Forwarding to automatically prioritized IM accounts based upon priority and presence

• US 8,140,633 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2010
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• 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, Larry G. Jr., Daigle, Brian K., Davis, Joel A., Friedman, Lee G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Application Number:
  US12/754,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20100191820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding

Abstract

Systems for forwarding incoming instant messages comprise a primary IM processing device configured to send and receive IM messages. The primary IM processing device is further configured to forward incoming IM messages to an available secondary IM processing devices based upon presence information and availability information on a plurality of secondary IM processing devices. A router is configured to route IM messages between the primary IM processing device and the secondary IM processing devices. An IM server is coupled to a communications network and is configured to send and receive presence information from the primary IM processing device and the secondary IM processing devices. The primary IM processing device is further configured to maintain presence information on the secondary IM processing devices including the secondary IM processing devices that were unavailable to receive a forwarded instant message. Other systems and methods are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for forwarding instant messages, comprising:

receiving, by a primary instant messaging processing client device, an incoming instant message from a sender'"'"'s instant messaging processing device;

detecting by the primary instant messaging processing client device a selection of forwarding of instant messages to at least one of a plurality of secondary instant messaging processing client devices; and

automatically forwarding, by the primary instant messaging processing client device, the incoming instant message received from the sender'"'"'s instant messaging processing device to a secondary instant messaging processing client device based upon a forwarding priority order and having a currently available presence to receive a forwarded instant message, wherein the secondary instant messaging processing client device is selected from the plurality of secondary instant messaging processing client devices,

wherein the forwarding priority order is determined prior to receiving the incoming instant message and is set by a recipient user of the primary instant messaging processing client device,

wherein the secondary instant messaging processing client is determined to have a currently available presence based on at least received confirmation that the secondary instant messaging processing client is presently connected to an instant messaging network and confirmation that a user of the secondary instant messaging processing client is currently available to receive an instant message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the forwarding priority order comprises a ranking order of priority in which to forward the instant message amongst the plurality of secondary instant messaging processing client devices.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a presence of each of the secondary instant messaging processing client devices.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining presence information for the secondary instant messaging processing client devices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the primary instant messaging processing client device, a notification from at least one instant messaging server of the status of each of the secondary instant messaging processing client devices.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

continuing to attempt to forward the instant message based upon the forwarding priority order until finding an available secondary instant messaging processing client device.

7. A primary instant messaging processing client device for forwarding instant messages, comprising:

a receiving component to receive instant messages;

a detecting component to detect a selection of forwarding of instant messages to at least one of a plurality of secondary instant messaging processing client devices; and

a forwarding component to forward the received instant messages to a secondary instant messaging processing client device by the primary instant messaging processing client device, wherein the secondary instant messaging processing client device is selected from the plurality of secondary instant messaging processing client devices,

wherein a forwarding priority order is determined prior to receiving the instant messages and is set by a recipient user of the primary instant messaging processing client device,

wherein the secondary instant messaging processing client device has a currently available presence state,

wherein the secondary instant messaging processing client is determined to have a currently available presence based on at least received confirmation that the secondary instant messaging processing client is presently connected to an instant messaging network and confirmation that a user of the secondary instant messaging processing client is currently available to receive an instant message.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the forwarding priority order comprises a ranking order of priority in which to forward the instant message amongst the plurality of secondary instant messaging processing client devices.

9. The device of claim 7, further comprising:

a detecting component to detect a presence of each of the secondary instant messaging processing client devices.

10. The device of claim 7, further comprising:

a maintaining component to maintain presence information for the secondary instant messaging processing client devices.

11. The device of claim 7, further comprising:

a receiving component to receive a notification from at least one instant messaging server of a status of each of the secondary instant messaging processing client devices.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein the forwarding component continues to attempt to forward the instant message based upon the forwarding priority order until finding an available secondary instant messaging processing client device.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer program for forwarding instant messages, the computer program when executed by a computer causes the computer to:

receive an incoming instant message from a sender'"'"'s instant messaging processing device;

detect a selection of forwarding of instant messages to at least one of a plurality of secondary instant messaging processing client devices; and

automatically forward the incoming instant message received from the sender'"'"'s instant messaging processing device to a secondary instant messaging processing client device based upon a forwarding priority order and having a currently available presence to receive a forwarded instant message,

wherein the forwarding priority order is determined prior to receiving the incoming instant message and is set by a recipient user of the primary instant messaging processing client device,

wherein the secondary instant messaging processing client is determined to have a currently available presence based on at least received confirmation that the secondary instant messaging processing client is presently connected to an instant messaging network and confirmation that a user of the secondary instant messaging processing client is currently available to receive an instant message.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the forwarding priority order comprises a ranking order of priority in which to forward the instant message amongst the plurality of secondary instant messaging processing client devices.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, the computer program further causing the computer to:

detect a presence of each of the secondary instant messaging processing client devices.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, the computer program further causing the program to:

continue to attempt to forward the instant message based upon the forwarding priority order until finding an available secondary instant messaging processing client device.