Patent ID: 8290478

Claim:
A method of transmitting emoticons in an emoticon transmitting system, the method comprising: receiving, via a transmission request receiving unit of the emoticon transmitting system, a message from a transmitting mobile communication terminal requesting transmission of a first graphic emoticon the message comprising first emoticon identification information related to the first graphic emoticon and a phone number of a receiving mobile communication terminal; identifying, via a converting unit of the emoticon transmitting system, a communication service provider of the receiving mobile communication terminal using the phone number of the receiving mobile communication terminal; identifying, via the converting unit, a second graphic emoticon corresponding to the first graphic emoticon using the first emoticon identification information and the identified communication service provider of the receiving mobile communication terminal, wherein a format of the first graphic emoticon differs from a format of the second graphic emoticon, and the format of the first graphic emoticon is not decodable or displayable in the receiving mobile communication terminal; and transmitting, via a transmitting unit of the emoticon transmitting system, second emoticon identification information to the receiving mobile communication terminal, the second emoticon identification information related to the second graphic emoticon, wherein the second emoticon identification information comprises data in a format decodable by the receiving mobile communication terminal, wherein the second graphic emoticon is displayable in the receiving mobile communication terminal, wherein the second emoticon identification information is different from the first emoticon identification information, and wherein the emoticon transmitting system is separate from the transmitting mobile communication terminal and the receiving mobile communication terminal.