METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING MESSAGES TO MOBILE RECIPIENTS
First Claim
1. A method for enabling a user of a first distributed device to communicate with a second distributed device using a variable cost structure, comprising:
- enabling a user of the first distributed device to select, using a user interface of the first distributed device, whether to send a communication to the second distributed device using a first communication server of a communications network at a first cost to the user of the first distributed device or a second communication server of the communications network at a second cost to the user of the first distributed device different than the first cost;
directing the communication to the first communication server to be forwarded therefrom to the second distributed device when the user selects to send the communication to the second distributed device using the first communication server; and
directing the communication to the second communication server to be forwarded therefrom to the second distributed device when the user selects to send the communication to the second distributed device using the second communication server,whereby when the user selects to send the communication to the second distributed device using the first communication server, a message is not added to the communication and when the user selects to send the communication to the second distributed device using the second communication server, a message is added to the communication such that the communication and added message are delivered to the second distributed device and the second cost to send the communication is less than the first cost to send the communication.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
For processing digital communication traffic in a network comprising a central communication processing structure and a number of separate devices of users designed for communication with the central communication processing structure, each time, a communication coming from one of the separate devices is received which communication is addressed to another of the separate devices. It is then checked whether the received communication meets at least one condition applicable to the communication or the sender. In reaction to meeting the condition, a message is added to the communication and the communication including the added message is sent to the addressed device.
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Citations
63 Claims
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1. A method for enabling a user of a first distributed device to communicate with a second distributed device using a variable cost structure, comprising:
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enabling a user of the first distributed device to select, using a user interface of the first distributed device, whether to send a communication to the second distributed device using a first communication server of a communications network at a first cost to the user of the first distributed device or a second communication server of the communications network at a second cost to the user of the first distributed device different than the first cost; directing the communication to the first communication server to be forwarded therefrom to the second distributed device when the user selects to send the communication to the second distributed device using the first communication server; and directing the communication to the second communication server to be forwarded therefrom to the second distributed device when the user selects to send the communication to the second distributed device using the second communication server, whereby when the user selects to send the communication to the second distributed device using the first communication server, a message is not added to the communication and when the user selects to send the communication to the second distributed device using the second communication server, a message is added to the communication such that the communication and added message are delivered to the second distributed device and the second cost to send the communication is less than the first cost to send the communication. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A distributed device for use with a system for processing digital communication traffic that includes a first communication server and a second communication server, the distributed device comprising:
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a user interface that enables a user of the distributed device to select whether to send a communication to another distributed device using the first communication server or the second communication server; and a processor that; when the user selects, using the user interface, to send the communication to the other distributed device using the first communication server, directs the communication to the first communication server to be forwarded therefrom to the other distributed device; and when the user selects, using the user interface, to send the communication to the other distributed device using the second communication server, directs the communication to the second communication server to have a message added thereto with the communication and the added message being directed to the second distributed device, whereby when the user selects to send the communication to the other distributed device using the first communication server, a message is not added to the communication. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A communication server of a communication processing structure for processing digital communication traffic in a network, the communication server including a processor and a computer program embodied on computer-readable medium that are arranged to:
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receive a communication from a first distributed device that is directed to a second distributed device; determine whether conditions are present to allow a message to be added to the communication; when the conditions are present, adding the message to the communication; and
thendirecting the message with the added communication to the second distributed device. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method for processing digital communication traffic in a network, comprising:
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receiving, at a communication server, a communication from a first distributed device that is directed to a second distributed device; determining, at the communication server, whether conditions are present to allow a message to be added to the communication; when the conditions are present, adding the message to the communication; and
thendirecting, via a telecommunications network, the message with the added communication to the second distributed device. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A communication processing structure for processing digital communication traffic in a network, comprising:
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a first communication server; a second communication server; and a plurality of distributed devices of users designed for communication with the first and second communication servers, a first one of the distributed devices comprising; a user interface that enables a user of the distributed device to select whether to send a communication to a second one of the distributed devices using the first communication server or the second communication server, and a processor that; when the user selects, using the user interface, to send the communication to the second distributed device using the first communication server, directs the communication to the other distributed device through the first communication server; and when the user selects, using the user interface, to send the communication to the second distributed device using the second communication server, directs the communication to the second communication server, the first communication server being arranged to forward the communication it receives from the first distributed device to the second distributed device without adding a message to the communication; the second communication server being arranged to process the communication it receives from the first distributed device in order to add a message to the communication with the communication and added message then being directed to the second distributed device. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. A method for processing digital communication traffic in a network comprising a central communication processing structure including a first communication server, a second communication server and a plurality of distributed devices of users designed for communication with the central communication processing structure, the method comprising:
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enabling a user of a first one of the distributed devices to select, using a user interface of the first distributed device, whether to send a communication to a second one of the distributed devices using the first communication server or the second communication server; when the user selects to send the communication to the second distributed device using the first communication server, directing the communication from the first distributed device to the second distributed devices through the first communication server; and when the user selects to send the communication to the second distributed device using the second communication server, directing the communication from the first distributed device to the second distributed device through the second communication server while adding a message to the communication such that the communication and added message are delivered to the second distributed device, whereby when the user selects to send the communication to the second distributed device using the first communication server, a message is not added to the communication. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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Specification