Patent ID: 8868053

Claim:
A method implemented within a mobile device for inhibiting the message notification of a particular message received at the mobile device, the method comprising the steps of: receiving at least one exempt message characteristic, the at least one exempt message characteristic comprising information that identifies one or more telephone numbers as exempt message characteristics, the exempt message characteristics being received at the user interface of the mobile device wherein the mobile device includes the storage of a plurality of telephone numbers and the step of receiving information further comprises receiving a selection of one or more telephone numbers from the plurality of telephone numbers already stored within the mobile device; enabling a message reception notification inhibitor in response to detecting certain user actuations at the user interface, the message reception notification inhibitor being implemented entirely within the mobile device, to be active such that message notifications for any messages received at the mobile device are by default inhibited; while the message reception notification inhibitor is enabled: receiving messages at the mobile device, the messages being directed to the mobile device and at least one such message comprising a voice call; and the mobile device examining the received message to determine if the received message includes the exempt message characteristic; the mobile device bypassing the message reception notification inhibitor and applying normal processing of the received message only if the exempt message characteristic is identified in the received message; and as a default, inhibiting the message reception notification for the received message if the exempt message characteristic is absent and the message is a voice call and sending the voice call to voice mail; and disabling the message reception notification inhibitor, implemented entirely within the mobile device such that normal processing of the received message is applied to all messages.