Patent ID: 8190121

Claim:
A method of monetizing a telephone communication that has been initiated by a calling party over a telecommunications system to a called party using a cellular telephone having a telephone number and that is associated with a service provider comprising: determining whether a charge for message service can be billed through the service provider when a message is transmitted to the cellular telephone; presenting information at the cellular telephone relating to the telephone communication initiated by the calling party; determining whether authorization for the telephone communication initiated by the calling party has been received from the called party; if the charge for message service can be billed for a message transmitted to the cellular telephone and if there is authorization from the cellular telephone for the telephone communication (a) facilitating connection of the telephone communication between the calling party and the cellular telephone over the telecommunications system and transmission of a message to the cellular telephone by message service and (b) initiating a charge for message service to be made to the cellular telephone in association with transmission of the message to the cellular telephone; wherein transmission of a message to the cellular telephone by message service comprises transmission of a text message to the telephone number associated with the cellular telephone.