E-mail protocol for instant message

• US 9,047,588 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SINOEAST CONCEPT LIMITED (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jaquinta, Joseph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAW, PETER C
• Application Number:
  US11/314,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20070143426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,450 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 709/206, 709/207, 707/1, 707/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Allowing a message, composed as an instant message, to be transmitted using an e-mail protocol and displayed at a recipient as an instant message or an e-mail is disclosed. In particular, on a message originator, one embodiment includes, composing a message as an instant message, and transmitting the message using an e-mail protocol. On a message recipient, one embodiment includes, receiving a message in an e-mail protocol, determining whether the message is to be displayed as an instant message, and in the case that the message is to be displayed as an instant message, displaying the message as an instant message at the recipient, otherwise displaying the message as an e-mail at the recipient. Functionality of the originator and recipient sides can be combined into a single client.

Claims

1. A method for communicating a message, the method comprising:

composing a message as an instant message using an instant message client, the composing including adding an additional field in a thread of the message included in a header of the message, the additional field including a unique instant messaging (IM) identifier, wherein the unique IM identifier indicates that the message is an instant message, was composed using the instant message client, and is to be displayed as an instant message at a recipient; and

transmitting the message using an e-mail protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting includes transmitting the message through at least one e-mail system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the email protocol is a simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP).

4. A method for receiving and displaying a message, the method comprising:

receiving, at a recipient, a message in an e-mail protocol;

determining whether the message is to be displayed as an instant message, the message being displayed as an instant message in the case that a thread of the message in a header includes a previously added field including a unique instant messaging (IM) identifier indicating that the message is an instant message and was composed using an instant message client; and

in the case that the message is to be displayed as an instant message, displaying the message as an instant message at the recipient, otherwise displaying the message as an e-mail at the recipient.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining step further includes in the case that the thread of the message does not include the previously added field including a unique instant messaging (IM) identifier, further determining that the message is to be displayed as an instant message in the case that the message includes an active instant messaging (IM) characteristic of an existing instant message in an existing instant message interface at the recipient.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the active IM characteristic includes at least one of the following:

substantially matching subject line content between the message and the existing instant message and at least one matching recipient between the message and the existing instant message.

7. A program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which when executed, communicates a message, the program product comprising:

program code for composing a message as an instant message using an instant message client, the program code for composing including program code for adding an additional field in a thread of the message included in a header of the message, the additional field including a unique instant messaging (IM) identifier, wherein the unique IM identifier indicates that the message is an instant message, was composed using the instant message client, and is to be displayed as an instant message at a recipient; and

program code for transmitting the message using an e-mail protocol.

8. The program product of claim 7, wherein the email protocol is a simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP).

9. The program product of claim 8, wherein the unique instant messaging (IM) identifier field is added to an SMTP field.

10. A program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which when executed, receives and displays a message, the program product comprising:

program code for receiving, at a recipient, the message in an e-mail protocol;

program code for determining whether the message is to be displayed as an instant message, the message being displayed as an instant message in the case that a thread of the message in a header includes a previously added field including a unique instant messaging (IM) identifier indicating that the message is an instant message and was composed using an instant message client; and

program code for displaying the message as an instant message in the case that the message is determined to be displayed as an instant message, otherwise displaying the message as an e-mail at the recipient.

11. The program product of claim 10, wherein the determining program code, in the case that the thread of the message does not include the previously added field including a unique instant messaging (IM) identifier, further determines that the message is to be displayed as an instant message in the case that the message includes an active instant message (IM) characteristic of an existing instant message in an existing instant message interface at the recipient.

12. The program product of claim 11, wherein the active IM characteristic includes at least one of the following:

substantially matching subject line content between the message and the existing instant message and at least one matching recipient between the message and the existing instant message.

13. The program product of claim 10, wherein the email protocol is a simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP).

14. The program product of claim 13, wherein the unique instant messaging (IM) identifier field is added to an SMTP field.

15. A system for communicating a message, the system comprising:

at least one computing device including;

a composer for composing a transmit message as an instant message;

a transmitter for transmitting the transmit message in an e-mail protocol;

a receiver for receiving a received message in the e-mail protocol;

a determinator for determining whether the received message received by the receiver is to be displayed as an instant message, wherein the determinator determines that the message is to be displayed as an instant message in the case that a thread of the message in a header includes a previously added field including a unique instant messaging (IM) identifier indicating that the message is an instant message, was composed using an instant message client, and is to be displayed as an instant message at a recipient; and

a displayer for displaying the message as an instant message in the case that the message is determined to be displayed as an instant message, otherwise displaying the message as an e-mail.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the determinator, in the case that the thread of the message does not include the previously added field including a unique instant messaging (IM) identifier, further determines that the message is to be displayed as an instant message in the case that the message includes an active instant message (IM) characteristic of an existing instant message in an existing instant message interface at the recipient.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the active IM characteristic includes at least one of the following:

substantially matching subject line content between the message and the existing instant message and at least one matching recipient between the message and the existing instant message.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the email protocol is a simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP).

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the unique instant messaging (IM) identifier field is added to an SMTP field.