Answering machines, by their nature, are not portable devices in the same'way that, for example, a mobile telephone is now considered a portable device or as a personal digital assistant (PDA) is now considered a portable device.

In today's highly mobile world answering machine-type devices are simply not capable of sufficient portability or flexibility to meet the needs of today's highly mobile communication consumers.

It is an object of the present invention to address or ameliorate one or more of the above mentioned disadvantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Accordingly, in one broad form of the invention there is provided a system for automated reply to a calling pa. rty who has initiated an incoming call from said caU : ing party to a called party ; said system comprising in the event said called party is indicated by said system as unavailable to answer said incoming voice call, said system instigating delivery of a pre-set visually communicable message to said calling party.

Preferably said visually communicable message is enabled as a, graphi. cally communica. ble message.

Preferably said visually communicable message is in the form of a transmission of digital data.

Preferably said incoming call is a voice call.

Preferably said incoming call is a text message or other visual message.

Preferably said graphically communicable message is an SMS message.

Preferably said graphically communicable message is a message containing both text and graphical symbols.

Preferably said graphically communicable message additionally includes voice or other audio information.

Preferably said graphically communicable message includes video content.

Preferably said called party is adapted to receive said incoming call on a hand-held device.

In a further broad form of the jnvention there is provided a system for automated reply as defined above.

Preferably said called party is adapted to receive said incoming call on a fixed landline hand piece.

Preferably said pro-set graphically communicable message is determined by said called party.

Preferably said pre-set graphically communicable message is determined by a third par-L. y.

Preferably said pre-set graphically communicable message is determined, in part, by a. third party and in part by said called party.

Preferably said third party monetises said system'by provision of content in said graphically communicable message which promotes said third party.

Preferably said preset graphically communicable message is pertinent to the activity of said called party which prevented said called party from answering said

incoming call thereby to be informative to said calling party.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIN OF DRAWINGS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein : Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a wa. l1 back system in accordance with the present nnvention ; Fig. 2 is a block diagram of call sequenc. ng ror both a mobile to mobile scenario and a fixed telephone line scenario suitable for use'jn conjunction with the system of Fig. 1 ; Fig. 3 is a block diagra. m of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention ; Fig. 4 is a block diagram of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to i. 1 there is illustrated in block diagram form a call back system 10 in accordance with a first preferred embodiment.. In this instance the system allows a calling party A to utilise, for example, mobile telephone 11 to make a voice call to a called party B associated with second mobile phone 12. In the event that second telephone 12 is switched off or otherwise designated

as unavailable to receive calls then gateway 13 transmits a graphically communicable message 24, in this instance in the form of an SMS text message, to the first mobile phone 11 of the calling party A for display on screen 15 of the mobile telephone or calling party A thereby to inform calling party A of the situation, in effect, as to why the called party B is unavailable to receive calls.

Fig. 2 illustrates the situation in the upper b3ock diagram for mobile to mobile communication, which is to say where the calling party A of block 20 calls called party B of block 21.

In the case of a mobile to mobile telephone call WhGn calling party 20 utilises a mobile phone (not shown) to call called party B party A is notified by a pre-recorded announ. cement with words to the effect"Thi s message is being diverted to the SMS call-back service"foll owing. which an SMS message 22 is dispatched to the mobile telephone display of calling party A, in this instance, communicating a message pertinent to the activity of the called party B which prevented the called party s from answering the incoming call in the first. place thereby to be informative to the calling party A.

In the cases of the fixed line scenario the cabling party, party A telephones the caJJed party B via a fixed telephone line. In the case where the handset (not shown) called by party A is set to "SMS call-back" then a

diversion to a message bank or equivalent electronic voice advisory line can be instigated which can advise words to the effect that an SMS call-back service will be put into an SMS message is sent to the handset of party A advising of pre-set data ideally determined, at least in part, by party B and dispatched in the event that party B is unavailable to take the incoming call from party A A.

Mith reference to Pig. 3 the original system of the first embodiment of Fig. 1 is described where like components axe numbered as for the system of Fig. 1.

In this instance additional data processing capability is placed in communication with gateway 13 and application server 22 in the form of web interface management unit 23, reporting module 24 and database 25.

In turn database 25 communicates with a content. manager 26 which can receive media from multiple sources including media feeds 1, 2, 3 as shown in Fig. 3.

The datatJase 2S can interface wih databases o-, for example,, a telecommunications company 27t a database of a financial institution 28 and/or a database of an affinity program 29.

The arrangement is to add value to the visually communicable message 114. This will be done nu se situation where the message J. 14 initially includes text or equivalent data determined by the called party B and to

which is added third party data such as, for example, advertising ind. icia 115 for which the third party is prepared to pay to the provider (not shown) operating gateway 13 and application server 22 thereby, in this particular instance, absorb the costs to tho carrier of communicating the-visually communicable message via SMS or equivalent to a handset operated by calling party A..

With reference to Fig. 4 the system 10 of Fig.. 1 can be utilised as part of a unified messaging platform 100 which can support the situation where calling party A seeks to establish a voice call with called party B and following the failure of the voice call, causing to be transmitted a visually coimnunicable message via. server 110 to the display n5 of the handset of calling party A.

The system operates by the handset of called party 5 communicating its off status to master server 111 which ultimately communicates with server 110 for the purposes of sending an acknowledgement message to be displayed on the display 115 of the handset operated by calling party A.

The unified messaging platform 100 is farther adapted to utilise databases of third parties thereby to"monetise" the dispatch of the visually communicable message to the calling party.

Third parties of interest may include a telecommunications provider 116, a financial institution

117 and/or a rewards point or other affinity program provider 118, Such databases can work in conjunction with the basic system originally described with reference to Fig. 1 whereby, as a minimum, third parties can seek to accept the Lransmitting the visually communicable message to the handset of called party y A.

In particular forms the third party 116, 117, 118 will provide at least some of the content ultimately to appear on screen 115 with the balance of the content deriving from a pre-set message de. ermined by choice of the receiving party B.

The above describes only some embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.