Method of providing instant messaging functionality within an email session

• US 8,041,770 B1
• Filed: 07/13/2006
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Schmidt, Mark Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHRISTENSEN, SCOTT B
• Application Number:
  US11/486,225
• Time in Patent Office: 1,923 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/0208 Subband vocoders
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/20 using sound class specific coding, hybrid encoders or object based coding

Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer program product for providing instant messaging functionality within an Email session is presented. An intended Email recipient is notified that an Email message is currently being written to them. The intended Email recipient is invited to view the Email message. The intended Email recipient is permitted to interact with the originator of the Email by way of an instant messaging session.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method in which a computer system performs operations providing instant messaging (IM) functionality within an electronic mail (Email) session, the method comprising:

notifying, by a computer system two or more intended Email recipients that an Email message is currently being written to them, the intended Email recipients being addressed in a “

To”

address field of the Email message;

inviting, by the computer system the two or more intended Email recipients to view the Email message that is currently being written;

displaying the Email message that is currently being written via a graphical user interface of a first recipient of the two or more intended Email recipients, the Email message being displayed with selectable buttons to initiate a chat session with an originator of the Email message;

in response to receiving input, via the graphical user interface of the first intended Email recipient, providing an IM session between the first Email recipient and the originator of the Email message;

receiving, via an IM interface of the first Email recipient comments that correspond to text in the Email message that is currently being written, the comments being received while the Email message is currently being written; and

sending the Email message to at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving, via the IM interface of the at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients, comprises said at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients sending a file to include as an attachment to the Email message that is currently being written.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving, via the IM interface of the at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients, comprises receiving, from said first Email recipient, a request to remove the first Email recipient from the Email address list.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via an IM interface of the Email originator, chat text entries to transmit to the at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients, the chat text entries being displayed within the text of the Email message currently being written; and

receiving, via an IM interface of the Email originator, edits to the chat text entries to include as part of the Email message currently being written.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, in response to receiving input via the IM interface of the Email originator, including the chat text entries as part of the Email message currently being written.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving input, via the IM interface of the Email originator, that accepts a request to add an attachment to the Email message currently being written.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying to said at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients whether a response to the Email message, that is currently being written, is being composed by another of said at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

in response to receiving chat text entries, via the IM interface of the at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients, transmitting the chat text entries to the another of the at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients, to comment on the Email with the text of the Email, to send a file to include as an attachment to the Email, to request removal from the Email address list, and to chat with said at least one other recipient of the two or more intended Email recipients as part of the Email message that is currently being written.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said notifying, said inviting and said interacting take place while said email is being currently written.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable code thereon providing instant messaging (IM) functionality within an electronic mail (Email) session, the medium including instructions in which a computer system performs operations comprising:

instructions for notifying two or more intended Email recipients that an Email message is currently being written to them, the intended Email recipients being addressed in a “

To”

address field of the Email message;

instructions for inviting the two or more intended Email recipients to view the Email message that is currently being written;

instructions for displaying the Email message that is currently being written via a graphical user interface of at least one of the intended Email recipients, the Email message being displayed with selectable buttons to initiate a chat session with an originator of the Email message;

instructions for providing an IM session between the at least one intended Email recipient and the originator of the Email message, in response to receiving input, via the graphical user interface of the at least one of the intended Email recipients;

receiving, via an IM interface of the at least one of the intended Email recipients, comments that correspond to text in the Email message that is currently being written, the comments being received while the Email message is currently being written; and

instructions for sending the Email message to at least one of the intended Email recipients.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions for determining whether a response to the Email message, that is currently being written, is being composed by another of said at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 further comprising:

instructions for, in response to receiving chat text entries, via the IM interface of the at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients, transmitting the chat text entries to the another of the at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients, to comment on the Email with the text of the Email, to send a file to include as an attachment to the Email, to request removal from the Email address list, and to chat with said at least one other recipient of the two or more intended Email recipients as part of the Email message that is currently being written.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, via an IM interface of the Email originator, chat text entries to transmit to the at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients, the chat text entries being displayed within the text of the Email message currently being written; and

receiving, via an IM interface of the Email originator, edits to the chat text entries to include as part of the Email message currently being written.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions for including, in response to receiving input via the IM interface of the Email originator, the chat text entries as part of the Email message currently being written.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein said instructions for receiving, via the IM interface of the at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients, comprises instructions for receiving, from said at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients, a request to remove the at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients from the Email address list.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein said instructions for receiving, via the IM interface of the at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients, comprises instructions for said at least one of the two or more intended Email recipients to send a file to include as an attachment to the Email message that is currently being written.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions for receiving input, via the IM interface of the Email originator, that accepts a request to add an attachment to the Email message currently being written.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein said notifying, said inviting and said interacting take place while said email is being currently written.

19. A computer-implemented method in which a computer system performs operations providing instant messaging (IM) functionality within an electronic mail (Email) session, the method comprising:

notifying two or more intended Email recipients that an Email message is currently being written to the two or more intended Email recipients, the two or more Email recipients being addressed in a “

To”

address field of the Email message;

receiving, via a graphical user interface, a selection from a first Email recipient of the two or more intended Email recipients to view the Email message that is currently being written to the two or more intended Email recipients;

displaying to the first Email recipient the Email message, that is currently being written, including displaying selectable section reply buttons adjacent to respective sections of the Email message;

in response to receiving a selection from the first Email recipient of a given section reply button, displaying to the first Email recipient, within an Instant Messaging session interface, the Email message that is currently being written along with an Instant Message text entry communication field, such that the Instant Message text entry communication field is displayed adjacent to displayed text from a section of the Email message that corresponds to the selected section reply button;

receiving an Instant Message text entry from the first Email recipient, the text entry corresponding to the displayed text from the selected section of the Email message that is currently being written;

transmitting the Instant Message text entry to a sender of the Email message that is currently being written; and

sending the Email message to at least one of the intended Email recipients.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving the Instant Message text entry at an Instant Messaging client of the sender of the Email message that is currently being written;

displaying the Instant Message text entry within an Instant Messaging session interface corresponding to the sender of the Email message that is currently being written along with the Email message that is currently being written; and

in response to receiving input from the sender of the Email message that is currently being written, including the Instant Message text in the mail message that is currently being written at the specific portion of displayed text within the Email being currently written.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, further comprising:

displaying, at an interface of the at least one of the two or more recipients of the Email message that is currently being written, that a response to the Email is being composed by another recipient of the two or more recipients of the Email message that is currently being written;

initiating a chat interface that connects the at least one recipient of the two or more recipients of the Email message with the another recipient of the two or more recipients of the Email message; and

exchanging chat communications between the at least one recipient of the two or more recipients of the Email message with the another recipient of the two or more recipients of the Email message, including transmitting a file that is included as an attachment to the Email, and receiving a request to remove the at least one recipient of the two or more recipients of the Email as a recipient of the Email.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving edits to the Instant Message text entry within the Instant Messaging session interface corresponding to the sender of the Email message that is currently being written; and

including the Instant Message text entry within the Email message that is currently being written as part of Email content.