Patent ID: 7903639

Claim:
A system for interfacing different types of network communications, the system comprising: one or more gateways capable of converting messages from messages that are adapted for a first type of network and/or device to messages that are adapted for a second type of network and/or device, wherein the second type of network and/or device includes an Internet Protocol (IP) phone; a message-analysis module that is adapted to employ an address associated with the message to selectively forward the message to the IP phone using a text-based communication mode, wherein the text-based communication mode does not permit voice communication, the IP phone being configured to display an option on the IP phone to allow a user to move from the text-based communication mode to a voice-based communication mode, wherein the voice-based communication mode permits voice communication; a messaging module in the IP phone, the messaging module being adapted to automatically extract phone number information from the message while the IP phone is in the text-based communication mode with a communications device in the first type of network and/or device; and an automatic-dialing module in the IP phone, the automatic-dialing module being adapted to automatically initiate a voice-only call to the communications device with which the IP phone is in communication in the text-based communication mode using the automatically extracted phone number information, and in response to the user option selection of moving to the voice-based communication mode such that the user communicates via the initiated voice-only call without text conversion.