Techniques for alerting a user of unchecked messages before communication with a contact

• US 20070250581A1
• Filed: 04/20/2006
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jain, Mukul, Kumar, Sanjeev, Patel, Labhesh, Shaffer, Shmuel, Khouri, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 9,021,027 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• 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

Abstract

In one embodiment, techniques for alerting a user of unchecked messages correlated to a contact before communicating with the contact are provided. The check for unchecked messages may be performed across a plurality of communication modalities. If one or more unchecked messages are found, then the user is alerted that there may be unchecked messages. The user may then have the option to check the unchecked messages before contacting the contact.

Claims

1. A method for alerting a user of unchecked messages for a contact, the method comprising:

receiving, from a client, a request for a determination if there are any messages correlated to the contact for the user that are in an unchecked state, the request received before a communication attempt is completed from the user to the contact;

determining if there are any messages correlated to the contact that include the unchecked state, wherein the determination is performed for messages in a plurality of communication modalities; and

if one or more unchecked messages that include the unchecked state are determined, sending an alert to the client indicating there are one or more unchecked messages.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an interface to the client, the interface including an option to check the one or more unchecked messages.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a request for accessing an unchecked message in the one or more unchecked messages; and

providing the unchecked message to the client.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the client is communicating in a first modality in the plurality of modalities, wherein the one or more unchecked messages includes a message generated in a second modality in the plurality of modalities.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of modalities comprise two or more selected from an email modality, instant messaging modality, voice modality, and facsimile modality.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if there are any messages correlated to the contact comprises:

receiving an identifier for the contact in a first modality; and

correlating the identifier for the contact to a second identifier for the contact in a second modality to determine if there are unchecked messages in the second modality for the contact.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if there are any messages correlated to the contact comprises correlating a topic for a first message being sent to the contact to a substantially similar topic of a second message correlated to the contact.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second message is sent from a second contact different from the contact.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if there are any messages comprises checking non-enterprise accounts for the user for unchecked messages.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the unchecked state comprises an unheard or unread state.

11. A method for alerting a user of unchecked messages for a contact, the method comprising:

intercepting a signal for a communication attempt from an end device to a contact at an unchecked message client;

sending, from the unchecked message client, a request for a determination if there are any messages correlated to the contact for the user that are in an unchecked state, the request being sent before the communication attempt is completed from the user to the contact;

receiving a response indicating whether there are any messages correlated to the contact that include the unchecked state, wherein a determination for unchecked messages is performed for messages in a plurality of communication modalities; and

if one or more unchecked messages that include the unchecked state are determined, outputting an alert that there are one or more unchecked messages.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein outputting the alert comprises outputting an interface that allows the user to check the one or more unchecked messages.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving an indication that the communication attempt should proceed; and

allowing the communication attempt to the contact to proceed.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the end device is communicating in a first modality in the plurality of modalities, wherein the one or more unchecked messages includes a message generated in a second modality in the plurality of modalities.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of modalities comprise two or more selected from a group of an email modality, instant messaging modality, voice modality, and facsimile modality.

16. A device configured to alert a user of unchecked messages for a contact, the device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a request from the user for a determination if there are any messages correlated to a contact for the user that are in an unchecked state, the request received before a communication attempt is completed from the user to the contact;

an unchecked message determiner configured to determine if there are any messages correlated to the contact that include the unchecked state, wherein the determination is performed for messages in a plurality of communication modalities; and

an alert module configured to send an alert to the user that there are one or more unchecked messages if one or more unchecked messages that include the unchecked state are determined.

17. The device of claim 16, further comprising an interface module configured to provide an interface, the interface including an option to check the one or more unchecked messages.

18. The device of claim 17, further comprising:

logic configured to receive a request for accessing an unchecked message in the one or more unchecked messages; and

logic configured to provide the unchecked message to the user.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein the device is communicating in a first modality in the plurality of modalities, wherein the one or more unchecked messages includes a message generated in a second modality in the plurality of modalities.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein the plurality of modalities comprise two or more selected from an email modality, instant messaging modality, voice modality, and facsimile modality.

21. The device of claim 16, further comprising:

logic configured to receive an identifier for the contact in a first modality; and

a correlator configured to correlating the identifier for the contact to a second identifier for the contact in a second modality to determine if there are unchecked messages in the second modality for the contact.

22. The device of claim 16, further comprising:

logic to determine a topic for a message being sent to the contact; and

a correlator configured to correlate a topic for a first message being sent to the contact to a substantially similar topic of a second message correlated to the contact.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the second message is sent from a second contact different from the contact.

24. The device of claim 16, wherein the unchecked message determiner is configured to check non-enterprise accounts for the user for unchecked messages.

25. The device of claim 16, wherein the unchecked state comprises an unheard or unread state.

26. A device configured to alert a user of unchecked messages for a contact, the device comprising:

logic configured to intercept a signal for a communication attempt from an end device to the contact at an unchecked message client;

logic configured to send, from the unchecked message client, a request for a determination if there are any messages correlated to the contact for the user that are in an unchecked state, the request being sent before the communication attempt is completed from the user to the contact;

logic configured to receive a response indicating whether there are any messages correlated to the contact that include the unchecked state, wherein a determination for unchecked messages is performed for messages in a plurality of communication modalities; and

logic configured to output an alert that there are one or more unchecked messages if one or more unchecked messages that include the unchecked state are determined.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the logic configured to output the alert comprises outputting an interface that allows the user to check the one or more unchecked messages.

28. The device of claim 27, further comprising:

logic configured to receive an indication that the communication attempt should proceed; and

logic configured to allow the communication attempt to the contact to proceed.

29. The device of claim 26, wherein the end device is communicating in a first modality in the plurality of modalities, wherein the one or more unchecked messages includes a message generated in a second modality in the plurality of modalities.

30. The device of claim 26, wherein the plurality of modalities comprise two or more selected from a group of an email modality, instant messaging modality, voice modality, and facsimile modality.

31. A system configured to alert a user of unchecked messages for a contact, the device comprising:

an unchecked message client comprising;

logic configured to intercept a signal for a communication attempt from an end device to the contact;

logic configured to send, from the unchecked message client, a request for a determination if there are any messages correlated to the contact for the user that are in an unchecked state, the request being sent before the communication attempt is completed from the user to the contact;

an unchecked message module comprising;

a receiver configured to receive the request from the unchecked message client for the determination if there are any messages correlated to the contact for the user that are in an unchecked state;

an unchecked message determiner configured to determine if there are any messages correlated to the contact that include the unchecked state, wherein the determination is performed for messages in a plurality of communication modalities; and

an alert module configured to send an alert to the unchecked message client of the one or more unchecked messages if one or more unchecked messages that include the unchecked state are determined,

wherein the unchecked message client is configured to output an alert that there are one or more unchecked messages if one or more messages are determined.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the unchecked message client is located on a network device remote from the end device.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the unchecked message client is located on the end device.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the end device comprises a telephonic device, email application, or instant message application.

35. The system of claim 31, further comprising storage including unchecked messages from two or more of the plurality of communication modalities.