Selection of delivery mechanism for text-based document

• US 20060123346A1
• Filed: 12/06/2004
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hewitt, Joe, Bishop, Marlon, Pearce, Kerry, Gang, David, Totman, Scott, Schwermer, Patrick Yann
• Application Number:
  US11/005,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20060123346A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

A multipurpose text application which provides a user interface which provides a plurality of delivery mechanisms or actions for handling a text document prepared using the user interface. Actions can include text messaging, instant messaging, emailing, creating contact entries, creating calendar entries, creating journal entries, creating note or memos, creating tasks, and storing a draft of the text document. The user can select one or more actions before, during or after the text document is created. In addition, the network status of one or more intended recipients can be monitored to assist the user in selecting the action.

Claims

1. In a system that includes one or more applications, each application configured to perform a particular action on a text document, a method for performing actions associated with the one or more applications on a text document without switching from one application to another application, the method comprising:

presenting a user interface to a user, the user interface including a plurality of action icons each associated with a particular action module;

receiving text from the user into a text screen of the user interface to create a text document;

receiving input from the user to select at least one action module through the plurality of icons; and

activating each application associated with the selected at least one action module, wherein each application performs a corresponding action on the text document.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein presenting a user interface to a user comprises automatically connecting the user interface with a network.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein presenting a user interface to a user comprises automatically connecting the user interface with the user'"'"'s organizational information.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising presenting an information screen on the user interface to display organizational information to the user.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein activating each application with the selected at least one action module further comprises at least one of:

activating an email application that sends the text document as an email;

activating an instant messaging application that sends the text document as an instant message;

activating a text messaging application that sends the text document as a text message;

activating a storage application that saves the text document to storage; and

activating an organizational information application to handle the text document as organizational information.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving input from the user to select at least one action module through the plurality of icons comprises receiving a recipient'"'"'s email address input from the user.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the recipient'"'"'s email address is automatically input when the user selects a recipient.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein activating each application associated with the selected at least one action module, further comprises allowing the user to select another action when external circumstances do not allow the selected action to occur.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the external circumstances comprises a recipient of the action being offline from a network with which the user is associated.

10. A method for selecting a delivery mechanism for a text document after creation of the text document, the method comprising:

initiating a multipurpose text application that presents a user interface that includes a text screen to a user;

receiving text into the text screen to compose a text document, the text screen identifying a plurality of delivery mechanisms for the text document;

selecting a delivery mechanism for the text document from the plurality of delivery mechanisms, each delivery mechanism associated with a particular application; and

completing the selected delivery mechanism for the text document by activating the particular application associated with each selected delivery mechanism.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein after the user selects the delivery mechanism, adjusting the text screen to include information specific to the particular delivery mechanism.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein selecting a delivery mechanism comprises selecting one of a plurality of icons on the user interface corresponding to each delivery mechanism.

13. A method as recited in claim 10, further comprising presenting an information screen on the user interface to display organizational information to the user.

14. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein activating each application with the selected at least one action module further comprises at least one of:

activating an email application that sends the text document as an email;

activating an instant messaging application that sends the text document as an instant message;

activating a text messaging application that sends the text document as a text message;

activating a storage application that saves the text document to storage; and

activating an organizational information application to handle the text document as organizational information.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein selecting a delivery mechanism comprises allowing the user to change the selection of delivery mechanism when external circumstances do not allow the selected delivery mechanism to occur.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the external circumstances comprises a recipient of the delivery mechanism being offline from a network with which the user is associated.

17. A method for allowing a user to draft a text document and to select one or more actions to take on the text document without the text document being dedicated to one of the actions before drafting the text document, the method comprising:

providing a user interface configured to allow a user to create a text document;

associating the user interface with two or more action modules, wherein one of the action modules is configured to initiate an instant messaging transaction; and

performing an action on the text document in accordance with a user selection of at least one of the two or more action modules.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising monitoring the network status of an intended recipient of a text document.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising identifying whether the intended recipient is online.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of the two or more action modules is configured to initiate an email message transaction.

21. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of the two or more action modules is configured to initiate a text messaging transaction.

22. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of the two or more action modules is configured to initiate a contacts entry.

23. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of the two or more action modules is configured to initiate a calendar entry.

24. The method as recite in claim 17, wherein at least one of the two or more action modules is configured to initiate a journal entry.

25. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of the two or more action modules is configured to initiate a memo entry.

26. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of the two or more action modules is configured to initiate a task entry.

27. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of the two or more action modules is configured to initiate a storage transaction.

28. A system having a user device, the user device configured to allow a user to draft a text document and select between at least two actions to perform on the text document without having to open two or more separate text-based applications associated with the at least two actions, the system comprising:

a user interface configured to allow a user to draft a text document;

a first action module associated with the user interface, the first action module configured to receive the content of the text document and initiate a particular action on the text document using a corresponding first application when the first action module is selected by a user, the first action module configured to initiate an instant messaging transaction; and

a second action module associated with the user interface, the second action module configured to receive the content of the text document and initiate a particular action on the text document using a corresponding second application when the second action module is selected by a user.

29. The system as recited in claim 28, wherein the user interface, the first action module and the second action module are located on a user device and the first action application and second action application are remote from the user device.

30. The system as recited in claim 28, wherein the user interface comprises a text screen generic to the first action module and the second action module.

31. The system as recited in claim 28, wherein the user interface comprises word processing functions.

32. The system as recited in claim 28, wherein the user interface comprises an organizational information screen.

33. The system as recited in claim 28, wherein the second action module is configured to initiate one or more of:

text messaging transactions;

email transaction;

a contact entry;

a calendar entry;

a journal entry;

a memo entry;

a task entry; and

storing a draft of the text document.

34. The system as recited in claim 28, wherein a network status of a potential recipient of the text document is monitored to assist the user in selecting the first action module.