), and a universal resource identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein: the session descriptor is a session description protocol file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the descriptor contains all data necessary to initiate a streaming session in order to download the flowable component.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient device comprises a wireless device.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving a multimedia message at a communication network entity, the multimedia message comprising a flowable component and a non-flowable component;

replacing the flowable component with a descriptor associated with the flowable component;

sending a notification message to a recipient device, the notification message indicating availability of the multimedia message;

receiving a rendition request from the recipient device to receive the multimedia message;

sending the multimedia message to the recipient device in response to the rendition request, the multimedia message sent to the recipient device including the non-streamable component and a descriptor associated with the streamable component of the multimedia message.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the multimedia message comprises more than one flowable component, and wherein the method further comprises:

at least two of the flowable components are replaced with a descriptor that is common to all replaced components.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

performing the replacement by an entity selected from the group consisting of: a recipient multimedia messaging service relay, a recipient multimedia messaging service server, and an intermediate communication block.

10. A multimedia messaging user agent, comprising:

a transceiver for receiving a notification message and a multimedia message and for establishing a streaming session, the notification message indicating the availability of a multimedia message, the multimedia message comprising a flowable component and a descriptor associated with the flowable component of the multimedia message, the flowable component having been replaced with the descriptor; and

a processor for extracting streaming initialization data from the descriptor, the processor controlling the transceiver to initiate a streaming session using the streaming initialization data contained in the descriptor.