User interface for transitioning between chat and email

• US 20080208984A1
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mehta, Samir B., Rosenberg, Greg A., Diamond, Ethan H., Kenney, James P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,756,936 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 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

Instant messaging, also known as chat, is integrated with electronic mail in a user interface that provides for conversion of messages between electronic mail (email) and instant messaging. A user interface is provided for allowing a user who is composing an email message to convert the message to a chat message. The chat message will include any content that was present in the electronic mail message, and the user can continue to compose the chat message, and then send it to a chat address determined automatically from the email address of the original email message. Notifications are provided that indicate when chat users have logged on to or logged off from the chat service. These notifications assist a user composing a message to select the most appropriate communication method based upon the current online presence of the intended recipient. A user interface for converting messages in the opposite direction, from chat to email, is also provided.

Claims

1. Message composition logic, comprising:

email message conversion logic for converting a draft email message having email content to a draft chat message having chat content in response to a user command,

wherein the draft email message includes a destination email address;

chat addressing logic for identifying a chat correspondent that corresponds to the destination email address; and

chat message sending logic for initiating transmission of the chat content to the chat correspondent.

2. The logic of claim 1, wherein the email content is accessible as chat content for use with the chat message.

3. The logic of claim 1, further comprising:

chat message editing logic for receiving changes to the chat content.

4. The logic of claim 1, wherein the user command represents selection of a user interface button for converting the draft email message to the draft chat message.

5. The logic of claim 1, wherein the email message conversion logic is operable to copy the email content to the chat content.

6. The logic of claim 1, wherein the chat content comprises text.

7. The logic of claim 1, wherein the chat message comprises a text message, an instant message, or a combination thereof.

8. The logic of claim 1, further comprising:

notification logic for displaying a notification in response to the user identified by the chat user identifier becoming available online, wherein the notification indicates that the user is online.

9. Message composition logic, comprising:

chat message conversion logic for converting a draft chat message having chat content to a draft email message having email content in response to a user command,

wherein the draft chat message is associated with a chat correspondent;

email addressing logic for identifying an email addressee that corresponds to the chat correspondent; and

email message sending logic for initiating transmission of the email content to the email addressee.

10. The logic of claim 9, wherein the chat content is accessible as email content for use with the draft email message.

11. The logic of claim 9, further comprising:

email message editing logic for receiving changes to the email content.

12. The logic of claim 9, wherein the user command represents selection of a user interface button for converting the draft chat message to the draft email message.

13. The logic of claim 9, wherein the chat message conversion logic is operable to copy the chat content to the email content.

14. The logic of claim 9, wherein the email content comprises text, graphics, at least one attached document, or a combination thereof.

15. The logic of claim 9, further comprising:

notification logic for displaying a notification in response to the user identified by the chat user identifier becoming available online, wherein the notification indicates that the user is online.

16. A computer enabled method of transitioning a chat conversation with a remote party to electronic mail, the method comprising the steps of:

converting chat content to draft email content in response to selection of a user interface feature for converting the chat conversation to an email message;

converting a chat address of the remote party to an email address of the remote party;

displaying the draft email content, wherein the draft email content is addressed to the email address; and

providing a send feature for initiating transmission of the draft email content to the email address.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein converting chat content to email content comprises adding a text representation of the chat content to the email message.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the chat content comprises at least one chat message, and converting the chat content to email content comprises copying the at least one chat message to the email content.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the method is invoked if the remote party disengages from the chat conversation.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein displaying draft email content comprises displaying the draft email content in an email composition user interface.

21. A user interface for transitioning from electronic mail communication to chat communication, the user interface comprising:

an email composition user interface for allowing a user to compose email content addressed to an email addressee, a convert to chat feature for converting the email content to chat content,

wherein the convert to chat feature is operable to identify a chat correspondent that corresponds to the email addressee; and

a send feature for sending the chat content to the chat correspondent.

22. A computer program product comprising program code for composing a message, the computer program product comprising:

program code operable to convert a draft email message having email content to a draft chat message having chat content in response to a user command,

wherein the draft email message includes a destination email address;

program code operable to identify a chat correspondent that corresponds to the destination email address; and

program code operable to initiate transmission of the chat content to the chat correspondent.