Patent ID: 8359003

Claim:
A system of alternative billing for communication service, comprising: a gateway comprising a processor and a memory; and an application stored in the memory of the gateway that, when executed by the processor of the gateway, receives a text message from an originating electronic device, determines that an account balance associated with the originating electronic device lacks sufficient funds to pay for the origination of the text message, sends a message to a terminating electronic device identified by the text message to inquire if the terminating electronic device wants to be billed for the origination of the text message in response to the determination that the account balance associated with the originating electronic device lacks sufficient funds to pay for the origination of the text message, wherein the message comprises a plurality of options for accepting charges for transmission of the text message and other text messages from the originating device, wherein the plurality of options for accepting charges comprises an option to accept billing for text messages from the originating device for a user defined period of time and an option to accept billing for an entire thread of text messages, and wherein the thread comprises a series of text messages between the originating and terminating mobile devices, when a message accepting at least one of the plurality of options for accepting charges is received from the terminating electronic device, sending the text message to the terminating electronic device and billing the accepted charges to an account balance associated with the terminating electronic device, and when a message rejecting at least one of the plurality of options for accepting charges is received from the terminating electronic device, not sending the text message to the terminating electronic device.