Methods of determining information regarding remote user terminals and related systems and computer program products

1. A method of determining user terminal information, the method comprising:

automatically initiating an automatically initiated first communication at a first user terminal between the first user terminal and a second user terminal using a telephone number of the second user terminal, wherein the automatically initiated first communication is automatically initiated at the first user terminal in response to occurrence of a time interval and without user input at the first user terminal;

receiving information regarding the second user terminal at the first user terminal during the automatically initiated first communication over a non-voice channel from the second user terminal without opening a voice channel between the first and second user terminals, wherein the information regarding the second user terminal comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second user terminal and a user status profile designated by a user of the second user terminal; and

responsive to receiving the Internet Protocol (IP) address, automatically initiating a second communication between the first and second user terminals using the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second user terminal without requiring user input at the first user terminal after receiving the Internet Protocol (IP) address.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the user status profile comprises text designated by the user of the second user terminal.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the information regarding the second user terminal comprises an acknowledgement that the second user terminal supports an Internet Protocol (IP) application.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the telephone number of the second user terminal comprises a mobile serial number (MSN) of the user terminal.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the non-voice channel comprises a signaling channel provided during a circuit switched (CS) communication.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the automatically initiated first communication comprises a circuit switched (CS) telephone communication, the method further comprising:

after receiving the information regarding the second user terminal during the circuit switched (CS) telephone communication, terminating the circuit switched telephone communication without alerting the user of the second user terminal.

7. A method according to claim 1

wherein the method further comprises automatically initiating an automatically initiated third communication at the first user terminal between the first user terminal and a third user terminal in response to the occurrence of the time interval and without user input at the first user terminal, and

wherein the method further comprises requesting user status profile updates from the second and third user terminals during the first and third communications, respectively.

8. A method of communication between first and second user terminals, the method comprising:

initiating a first communication comprising a circuit switched communication between the first and second user terminals by selecting a non-telephone second communication comprising an Internet Protocol communication that is different from the first communication and by using a first identification of the second user terminal, in response to occurrence of a time interval and without user input at the first user terminal;

receiving a second identification of the second user terminal at the first user terminal over a non-voice channel during the first communication wherein the first and second identifications are different;

terminating the first communication after receiving the second identification of the second user terminal, wherein the second identification of the second user terminal comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second user terminal and a user status profile designated by a user of the second user terminal; and

responsive to receiving the Internet Protocol (IP) address, automatically initiating the second communication between the first and second user terminals using the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second user terminal without requiring user input at the first user terminal after receiving the Internet Protocol (IP) address.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the first and second identifications of the second user terminal are provided according to different formats.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the first identification of the second user terminal comprises a telephone number of the second user terminal.

11. A method according to claim 9 wherein the second identification of the second user terminal comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second user terminal.

12. A method according to claim 8 wherein the non-voice channel comprises a signaling channel provided during the circuit switched (CS) communication.

13. A method according to claim 8 wherein the second communication comprises a packet switched communication.

14. A method according to claim 8 wherein the first identification of the second user terminal comprises a telephone number of the second user terminal, wherein terminating the first communication comprises:

after receiving the second identification of the second user terminal during the first circuit switched telephone communication, terminating the first circuit switched telephone communication without alerting the user of the second user terminal.

15. A method according to claim 8 wherein the first identification comprises a first telephone number of the second user terminal, wherein initiating the first communication comprises providing the first telephone number and accepting selection of the non-telephone communication using the first telephone number, the method further comprising;

accepting selection of a telephone communication using a second telephone number of a third user terminal; and

establishing a telephone voice communication with the third user terminal.

16. A method according to claim 8 wherein the first identification of the second user terminal comprises a telephone number of the second user terminal, and wherein the second identification of the second user terminal comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second user terminal.

17. A method according to claim 8 , wherein receiving the second identification of the second user terminal over the non-voice channel comprises receiving the second identification without opening a voice channel between the first and second user terminals.

18. A method of determining user terminal information, the method comprising:

automatically initiating an automatically initiated first communication at a first user terminal between the first user terminal and a second user terminal using a telephone number of the second user terminal, wherein the automatically initiated first communication is automatically initiated at the first user terminal in response to power up and without user input via a speaker, a microphone, a keypad, or a display at the first user terminal; and

receiving information regarding the second user terminal at the first user terminal during the automatically initiated first communication over a non-voice channel from the second user terminal without opening a voice channel between the first and second user terminals, wherein the information regarding the second user terminal comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second user terminal and a user status profile designated by a user of the second user terminal; and

responsive to receiving the Internet Protocol (IP) address, automatically initiating a second communication between the first and second user terminals using the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second user terminal without requiring user input at the first user terminal after receiving the Internet Protocol (IP) address.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the automatically initiated first communication comprises a circuit switched (CS) telephone communication, the method further comprising:

after receiving the information regarding the second user terminal during the circuit switched (CS) telephone communication, terminating the circuit switched telephone communication without alerting the user of the second user terminal.