Method and system for transferring a file between data processing devices using a communication or instant messaging program

• US 20060031560A1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seth Warshavsky, Timon Haringa
• Original Assignee: Seth Warshavsky, Timon Haringa
• Inventors: Warshavsky, Seth, Haringa, Timon
• Application Number:
  US10/879,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031560A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

A method having steps of transferring a file from a first data processing device to a third data processing device, transmitting a reference from the first device to a second data processing device using a communication program, and accessing the file on the third device from the second device using the reference. Also, a system having a first data processing device operable to be in communication with a second data processing device using a communication program, and a computer program operable to transfer a file from the first device to a third data processing device, where the computer program is operable to transmit a reference from the first device to the second device using the communication program, and where the file on the third device may be accessed from the second device using the reference. The communication program may be an instant messaging program.

Claims

1. A method for transferring a file from a first data processing device to a second data processing device by means of a third data processing device, the first data processing device being in communication with the second data processing device using a communication program, the method comprising:

transferring the file from the first data processing device to the third data processing device,

transmitting a reference from the first data processing device to the second data processing device using the communication program, and

accessing the file on the third data processing device from the second data processing device using said reference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication program is an instant messaging program.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said instant messaging program is one from the group consisting of MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Yahoo! Messenger and ICQ.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises transmitting an instant message from the first data processing device to the second data processing device using said instant messaging program, wherein said instant message comprises said reference.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises selecting a contact from a list stored in said instant messaging program.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the first data processing device further comprises a computer program for managing said file transfer and said reference transmission.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said computer program creates said reference to the file.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises transmitting said reference from the third data processing device to said computer program.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises using an input device resident on the first data processing device to create the file.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the input device is one selected from the group consisting of an audio input device, an image input device, and a video input device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the input device is one selected from the group consisting of a microphone, an image camera and a video camera.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the file is a multimedia file.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the file is one selected from the group consisting of an audio file, an image file, and a video file.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises selecting a type of the file to be sent to the second data processing device.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein the type is one selected from the group consisting of an audio file, an image file, and a video file.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein the first data processing device is a mobile device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said mobile device is one selected from the group consisting of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a hybrid mobile phone/PDA, a laptop, a tablet computer, a webpad, a handheld computer, and a wearable computer.

18. The method of claim 6, wherein said computer program is adapted to function with a device selected from the group consisting of a Symbian device, a Symbian Series 60 device, a Symbian UIQ device, a Microsoft Smartphone, a Microsoft Pocket PC device, a Palm OS 3.5+ device, a Java ME device, a J2ME device, a BREW device, and a WAP enabled device.

19. The method of claim 6, wherein said computer program further comprises support for push to talk over internet protocol (IP).

20. The method of claim 6, wherein said computer program further comprises support for picture messaging and camera support.

21. The method of claim 6, wherein said computer program further comprises multi-lingual Unicode support.

22. The method of claim 6, wherein said computer program further comprises support for concurrent connections to instant messaging services.

23. The method of claim 6, wherein said computer program further comprises support for multiple simultaneous conversations.

24. The method of claim 2, wherein said reference is one selected from the group consisting of a hyperlink, a uniform resource locator (URL), and hyper text transfer protocol (HTTP) code.

25. The method of claim 2, wherein the third data processing device is connected to the first data processing device through a wireless network.

26. The method of claim 2, wherein the third data processing device is connected to the second data processing device through an internet connection.

27. A system for transferring a file to a second data processing device by means of a third data processing device, the system comprising:

a first data processing device operable to be in communication with the second data processing device using a communication program, and

a computer program operable to transfer the file from the first data processing device to the third data processing device,

wherein said computer program is operable to transmit a reference from the first data processing device to the second data processing device using the communication program, and

wherein the file on the third data processing device may be accessed from the second data processing device using said reference.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the communication program is an instant messaging program.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said instant messaging program is one from the group consisting of MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Yahoo! Messenger and ICQ.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the system further comprises a means for transmitting an instant message from the first data processing device to the second data processing device using said instant messaging program, wherein said instant message comprises said reference.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the system further comprises a means for selecting a contact from a list stored in said instant messaging program.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein said computer program creates said reference to the file.

33. The system of claim 28, wherein the system further comprises a means for transmitting said reference from the third data processing device to said computer program.

34. The system of claim 28, wherein the system further comprises an input device resident on the first data processing device to create the file.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the input device is one selected from the group consisting of an audio input device, an image input device, and a video input device.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the input device is one selected from the group consisting of a microphone, an image camera and a video camera.

37. The system of claim 28, wherein the file is a multimedia file.

38. The system of claim 28, wherein the file is one selected from the group consisting of an audio file, an image file, and a video file.

39. The system of claim 28, wherein the system further comprises a means for selecting a type of the file to be sent to the second data processing device.

40. The system of claim 28, wherein the type is one selected from the group consisting of an audio file, an image file, and a video file.

41. The system of claim 28, wherein the first data processing device is a mobile device.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein said mobile device is one selected from the group consisting of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a hybrid mobile phone/PDA, a laptop, a tablet computer, a webpad, a handheld computer, and a wearable computer.

43. The system of claim 28, wherein said computer program is adapted to function with a device selected from the group consisting of a Symbian device, a Symbian Series 60 device, a Symbian UIQ device, a Microsoft Smartphone, a Microsoft Pocket PC device, a Palm OS 3.5+ device, a Java ME device, a J2ME device, a BREW device, and a WAP enabled device.

44. The system of claim 28, wherein said computer program further comprises support for push to talk over internet protocol (IP).

45. The system of claim 28, wherein said computer program further comprises support for picture messaging and camera support.

46. The system of claim 28, wherein said computer program further comprises multi-lingual Unicode support.

47. The system of claim 28, wherein said computer program further comprises support for concurrent connections to instant messaging services.

48. The system of claim 28, wherein said computer program further comprises support for multiple simultaneous conversations.

49. The system of claim 28, wherein said reference is one selected from the group consisting of a hyperlink, a uniform resource locator (URL), and hyper text transfer protocol (HTTP) code.

50. The system of claim 28, wherein the third data processing device is connected to the first data processing device through a wireless network.

51. The system of claim 28, wherein the third data processing device is connected to the second data processing device through an internet connection.