MISSED INSTANT MESSAGE NOTIFICATION

• US 20080080677A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Boyer, Marc, Ramanathan, Rajesh, Samdadiya, Parag
• Granted Patent: US 8,224,904 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/67.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting

Abstract

A method and system for capturing missed communications is provided. An enhanced real-time communication system receives a communication from an initiating participant for a receiving participant that is not available. The enhanced real-time communication system detects that the receiving participant missed the received communication from the initiating participant. Upon detecting that the receiving participant missed the communication, the enhanced real-time communication system stores the missed communication for later retrieval by the receiving participant.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for capturing missed instant messages received by a device associated with a recipient, the method comprising:

receiving a communication from an initiating participant directed to the recipient;

detecting that the recipient missed the communication; and

storing the communication for later retrieval by the recipient.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting comprises determining that the device associated with the recipient is locked.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting comprises determining that the device associated with the recipient is displaying a screen saver.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting comprises determining that the recipient dismissed a notification.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting comprises determining that the recipient closed a conversation window related to the communication.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting comprises determining that the initiating participant closed a conversation related to the communication before the recipient responded to the communication.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting comprises determining that a timeout expired before the recipient sent a reply to the communication.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting comprises determining that after the initiating participant sent the communication a timeout expired before the initiating participant sent any subsequent communication.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting comprises determining at a server that the communication was missed by the recipient.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein storing comprises creating a missed communication email message.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein storing comprises storing the missed communication in an electronic mailbox associated with the recipient.

12. A computer system for capturing missed instant messages, comprising:

a communication receiving component for receiving communications from an initiating participant directed to a recipient;

a detect missed communications component for detecting that the recipient missed a received communication; and

a store missed communications component for storing an indication that a communication was missed.

13. The system of claim 12 including a user interface component for indicating to the recipient that a communication has been missed.

14. The system of claim 12 including a user interface component for indicating to the initiating participant that a communication has been missed.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein detecting comprises determining that the recipient dismissed a notification.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein detecting comprises determining that the recipient closed a conversation window related to the communication.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein detecting comprises determining that the initiating participant closed a conversation related to the communication before the recipient responded to the communication.

18. One or more computer memories collectively containing a data structure for storing a missed instant message, comprising:

a recipient field that specifies the intended recipient of the missed instant message;

a message field that specifies the content of the message; and

a conversation identifier field that specifies a unique identifier assigned to the conversation that the message belongs to.

19. The data structure of claim 18 including a link field that specifies a link for continuing the conversation.

20. The data structure of claim 18 wherein the conversation identifier field further comprises an appended identifier for each subsequent action related to the conversation.