Presenting a recipient of an e-mail with an option to instant message a sender or another recipient based on the sender's or the other recipient's address and online status

• US 8,474,628 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2005
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Appelman, Barry, Lu, Larry L., Clemmons, Alisa, Weck, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B
• Application Number:
  US11/150,180
• Time in Patent Office: 2,941 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 209/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

Systems and techniques for transferring electronic data between users of a communications system include a host system structured and arranged to receive and deliver messages of various types between users of the communications system. The host system includes an instant messaging network; a mail gateway; and a configuring network in communication with both the instant messaging network and the mail gateway. The instant messaging network enables instant messaging communication between users of the communications system and has the capability to monitor whether a certain user is capable of receiving an instant message at a particular moment. The mail gateway receives and delivers e-mail messages to users of the communications system. The configuring network is dedicated to automatically configuring instant messaging communication between an intended recipient of an e-mail message and the sender of the e-mail message.

Claims

1. A communications method executing on hardware for initiating instant messaging communication, the method comprising:

receiving, on a computer and on behalf of a user, an e-mail message having at least one address field;

locating, within the address field of the received e-mail message, a sender address from which the e-mail message was sent;

in response to locating, within the address field of the received e-mail message, the sender address from which the e-mail message was sent, identifying an instant messaging subscriber based on the located sender address from which the e-mail message was sent;

in response to identifying the instant messaging subscriber, accessing a server to determine if the identified instant messaging subscriber is online; and

in response to determining that the instant messaging subscriber is online, presenting to the user an option to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein the instant messaging subscriber is identified by accessing a server.

3. The method as in claim 1 further comprising presenting to the user an icon in the e-mail message to indicate that the instant messaging subscriber is online in response to determining that the instant messaging subscriber is online.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

locating, within the address field of the received e-mail message, a sender address from which the e-mail message was sent includes locating, within the address field of the received e-mail message, a sender address from which the e-mail message was sent automatically and without additional user intervention in response to receiving the e-mail message;

identifying an instant messaging subscriber based on the located sender address from which the e-mail message was sent includes identifying an instant messaging subscriber based on the located sender address from which the e-mail message was sent automatically and without additional user intervention;

accessing a server to determine if the identified instant messaging subscriber is online includes accessing a server to determine if the identified instant messaging subscriber is online includes accessing a server to determine if the identified instant message subscriber is online automatically and without additional user intervention; and

presenting to the user an option to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber includes presenting to the user an option to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber automatically and without additional user intervention.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying, within a graphical user interface, the received e-mail message, wherein presenting to the user an option to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber includes displaying, within the graphical user interface, a control that is configured to enable the user to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber.

6. A communications method executing on hardware for initiating instant messaging communication, the method comprising:

receiving, on a computer and on behalf of a user, an e-mail message that has at least one address field and that is addressed to a first recipient address, the first recipient address corresponding to the user;

locating, within the address field of the received e-mail message, a second recipient address to which the e-mail message was sent;

in response to and based on locating, within the address field of the received e-mail message, the second recipient address, identifying an instant messaging subscriber based on the located second recipient address to which the e-mail message was sent;

in response to and based on identifying the instant messaging subscriber, accessing a server to determine if the instant messaging subscriber is online; and

in response to and based on determining that the instant messaging subscriber is online, presenting to the user an option to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber.

7. The method as in claim 6 wherein the instant messaging subscriber is identified by accessing a server.

8. The method as in claim 6 further comprising presenting to the user an icon in the e-mail message to indicate that the instant messaging subscriber is online in response to determining that the instant messaging subscriber is online.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein:

locating, within the address field of the received e-mail message, a second recipient address to which the e-mail message was sent includes locating, within the address field of the received e-mail message, a second recipient address to which the e-mail message was sent automatically and without additional user intervention in response to receiving the e-mail message;

identifying an instant messaging subscriber based on the located second recipient address to which the e-mail message was sent includes identifying an instant messaging subscriber based on the located second recipient address to which the e-mail message was sent automatically and without additional user intervention;

accessing a server to determine if the instant messaging subscriber is online includes accessing a server to determine if the instant message subscriber is online automatically and without additional user intervention; and

presenting to the user an option to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber includes presenting to the user an option to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber automatically and without additional user intervention.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising displaying, within a graphical user interface, the received e-mail message, wherein presenting to the user an option to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber includes, displaying, within the graphical user interface, a control that is configured to enable the user to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber.

11. A computer-readable hardware storage medium having embodied thereon a computer program including instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to:

receive, on behalf of a user, an e-mail message having at least one address field;

locate, within the address field of the received e-mail message, a sender address from which the e-mail message was sent;

in response to locating, within the address field of the received e-mail message, the sender address from which the e-mail message was sent, identify an instant messaging subscriber based on the located sender address from which the e-mail message was sent;

in response to identifying the instant messaging subscriber, access a server to determine if the identified instant messaging subscriber is online; and

in response to determining that the instant messaging subscriber is online, present to the user an option to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber.

12. The computer-readable hardware storage medium of claim 11 wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to identify the instant messaging subscriber include instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to identify the instant messaging subscriber by accessing a server.

13. The computer-readable hardware storage medium of claim 11 further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to present to the user an icon in the e-mail message to indicate that the instant messaging subscriber is online in response to determining that the instant messaging subscriber is online.

14. The computer-readable hardware storage medium of claim 11 wherein:

the instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to locate, within the address field of the received e-mail message, a sender address from which the e-mail message was sent include instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to locate, within the address field of the received e-mail message, a sender address from which the e-mail message was sent automatically and without additional user intervention in response to receiving the e-mail message;

the instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to identify an instant messaging subscriber based on the located sender address from which the e-mail message was sent include instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to identify an instant messaging subscriber based on the located sender address from which the e-mail message was sent automatically and without additional user intervention;

the instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to access a server to determine if the identified instant messaging subscriber is online include instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to access a server to determine if the identified instant messaging subscriber is online automatically and without additional user intervention; and

the instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to present to the user an option to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber include instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to present to the user an option to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber automatically and without additional user intervention.

15. A computer-readable hardware storage medium having embodied thereon a computer program including instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to:

receive, on behalf of a user, an e-mail message that has at least one address field and that is addressed to a first recipient address, the first recipient address corresponding to the user;

locate, within the address field of the received e-mail message, a second recipient address to which the e-mail message was sent;

in response to and based on locating, within the address field of the received e-mail message, the second recipient address, identify an instant messaging subscriber based on the located second recipient address to which the e-mail message was sent;

in response to and based on identifying the instant messaging subscriber, access a server to determine if the instant messaging subscriber is online; and

in response to and based on determining that the instant messaging subscriber is online, present to the user an option to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber.

16. The computer-readable hardware storage medium of claim 15 wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to identify the instant messaging subscriber include instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to identify the instant messaging subscriber by accessing a server.

17. The computer-readable hardware storage medium of claim 15 further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to present to the user an icon in the e-mail message to indicate that the instant messaging subscriber is online in response to determining that the instant messaging subscriber is online.

18. The computer-readable hardware storage medium of claim 15 wherein:

the instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to locate, within the address field of the received e-mail message, a second recipient address to which the e-mail message was sent include instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to locate, within the address field of the received e-mail message, a second recipient address to which the e-mail message was sent automatically and without additional user intervention in response to receiving the e-mail message;

the instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to identify an instant messaging subscriber based on the located second recipient address to which the e-mail message was sent include instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to identify an instant messaging subscriber based on the located second recipient address to which the e-mail message was sent automatically and without additional user intervention;

the instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to access a server to determine if the instant messaging subscriber is online include instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to access a server to determine if the instant messaging subscriber is online automatically and without additional user intervention; and

the instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to present to the user an option to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber include instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to present to the user an option to initiate instant messaging communication with the instant messaging subscriber automatically and without additional user intervention.