Phone messaging using audio streams

A system for phone messaging, the system comprising:

• at least one memory;
• and
• at least one processor configured to:
• receive a data packet, the data packet including a non-voice message for a recipient;
• analyze the data packet to identify the mobile device associated with the recipient, a message type of the non-voice message, a current location of the mobile device, and a wireless network currently serving the mobile device;
• determine whether the mobile device is accessible for messaging;
• determine whether the wireless network supports the message type;
• if it is determined that the mobile device is accessible for messaging and the wireless network supports the message type, deliver the non-voice message over a data channel of the wireless network;
• and
• if it is determined that the mobile device is not accessible for messaging or the wireless network does not support the message type, perform the following steps:
• encoding the data packet into an audio stream, the encoding comprising converting said data packet into a stream of characters corresponding to characters in a character set;
• and generating said audio stream using a plurality of different sounds associated with each of said characters in said character set;
• responsive to the encoding, placing a call to said mobile device using a voice channel of said wireless network;
• and
• responsive to the placing of the call, storing said audio stream for later access by the recipient as a voice message in a voice mail system associated with the mobile device if the mobile device is unavailable for a voice call, else transmitting said audio stream over said voice channel to said mobile device,
• wherein the audio stream is encoded such that the mobile device can reconstruct said data packet from said audio stream to retrieve the non-voice message, and wherein the placing comprises configuring the call to signal to the mobile device that the audio stream comprises the non-voice message.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon, a computer program having a plurality of code sections, said code sections executable by a computer for causing the computer to perform the steps of:

• receiving a data packet, the data packet including a non-voice message for a recipient;
• analyzing the data packet to identify the mobile device associated with the recipient, a message type of the non-voice message, a current location of the mobile device, and a wireless network currently serving the mobile device;
• determining whether the mobile device is accessible for messaging;
• determining whether the wireless network supports the message type;
• if it is determined that the mobile device is accessible for messaging and the wireless network supports the message type, delivering the non-voice message over a data channel of the wireless network;
• and
• if it is determined that the mobile device is not accessible for messaging and/or the wireless network does not support the message type, performing the following steps:
• encoding the data packet into an audio stream, the encoding comprising converting said data packet into a stream of characters corresponding to characters in a character set;
• and generating said audio stream using a plurality of different sounds associated with each of said characters in said character set;
• responsive to the encoding, placing a call to said mobile device using a voice channel of said wireless network;
• and
• responsive to the placing of the call, storing said audio stream for later access by the recipient as a voice message in a voice mail system associated with the mobile device if the mobile device is unavailable for a voice call, else transmitting said audio stream over said voice channel to said mobile device,
• wherein the audio stream is encoded such that the mobile device can reconstruct said data packet from said audio stream to retrieve the non-voice message, and wherein the placing comprises configuring the call to signal to the mobile device that the audio stream comprises the non-voice message.