MISSED INSTANT MESSAGE NOTIFICATION

• US 20130018969A1
• Filed: 07/17/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Samdadiya, Parag, Ramanathan, Rajesh, Boyer, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 8,897,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• 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

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer-executable instructions for controlling a computing device to capture missed communications, comprising:

a component that receives communications from a sender directed to a recipient, the communications being part of a real-time conversation;

a component that detects when the recipient misses a communication;

a component that assigns a unique conversation identifier to the missed communication;

a component that sends to the recipient a missed communication electronic mail message that contains information relating to the missed communication including an indication that the missed communication was missed, the assigned unique conversation identifier, and a link for opening the real-time conversation with the sender so that the recipient and the sender can continue where the real-time conversation left off; and

a component that, when the recipient indicates to reply to the missed communication electronic mail message with a new electronic mail message, assigns the unique conversation identifier of the missed communication to the new electronic mail message so that the new electronic mail message can be identified as part of the same real-time conversation as the missed communication.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 including a component that indicates to the recipient that the communication has been missed.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 including a component that indicates to the sender that the communication has been missed.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the component that detects determines that the communication has been missed based on the recipient dismissing a notification that the communication has been received.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the component that detects determines that the communication has been missed based on the recipient closing a conversation window related to the communication.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the component that detects determines that the communication has been missed based on the sender closing a conversation related to the communication before the recipient responds to the communication.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the component that sends delays the sending of the missed communication electronic mail message to allow for information relating to subsequently missed communications of the real-time conversation to be included in the missed communication electronic mail message.

28. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer-executable instructions for controlling a computing device to capture missed communications, comprising:

a component that, upon receiving from a sender an invitation for a recipient to participate in a real-time conversation, automatically accepts the invitation to open the real-time conversation;

a component that receives from the sender an initial communication of the real-time conversation;

a component that notifies the recipient that the initial communication of the real-conversation has been received;

a component that detects when the recipient indicates to reject the real-time conversation; and

a component that, upon detecting that the recipient indicates to reject the real-time conversation,

keeps the real-time conversation open for a certain period waiting for an additional communication to be received from the sender and

after waiting the certain period, closes the real-time conversation.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28 including a component that stores in a missed communication electronic mail message an indication of the initial communication and the additional communication and a link for opening a subsequent real-time conversation with the sender based on the initial communication and the additional communication.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 29 including a component that, when the recipient indicates to reply to the missed communication electronic mail message with a new electronic mail message, assigns a unique conversation identifier of the real-time conversation to the new electronic mail message so that the new electronic mail message can be identified as part of the same real-time conversation as the initial communication.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28 wherein the recipient indicates to reject the real-time conversation by dismissing a notification that the initial communication has been received.

32. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28 including a component that indicates to the sender that the initial communication has been missed.

33. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer-executable instructions for controlling a computing device to capture a missed communication, comprising:

a component that receives communications from a sender directed to a recipient, the communications being part of a first real-time conversation that has been opened;

a component that detects when the recipient misses a communication of the first real-time conversation; and

a component that, upon detecting that the recipient misses the communication of the first real-time conversation, sends to the recipient a missed communication electronic mail message that contains the missed communication and a link for opening a second real-time conversation with the sender so that the recipient and the sender can continue where the first real-time conversation left off.

34. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33 including a component that, when the recipient indicates to reply to the missed communication electronic mail message with a new electronic mail message, assigns a unique conversation identifier of the first real-time conversation to the new electronic mail message so that the new electronic mail message can be identified as part of the first real-time conversation.

35. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33 including a component that indicates to the recipient that the communication has been missed.

36. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33 including a component that indicates to the sender that the communication has been missed.

37. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33 wherein the component that detects determines that a communication has been missed based on the recipient dismissing a notification that the communication has been received.

38. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33 wherein the component that detects determines that the communication has been missed based on the recipient closing a conversation window of the first real-time conversation.

39. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33 wherein the component that detects determines that a communication has been missed based on the sender closing the first real-time conversation before the recipient responds to the communication.

40. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33 wherein the sending of the missed communication electronic mail message is delayed to allow for subsequently missed communications of the first real-time conversation to be included in the missed communication electronic mail message.