Instant messaging system and method

• US 8,190,181 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2009
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencent Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Tencent Holdings Limited
• Inventors: Wu, Xiaoguang, Chen, Yang, Huang, Yejun, Ma, Huateng, Zeng, Liqing
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B
• Application Number:
  US12/401,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20090191905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/466, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/518, 370/912, 370/913
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for processing an instant message from a source wireless communication device to a destination device are described herein. In one aspect of the invention, an exemplary method includes receiving the instant message from the source wireless communication device, the instant message having a source wireless communication identifier, a destination instant messenger identifier, and data contents; extracting the source wireless communication identifier, the destination instant messenger identifier and the data contents from the instant message; retrieving a source instant messenger identifier corresponding to the source wireless communication identifier; binding the source instant messenger identifier with the source wireless communication identifier; and transmitting the data contents with the source instant messenger identifier to the destination device over a communication network, based on the destination instant messenger identifier. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.

Claims

1. A method of processing an instant message between a source wireless communication device and a destination device, in a network-based system, the method including:

receiving the instant message from the source wireless communication device, the instant message having a source wireless communication identifier, a destination instant messenger identifier, and data contents;

extracting the source wireless communication identifier, the destination instant messenger identifier, and the data contents from the instant message;

identifying a source instant messenger identifier associated with the source wireless communication identifier; and

transmitting the data contents with the source instant messenger identifier to the destination device over a communication network, based on the destination instant messenger identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the source wireless communication device is a cellular phone and wherein the source wireless communication identifier is a cellular phone number corresponding to the cellular phone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the source wireless communication device is a personal digital assistant (PDA).

4. The method of claim 1, further including:

examining the source wireless communication identifier to determine whether the source instant messenger identifier corresponding to the source wireless communication identifier exists;

generating the source instant messenger identifier corresponding to the source wireless communication identifier, if the source instant messenger identifier does not exist; and

storing the source instant messenger identifier in a database, wherein the source instant messenger identifier is associated with the source wireless communication identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, further including:

examining the destination instant messenger identifier to determine whether the destination device is a destination wireless communication device;

retrieving a destination wireless communication identifier corresponding to the destination instant messenger identifier; and

transmitting the data contents with the source instant messenger identifier to the destination device, based on the destination wireless communication identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, further including accessing a database to identify the source instant messenger identifier corresponding to the source wireless communication identifier.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the database is any one of a cross-reference relational database and a look-up table, wherein each instant messenger identifier is associated with a corresponding wireless communication identifier within the database.

8. The method of claim 5, further including accessing a database to retrieve the destination wireless communication identifier corresponding to the destination instant messenger identifier.

9. The method of claim 5, including determining whether the destination wireless communication identifier corresponding to the destination instant messenger identifier exists.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination device is a personal computer (PC), and wherein the communication network is an Internet.

11. The method of claim 1, further including:

displaying the data contents on the destination device;

displaying a presence indicator associated with the source instant messenger identifier on the destination device, the presence indicator indicating that the source wireless communication device is online; and

returning a status message to the source wireless communication device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the presence indicator comprises an icon, wherein the icon is customized by a user corresponding to the source instant messenger identifier.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the icon is an animated icon, wherein the animated icon performs a sequence of animated actions when the instant message arrives.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the presence indicator comprises a logo image representing an enterprise organization.

15. The method of claim 1, further including:

displaying a status of the source wireless communication device on the destination device; and

displaying a status of the destination device on the source wireless communication device, wherein the status of the destination device comprises a presence indicator indicating whether the destination device is online.

16. The method of claim 1, further including:

translating the data contents with the source instant messenger identifier into hypertext markup language (HTML) compatible data; and

transmitting the HTML compatible data to a browser executed by the destination device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the browser is to display multiple Web pages within a same instance of a browser window.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the browser allows multiple users visiting a same Web page to communicate with each other.