Real time communications system

• US 20060031331A1
• Filed: 07/19/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: inContact Incorporated (Nice Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Information And Communication Networks, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Ruetschi, Johannes, LoBuono, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,620,689 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

A real-time communications system of networked communications devices, method and program product for operating such a system. E-mail activity is, monitored for e-mail exchange threads. Selected threads are identified and a prompt to switch to an IM session is sent to a local e-mail recipient. If the recipient elects to continue the exchange in an instant messaging (IM) session, the substance of the thread is copied to the IM session and the exchange continues.

Claims

1. A real-time communications system comprising:

a plurality of communications devices communicating with each other over a network;

at least two communications devices including an e-mail capability and an instant messaging (IM) capability operating on a common IM protocol; and

one of said at least two communications devices monitoring e-mail activity, identifying e-mail message threads in said e-mail activity and selectively providing a prompt to switch an identified thread to an IM session.

2. A real-time communications system as in claim 1, wherein upon a response to said prompt, said one initiates said IM session.

3. A real-time communications system as in claim 1, wherein upon initiating said session, said one transfers the substance of said identified thread to said IM session.

4. A real-time communications system as in claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of communications devices include an e-mail capability and an IM capability.

5. A real-time communications system as in claim 4, wherein ones of said plurality of communications devices monitor local e-mail activity and identify e-mail message threads in said local e-mail activity and selectively provide a local prompt to switch an identified thread to an IM session, said one being one of said ones of said plurality of communications devices.

6. A real-time communications system as in claim 5, further comprising an e-mail server passing e-mails between connected ones of said plurality of communications devices.

7. A real-time communications system as in claim 6, further comprising an IM facility managing IM sessions between connected ones of said plurality of communications devices.

8. A real-time communications system as in claim 1, further comprising an e-mail server passing e-mails between connected ones of said plurality of communications devices.

9. A real-time communications system as in claim 1, further comprising an IM facility managing IM sessions between connected ones of said plurality of communications devices.

10. A method of managing system resources in a real-time communications system including a plurality of communications devices, said method comprising the steps of:

a) monitoring e-mail activity on one of said plurality of communications devices;

b) identifying e-mail exchange threads; and

c) selectively initiating an instant messaging (IM) session for identified said e-mail exchange threads.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein the step (b) of identifying said e-mail exchange threads comprises:

i) identifying an e-mail exchange; and

ii) determining whether said e-mail exchange has met a threshold.

12. A method as in claim 11, wherein the threshold is the occurrence of exchanged said e-mails over a selected period of time.

13. A method as in claim 11, wherein the threshold is the number of exchanged said e-mails.

14. A method as in claim 12, wherein when the threshold has been met in step (b)(ii), an e-mail exchange thread is selected in step (c) comprising the steps of:

i) providing a prompt suggesting a switch to an IM session;

ii) receiving a response to said prompt, an affirmative response initiating said IM session.

15. A method as in claim 14, wherein step (c) further comprises the steps of:

iii) transferring the substance of the selected said e-mail exchange to the initiated said IM session; and

iv) continuing said exchange in said initiated IM session.

16. A method as in claim 10, step (c) comprising the steps of:

i) providing a prompt suggesting a switch to an IM session;

ii) receiving a response to said prompt, an affirmative response initiating said IM session.

17. A method as in claim 16, wherein step (c) further comprises the steps of:

iii) transferring the substance of the selected said e-mail exchange to the initiated said IM session; and

iv) continuing said exchange in said initiated IM session.

18. A method as in claim 16, wherein when a negative response is received in step (c)(ii), step (c) further comprises the step of:

iii) flagging the selected said e-mail exchange; and

iv) returning to step (a).

19. A computer program product for real time communications over devices networked together in a real-time communications system, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, said computer readable program code comprising:

computer program code means for sending and receiving e-mail;

computer program code means for identifying e-mail threads;

computer program code means for instant messaging (IM); and

computer program code means for initiating an IM session responsive to an identified e-mail thread.

20. A computer program product for real time communications as in claim 19, wherein said computer program code means for identifying e-mail threads comprises:

computer program code means for monitoring sent and received said e-mail for an exchange of e-mails; and

computer program code means for determining whether any said exchange of e-mails has exceeded a threshold.

21. A computer program product for real time communications as in claim 19, wherein said computer program code means for identifying e-mail threads comprises:

computer program code means for providing a prompt as to whether to start said IM session, said IM session being initiated responsive to said prompt.

22. A computer program product for real time communications as in claim 19, wherein said computer program code means for identifying e-mail threads comprises:

computer program code means for transferring the substance of an identified thread to an initiated said IM session.

23. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

a) monitor e-mail activity on a communications device;

b) identify e-mail exchange threads in monitored said e-mail activity; and

c) selectively initiate an instant messaging (IM) session on said communications device for identified said e-mail exchange threads.

24. A computer-readable medium as in claim 23, wherein the step (b) of identifying said e-mail exchange threads causes the processor to

i) identify an e-mail exchange;

and

ii) determine whether said e-mail exchange has met a threshold.

25. A computer-readable medium as in claim 23, wherein the step (c) of selectively initiating an IM session causes the processor to:

i) provide a prompt suggesting a switch to an IM session;

ii) initiate said IM session in response to an affirmative response to said prompt.

26. A computer-readable medium as in claim 25, wherein initiating said IM session causes the processor to transferring the substance of the selected said e-mail exchange to the initiated said IM session.

27. A computer-readable medium as in claim 25, wherein a negative response to said prompt causes the processor to flag the selected said e-mail exchange.