System setting flags based on address types in destination address field of a message to indicate different transports to deliver the message

• US 7,013,350 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2001
• Issued: 03/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Burgess, Gregory M., Enns, Neil R. N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US09/788,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20020116499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,852 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/245, 709/238, 717/100, 379/207.15, 379/229, 707/10, 455/414.3, 370/356, 340/7.2, 715/500
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4555 Directories for electronic mail or instant messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53375 Message broadcasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A method and system for sending a message to multiple recipients using multiple transports from the same user interface is provided. The method allows a user to specify recipients and associated transports explicitly or implicitly. The user may explicitly associate a transport with a recipient by selecting the recipient'"'"'s address from a contact list. The user may implicitly associate a transport with a recipient by entering the literal address of the recipient, such as an email address or a wireless address. When the user enters one or more literal addresses, the system parses the one or more addresses to determine which transport should deliver the message to each address, respectively. As it parses the addresses and makes its determinations, it sets flags appropriately. Then, each transport uses the flags to determine if it has a message to deliver, and if so, delivers the message. The transport that delivers the message last may perform or cause additional processing on the message such as moving to a sent box, deleting it, or performing other actions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for sending a message using different transports, comprising:

receiving data in a destination address field of the message including recipient addresses that indicate different address types;

setting flags based on the address types in the data, wherein the flags indicate the transports to deliver the message in accordance with the recipient addresses;

determining the transports to deliver the message based on the set flags; and

sending the message using the transports based on the set flags.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the transports includes examining the addresses for pre-defined patterns.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the addresses is determined to be a wireless address if the address contains numbers.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the one of the transports is determined to be a default transport if one of the addresses contains no identifiable pre-defined pattern.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the data associated with the addresses that explicitly indicates that a particular transport should deliver the message to the addresses.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data is associated with the addresses in response to a user selecting the addresses from a list.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising each of the transports performing the actions of:

determining if one of the flags indicates the transport should deliver the message; and

if so, delivering the message.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising each of the transports performing the actions of:

determining if the transport is a last transport to send the message; and

if so, further processing the message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein further processing the message includes moving the message to a destination folder.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the destination folder is a sent items folder.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the destination folder is a deleted items folder.

12. A system for sending a message using different transports, comprising:

an input component that receives data in a destination address field of the message including recipient addresses that indicate different address types to deliver the message;

an address processor that uses the characters of the different addresses to determine an address types, wherein the address processor indicates the address types by associating a flags with the message, and wherein the flags indicate candidate transports to deliver the message; and

the transports use the flags to determine if they should deliver the message, and if so, the transports send the message based on the flags.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the input component receives the different address types by performing the actions of:

providing a list of addresses;

receiving a selected addresses; and

providing the data linked to the addresses, the data indicating selected transports to deliver the message.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the address processor determines which candidate transports should deliver the message by searching for patterns in the data associated with the addresses.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein if the address processor does not find a recognized pattern in one of the addresses, it sets one of the flags indicating that a default transport should deliver the message.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein if one of the transports determines that it is the last to send the message, the transport moves the message to a sent box.

17. A computer-readable media including computer-readable instructions for sending a message using different transports, the computer-readable media comprising:

means for receiving data in a destination address field of the message including recipient addresses that identify different address types; and

means for setting flags based on the address types in the data, wherein the flags indicate the transports to deliver the message in accordance with the recipient addresses;

means for determining the transports to deliver the message based on the set flags; and

means for delivering the message with the determined transports to the addresses.

18. The computer readable media of claim 17, further comprising:

each of the transports includes means for;

determining if one of the flags indicates the transport should deliver the message; and

if so, delivering the message.