Patent ID: 7035383

Claim:
An apparatus for permitting a user to send a broadcast message via a sending device to a first recipient and a second recipient, the sending device either addressable over a data network or addressable over a telephone network connected to the data network, the first recipient having a first receiving device addressable over the data network and the second recipient having a second receiving device addressable over the telephone network, the apparatus comprising: a message router, configured to parse recipient addresses received in the broadcast message from the sending device over the data network if the sending device is addressable over the data network and over the telephone network via the data network connected to the telephone network if the sending device is addressable over the telephone network, the message router configured to translate the received broadcast message into a translated first broadcast message and a translated second broadcast, the translated first broadcast message being in a format compatible with the first receiving device for delivery to the first receiving device over the data network, the translated second broadcast message being in a format compatible with the second receiving device for delivery to the second receiving device over the telephone network via the data network, the message router configured to embed a telephone number that corresponds to the second receiving device within the translated second broadcast message, the message router configured for routing the translated first broadcast message to the first receiving device over the data network and configured for routing the translated second broadcast message embedded with the telephone number to the second receiving device over the telephone network via the data network.