Automatically enabling the forwarding of instant messages

• US 9,560,495 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2015
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Appelman, Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): WASEL, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US14/746,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20150373515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

Instant messages may be automatically forwarded. A computing device may receive an electronic message and an indication of a sender-specified destination for the electronic message. The computing device may determine whether the destination is available to receive an electronic message using a first mode of communication. The computing device may determine whether a mobile telephone number is associated with the destination. The computing device may transmit a communication to the mobile telephone number based on the electronic message in response to determining that the destination is unavailable and that the mobile telephone number is associated with the destination.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an electronic message comprising an instant message;

receiving a sender-specified destination for the electronic message from a user, wherein the destination comprises an instant message identity;

obtaining first information indicating whether the destination is unavailable to receive the electronic message using a first mode of communication;

obtaining second information indicating whether the instant message identity is associated with the user based on one or more previous communications between the instant message identity and the user and based on one or more previous actions provided via user input, wherein the one or more previous actions were applied to one or more previous messages sent to or received from the instant message identity in the one or more previous communications;

obtaining third information indicating whether a communication address is associated with the destination, wherein the communication address uses a second mode of communication different than the first mode of communication; and

transmitting a communication based on the electronic message using the communication address and the second mode of communication in response to the first information indicating that the destination is unavailable, the second information indicating that the instant message identity is associated with the user, and the third information indicating that the communication address is associated with the destination.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more previous actions include at least one of:

displaying, replying to, forwarding, saving, and printing the one or more previous messages.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more previous actions include moving one or more storage locations of the one or more previous messages.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein moving the one or more storage locations of the one or more previous messages includes moving the one or more previous messages from an inbox storage location to a folder that is not associated with deletion or for spam messages.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more previous actions include opening the one or more previous messages and causing the one or more previous messages to be displayed on a device for more than a threshold amount of time.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more previous actions indicate that the instant message identity is not associated with the user, wherein the one or more previous actions include moving, based on the user input, the one or more previous messages from an inbox storage location to a folder that is associated with deletion or spam messages.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a confirmation from the user that the instant message identity is associated with the user.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the second mode of communication includes one of:

a mobile telephone number associated with a mobile phone of the instant message identity; and

an email address associated with the instant message identity.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving input from the user indicating that a subset of instant message identities stored in a contact list of the user are to be considered eligible for the second mode of communication during their unavailability to receive messages in the first mode of communication, wherein the instant message identities outside the subset are considered not eligible for the second mode of communication during their unavailability to receive messages in the first mode of communication.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining information indicating whether the instant message identity is associated with the user based on the instant message identity being in one or more contact lists of one or more other identities present in a contact list of the user.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including program instructions for performing, when executed by a processor, operations comprising:

receiving an electronic message comprising an instant message;

receiving a sender-specified destination for the electronic message from a user, wherein the destination comprises a sender-specified identity;

obtaining information indicating that the destination is not available to receive the electronic message using an instant message address;

obtaining information indicating that the sender-specified identity is included in instant message identities stored in a contact list of the user;

obtaining information indicating that the sender-specified identity is associated with the user based on one or more previous actions provided via user input, wherein the one or more previous actions are related to one or more previous messages sent to or received from the sender-specified identity,

wherein the one or more previous actions include at least one of;

sending the one or more previous messages, displaying the one or more previous messages, replying to the one or more previous messages, forwarding the one or more previous messages, saving the one or more previous messages, moving one or more storage locations of the one or more previous messages, and printing the one or more previous messages;

obtaining information indicating that a different communication address is associated with the destination, the different communication address being different than the instant message address; and

transmitting a communication based on the electronic message using the different communication address in response to the information indicating that the destination is not available, the information indicating that the sender-specified identity is associated with the user, and the information indicating that the different communication address is associated with the destination.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the different communication address is a mobile telephone number associated with a mobile phone of the sender-specified identity.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the different communication address is an email address associated with the sender-specified identity.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the one or more previous actions include opening the one or more previous messages to cause content of the one or more previous messages to be displayed for more than a threshold amount of time.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the program instructions perform, when executed by a processor, further operations comprising:

obtaining information indicating whether the sender-specified identity is associated with the user based on the sender-specified identity being in one or more contact lists of one or more other identities present in the contact list of the user.

16. An apparatus for communicating electronic messages, the apparatus comprising:

a storage device that stores a set of instructions; and

at least one processor that executes the set of instructions, the execution of the set of instructions causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving an electronic message comprising an instant message;

receiving a sender-specified destination for the electronic message from a user, wherein the destination comprises an instant message identity;

obtaining first information indicating whether the destination is available to receive the electronic message using a first mode of communication;

obtaining second information indicating whether the instant message identity is associated with the user based on one or more previous actions based on user input related to one or more previous messages sent to or received from the instant message identity,

wherein the one or more previous actions include at least one of;

displaying the one or more previous messages, replying to the one or more previous messages, forwarding the one or more previous messages, saving the one or more previous messages, printing the one or more previous messages, moving a storage location of the one or more previous messages, and opening the one or more previous messages to cause content of the one or more previous messages to be displayed for more than a threshold amount of time;

obtaining third information indicating whether a communication address is associated with the destination, wherein the communication address uses a second mode of communication different than the first mode of communication; and

determining to transmit a communication based on the electronic message using the communication address and the second mode of communication in response to the first information indicating that the destination is unavailable, the second information indicating that the instant message identity is associated with the user, and the third information indicating that the communication address is associated with the destination.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the one or more previous actions indicate that the instant message identity is not associated with the user, wherein the one or more previous actions include moving, based on the user input, the one or more previous messages from an inbox storage location to a folder that is associated with deletion or spam messages.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the one or more previous actions include sending the one or more previous messages to the instant message identity as one or more email messages.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the second mode of communication includes one of:

a mobile telephone number associated with a mobile phone of the instant message identity; and

an email address associated with the instant message identity.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the execution of the set of instructions causes the at least one processor to perform further operations comprising receiving input from the user indicating that a subset of instant message identities stored in a contact list of the user are to be considered eligible for the second mode of communication during their unavailability to receive messages in the first mode of communication, wherein the instant message identities outside the subset are considered not eligible for the second mode of communication during their unavailability to receive messages in the first mode of communication.