Patent ID: 8295864

Claim:
A method for sending and receiving text-based messages comprising: A) sending an outgoing text-based message, including: receiving via a global communication network, at a server, an outgoing text-based message in a global communication network-based format and a destination identifier associated with a destination device on a wireless telephonic network; and sending via the global communication network, from the server, the outgoing text-based message and a directive for a proxy mobile phone to receive the outgoing text-based message via the global communication network and to forward the outgoing text-based message in a wireless telephonic network-based format via the wireless telephonic network to the destination device specified by the destination identifier; and B) receiving an incoming text-based message, including: receiving via the global communication network, at the server, an incoming text-based message in the global communication network-based format and an origin identifier associated with an originating device on the wireless telephonic network and indicating that the incoming text-based message has been received in the wireless telephonic network-based format via the wireless telephonic network at the proxy mobile phone and forwarded by the proxy mobile phone to the server via the global communication network; and providing from the server the incoming text-based message in the global communication network-based format for access via the global communication network.