Integration of instant messaging clients with user devices

• US 20060031339A1
• Filed: 08/09/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Peters, Mark E.
• Application Number:
  US10/914,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031339A1
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data

Abstract

Integration of instant messaging software with user devices, thereby enabling a user to communicate with an instant messaging client through an alternative device. A user receives a notification of an incoming instant message through this alternative device, which may be, for example, a cordless telephone. In preferred embodiments, the user can also respond to that notification using the alternative device. Various types of notifications may be supported. For example, when the alternative device has a textual display, the actual instant message (or some portion thereof) may be rendered on that display; a light may flash, or a “beep” may sound, for notification on an alternative device which lacks textual display capability. Similarly, various types of responses may be supported. The user may “type” a textual response, for example, using a keypad of the alternative device or may press a key (or key sequence) associated with a predefined response message.

Claims

1. A method of integrating instant messaging with user devices, comprising steps of:

forwarding notification information from an instant messaging system (“

IMS”

) client to a user device, wherein the user device is distinct from a device on which the IMS client resides; and

rendering a notification of the forwarded notification information on the user device, such that a user of the user device can be notified thereof.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forwarded notification information comprises a notification that an instant message has arrived at the IMS client.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forwarded notification information comprises a notification that an instant message from a selected message sender has arrived at the IMS client.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forwarded notification information comprises a notification that an instant messaging session has been initiated at the IMS client.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forwarded notification information comprises an identification of a sender of an instant message that has arrived at the IMS client.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forwarded notification information comprises a nickname of a sender of an instant message that has arrived at the IMS client.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forwarded notification information comprises an arrival time of an instant message that has arrived at the IMS client.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forwarded notification information comprises text of an instant message that has arrived at the IMS client.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forwarded notification information comprises a portion of text of an instant message that has arrived at the IMS client.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rendered notification comprises a visual rendering thereof.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the visual rendering comprises rendering a textual message on a display of the user device.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the visual rendering comprises activating a light on the user device.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rendered notification comprises an audible rendering thereof.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the audible rendering comprises activating a sound from the user device.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the audible rendering comprises causing the user device to provide an audible announcement.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

accepting, at the user device, a user response to the rendered notification; and

returning the accepted user response from the user device to the IMS client, for transmission to a sender of an instant message that triggered the forwarding step.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the user response is accepted from a keypad of the user device.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the user response is accepted from a microphone of the user device.

19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

accepting, at the user device, a user response to the rendered notification;

translating the user response to a response message associated therewith; and

returning the response message from the user device to the IMS client, for transmission to a sender of an instant message that triggered the forwarding step.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user device is a telephone.

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user device is a home automation status device.

22. The method according to claim 2, wherein the forwarding step occurs responsive to receiving the instant message at the IMS client.

23. The method according to claim 2, wherein the forwarding step occurs responsive to receiving the instant message at the IMS client, without receiving a response thereto.

24. The method according to claim 2, wherein the forwarding step occurs responsive to receiving the instant message at the IMS client, without receiving a response thereto within a particular time period.

25. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user device is a cordless telephone base and the device on which the IMS client resides is a personal computer.

26. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

accepting user input, at the user device, to alter a setting of the IMS client;

forwarding the accepted user input from the user device to the device on which the IMS client resides; and

altering the setting, responsive to receiving the forwarded user input at the IMS client.

27. A system for integrating instant messaging with user devices, comprising:

means for forwarding notification information from an instant messaging system (“

IMS”

) client to a user device, wherein the user device is distinct from a device on which the IMS client resides; and

means for rendering a notification of the forwarded notification information on the user device, such that a user of the user device can be notified thereof.

28. A computer program product for integrating instant messaging with user devices, the computer program product embodied on one or more computer-readable media and comprising computer-readable instructions for:

forwarding notification information from an instant messaging system (“

IMS”

) client to a user device, wherein the user device is distinct from a device on which the IMS client resides; and

rendering a notification of the forwarded notification information on the user device, such that a user of the user device can be notified thereof.