TRI-STATE PRESENCE INDICATOR

• US 20130054712A1
• Filed: 02/15/2012
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Appelman, Barry
• Granted Patent: US 8,959,164 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]

Abstract

Systems and techniques for transferring electronic data between users of a communication system by delivering an e-mail message from a sender to at least one recipient and indicating the online state of at least one of the sender and any other recipient of the e-mail message upon opening of the e-mail message by the recipient.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A communications method for transferring electronic data between users of a communications system, the method comprising:

receiving electronic data from a sender that is addressed to one or more intended recipients;

determining, using at least one processor, one or more attributes of the electronic data;

storing, in at least one database, the one or more determined attributes; and

configuring, based on the one or more determined attributes, an alternate communication scheme between the sender and the one or more intended recipients, the alternate communication scheme comprising an electronic messaging system.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the received electronic data comprises an email message.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the one or more determined attributes comprise one or more of an identification token, an author of the electronic data, the one or more intended recipients of the electronic data, a subject of the electronic data, a timestamp of the electronic data, an attachment to the electronic data, and an embedded image in the electronic data.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the electronic messaging system comprises an instant messaging system.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

determining an electronic messaging capability of the sender and the one or more intended recipients; and

identifying a presence state of each of the sender and the one or more intended recipients that are determined to have the electronic messaging capability.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

sending an invitation to each of the sender and the one or more intended recipients that do not have the electronic messaging capability to join the electronic messaging system.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising enabling each of the sender and the one or more intended recipients that have the electronic messaging capability to communicate with each other using the electronic messaging system.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein identifying the presence state comprises indicating whether the sender or the at least one intended recipient is online, offline, or not a member of the electronic messaging system.

35. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for transferring electronic data between users of a communications system, the instructions being executable by at least one processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving electronic data from a sender that is addressed to one or more intended recipients;

determining one or more attributes of the electronic data;

storing, in at least one database, the one or more determined attributes;

configuring, based on the one or more determined attributes, an alternate communication scheme between the sender and the one or more intended recipients, the alternate communication scheme comprising an electronic messaging system.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 35, wherein the received electronic data comprises an email message.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 35, wherein the one or more determined attributes comprise one or more of an identification token, an author of the electronic data, the one or more intended recipients of the electronic data, a subject of the electronic data, a timestamp of the electronic data, an attachment to the electronic data, and an embedded image in the electronic data.

38. The computer readable medium of claim 35, wherein the electronic messaging system comprises an instant messaging system.

39. The computer readable medium of claim 35, the instructions further comprising instructions executable by at least one processor to perform the following steps:

determining an electronic messaging capability of the sender and the one or more intended recipients; and

identifying a presence state of each of the sender and the one or more intended recipients that are determined to have the electronic messaging capability.

40. The computer readable medium of claim 39, the instructions further comprising instructions executable by at least one processor to perform the following step:

sending an invitation to each of the sender and the one or more intended recipients that do not have the electronic messaging capability to join the electronic messaging system.

41. The computer readable medium of claim 39, the instructions further comprising instructions executable by at least one processor to perform the following step:

enabling each of the sender and the one or more intended recipients that have the electronic messaging capability to communicate with each other using the electronic messaging system.

42. The computer readable medium of claim 39, wherein identifying the presence state comprises indicating whether the sender or the at least one intended recipient is online, offline, or not a member of the electronic messaging system.

43. A communications apparatus for transferring electronic data between users of a communications system, the apparatus comprising:

a storage medium that stores a set of instructions; and

at least one processor that executes the instructions to;

receive electronic data from a sender that is addressed to one or more intended recipients;

determine one or more attributes of the electronic data; and

configure, based on the one or more determined attributes, an alternate communication scheme between the sender and the one or more intended recipients, the alternate communication scheme comprising an electronic messaging system.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the received electronic data comprises an email message.

45. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the one or more determined attributes comprise one or more of an identification token, an author of the electronic data, the one or more intended recipients of the electronic data, a subject of the electronic data, a timestamp of the electronic data, an attachment to the electronic data, and an embedded image in the electronic data.

46. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the electronic messaging system comprises an instant messaging system.

47. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the set of instructions further comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor to:

determine an electronic messaging capability of the sender and the one or more intended recipients; and

identify a presence state of each of the sender and the one or more intended recipients that are determined to have the electronic messaging capability.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the set of instructions further comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor to:

send an invitation to each of the sender and the one or more intended recipients that do not have the electronic messaging capability to join the electronic messaging system.

49. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the set of instructions further comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor to:

enable each of the sender and the one or more intended recipients that have the electronic messaging capability to communicate with each other using the electronic messaging system.

50. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the set of instructions further comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor to:

indicate whether the sender or the at least one intended recipient is online, offline, or not a member of the electronic messaging system.