Product, method and system for managing multiple user IDS in instant messaging or email computer software applications

• US 7,792,912 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Burwell, Esther Marie, Bryant, Raquel Benita, Britton, Kathryn Heninger, Eaglin, Qiana Nicole
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean; Frantz B
• Application Number:
  US11/694,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20080244014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207, 379/88.22, 715/752
• US Class Current: 709/206
• 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]

Abstract

An invention is disclosed for enhancing communication with instant messaging (IM)/chat or email computer software applications by allowing a user to manage multiple user IDs by linking each different ID associated with that user thus allowing others to access that user regardless of the particular IM/chat or email system or account or session being accessed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving at a server a plurality of user IDs associated with a message recipient, each user ID associated with a different messaging account;

receiving at the server a first command from the message recipient to link a first user ID of the message recipient to at least a second user ID of the message recipient;

linking the first user ID to at least the second user ID in response to the received first command;

tracking idle time for each linked messaging account;

receiving a message from a message sender, the message being directed to the first user ID of the message recipient; and

sending the message to a user ID associated with one of the linked messaging accounts that exhibits a least idle time;

wherein the message recipient controls management of its own user IDs via the first command received at the server, such that the message sender only needs to know one of the user IDs of the message recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the message to the first user ID of the message recipient, where the message is sent to at least the first and second user IDs of the message recipient.

3. The method of claim 1, where the first user ID is associated with a first messaging account having a first message protocol, the second user ID is associated with a second messaging account having a second message protocol, and the message from the message sender is received by the server in the first message protocol, and further comprising transforming the message from the first message protocol to the second message protocol, where the message is sent to the second user ID in the second message protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at the server a second command from the message recipient to cause the server to block the message from being sent to a select one of the plurality of user IDs.

5. The method of claim 1 where, in the event the message as sent to the second user ID does not succeed, the method further comprises successively sending the message to other one'"'"'s of the plurality of user IDs until the message succeeds.

6. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium including a computer readable program, where the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

receive at the computer a plurality of user IDs associated with a message recipient, each user ID associated with a different messaging account;

receive at the computer a first command from the message recipient to link a first user ID of the message recipient to at least a second user ID of the message recipient;

link the first user ID to at least the second user ID in response to the received first command;

track idle time for each linked messaging account;

receive a message from a message sender, the message being directed to the first user ID of the message recipient; and

send the message to a user ID associated with one of the linked messaging accounts that exhibits a least idle time.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, where the computer readable program when executed on the computer further causes the computer to send the message to the first user ID of the message recipient, where the message is sent to at least the first and second user IDs of the message recipient.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, where the first user ID is associated with a first messaging account having a first message protocol, the second user ID is associated with a second messaging account having a second message protocol, and the message from the message sender is received by the computer in the first message protocol, and the computer readable program when executed on the computer further causes the computer to transform the message from the first message protocol to the second message protocol, where the message is sent to the second user ID in the second message protocol.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, where the computer readable program when executed on the computer further causes the computer to receive at the computer a second command from the message recipient to cause the computer to block the message from being sent to a select one of the plurality of user IDs.

10. The computer program product of claim 6 where, in the event the message as sent to the second user ID does not succeed, the computer readable program when executed on the computer further causes the computer to successively send the message to other one'"'"'s of the plurality of user IDs until the message succeeds.

11. A system, comprising:

an interface for sending and receiving information; and

a computer programmed to;

receive, via the interface, a plurality of user IDs associated with a message recipient, each user ID associated with a different messaging account;

receive, via the interface, a first command from the message recipient to link a first user ID of the message recipient to at least a second user ID of the message recipient;

link the first user ID to at least the second user ID in response to the received first command;

track idle time for each linked messaging account;

receive, via the interface, a message from a message sender, the message being directed to the first user ID of the message recipient; and

send, via the interface, the message to a user ID associated with one of the linked messaging accounts that exhibits a least idle time.

12. The system of claim 11, where the computer is further programmed to send, via the interface, the message to the first user ID of the message recipient, where the message is sent to at least the first and second user IDs of the message recipient.

13. The system of claim 11, where the first user ID is associated with a first messaging account having a first message protocol, the second user ID is associated with a second messaging account having a second message protocol, and the message from the message sender is received in the first message protocol, and where the computer is further programmed to transform the message from the first message protocol to the second message protocol, where the message is sent to the second user ID in the second message protocol.

14. The system of claim 11, where the computer is further programmed to receive, via the interface, a second command from the message recipient to cause the computer to block the message from being sent to a select one of the plurality of user IDs.

15. The system of claim 11 where, in the event the message as sent to the second user ID does not succeed, the computer is further programmed to successively send, via the interface, the message to other one'"'"'s of the plurality of user IDs until the message succeeds.