Patent ID: 8812597
Filing Date: 2014-08-19
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: storing, in a cache at an interconnect hub, records of associations between user identifiers (userIDs) for instant message (IM) users and service providers for the IM users, wherein said interconnect hub interconnects a plurality of wireless mobile IM communities and a plurality of wired Internet IM communities for routing text IM communications therebetween, wherein each wireless mobile IM community is serviced by a wireless mobile IM service provider that stores user information in a home location register, wherein each of the wired Internet IM communities is serviced by an Internet IM service provider, wherein each IM user within the wireless mobile IM communities has a mobile directory number (MDN) as their userID, wherein each IM user within the wired Internet IM communities has an Internet userID within an Internet web domain as their userID, and wherein said cache stores records of association between userIDs of IM users in Internet IM communities and Internet IM service providers, and stores records of association between userIDs of IM users in wireless mobile IM communities and wireless mobile IM service providers; receiving, at said interconnect hub, a text IM communication from a sender including a recipient userID; checking said cache to find the IM service provider associated with the recipient userID; if a record exists in said cache for the recipient userID associating an Internet IM service provider to the recipient userID, forwarding the text IM communication to said associated Internet IM service provider; if a record exists in said cache for the recipient userID associating a wireless mobile IM service provider to the recipient userID, forwarding the text IM communication to said associated wireless mobile IM service provider; and if no record exists in said cache for the recipient userID, initiating a search among wireless mobile IM service providers and Internet IM service providers to find an IM service provider for the recipient userID by sending a verification request to one or more candidate IM service providers in a first group determined to be likely IM service providers for the recipient userID, and receiving verification responses from said candidate IM service providers in said first group indicating whether the candidate IM service providers are service providers for the recipient userID, and if an IM service provider for the recipient userID is found by the search, forwarding the text IM communication to the IM service provider found for the recipient userID.