Patent ID: 7305438

Claim:
A method for establishing a voice on demand private message chat between first and second client devices adapted for communicating via a text chat session, the method comprising the steps of: at a first client device: providing an indication as to the availability of a second client device for receiving a voice on demand private message chat; selecting said second client; receiving an audio input message from a user of said first client device; and, responsive to said selecting, transmitting said audio input message to said second client device, and, at said second client device: receiving said audio input message and temporarily storing said received audio input message for access by a user of said second client device; and, providing an indicator that said audio message has been received from said first client, said indicator integrated with text received from said first client device; and rendering said audio input message, wherein either said first or second client device is enabled to select either an audio reply enabling audio reply or a text response mode enabling textual message reply from a single client device in a single chat session, whereby voice and text communications are interleaved in a single chat session such that said second client device can receive and play back said audio input message via said private message chat without interrupting said text chat session.