Patent ID: 7292870

Claim:
An instant messaging terminal comprising: a handheld terminal housing; a display mounted in the terminal housing for displaying textual characters and graphical symbols; a data entry device integrated in the terminal housing for the display, the data entry device for generating textual characters and graphical symbols; a wireless, Internet protocol communications module coupled to a wireless transceiver, both being within the housing, for communicating messages with a wireless, Internet protocol access point; and a control module within the housing, the control module including at least one processor for executing an application program to implement instant messaging and session protocols for at least one conversation session that is communicated by the wireless, Internet protocol communications module and the wireless transceiver through the wireless, Internet protocol access point, the control module, in response to a loss of a network connection, displays conversation histories for conversations that were active when the network connection was lost, and automatically searches for wireless, Internet protocol network beacons upon all of the conversation histories being displayed.