Patent ID: 7558220

Claim:
A method for providing short message service chat sessions with at least a first, second and third user of a communications system including at least a first, second and third terminal assigned thereto, respectively, said second and third terminals forming at least part of a group of terminals, comprising: generating a list of selected users for each short message service chat session; transmitting an initiation message for a short message service chat session from said first terminal to said group of terminals, said initiation message including a first address assigned to said first terminal; dividing a display of said first terminal to simultaneously display text to be transmitted from said first terminal and text received from a terminal of said group of terminals, said dividing based on if there is text to be transmitted by said first terminal; receiving said initiation message at said second terminal and said third terminal of said group of terminals; transmitting a first reply to said initiation message from said second terminal of said group of terminals to said first terminal; receiving said first reply at said first terminal; transmitting a second reply to said initiation message from said third terminal to said first terminal; receiving said second reply at said first terminal; said first terminal marking said second and third terminals as active; activating said short message service chat session; creating a list of active terminals of said communication session; transmitting said list of active terminals to at least one of said second and third terminals; and after said activating, employing said first terminal as a server for said communication short message service chat session to store messages of said short message service chat session or assign said messages to terminals assigned to participants of said short message service chat session, wherein said first terminal can transfer responsibility as said server to said second or third terminal.