METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR ENABLING ELECTRONIC CHAT WITH ONLINE CALENDAR INVITEES

• US 20080071868A1
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Barillaud, Franck, Arenburg, Robert Thomas, Cobb, Bradford Lee, Dutta, Shivanth
• Granted Patent: US 7,739,340 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: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A Meeting Attendee Instant Messaging (MAIM) utility is provided and embeds Instant Messaging (IM) functionality in a calendaring software. When a meeting request is sent out from the calendaring application, the request receives invitee responses, which automatically populates a Meeting Invitee Status Display (MISD). The MISD graphically illustrates which invitees have accepted the request to the meeting (i.e., attendees), and also provides an indication of a current IM status of each attendee to the meeting. The meeting facilitator may optionally select specific attendees or all attendees and initiate a one-to-one or group IM chat session with the selected attendees to begin a chat. The group IM session chat is initiated from within the MISD without providing the meeting facilitator with anything other than the e-mail addresses or e-mail IDs of the attendees.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating an electronic notice of a meeting;

transmitting the electronic notice to one or more electronic accounts via corresponding electronic addresses;

storing meeting particulars including an electronic account identifier (ID) of each of the one or more electronic accounts to which the electronic notice was transmitted;

linking a corresponding instant messaging (IM) ID with each electronic account ID; and

initiating an IM session using the electronic account ID, which is linked to the corresponding IM ID.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said generating an electronic notice is completed via a calendaring utility on a computer device; and

said initiating an IM session is completed via an IM client on the computer device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said initiating an IM session comprises:

automatically logging into the IM client;

opening an IM chat with the IM ID corresponding to the electronic account ID; and

when more than one electronic account ID is associated with the initiating of the IM session, opening an IM group chat with the corresponding IM IDs linked to the more than one electronic account ID.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating an electronic notice comprises:

generating the electronic notice with a response function that returns a corresponding IM ID within a response message received from the electronic account, said response function including;

prompting for a reply message including a “

chat available”

response;

prompting for input of the IM ID in the response message; and

when an electronic account is configured with an e-mail preference set to provide an IM status with a display of the electronic account ID, tagging the chat available response with an IM attribute enabling linking of the associated IM ID to the electronic account.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said linking further comprises:

automatically linking the IM ID of each electronic account ID sharing a same IM service and electronic mail (e-mail) service with an e-mail utility from which the notice originated; and

when a reply message is received, and the reply message includes one or more of (a) the corresponding IM ID of the electronic account ID and (b) attributes indicating an online status of the corresponding IM ID, linking the online status of the corresponding IM ID to the electronic account ID.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a meeting invitee status display (MISD) that indicates (a) a listing of the one or more electronic account IDs;

(b) a reply status of the one or more electronic account IDs; and

(c) a current online status of each IM ID linked to the one or more electronic account IDs;

when a reply message is received, updating the MISD by linking the corresponding IM ID within an IM ID status field of the MISD that tracks an online status of the IM ID;

providing within the MISD a selection mechanism to initiate a specific type of IM communication via the IM service; and

enabling completion of one or more of several functions with one or more of the electronic account IDs, from among;

printing a list of electronic account IDs notified of the meeting along with the reply status;

activating an IM chat session;

activating a video conference with electronic account IDs having corresponding IM IDs that are currently logged in;

forwarding an automatic IM reminder of the meeting; and

completing a pre-programmed user function.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

opening the MISD prior to the meeting;

automatically retrieving a current online status of each IM ID linked to the electronic account ID; and

displaying the current online status along with each electronic account ID whose online status is retrieved.

15. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said computer executable instructions for enabling an IM session comprises instructions for:

automatically logging into the IM client;

opening an IM chat with the IM ID corresponding to the electronic account ID; and

when more than one electronic account ID is associated with the initiating of the IM session, opening an IM group chat with the corresponding IM IDs linked to the more than one electronic account ID.

8. A communication device comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

program code executing on the processor of the communication device, which provides the functions of;

generating an electronic notice of a meeting;

transmitting the electronic notice to one or more electronic accounts via corresponding electronic addresses;

storing meeting particulars including an electronic account identifier (ID) of each of the one or more electronic accounts to which the electronic notice was transmitted;

linking a corresponding instant messaging (IM) ID with each electronic account ID; and

initiating an IM session using the electronic account ID, which is linked to the corresponding IM ID.

9. The communication device of claim 8, wherein said program code for initiating an IM session comprises code for:

automatically logging into the IM client;

opening an IM chat with the IM ID corresponding to the electronic account ID; and

when more than one electronic account ID is associated with the initiating of the IM session, opening an IM group chat with the corresponding IM IDs linked to the more than one electronic account ID.

10. The communication device of claim 8, wherein:

said program code further comprises code for providing a calendaring utility enhanced with coded routines for functionally linking an IM status to the one or more electronic account ID and performing IM session initiation; and

said program code for generating an electronic notice comprises program code for generating the electronic notice with a response function that returns a corresponding IM ID within a response message received from the electronic account, said response function including;

prompting for a reply message including a “

chat available”

response;

prompting for input of the IM ID in the response message; and

when an electronic account is configured with an e-mail preference set to provide an IM status with a display of the electronic account ID, tagging the chat available response with an IM attribute enabling linking of the associated IM ID to the electronic account.

11. The communication device of claim 10, further said program code for linking further comprising program code for:

automatically linking the IM ID of each electronic account ID sharing a same IM service and e-mail service with an e-mail utility from which the notice originated; and

when a reply message is received, and the reply message includes one or more of (a) the corresponding IM ID of the electronic account ID and (b) attributes indicating an online status of the corresponding IM ID, linking the online status of the corresponding IM ID to the electronic account ID.

12. The communication device of claim 8, further comprising program code for:

generating a meeting invitee status display (MISD) that indicates (a) a listing of the one or more electronic account IDs;

(b) a reply status of the one or more electronic account IDs; and

(c) a current online status of each IM ID linked to the one or more electronic account IDs;

when a reply message is received, updating the MISD by linking the corresponding IM ID within an IM ID status field of the MISD that tracks an online status of the IM ID;

providing within the MISD a selection mechanism to initiate a specific type of IM communication via the IM service; and

enabling completion of one or more of several functions with one or more of the electronic account IDs, from among;

printing a list of electronic account IDs notified of the meeting along with the reply status;

activating an IM chat session;

activating a video conference with electronic account IDs having corresponding IM IDs that are currently logged in;

forwarding an automatic IM reminder of the meeting; and

completing a pre-programmed user function.

13. The communication device of claim 12, further comprising program code for:

opening the MISD prior to the meeting;

automatically retrieving a current online status of each IM ID linked to the electronic account ID; and

displaying the current online status along with each electronic account ID whose online status is retrieved.

14. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-usable medium; and

computer executable instructions on the computer-usable medium that when executed by a processor of a computer device provides the functions of;

generating an electronic notice of a meeting;

transmitting the electronic notice to one or more electronic accounts via corresponding electronic addresses;

storing meeting particulars including an electronic account identifier (ID) of each of the one or more electronic accounts to which the electronic notice was transmitted;

linking a corresponding instant messaging (IM) ID with each electronic account ID; and

initiating an IM session using the electronic account ID, which is linked to the corresponding IM ID.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein:

said generating an electronic notice is completed via a calendaring utility enhanced with coded routines for functionally linking an IM status to the one or more electronic account ID and performing IM session initiation; and

said computer executable instructions farther comprising instructions for generating the electronic notice with a response function that returns a corresponding IM ID within a response message received from the electronic account, said response function including;

prompting for a reply message including a “

chat available”

response;

prompting for input of the IM ID in the response message; and

when an electronic account is configured with an e-mail preference set to provide an IM status with a display of the electronic account ID, tagging the chat available response with an IM attribute enabling linking of the associated IM ID to the electronic account.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, said computer executable instructions for completing said linking further comprises instructions for:

automatically linking the IM ID of each electronic account ID sharing a same IM service and e-mail service with an e-mail utility from which the notice originated; and

when a reply message is received, and the reply message includes one or more of (a) the corresponding IM ID of the electronic account ID and (b) attributes indicating an online status of the corresponding IM ID, linking the online status of the corresponding IM ID to the electronic account ID.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, said computer executable instructions further comprising instructions for:

generating a meeting invitee status display (MISD) that indicates (a) a listing of the one or more electronic account IDs;

(b) a reply status of the one or more electronic account IDs; and

(c) a current online status of each IM ID linked to the one or more electronic account IDs;

when a reply message is received, updating the MISD by linking the corresponding IM ID within an IM ID status field of the MISD that tracks an online status of the IM ID;

opening the MISD prior to the meeting;

automatically retrieving a current online status of each IM ID linked to the electronic account ID;

displaying the current online status along with each electronic account ID whose online status is retrieved;

providing within the MISD a selection mechanism to initiate a specific type of IM communication via the IM service; and

enabling completion of one or more of several functions with one or more of the electronic account IDs, from among;

(a) printing a list of electronic account IDs notified of the meeting along with the reply status;

activating an IM chat session;

activating a video conference with electronic account IDs having corresponding IM IDs that are currently logged in;

forwarding an automatic IM reminder of the meeting; and

completing a pre-programmed user function.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer executable instructions are deployable to a client computer from a server at a remote location.

20. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer executable instructions are provided by a service provider to a customer on an on-demand basis.