Patent ID: 7197122

Claim:
Method for use in an instant messaging session established in a telecommunications network for instant messages between tenninals, comprising: receiving in a second terminal of said network, during said instant messaging session, a first instant voice message transmitted from a first terminal for playing to a second user at said second terminal, said first instant voice message spoken by a first user at said first terminal and converted in said first terminal to said first instant voice message, sending from said second terminal, during said instant messaging session, a second instant voice message to the first terminal during said instant messaging session said second instant voice message spoken by said second user at said second terminal and converted in said second terminal to said second instant voice message, converting said first instant voice message speech to text in the first terminal for said sending to said second terminal as a first text message during said instant messaging session, and converting said second instant voice message spoken by the second user to text in the second terminal for transmission as a second text message over said network to said first terminal, wherein at least said first and second text messages are sent during said instant messaging session using a short text messaging service protocol layer.