Mobile communication devices such as cellular telephones and personal digital assistants have become increasingly popular. People often rely on these devices to communicate with one another, especially to arrange impromptu gatherings or quickly reach a consensus on an issue. For example, a group of friends may call one another to discuss which movie they are going to see or where they should meet to have dinner.
A popular way of communicating using these devices is by means of Short Message Service (SMS) text messages. These text messages may be transmitted from device to device and are particularly useful in situations where placing or taking a call maybe inappropriate (e.g., in a library). However, many service providers charge a fee for each text message sent and received by the device. Consequently, communicating with a group using SMS messages can be expensive for the user responsible for sending and receiving the bulk of the text messages.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds