Enabling electronic logging through an instant message system

• US 8,244,815 B1
• Filed: 07/06/2009
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Panzer, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Taha, Shaq
• Application Number:
  US12/498,205
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Enabling electronic logging using an instant message system includes identifying an interactive agent to an instant message (IM) host system under a first screen name, receiving multiple IMs addressed to the first screen name, the IMs being received from multiple users identifiable to the IM host system, and for each of at least some received, IMs addressed to the first screen name determining which one of the multiple users sent the IM, identifying a web log associated with the user who sent the IM, and adding the contents of the IM to the identified web log.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing, using an electronic data storage system, information recording relationships between each of multiple web sites and corresponding instant messaging addresses, each web site corresponding to at least one instant messaging address;

receiving an instant message;

receiving an indication of an instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent;

determining that the received instant message includes;

a command, in the instant message, to add content; and

content to be added to a web site, the content including at least textual content in the received instant message;

comparing the indication of the instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent to the stored information;

based on results of comparing the indication of the instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent to the stored information, identifying, from among the multiple web sites, a particular web site that the stored information indicates corresponds to the instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent; and

as a consequence of both determining that the received instant message includes a command to add content and content to be added to a web site and identifying the particular web site that the stored information indicates corresponds to the instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent, adding the content to be added to the particular web site.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein adding the content to be added to the particular web site includes:

reformatting the content to be added to the particular web site before adding the content to the particular web site; and

adding the reformatted content to the particular web site.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein reformatting the content to be added to the particular web site includes time stamping the content to be added to the particular web site.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

receiving an indication of an instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent includes receiving an instant messaging identifier corresponding to an instant messaging account from which the received instant message was sent;

comparing the indication of the instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent to the stored information includes comparing the instant messaging identifier to the stored information; and

identifying, from among the multiple web sites, a particular web site that the stored information indicates corresponds to the instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent includes identifying, from among the multiple web sites, a particular web site that the stored information indicates corresponds to the instant messaging identifier.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying, from among the multiple web sites, a particular web site that the stored information indicates corresponds to the instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent includes:

identifying, from among the multiple web sites, two or more web sites that the stored information indicates corresponds to the instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent;

sending a reply instant message to the instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent soliciting selection of one of the two or more web sites as a web site to which the content is to be added; and

receiving another instant message that is responsive to the reply instant message and that selects the particular web site as the web site to which the content is to be added.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising, after adding the content to the particular web site, sending a reply instant message to the instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent confirming that the content was added to the particular web site.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, from the instant messaging source address, a new instant message that includes an indication that the new instant message includes additional content that is to be appended to the content that was added to the particular web site;

receiving an indication that the new instant message was sent from the instant messaging source address;

determining that the received instant message includes additional content to be appended to the content that was added to the particular web site;

comparing the indication that the new instant message was sent from the instant messaging source address to the stored information;

based on results of comparing the indication that the new instant message was sent from the instant messaging source address to the stored information, identifying, from among the multiple web sites, the particular web site as corresponding to the instant messaging source address; and

as a consequence of both determining that the received instant message includes content to be appended to the content that was added to the particular web site and identifying the particular web site as corresponding to the instant messaging source address, updating the particular web site by appending the additional content to the content that was added to the particular web site.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a spelling error in the textual content before adding the textual content to the particular web site;

correcting the spelling error in the textual content before adding the textual content to the particular web site;

wherein adding the content to the particular web site includes adding the textual content with the corrected spelling error to the particular web site.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the content to be added to the particular web site includes a picture such that:

receiving an instant message includes receiving an instant message that includes the picture; and

adding the content to be added to the particular web site includes adding the picture to the particular web site.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the content to be added to the particular web site includes audio content such that:

receiving an instant message includes receiving an instant message that includes the audio content; and

adding the content to be added to the particular web site include adding the audio content to the particular web site.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the content to be added to the particular web site includes video content such that:

receiving an instant message includes receiving an instant message that includes the video content; and

adding the content to be added to the particular web site includes adding the video content to the particular web site.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, from the instant messaging source address, a new instant message that includes a command to delete material from the particular web site;

receiving an indication that the new instant message was sent from the instant message source address;

determining that the received instant message includes an instruction a command to delete material;

comparing the indication that the new instant message was sent from the instant messaging source address to the stored information;

based on results of comparing the indication that the new instant message was sent from the instant messaging source address to the stored information, identifying, from among the multiple web sites, the particular web site as corresponding to the instant messaging source address; and

as a consequence of both determining that the received instant message includes a command to delete material and identifying the particular web site as corresponding to the instant messaging source address, deleting the material from the particular web site.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving an instant message includes receiving an instant message addressed to an on-line identifier that corresponds to a software application for automatically receiving and responding to instant messages.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a new instant message;

receiving an indication of another instant messaging source address from which the new instant message was sent, the other instant messaging source address being different from the instant messaging source address;

determining that the new instant message includes new content to be added to a web site;

comparing the indication of the other instant messaging source address from which the new instant message was sent to the stored information;

based on results of comparing the indication of the other instant messaging source address from which the new instant message was sent to the stored information, identifying, from among the multiple web sites, another web site that the stored information indicates corresponds to the other instant messaging source address from which the new instant message was sent; and

as a consequence of both determining that the new instant message includes new content to be added to a web site and identifying the other web site that the stored information indicates corresponds to the other instant messaging source address from which the new instant message was sent, adding the new content to be added to the other web site.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a at least one processor to:

store, using an electronic data storage system, information recording relationships between each of multiple web sites and corresponding instant messaging addresses, each web site corresponding to at least one instant messaging address;

receive an instant message;

receive an indication of an instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent;

determine that the received instant message includes;

a command, in the received instant message, to add content; and

content to be added to a web site, the content including at least textual content in the received instant message;

compare the indication of the instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent to the stored information;

based on results of comparing the indication of the instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent to the stored information, identify, from among the multiple web sites, a particular web site that the stored information indicates corresponds to the instant messaging source from which the received instant message was sent; and

as a consequence of determining that the received instant message includes a command to add content and content to be added to a web site and identifying the particular web site that the stored information indicates corresponds to the instant messaging source address from which the received instant message was sent, add the content to be added to the particular web site.

16. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing, using an electronic data storage system, information recording relationships between each of multiple web sites and corresponding electronic messaging addresses, each web site corresponding to at least one electronic messaging address;

receiving an electronic message;

receiving an indication of an electronic messaging source address from which the received electronic message was sent;

determining that the received electronic message includes;

a command, in the received electronic message, to add content; and

content to be added to a web site, the content including at least textual content in the received instant message;

comparing the indication of the electronic messaging source address from which the received electronic message was sent to the stored information;

based on results of comparing the indication of the electronic messaging source address from which the received electronic message was sent to the stored information, identifying, from among the multiple web sites, a particular web site that the stored information indicates corresponds to the electronic messaging source address from which the received electronic message was sent; and

as a consequence of both determining that the received electronic message includes content to be added to a web site and identifying the particular web site that the stored information indicates corresponds to the electronic messaging source address from which the received electronic message was sent, adding the content to be added to the particular web site.

17. The method of independent claim 16 wherein receiving an electronic message includes receiving an electronic message sent from a mobile telephone.

18. The method of independent claim 16 wherein receiving an electronic message sent from a mobile telephone includes receiving an instant message sent from a mobile telephone.

19. The method of independent claim 16 further comprising:

receiving a new electronic message;

receiving an indication of another electronic messaging source address from which the new electronic message was sent;

determining that the new electronic message includes new content to be added to a web site;

comparing the indication of the other electronic messaging source address from which the new electronic message was sent to the stored information;

based on results of comparing the indication of the other electronic messaging source address from which the received electronic message was sent to the stored information, identifying, from among the multiple web sites, another web site that the stored information indicates corresponds to the other electronic messaging source address from which the new electronic message was sent; and

as a consequence of both determining that the new electronic message includes content to be added to a web site and identifying the other web site that the stored information indicates corresponds to the other electronic messaging source address from which the new electronic message was sent, adding the new content to be added to the other web site.

20. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing, using a data storage system, information concerning a plurality of web pages and a plurality of user identities;

receiving an electronic message;

determining a user identity associated with the received electronic message;

identifying a command, included in the received electronic message, to add content;

based on the command, identifying textual content included in the received electronic message to be added to at least one web page;

comparing the user identity associated with the received electronic message to the stored information to identify, from among the plurality of web pages, a particular web page associated with the user identity; and

adding the identified textual content to the identified web page as a web log entry on the web page.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein adding the identified content includes:

reformatting the identified content before adding the identified content to the identified webpage; and

adding the reformatted content to the identified web page.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein reformatting the identified content includes time stamping the identified content.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the user identity includes at least one of an e-mail address, a username, or a screen name.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the electronic message includes an instant message.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the content to be added to the web page includes at least one of textual content, audio content, image content, or video content.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising sending an electronic message to one or more additional user identities announcing the addition of the content to the identified web page.