Patent ID: 7587039

Claim:
A method for providing automated call acknowledgement services over a communications network, comprising: storing addresses including a phone number and a text address for a calling device in a database; mapping the phone number for the calling device to the text address of the calling device in the database; receiving a data request from a call-receiving device to acknowledge an incoming call from the calling device, the data request including a pre-defined acknowledgement message type, one of the addresses identified with the incoming call, and a mode of transmitting a pre-defined acknowledge message selected by the call-receiving device; determining a communication mode of the incoming call, the communication mode being one of a voice communication and a data communication; comparing the communication mode of the incoming call with the mode selected for transmitting the pre-defined acknowledge message by the call-receiving device; if the communication mode of the incoming call does not match the mode selected for the pre-defined acknowledge message, retrieving an address from the database that is mapped to an address identified in the communication mode of the incoming call, and which also conforms to the communication mode selected by the call-receiving device; retrieving a pre-defined acknowledgement message from a database, the pre-defined acknowledgement message corresponding to the pre-defined acknowledgement message type; formatting the pre-defined acknowledge message to include one of: the address identified in the incoming call when the communication mode of the incoming call matches the selected mode of transmitting the pre-defined acknowledgement message selected by the call-receiving device, and the address retrieved from the database when the communication mode of the incoming call does not match the selected mode of transmitting the pre-defined acknowledgement message selected by the call-receiving device; sending the pre-defined acknowledgement message to the calling device via the address corresponding to the selected mode of transmission; and sending the incoming call to a voicemail system of the call-receiving device; wherein the sending an acknowledgement message to the calling device is implemented in lieu of answering the incoming call.