Tri-state presence indicator

• US 8,959,164 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2012
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2000
• 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: Appelman, Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): BAROT, BHARAT
• Application Number:
  US13/397,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20130054712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 709202-207, 709217-219, 715751-753, 715/758
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Systems and techniques for transferring electronic data between users of a communication system by delivering an e-mail message from a sender to at least one recipient and indicating the online state of at least one of the sender and any other recipient of the e-mail message upon opening of the e-mail message by the recipient.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving electronic data from a sender that is addressed to a plurality of intended recipients;

determining, using at least one processor, one or more attributes of the electronic data;

determining, using the one or more determined attributes, a present capability of each of the plurality of intended recipients to communicate with the sender using an alternate communication scheme; and

configuring, based on the one or more determined attributes and the present capability of the plurality of intended recipients to communicate with the sender using the alternate communication scheme, the alternate communication scheme between the sender and the at least one of the plurality of intended recipients having a present capability to communicate with the sender using the alternate communication scheme, the alternate communication scheme comprising an electronic messaging system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received electronic data comprises an email message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more determined attributes comprise one or more of an identification token, an author of the electronic data, the plurality of intended recipients of the electronic data, a subject of the electronic data, a timestamp of the electronic data, an attachment to the electronic data, and an embedded image in the electronic data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic messaging system comprises an instant messaging system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a presence state of each of the sender and the plurality of intended recipients that are determined to have the electronic messaging capability.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

sending an invitation to each of the sender and the plurality of intended recipients that do not have the electronic messaging capability to join the electronic messaging system.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising enabling each of the sender and the at least one of the plurality of intended recipients that have the electronic messaging capability to communicate with each other using the electronic messaging system.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying the presence state comprises indicating whether the sender or each of the plurality of intended recipients is online, offline, or not a member of the electronic messaging system.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, the instructions being executable by at least one processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving electronic data from a sender that is addressed to a plurality of intended recipients;

determining one or more attributes of the electronic data;

determining, using the one or more determined attributes, a present capability of each of the plurality of intended recipients to communicate with the sender using an alternate communication scheme; and

configuring, based on the one or more determined attributes and the present capability of the plurality of intended recipients to communicate with the sender using the alternate communication scheme, the alternate communication scheme between the sender and the at least one of the plurality of intended recipients having a present capability to communicate with the sender using the alternate communication scheme, the alternate communication scheme comprising an electronic messaging system.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the received electronic data comprises an email message.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the one or more determined attributes comprise one or more of an identification token, an author of the electronic data, the plurality of intended recipients of the electronic data, a subject of the electronic data, a timestamp of the electronic data, an attachment to the electronic data, and an embedded image in the electronic data.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the electronic messaging system comprises an instant messaging system.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, the instructions further comprising instructions executable by at least one processor to perform the following step:

identifying a presence state of each of the sender and the plurality of intended recipients that are determined to have the electronic messaging capability.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, the instructions further comprising instructions executable by at least one processor to perform the following step:

sending an invitation to each of the sender and the plurality of intended recipients that do not have the electronic messaging capability to join the electronic messaging system.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, the instructions further comprising instructions executable by at least one processor to perform the following step:

enabling each of the sender and the at least one of the plurality of intended recipients that have the electronic messaging capability to communicate with each other using the electronic messaging system.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein identifying the presence state comprises indicating whether the sender or each of the plurality of intended recipients is online, offline, or not a member of the electronic messaging system.

17. A communications apparatus comprising:

a storage medium that stores a set of instructions; and

at least one processor that executes the instructions to;

receive electronic data from a sender that is addressed to a plurality of intended recipients;

determine one or more attributes of the electronic data;

determine, using the one or more determined attributes, a present capability of each of the plurality of intended recipients to communicate with the sender using an alternate communication scheme; and

configure, based on the one or more determined attributes and the present capability of the plurality of intended recipients to communicate with the sender using the alternate communication scheme, the alternate communication scheme between the sender and the at least one of the plurality of intended recipients having a present capability to communicate with the sender using the alternate communication scheme, the alternate communication scheme comprising an electronic messaging system.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the received electronic data comprises an email message.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more determined attributes comprise one or more of an identification token, an author of the electronic data, the plurality of intended recipients of the electronic data, a subject of the electronic data, a timestamp of the electronic data, an attachment to the electronic data, and an embedded image in the electronic data.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the electronic messaging system comprises an instant messaging system.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the set of instructions further comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor to:

identify a presence state of each of the sender and the plurality of intended recipients that are determined to have the electronic messaging capability.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the set of instructions further comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor to:

send an invitation to each of the sender and the plurality of intended recipients that do not have the electronic messaging capability to join the electronic messaging system.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the set of instructions further comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor to:

enable each of the sender and the at least one of the plurality of intended recipients that have the electronic messaging capability to communicate with each other using the electronic messaging system.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the set of instructions further comprise instructions that are executable by the at least one processor to:

indicate whether the sender or each of the plurality of intended recipients is online, offline, or not a member of the electronic messaging system.