Patent ID: 8295270

Claim:
A method for automatically selecting and establishing a communications connection between a telephone device to a receiver device, the method comprising: entering an address of the receiver device into the telephone device for initiating the communications connection to the receiver device; automatically determining network access capabilities of the receiver device; automatically selecting a communications network adapted to be used for establishing the communications connection to the receiver device, including: automatically determining a cost of establishing a communications connection for each communications network the receiver device is capable of accessing; and selecting the lowest cost communications network of the evaluation from an internet-based network, a hybrid telephone/internet network, and a telephone network; automatically initiating the communications connection to the receiver device by selecting a network access device for connecting to the selected communications network; transmitting the address of the receiver device to the selected communications network; and overriding said automatically selecting a communications network if command sequences are entered on said telephone device along with said address of the receiver device.