Patent ID: 7107068

Claim:
A method for decentralized handling of text messages, within a text messaging system, the message being intended for a recipient, and the text message including means for uniquely identifying the provider of a text message service, the method including the steps of: the text message service provider self-provisioning the text message service in real-time through a facilitator, for handling messages; the facilitator identifying the text message service provider from the text message, the facilitator determining one or more message handlers provided in the system, and associated with the service provider from the provisioning, and the facilitator forwarding the text message to one or more appropriate destinations in accordance with the determined message handlers, wherein the message handlers to be associated with the text message service provider are selected by the text message service provider and the text message service is reconfigurable by the text message service provider in real-time to handle messages wherein the unique identifier is a numeric code and is part of the destination address included with the text message, and wherein the unique identifier comprises a portion that is a numeric translation of a word selected, and input to the system, by the service provider during a registration of the service provider; and translating the word to its numeric equivalent in accordance with a predetermined algorithm, combining the numeric translation with an access code to provide a message address which is included in the destination address, and checking the message address against those stored in a first database means in the system, and, where no match is detected, storing the message address in the first database means.