Intelligent apparatus and method for responding to text messages

A method for centrally responding to text messages addressed to any of a plurality of client establishment phone numbers, each text message having a source phone number, message content and destination phone number, the method comprising:

• (a) receiving a request over an IP network including the source phone number, the destination phone number and the message content from one of the text messages, wherein the destination phone number is one of the client establishment phone numbers;
• (b) generating a response message content in response to the message content;
• (c) transmitting a reply over the IP network including the source phone number as a destination, the one of the client establishment phone numbers as a source and the response message content;
• (d) repeating steps (a) through (c) so as to conduct a messaging session;
• and
• (e) communicating via a third-party application interface with the one of the client establishments responsive to the messaging session.

A system for handling text messages, each text message having a source phone number, message content and destination phone number, the system comprising:

• a plurality of client establishments each having a client establishment phone number;
• an intelligent interface including an intent classifier;
• a gateway in communication with a cellular network and the IP network, the gateway configured to convert cellular network communications to IP network communications and IP network communications to cellular network communications, said gateway further configured to intercept any text message sent over the cellular network that has one of the client establishment phone numbers as its destination phone number and to send the source phone number, message content and destination phone number in a request to the intelligent interface over the IP network;
• and
• wherein the intelligent interface is configured to receive the request over the IP network and to transmit to the gateway a reply over the IP network including the source phone number as a destination, the one of the client establishment phone numbers as a source and a response message content generated in response to the message content,
• wherein a session between the source phone number and the one of the client establishment phone numbers includes a series of requests and replies, and wherein the intelligent interface further includes a third party application interface configured to communicate with the one of the client establishments responsive to the session.