Body-less email for asynchronous chat-like communications and email-chat integration

• US 8,219,626 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2010
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Muller, Michael J., Weber, Sara Beth
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US12/715,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20100161749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-206, 709/246
• 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 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression

Abstract

A system and method integrate synchronous electronic (e.g., chat) communications with asynchronous electronic communications in the form of body-less electronic mail messages (emails). Body-less emails have a subject line but lack a message body capable of receiving message content. When converting a synchronous electronic communication into a body-less email, a processor places each text message of the synchronous electronic communication into the subject line of the body-less email. When converting a received body-less email into a synchronous electronic communication, the processor places each text message in the subject line of the body-less email into a chat format. A user can readily transition between asynchronous and synchronous communications.

Claims

1. A computer program product for communicating with a user of a processor-based device over a network, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to convert a synchronous electronic communication into a body-less electronic mail message having a subject line and lacking a message body capable of receiving message content; and

computer readable program code configured to place, in response to converting the synchronous electronic communication into a body-less electronic mail message, each text message of the synchronous communication into the subject line of the body-less electronic mail message.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising computer readable program code configured to convert, in response to a command from a user, a received body-less electronic mail message into a synchronous electronic communication and to initiate synchronous communications with a sender of the received body-less electronic mail message.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, further comprising computer readable program code configured to present an option to the user to choose between replying to the received body-less electronic mail message with an electronic mail message having a message body or with a body-less electronic mail message lacking a message body.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising computer readable program code configured to present an option to a user, in response to a command to generate a new electronic mail message, to choose between generating a body-less electronic mail message and generating an electronic mail message with a message body.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising computer readable program code configured to display a given body-less electronic mail message on a display screen as a line item in a mailbox view and an indicator with the line item to identify the line item as a body-less electronic mail message.

6. A computer program product for communicating with a user of a processor-based device over a network, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to convert a received synchronous electronic communication into a body-less electronic mail message having a subject line and lacking a message body capable of receiving message content,

computer readable program code configured to place each text message of the received synchronous electronic communication into the subject line of the body-less electronic mail message when converting the received synchronous electronic communication into the body-less electronic mail message; and

computer readable program code configured to convert a received body-less electronic mail message into a synchronous electronic communication.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, further comprising computer readable program code configured to present an option to a user to choose between replying to the received body-less electronic mail message with an electronic mail message having a message body or with a body-less electronic mail message lacking a message body.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, further comprising computer readable program code configured to present an option to a user, in response to a command to generate a new electronic mail message, to choose between generating a body-less electronic mail message and generating an electronic mail message with a message body.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, further comprising computer readable program code configured to display the received body-less electronic mail message on a display screen as a line item in a mailbox view and an indicator with the line item to identify the line item as a body-less electronic mail message.

10. A computing system comprising:

a processor executing computer readable program code configured to convert a synchronous electronic communication into a body-less electronic mail message having a subject line and lacking a message body capable of receiving message content,

the processor placing, in response to converting the synchronous electronic communication into the body-less electronic mail message, each text message of the synchronous communication into the subject line of the body-less electronic mail message.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor executes computer readable program code configured to convert, in response to a command from a user, a received body-less electronic mail message into a synchronous electronic communication.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor executes computer readable program code configured to present an option to a user to choose between replying to the received body-less electronic mail message with an electronic mail message having a message body or with a body-less electronic mail message lacking a message body.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor executes computer readable program code configured to initiate synchronous communications with a sender of the received body-less electronic mail message after converting the received body-less electronic mail message into a synchronous communication.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor executes computer readable program code configured to present an option to a user, in response to a command to generate a new electronic mail message, to choose between generating a body-less electronic mail message and generating an electronic mail message with a message body.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor executes computer readable program code configured to display a given body-less electronic mail message on a display screen as a line item in a mailbox view and an indicator with the line item to identify the line item as a body-less electronic mail message.

16. A method of communicating with a user of a processor-based device over a network, the method comprising:

converting a synchronous communication into a body-less electronic mail message having a subject line and lacking a message body capable of receiving message content; and

placing, in response to converting the synchronous communication, each text message of the synchronous communication into the subject line of the body-less electronic mail message.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising converting, in response to a command from the user, the body-less electronic mail message into a synchronous electronic communication.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising presenting an option to a user to choose between replying to a received body-less electronic mail message with an electronic mail message having a message body or with a body-less electronic mail message lacking a message body.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising presenting an option to a user, in response to a command to generate a new electronic mail message, to choose between generating a body-less electronic mail message and generating an electronic mail message with a message body.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying a given body-less electronic mail message on a display screen as a line item in a mailbox view and an indicator with the line item to identify the line item as a body-less electronic mail message.