Forwarding IM messages to E-mail

• US 7,689,657 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2006
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Daniell, W. Todd, Kent, Jr., Larry G., Davis, Joel A., Daigle, Brian K., Friedman, Lee G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Osman, Ramy M
• Application Number:
  US11/476,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20060248157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-207, 455/466
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

Systems for forwarding an E-mail message to a user when instant messages from a sender cannot be forwarded to a secondary IM processing device comprise a primary IM processing device configured to send and receive E-mail messages and a router configured to route E-mail messages between the primary IM processing device and a sender'"'"'s processing device. An E-mail user agent is coupled to the router and configured to provide access to E-mail information including an address of the sender such that an E-mail message can be sent to the sender'"'"'s processing device. The router is further configured to receive notification at the primary IM processing device of a reply from the sender'"'"'s processing device. Other systems and methods are also provided.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program for forwarding an E-mail message from a sender to a recipient when attempts to forward an instant message (IM) from the sender are unsuccessful, comprising:

logic configured to receive an IM from the sender on a primary IM processing device of the recipient;

logic configured to attempt to forward the IM received on the primary IM processing device from the sender, wherein the IM is attempted to being forwarded from the primary IM processing device to a secondary IM processing device of the recipient;

logic configured to receive notification at the primary IM processing device that the attempt to forward the IM was unsuccessful;

logic configured to, in response to the unsuccessful IM attempt to forward the IM to the secondary IM processing device, query the sender of the IM as to whether the sender wishes to send the recipient of the IM an E-mail message including the text of the IM;

logic configured to include the text of the IM in an E-mail message to be forwarded to the recipient; and

logic configured to send the E-mail message to the recipient when the sender affirmatively replies to the query.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising logic configured to detect a selection by the sender requesting to send the recipient an E-mail message.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, further comprising logic configured to access information on E-mail accounts for the recipient.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, further comprising logic configured to receive an event notification at the primary IM processing device from an E-mail server coupled to an E-mail processing device of the sender.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising logic configured to determine that the secondary IM processing device is unavailable when a reply message is not received at the primary IM processing device within a designated time period.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising logic configured to access an address book database to select an address for sending the E-mail message to a processing device of the recipient.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein during forwarding of the IM from the primary IM processing device of the recipient to the secondary IM processing device of the recipient, the IM processing device serves as a bridge from one chat session between the sender and the recipient on the IM primary processing device to another chat session between the IM primary processing device and the secondary IM processing device of the recipient.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein a user address of the primary IM processing device is replaced by a user address of the secondary IM processing device in an IM message returned to the sender from the primary IM processing device when acting as the bridge.

9. A method for forwarding an E-mail message from a sender to a recipient when attempts to forward an instant message (IM) from the sender are unsuccessful, comprising:

receiving an IM from the sender on a primary IM processing device of the recipient;

attempting to forward the IM from the sender, the IM received by the primary IM processing device of the recipient and attempted to being forwarded from the primary IM processing device to the recipient having a secondary IM processing device;

receiving notification at the primary IM processing device that the attempt to forward the IM was unsuccessful;

in response to the unsuccessful IM attempt to forward the IM, querying the sender of the IM as to whether the sender wishes to send the recipient of the IM an E-mail message including the text of the IM;

including the text of the IM in an E-mail message to be forwarded to the recipient; and

sending the E-mail message to the recipient when the sender affirmatively replies to the query.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising detecting a selection by the sender requesting to send the recipient an E-mail message.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising accessing information on E-mail accounts for the recipient.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving an event notification at the primary IM processing device from an E-mail server coupled to an E-mail processing device of the sender.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining that the secondary IM processing device is unavailable when a reply message is not received at the primary IM processing device within a designated time period.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising accessing an address book database to select an address for sending the E-mail message to a processing device of the recipient.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein during forwarding of the IM from the primary IM processing device of the recipient to the secondary IM processing device of the recipient, the IM processing device serves as a bridge from one chat session between the sender and the recipient on the IM primary processing device to another chat session between the IM primary processing device and the secondary IM processing device of the recipient.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a user address of the primary IM processing device is replaced by a user address of the secondary IM processing device in an IM message returned to the sender from the primary IM processing device when acting as the bridge.