Patent ID: 8340701

Claim:
A machine-implemented method for providing a multi-level user-interface over a Short Message Service (SMS) to enable functionality in an interactive system, the method comprising: receiving a first SMS message to initiate a user session associated with the interactive system; assigning an available first phone number from a sequence of phone numbers to a first level of a user interface (UI) within the interactive system; transmitting a second SMS message from the first phone number in response to the first SMS message, wherein the second SMS message includes a set of options corresponding to the first level of the UI; receiving a third SMS message from the first phone number, wherein the third SMS message includes a selected option from the first level of the UI; assigning an available second phone number from the sequence of phone numbers to a second level of the UI, wherein the second level of the UI corresponds to the selected option from the first level of the UI; transmitting a fourth SMS message from the second phone number in response to the third SMS message, wherein the fourth SMS message includes a set of options corresponding to the second level of the UI; receiving a fifth SMS message from the second phone number, wherein the fifth SMS message includes a selected option from the set of options corresponding to the second level of the UI; assigning an available third phone number from the sequence of phone numbers to a third level of the UI, wherein the third level of the UI corresponds to the selected option from the second level of the UI; and transmitting a sixth SMS message from the third phone number, wherein the sixth SMS message includes a set of options corresponding to a third level of the UI.