Patent ID: 7310350

Claim:
A method for sharing an opinion with an online community, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a first connection between a mobile device and a gateway using a first protocol; wherein said mobile device supports said first protocol but not a second protocol; wherein said online community is associated with a server that supports said second protocol but not said first protocol; receiving, from said mobile device at said gateway, opinion data indicating an opinion, that was specified through user interface controls on said mobile device, in a message that is not addressed to any specific member of the community, using said first protocol, wherein said user input was provided relative to a survey defined by a particular party; transmitting said opinion data, using said second protocol, from said gateway to said server; storing, at said server, for said survey, said opinion data as part of survey results, wherein said survey results reflect opinion data from a plurality of members of the online community; and transmitting said survey results, using said second protocol, from said server to members of said online community in response to requests received by said server in said second protocol; wherein the step of transmitting said survey results includes transmitting said survey results from said server to members of the online community that are not associated with said particular party that defined said survey; wherein a second mobile device is a mobile device of a member of the community and not the particular party that defined the survey; wherein said member provides user input, that indicates a second opinion, relative to a different survey, results of which other members of said online community may request and receive; receiving a request for said survey results, using said first protocol, from said second mobile device at said gateway, wherein the request was specified in second user input through user interface controls on said second mobile device, wherein said second user input does not initiate the creation of said survey; transmitting a request for said survey results, using said second protocol, from said gateway to said server; in response to said request received at said server using said second protocol, transmitting said survey results, using said second protocol, to said gateway; and sending said survey results, using said first protocol, from said gateway to said second mobile device.