Accessing web based email applications

• US 20070244973A1
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Pearson, Larry
• Application Number:
  US11/402,918
• Publication Number:
  US 20070244973A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A system for sending an email through a web based email provider while using a web application includes a web application server and a web based email application server. The web application server displays a web page at a client having at least one selectable link, receives an instruction from the client requesting an email through selection of the selectable link, creates a redirect message for accessing the web based email provider, and sends the redirect message to the client. The web based email application server receives the redirect message, displays an email composition web page at the client, receives a completed email from the client, and sends the completed email to an email server for delivery.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium that stores a program for sending an email through a web based email provider from a web application, the computer readable medium comprising:

a providing code segment that provides a web page of the web application to be displayed at a client of a user, the web page having at least one selectable link to the web based email provider;

a receiving code segment that receives an instruction requesting an email, the instruction being initiated by a selection of the at least one selectable link;

a creating code segment that creates a redirect message for accessing the web based email provider; and

a sending code segment that sends the redirect message to the client, which forwards the redirect message to the web based email provider to obtain an email composition web page.

2. The computer readable medium according to claim 1, further comprising:

a retrieving code segment that retrieves configuration settings from at least one of a database or the client, the configuration setting comprising an identification of the web based email provider.

3. The computer readable medium according to claim 1, in which the web application comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application.

4. The computer readable medium according to claim 1, in which the web page of the web application comprises an address book.

5. The computer readable medium according to claim 4, in which the at least one selectable link corresponds to a contact listed in the address book.

6. The computer readable medium according to claim 5, in which the email composition web page comprises a sender field preaddressed with a sender email address of the user and a recipient field preaddressed with a recipient email address corresponding to the contact.

7. The computer readable medium according to claim 5, in which the web application comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application, the web page of the web application further comprising a second selectable link corresponding to a telephone number of the contact listed in the address book.

8. The computer readable medium according to claim 7, further comprising:

a VoIP receiving code segment that receives a VoIP instruction from the client requesting a telephone connection to the contact by a selection of the second selectable link; and

a VoIP initiating code segment that initiates the telephone connection to the contact in response to the VoIP instruction.

9. A system for sending an email through a web based email provider while using a web application, the system comprising:

a web application server that displays a web page at a graphical user interface (GUI) having at least one selectable link, receives an instruction requesting an email through selection of the at least one selectable link, creates a redirect message for accessing the web based email provider, and sends the redirect message to the GUI; and

a web based email application server that receives the redirect message from the GUI, displays an email composition web page at the GUI, receives a completed email, and sends the completed email to an email server for delivery.

10. The system according to claim 9, in which the web application server further retrieves at least one configuration setting from a database, the at least one configuration setting comprising an identification of the web based email provider.

11. The system according to claim 9, in which the web page of the web application comprises a list of contacts, and in which the at least one selectable link corresponds to an email address of one of the listed contacts.

12. The system according to claim 11, in which the web application comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application, the web page of the web application further comprising a second selectable link corresponding to a telephone number of one of the listed contacts.

13. The system according to claim 11, in which the email composition web page comprises a sender field preaddressed with a sender email address and a recipient field preaddressed with a recipient email address corresponding to the contact.

14. The system according to claim 9, further comprising:

an authentication server that provides authentication data corresponding to the web application and the web based email application.

15. The system according to claim 14, in which the authentication server enables single sign-on capability for the web application and the web based email application.

16. A method for sending an email through a web based email provider, while using a web application, the method comprising:

providing a web page of the web application to be displayed at a graphical user interface of a client of a user, the web page having at least one selectable link to the web based email provider;

receiving an instruction requesting an email, the instruction being initiated by a selection of the at least one selectable link;

creating a redirect message for accessing the web based email provider; and

sending the redirect message to the client, which forwards the redirect message to the web based email provider to obtain an email composition web page.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

retrieving configuration settings from at least one of the client and a database, the configuration settings comprising an identification of the web based email provider.

18. The method according to claim 16, in which the at least one selectable link corresponds to a contact listed on the web page.

19. The method according to claim 18, in which the web application comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application.

20. The method according to claim 19, in which the web page of the web application further comprises at least one VoIP selectable link corresponding to a telephone number of the contact listed on the web page, the method further comprising:

initiating a telephone connection to the contact in response to selection of the at least one VoIP selectable link.