System and method for short message services to instant messaging conversion

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.