Enabling interactive electronic mail and real-time messaging
First Claim
1. A method for use in a data processing system for managing e-mail and real-time messaging activity between a first client and a second client, said method comprising:
- automatically detecting an n.sup.th e-mail thread response to an original e-mail message delivered between said first client and said second client, wherein n is greater than or equal to one, wherein said n.sup.th e-mail thread response is a sequence of one or more e-mail reply responses exchanged between a first e-mail client within said first client or a second e-mail client within said second client;
associating header information of one or more e-mail messages to identify the n.sup.th e-mail thread response, wherein the n.sup.th e-mail thread response is one or more of a sent and a received e-mail message;
detecting n e-mail thread responses to the original e-mail message over a specified period;
monitoring a timestamp of the n.sup.th e-mail thread response, wherein the timestamp of the n.sup.th e-mail thread response determines a period between the previous e-mail message and the current e-mail reply;
enabling a counter when the original e-mail message is transmitted, said counter tracking the number of n.sup th e-mail thread responses until the counter reaches a predefined number;
incrementing the counter when a new n.sup.th e-mail thread response is received;
determining a predefined threshold period of time between transmission of a previous e-mail message and receipt of a current e-mail reply;
determining a rate of response of one or more n.sup.th e-mail thread responses;
responsive to said automatically detecting the n.sup.th e-mail thread response within a response time less than the predefined threshold period of time and when a value of the counter reaches the predefined number of n.sup.th e-mail thread responses, automatically invoking a real-time electronic messaging session between said first client and said second client; and
responsive to the rate of response attaining one or more of a predefined threshold rate of response of the n.sup.th e-mail thread responses, automatically invoking a real-time messaging client application on at least one of said first client and said second client.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system, method, and computer program product for managing e-mail and real-time messaging activity between a first client and a second client. In accordance with one embodiment, the method includes the first or second client detecting an nth e-mail thread response to an original e-mail message delivered between the first client and second client, wherein n is greater than or equal to one. In response to detecting occurrence of an nth e-mail thread response, a real-time electronic messaging session is invoked between the first and second clients. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the first client sends a real-time message to the second client during a real-time messaging session between the first and second clients. In response to a specified real-time messaging session termination event, an e-mail message containing the sent real-time message is sent to the second client.
44 Citations
17 Claims
-
1. A method for use in a data processing system for managing e-mail and real-time messaging activity between a first client and a second client, said method comprising:
-
automatically detecting an n.sup.th e-mail thread response to an original e-mail message delivered between said first client and said second client, wherein n is greater than or equal to one, wherein said n.sup.th e-mail thread response is a sequence of one or more e-mail reply responses exchanged between a first e-mail client within said first client or a second e-mail client within said second client; associating header information of one or more e-mail messages to identify the n.sup.th e-mail thread response, wherein the n.sup.th e-mail thread response is one or more of a sent and a received e-mail message; detecting n e-mail thread responses to the original e-mail message over a specified period; monitoring a timestamp of the n.sup.th e-mail thread response, wherein the timestamp of the n.sup.th e-mail thread response determines a period between the previous e-mail message and the current e-mail reply; enabling a counter when the original e-mail message is transmitted, said counter tracking the number of n.sup th e-mail thread responses until the counter reaches a predefined number; incrementing the counter when a new n.sup.th e-mail thread response is received; determining a predefined threshold period of time between transmission of a previous e-mail message and receipt of a current e-mail reply; determining a rate of response of one or more n.sup.th e-mail thread responses; responsive to said automatically detecting the n.sup.th e-mail thread response within a response time less than the predefined threshold period of time and when a value of the counter reaches the predefined number of n.sup.th e-mail thread responses, automatically invoking a real-time electronic messaging session between said first client and said second client; and responsive to the rate of response attaining one or more of a predefined threshold rate of response of the n.sup.th e-mail thread responses, automatically invoking a real-time messaging client application on at least one of said first client and said second client. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
-
6. A computer-readable storage medium having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions for managing e-mail and real-time messaging activity between a first client and a second client, said computer-executable instructions performing a method comprising:
-
automatically detecting an n.sup.th e-mail thread response to an original e-mail message delivered between said first client and said second client, wherein n is greater than or equal to one, wherein said n.sup.th e-mail thread response is a sequence of one or more e-mail reply responses exchanged between a first e-mail client within said first client or a second e-mail client within said second client; associating header information of one or more e-mail messages to identify the n.sup.th e-mail thread response, wherein the n.sup.th e-mail thread response is one or more of a sent and a received e-mail message; detecting n e-mail thread responses to the original e-mail message over a specified period; monitoring a timestamp of the n.sup.th e-mail thread response, wherein the timestamp of the n.sup.th e-mail thread response determines the period between the previous e-mail message and the current e-mail reply; enabling a counter when the original e-mail message is transmitted, said counter tracking the number of n.sup.th e-mail thread responses until the counter reaches a predefined number; incrementing the counter when a new n.sup.th e-mail thread response is received; determining a predefined threshold period of time between transmission of a previous e-mail message and receipt of a current e-mail reply; determining a rate of response of one or more n.sup.th e-mail thread responses; responsive to said automatically detecting the n.sup.th e-mail thread response within a response time less than the predefined threshold period of time and when a value of the counter reaches the predefined number of n.sup.th e-mail thread responses, automatically invoking a real-time electronic messaging session between said first client and said second client; and responsive to the rate of response attaining one or more of a predefined threshold rate of response of the n.sup.th e-mail thread responses, automatically invoking a real-time messaging client application on at least one of said first client and said second client. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A method for use in a data processing system for managing e-mail and real-time messaging activity between a first client and a second client, said method comprising:
-
sending a real-time message, within a first client, to a second client during a real-time messaging session between said first client and said second client; detecting a real-time messaging session; determining a response real-time message has not been received by one or more of a first client and second client in a predefined amount of time following a transmission of the real-time message to one of the first client or second client; detecting a period from a time mark from which said first client sent said real-time message to said second client; tracking the period from the time mark to a time when a message is detected from one of said first client or said second client, wherein when a message is not received from one of said first client or said second client, within said pre-defined amount of time, automatically generating and sending an e-mail message; detecting a real-time messaging session termination event within said first client when one or more of said first client and said second client fail to deliver a return real-time message to said second client during the real-time messaging session during the predefined amount of time; and automatically generating and sending an e-mail message containing said content of a previously sent real-time message to one or more of said first client and said second client in response to a real-time messaging session termination event. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
-
-
14. A computer-readable storage medium having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions for managing e-mail and real-time messaging activity between a first client and a second client, said computer-executable instructions performing a method comprising within a first client:
-
sending a real-time message, within a first client, to a second client during a real-time messaging session between said first client and said second client; detecting a real-time messaging session; determining a response real-time message has not been received by one or more of a first client and second client in a predefined amount of time following a transmission of the real-time message to one of the first client or second client; detecting a period from a time mark from which said first client sent said real-time message to said second client; tracking the period from the time mark to a time when a message is detected from one of said first client or said second client, wherein when a message is not received from one of said first client or said second client, within said pre-defined amount of time, automatically generating and sending an e-mail message; detecting a real-time messaging session termination event within said first client when one or more of said first client and said second client fail to deliver a return real-time message to said second client during the real-time messaging session during the predefined amount of time; and automatically generating and sending an e-mail message containing said content of a previously sent real-time message to one or more of said first client and said second client in response to a real-time messaging session termination event. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
-
Specification