Redirection of a Message to an Alternate Address

• US 20080209347A1
• Filed: 05/05/2008
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atlassian US, Inc. (Atlassian Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T DELAWARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC., FORMERLY KNOWN AS BELLSOUTH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
• Inventors: Koch, Robert A., Malik, Dale W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,370,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/758
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• 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 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

Presence information of a first user in a messaging system, such as an instant messaging system, is relayed to a second user. A first communications client of a first user detects a change in the presence status of a first user and sends an alert message to a second communications client of a second user. Moreover, systems and methods are provided for sending the alert message to an alternate address, including alternate instant messaging (IM) addresses, e-mail address, or telephone numbers, in the event that the intended recipient of the alert message is not accessible at his or her original IM address.

Claims

1. A method for re-sending a message, originally intended for receipt at an instant messaging client, to at least one alternate address, comprising:

waiting for acknowledgement of receipt of an instant message by a messaging user; and

in the absence of an acknowledged receipt of the instant message, automatically re-sending, from an instant messaging client that initially sent the instant message, content of the instant message to the messaging user at at least one alternate address for the second messaging user, wherein receipt of the instant message by the second messaging user is detected by recognizing that a graphical window displaying the instant message is brought into focus by a user, wherein the instant messaging client is further configured to receive instant messages from other users, the instant messaging client configured to present a user an option of responding to a received instant message and wherein the instant messaging client is configured to play or display contents of the instant message without opening a chat window.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein automatically re-sending content of the instant message is in response to a timeout in waiting for a message receipt acknowledgement.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein automatically re-sending content of the instant message includes a determination of at least one alternate address for the messaging user by the instant messaging client that initially sent the instant message.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the alternate address is an instant messaging address.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the alternate address is an e-mail address.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the alternate address is a telephone number.

7. A machine-readable computer drive storage medium, having stored thereon data and instructions, which when executed, perform:

waiting for acknowledgement of receipt of an instant message by a messaging user; and

in the absence of an acknowledged receipt of the instant message, automatically re-sending, from an instant messaging client that initially sent the instant message, content of the instant message to the messaging user at at least one alternate address for the second messaging user, wherein receipt of the instant message by the second messaging user is detected by recognizing that a graphical window displaying the instant message is brought into focus by a user, wherein the instant messaging client is further configured to receive instant messages from other users, the instant messaging client configured to present a user an option of responding to a received instant message and wherein the instant messaging client is configured to play or display contents of the instant message without opening a chat window.

8. The machine-readable computer drive storage medium according to claim 7, wherein re-sending content of the instant message is in response to a timeout in waiting for a message receipt acknowledgement.

9. The machine-readable computer drive storage medium according to claim 7, wherein re-sending content of the instant message includes a determination of alternate address(es) for the messaging user by the instant messaging client that initially sent the instant message.

10. The machine-readable computer drive storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the alternate address is an instant messaging address.

11. The machine-readable computer drive storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the alternate address is an e-mail address.

12. The machine-readable computer drive storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the alternate address is a telephone number.

13. A system for re-sending an instant message, originally intended for receipt at an instant messaging client, to at least one alternate address, comprising:

a first messaging client configured to display the instant message within a graphical window of the first messaging client, the first messaging client further configured to detect an event associated with the graphical window indicative of receipt of the instant message, the event comprising bringing the graphical window into focus by a user of the first messaging client, the first messaging client further configured to send an acknowledgement of receipt of the instant message if the event is detected; and

a gateway, wherein in the absence of an acknowledged receipt of the instant message from the first messaging client, the gateway receives identification of at least one alternate address from a second messaging client that initially sent the instant message and the gateway then re-sends content of the instant message to the intended recipient at the at least one alternate address, wherein the first messaging client is configured to play or display contents of the instant message without opening a chat window.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the gateway is a telephony network gateway capable of receiving a message and a destination telephone number and initiating a telephone call to the destination number.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the telephony network gateway is capable of delivering the message via text-to-speech technology.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the gateway is an e-mail gateway capable of receiving a message and a destination e-mail address and sending an e-mail containing the message to the destination e-mail address.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein alternate addresses for the intended recipient are stored locally with the second messaging client.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein alternate addresses for the intended recipient are accessed over a data network.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the messaging clients communicates via a wireline network.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the messaging clients communicates via a wireless network.