Granted Patent B2

US 8,005,494 · App. 11/796,641 · Granted Aug 23, 2011

Abstract

Claims (36)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a gateway component that provides an identifier of a service provider to a sender of a message through employment of a user address associated with a recipient of the message, wherein the identifier comprises a logo or a text description of the service provider; and

wherein the gateway component determines an indication of a text-delivery network associated with the service provider, and wherein the gateway component prompts the sender for the message; and

wherein the gateway component communicates with the text-delivery network to provide for delivery of the message to the recipient.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gateway component sends an email to the text-delivery network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gateway component sends a short message to the text-delivery network.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the text-delivery network comprises a cellular network, and wherein the gateway component communicates with the text-delivery network through employment of a cellular networking protocol.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the cellular networking protocol comprises the American International Standards Institute-41 (ANSI-41) protocol, and wherein the gateway component employs the American International Standards Institute-41 protocol to provide for delivery of the message on the cellular network.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the cellular networking protocol comprises the Global System for Mobile Communications (“GSM”) Mobile Application Part (“MAP”) protocol, and wherein the gateway component employs the Global System for Mobile Communications Mobile Application Part protocol to provide for delivery of the message on the cellular network.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the text-delivery network comprises a landline network, and wherein the gateway component communicates with the text-delivery network through employment of a landline protocol.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the landline protocol comprises the Session Initiation Protocol (“SIP”), and wherein the gateway component employs the Session Initiation Protocol to provide for delivery of the message on the landline network.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gateway component provides an Internet interface that is employable by the sender of the message to provide for an initiation of the message; and

wherein the gateway component employs the internet interface to receive the user address from the sender of the message.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the service provider comprises a cellular service provider associated with the recipient, and wherein the gateway component provides a cellular networking interface that provides for a delivery of the message to the recipient.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the user address comprises a ported user address, and wherein the gateway component obtains a Location Routing Number (LRN) associated with the ported user address; and

wherein the gateway component provides the identifier of the service provider to the sender of the message through employment of the Location Routing Number.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the identifier comprises the logo, the text description or a web page of the service provider.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gateway component comprises one or more server components.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the gateway component further comprises a database component that cooperates with at least one of the one or more server components to provide the identifier of the service provider to the sender of the message.

15. A method, comprising the steps of:

providing an identifier of a service provider to a sender of a message through employment of a user address associated with a recipient of the message;

determining the identifier of the service provider associated with the recipient of the message through employment of the user address associated with the recipient;

determining an Indication of a text-delivery network associated with the service provider;

providing the indication of the text-delivery network to the sender, wherein the indication of the text-delivery network comprises an indication of a first web portal associated with the text-delivery network;

establishing a second web portal with the sender, wherein the first web portal allows for an initiation of the message by the sender through employment of the second web portal; and

employing the indication of the first web portal to redirect the first web portal to the second web portal.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the user address comprises a ported user address, and wherein the step of providing the identifier of the service provider to the sender of the message through employment of the user address associated with the recipient of the message further comprises the steps of:

obtaining a Location Routing Number (LRN) associated with the ported user address; and

providing the identifier of the service provider associated with the Location Routing Number.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing steps, comprising:

means for providing an identifier associated with a service provider to a sender of a message through employment of a user address associated with a recipient of the message;

means for determining the identifier of the service provider associated with the recipient of the message through employment of the user address associated with the recipient;

means for determining an indication of a text-delivery network associated with the service provider;

means for providing the indication of the text-delivery network to the sender, wherein the indication of the text-delivery network comprises an indication of a first web portal associated with the text-delivery network;

means for establishing a second web portal with the sender, wherein the first web portal allows for an initiation of the message by the sender through employment of the second web portal; and

means for employing the indication of the first web portal to redirect the first web portal to the second web portal.

Assignments (11)