Patent ID: 8265664

Claim:
An apparatus for communicating a text message between a sender and a receiver, said apparatus comprising: a user interface for receiving a text message input by a sender; a circuitry connected to said user interface for receiving said text message from said user interface and for communicating said text message to a communication device of a receiver, said circuitry being operable in a first communication mode for communicating said text message to said communication device of said receiver via a fee-based communication network operating on a first frequency band and in a second communication mode for communicating said text message to said communication device of said receiver via a proximity communication transport mechanism operating on a second frequency band, said circuitry also operable to convert said text message into forms utilized by said first communication mode and said second communication mode; an addressee data, said addressee data stored on a memory, wherein said addressee data includes a messaging network address corresponding to said communication device of said receiver and is utilized to wirelessly connect to said receiver over said first communication mode to send said text message; and a proximity connection transport mechanism data, said proximity connection transport mechanism data stored on a memory, wherein said proximity connection transport mechanism data includes a signature identifier corresponding to said communication device of said receiver and is utilized to wirelessly connect to said receiver over said second communication mode to send said text message, wherein said circuitry is further operable to retrieve communication mode configuration data corresponding to a current mode of communication, the communication mode configuration data indicating that a user desires the current mode of communication as one of a network only option corresponding to the first communication mode, a direct connection only option corresponding to the second communication mode, and a network and direct connection option utilizing both the first and second communication modes, determine that the current mode of communication is not the network only option, attempt the establishment of communications with said communication device of said receiver using said second communication mode, automatically communicate said text message to said communication device of said receiver using said second communication mode if said attempt is successful with an acknowledgement signal communicated to said user interface informing said sender of a receipt of said text message, determine that the current mode of communication is not the direct connection only option if said attempt is unsuccessful, determine that the current mode of communication is the network and direction connection option, and automatically communicate said text message to said communication device of said receiver using said first communication mode.