Real time communications system

• US 7,620,689 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2004
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: inContact Incorporated (Nice Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Communications Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: LoBuono, Joseph, Ruetschi, Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Higa, Brendan Y
• Application Number:
  US10/894,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,947 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207, 709223-227
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

A real-time communications system of networked communications devices, method and program product for operating such a system. E-mail activity is, monitored for e-mail exchange threads. Selected threads are identified and a prompt to switch to an IM session is sent to a local e-mail recipient. If the recipient elects to continue the exchange in an instant messaging (IM) session, the substance of the thread is copied to the IM session and the exchange continues.

Claims

1. A real-time communications system comprising:

a plurality of communications devices communicating with each other over a network;

at least two communications devices including an e-mail capability and an instant messaging (IM) capability operating on a common IM protocol; and

one of said at least two communications devices monitoring e-mail exchanges, comprising incoming and outgoing e-mails, identifying e-mail message threads when said e-mail exchanges meet a messaging threshold, wherein said messaging threshold is the occurrence of said incoming and outgoing e-mails exchanged between at least two common e-mail addresses over a selected period of time, and in response to said email exchanges meeting said messaging threshold selectively providing an automatic prompt to switch an identified e-mail message thread to an IM session.

2. The real-time communications system as in claim 1, wherein upon a response to said prompt, said one initiates said IM session.

3. The real-time communications system as in claim 1, wherein said one of said at least two communications devices monitors for conversation threads of multiple e-mails with other users;

and upon initiating said session, said one transfers the substance of said identified thread to said IM session.

4. The real-time communications system as in claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of communications devices include an e-mail capability and an IM capability.

5. The real-time communications system as in claim 4, wherein ones of said plurality of communications devices monitor local e-mail activity and identify e-mail message threads in said local e-mail activity and selectively provide a local prompt to switch an identified thread to an IM session, said one being one of said ones of said plurality of communications devices.

6. The real-time communications system as in claim 5, further comprising an e-mail server passing e-mails between connected ones of said plurality of communications devices.

7. The real-time communications system as in claim 6, further comprising an IM facility managing IM sessions between connected ones of said plurality of communications devices.

8. The real-time communications system as in claim 1, further comprising an e-mail server passing e-mails between connected ones of said plurality of communications devices.

9. The real-time communications system as in claim 1, further comprising an IM facility managing IM sessions between connected ones of said plurality of communications devices.

10. A method of managing system resources in a real-time communications system including a plurality of communications devices, said method comprising the steps of:

a) monitoring e-mail exchanges, comprising incoming and outgoing e-mails, on one of said plurality of communications devices;

b) identifying e-mail message exchange threads when said e-mail exchanges meet a messaging threshold, wherein said messaging threshold is the occurrence of said incoming and outgoing e-mails exchanged between at least two common e-mail addresses over a selected period of time;

c) automatically providing a prompt to switch to instant messaging (IM) on said one of said plurality of communications devices, said prompt being automatically provided in response to said e-mail exchanges meeting said messaging threshold; and

d) selectively initiating an IM session for said identified said e-mail message threads.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein when the threshold has been met, an e-mail message thread is selected in step (c) comprising the steps of:

i) providing said prompt suggesting a switch to an IM session;

ii) receiving a response to said prompt, an affirmative response initiating said IM session in step (d).

12. The method as in claim 11, wherein step (d) comprises the steps of:

i) transferring the substance of the selected said e-mail message thread to the initiated said IM session; and

ii) continuing said e-mail message thread in said initiated IM session.

13. The method as in claim 12, wherein when a negative response is received in step (c)(ii), further comprises the step of:

iii) flagging the selected said e-mail exchange; and

iv) returning to step (a).

14. A computer program product for real time communications over devices networked together in real-time communications system, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code stored thereon, said computer readable program code comprising:

computer program code means for monitoring e-mail exchanges, comprising incoming and outgoing e-mails, on one of a plurality of communications devices;

computer program code means for identifying e-mail threads when said e-mail activity has met a messaging threshold, wherein said messaging threshold is the occurrence of incoming and outgoing said e-mails exchanged between at least two common e-mail addresses over a selected period of time;

computer program code means for instant messaging (IM);

computer program code means for automatically providing a prompt to switch to an IM session on said one of said plurality of communications devices, said prompt being automatically provided in response to said e-mail exchange meeting said messaging threshold; and

computer program code means for initiating said IM session for said identified e-mail threads.

15. The computer program product for real time communications as in claim 14, wherein said computer program code means for identifying e-mail threads comprises:

computer program code means for receiving a response to said prompt, said IM session being initiated responsive to receiving said response.

16. The computer program product for real time communications as in claim 14, wherein said computer program code means for instant messaging comprises computer program code means for instant messaging in a plurality of IM protocols and said computer program code means for identifying e-mail threads comprises:

computer program code means for selecting one of said plurality of IM protocols and transferring the substance of an identified thread to an initiated said IM session.

17. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

a) monitor e-mail exchanges, comprising incoming and outgoing e-mails, on one of a plurality of communications devices;

b) identify e-mail conversation threads in monitored said e-mail exchanges when said e-mail exchanges meet a messaging threshold, wherein said messaging threshold is the occurrence of said incoming and outgoing e-mails exchanged between at least two common e-mail addresses over a selected period of time;

c) automatically provide a prompt to switch to instant messaging (IM) on said one of said plurality of communications devices, said prompt being automatically provided in response to said e-mail exchanges meeting said messaging threshold; and

d) selectively initiate an IM session for said e-mail conversation thread.

18. The computer-readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the step (d) of selectively initiating an IM session causes the processor to initiate said IM session in response to an affirmative response to said prompt.

19. The computer readable medium as in claim 18, wherein initiating said IM session causes the processor to transfer the substance of the selected said e-mail conversation thread to the initiated said IM session.

20. The computer-readable medium as in claim 18, wherein a negative response to said prompt causes the processor to flag the selected said e-mail conversation thread, and resetting said flag causes the processor to continue monitoring in step (a) and identifying e-mail conversation threads in step (b).