Redirection of a message to an alternate address

• US 8,370,756 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2008
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Atlassian US, Inc. (Atlassian Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale W., Koch, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHUONG, TRUC T
• Application Number:
  US12/115,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20080209347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• Field of Search: 715/753, 715/758, 715/736, 715/751, 715/853, 709/224, 709/223
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• 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 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• 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

Abstract

Presence information of a first user in a messaging system, such as an instant messaging system, is relayed to a second user. A first communications client of a first user detects a change in the presence status of a first user and sends an alert message to a second communications client of a second user. Moreover, systems and methods are provided for sending the alert message to an alternate address, including alternate instant messaging (IM) addresses, e-mail address, or telephone numbers, in the event that the intended recipient of the alert message is not accessible at his or her original IM address.

Claims

1. A method for re-sending a message, originally intended for receipt at an instant messaging client of a messaging user, to at least one alternate address, comprising:

waiting for acknowledgement of receipt of an instant message by the instant messaging client of the messaging user; and

in the absence of an acknowledged receipt of the instant message, automatically re-sending, from an instant messaging client of a sender that initially sent the instant message, content of the instant message to the messaging user at at least one alternate address for the second messaging user, wherein receipt of the instant message by the messaging user is determined responsive to a graphical window of the instant messaging client of the messaging user displaying the instant message, detecting an operation of the messaging user bringing the graphical window into focus, wherein the instant messaging client of the messaging user is further configured to receive instant messages from other users, the instant messaging client of the messaging user configured to present the messaging user an option of responding to a received instant message and wherein the instant messaging client of the messaging user is configured to play or display contents of the instant message without opening a chat window.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein automatically re-sending content of the instant message is in response to a timeout in waiting for a message receipt acknowledgement.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein automatically re-sending content of the instant message includes a determination of at least one alternate address for the messaging user by the instant messaging client that initially sent the instant message.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the alternate address is an instant messaging address.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the alternate address is an e-mail address.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the alternate address is a telephone number.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising at least one of an electronic medium and a magnetic medium, having stored thereon data and instructions, which when executed, perform:

waiting for acknowledgement of receipt of an instant message by an instant messaging client of a messaging user; and

in the absence of an acknowledged receipt of the instant message, automatically re-sending, from an instant messaging client of a sender that initially sent the instant message, content of the instant message to the messaging user at at least one alternate address for the messaging user, wherein receipt of the instant message by the messaging user is determined responsive to a graphical window of the instant messaging client of the messaging user displaying the instant message, detecting an operation of the messaging user bringing the graphical window into focus, wherein the instant messaging client of the messaging user is further configured to receive instant messages from other users, the instant messaging client of the messaging user configured to present the messaging user an option of responding to a received instant message and wherein the instant messaging client of the messaging user is configured to play or display contents of the instant message without opening a chat window.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein re-sending content of the instant message is in response to a timeout in waiting for a message receipt acknowledgement.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein re-sending content of the instant message includes a determination of alternate address(es) for the messaging user by the instant messaging client that initially sent the instant message.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the alternate address is an instant messaging address.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the alternate address is an e-mail address.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the alternate address is a telephone number.

13. A system for re-sending an instant message, originally intended for receipt at an instant messaging client, to at least one alternate address, comprising:

a computer hardware processor;

a first messaging client configured to display the instant message within a graphical window of the instant messaging client, the instant messaging client further configured to detect an event associated with the graphical window indicative of receipt of the instant message, the event comprising bringing the graphical window into focus by a user of the instant messaging client, the instant messaging client further configured to send an acknowledgement of receipt of the instant message to a sender of the instant message if the event is detected; and

a gateway, wherein in the absence of an acknowledged receipt of the instant message from the instant messaging client, the gateway receives identification of at least one alternate address from a second messaging client that initially sent the instant message and the gateway then re-sends content of the instant message to the user at the at least one alternate address, wherein the instant messaging client is configured to play or display contents of the instant message without opening a chat window.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the gateway is a telephony network gateway capable of receiving a message and a destination telephone number and initiating a telephone call to the destination number.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the telephony network gateway is capable of delivering the message via text-to-speech technology.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the gateway is an e-mail gateway capable of receiving a message and a destination e-mail address and sending an e-mail containing the message to the destination e-mail address.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein alternate addresses for the user are stored locally with the second messaging client.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein alternate addresses for the user are accessed over a data network.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the messaging clients communicates via a wireline network.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the messaging clients communicates via a wireless network.