Shared Persistent Communication Thread

• US 20100011373A1
• Filed: 07/08/2008
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, David, Youel, Ted
• Granted Patent: US 8,255,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system organizes communications by combining and integrating distinct communication events conducted through diverse communication modes into to a single conversation. Notification of an occurrence of an event is received and, in response to the notification, a conversation object representing a conversation is generated. A plurality of participants is associated with the conversation. A communication entry is associated with the conversation object. The communication entry has a message for at least one of the participants. The conversation object and the communication entry are stored in persistent memory. Shared access to the conversation object stored in persistent memory is limited to the plurality of participants associated with the conversation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of organizing communications, the method comprising:

receiving notification of an occurrence of an event;

generating, in response to the notification, a conversation object representing a conversation;

associating a plurality of participants with the conversation;

associating a communication entry with the conversation object, the communication entry having a message for one or more of the participants;

storing the conversation object and the communication entry in persistent memory; and

limiting shared access to the conversation object stored in persistent memory to the plurality of participants associated with the conversation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding an article to the communication entry associated with the conversation object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the article added to the communication entry associated with the conversation object includes an audio recording that each participant can play or transcribe to text.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising assigning a privacy setting to the article to control which one or more of the participants are allowed to access the contents of the article.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding to the conversation object an indicator viewable by each participant to signify that the message was read by one of the participants for whom the message is intended.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the notification occurs in response to polling an information source.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication entry is a first communication entry corresponding to a first communication event involving the plurality of participants of the conversation, and further comprising:

associating a second communication entry with the conversation object, the second communication entry corresponding to a second communication event involving the plurality of participants of the conversation,

wherein a mode of communication used for the first communication event is different from a mode of communication used for the second communication event.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the mode of communication for one of the first and second communication events is an email message and the mode of communication for the other of the first and second communication events is a cell phone call.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication entry includes a link to the message that each participant can activate to acquire the contents of the message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a privacy setting to the communication entry to control which participants can learn the contents the message.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding a new participant to the conversation after the conversation object is generated and stored in persistent memory; and

expanding the limited shared access to the conversation object to include the new participant.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a public setting to the conversation to enable non-participants to monitor the conversation without being able to contribute to the conversation.

13. A server system, comprising:

means for receiving notification of an occurrence of an event;

means for generating, in response to the notification, a conversation object representing a conversation;

means for associating a plurality of participants with the conversation;

means for associating a communication entry with the conversation object, the communication entry having a message for at least one of the participants;

means for storing the conversation object and the communication entry in persistent memory; and

means for limiting shared access to the conversation object stored in persistent memory to the plurality of participants associated with the conversation.

14. The server system of claim 13, further comprising:

means for adding a new participant to the conversation after the conversation object is generated and stored in persistent memory; and

means for expanding the limited shared access to the conversation object to include the new participant.

15. The server system of claim 13, wherein the communication entry is a first communication entry corresponding to a first communication event involving the plurality of participants of the conversation, the means for associating a communication entry with the conversation object associates a second communication entry with the conversation object, the second communication entry corresponding to a second communication event involving the plurality of participants of the conversation, and a mode of communication used for the first communication event is different from a mode of communication used for the second communication event.

16. The server system of claim 13, further comprising means for adding to the conversation object an indicator viewable by each participant of the conversation to signify that the message was read by one of the participants for whom the message is intended.

17. A conversation application system, comprising:

a client system executing a conversation application client;

a server system executing a conversation application server, the conversation application server being adapted to communicate with the conversation application client executing on the client system over a network,

wherein one of the conversation application client and conversation application server is adapted to receive notification of an occurrence of an event, generate in response to the notification a conversation object representing a conversation, associate a plurality of participants with the conversation, and associate a communication entry with the conversation object, the communication entry having a message for at least one of the participants; and

persistent memory in communication with the conversation application server, the persistent memory storing the conversation object and the communication entry,

wherein the conversation application server is adapted to limit shared access to the conversation object stored in the persistent memory to the plurality of participants associated with the conversation.

18. The conversation application system of claim 17, wherein one of the conversation application client and conversation application server is adapted to add a new participant to the conversation after the conversation object is generated and stored in persistent memory, and the server system is adapted to expand the limited shared access to the conversation object to include the new participant.

19. The conversation application system of claim 17, wherein the communication entry is a first communication entry corresponding to a first communication event involving the plurality of participants of the conversation, one of the conversation application client and conversation application server is adapted to associate a second communication entry with the conversation object, the second communication entry corresponds to a second communication event involving the plurality of participants of the conversation, and a mode of communication used for the first communication event is different from a mode of communication used for the second communication event.

20. The conversation application of claim 17, wherein one of the conversation application client and conversation application server is adapted to add to the conversation object an indicator viewable by each participant of the conversation to signify that the message was read by one of the participants for whom the message is intended.