Patent ID: 8046009
Filing Date: 2011-10-25
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method in an integrated messaging server comprising: receiving a multimedia message in a wireless communications network including multimedia content in an integrated messaging server; storing the multimedia content in a repository of the integrated messaging server; selecting an optimal communications protocol from among a plurality of communications protocols for delivery of a multimedia message to a user's handset based on content of the multimedia message to be sent, the user's handset a handheld device for communicating on the wireless communications network; forwarding a notification to the user's handset via the wireless communications network including a header and a pointer, the notification for storage on the user's handset without storage of the multimedia content on the user's handset, the pointer pointing to the multimedia content in the repository; maintaining a user inbox of received multimedia messages corresponding to the inbox on the user's handset at the integrated messaging server with a reference to the multimedia content in the repository on the integrated messaging server, the user inbox at the integrated messaging server managing a collection of multimedia messages that correspond to a plurality of messages sent to the user's handset from a plurality of different message sources and received by the integrated messaging server; enabling the user to forward the original multimedia content via the wireless communications network, wherein the pointer to the original multimedia content in the repository is forwarded in a forwarded message to a recipient when the user and the recipient are subscribers to a first wireless network, and the original multimedia content is attached to the forwarded message when the recipient subscribes to a second wireless network, the first wireless network and the second wireless network are provided by different wireless service providers; and placing a copy of the forwarded message in a user outbox on the user's handset, the copy comprising header information for the multimedia message and a reference to the multimedia content in the repository.