Patent ID: 7305076
Filing Date: 2007-12-04
Classification: H04M

Abstract:
1. A method for alerting a message recipient, comprising the steps of: initiating a message including a non-facsimile picture from a message originator to a message recipient; receiving at a message center coupled to a communications network both message originator information provided automatically by the communications network as the caller ID identifying the telephone number of the message originator, and the picture obtained from the message originator prior to transmitting the caller ID to a wireless portable communication device; wirelessly transmitting the caller ID and the picture from the message center to the wireless portable communication device; receiving the wirelessly transmitted picture and caller ID at the wireless portable communication device; storing caller identifying data of a potential message originator in a memory of the wireless portable communication device; determining whether the received caller ID matches caller identifying data stored in the memory; and alerting the message recipient when it is determined that the caller ID matches the stored caller identifying data.