Address book for integrating email and instant messaging (IM)

• US 20040054646A1
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Daniell, W. Todd, Friedman, Lee G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,657,598 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• 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 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

Systems and methods for integrating instant messaging (IM) services and email services are described. In one embodiment, the email services and IM services are integrated through an address book database. The address book database correlates email information of a contact with a reference identifier (ID). Additionally, one or more IM addresses of the contact are also correlated to the reference ID, thereby permitting further correlation of a contact'"'"'s IM information with the contact'"'"'s email information.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an address book database having a reference identifier (ID), the reference ID adapted to identify a contact, the address book database having a plurality of entries, the plurality of entries being correlated to the reference ID; and

an address book object configured to store information to the address book database, the address book object being further configured to retrieve information from the address book database.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the address book object is configured to receive information having an email address, the address book object being further configured to determine if the email address is located in the address book database.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the address book object, in response to determining that the email address is located in the address book database, is configured to correlate the email address to the reference ID.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the address book object is further configured to determine whether there is an instant messaging (IM) address associated with the reference ID.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the address book object, in response to determining that there is an IM address associated with the reference ID, is configured to retrieve the IM address.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the address book object, in response to determining that there is no IM address associated with the reference ID, is configured to generate an error message.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the address book object, in response to determining that the email address is not located in the address book database, is configured to generate an error message.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the address book object is configured to receive information having an instant messaging (IM) address, the address book object being further configured to determine if the IM address is located in the address book database.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the address book object, in response to determining that the IM address is located in the address book database, is configured to correlate the IM address to the reference ID.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the address book object is further configured to determine whether there is an email address associated with the reference ID.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the address book object, in response to determining that there is an email address associated with the reference ID, is configured to retrieve the email address.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the address book object, in response to determining that there is no email address associated with the reference ID, is configured to generate an error message.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the address book object, in response to determining that the IM address is not located in the address book database, is configured to generate an error message.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of entries comprises an email address.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of entries comprises an instant messaging (IM) address.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of entries comprises:

a telephone number;

a facsimile number; and

a street address.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of entries comprises personal information of the contact.

18. A method comprising:

receiving an instant messaging (IM) address of a contact;

receiving an email address of a contact;

correlating the IM address to a single reference identifier (ID), the single reference ID being adapted to identify the individual contact; and

correlating the email address to the single reference ID.

19. A method comprising:

receiving user input, the user input comprising multiple instant messaging (IM) addresses of an individual contact, the multiple IM addresses comprising IM addresses from different IM accounts, each of the different IM accounts being adapted to transmit and receive IM messages using a different IM protocol; and

correlating each of the multiple IM addresses to a single reference identifier (ID), the single reference ID being adapted to identify the individual contact.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving an email address of the individual contact; and

correlating the email address of the individual contact to the reference ID.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a telephone number of the individual contact; and

correlating the telephone number of the individual contact to the reference ID.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving an address of the individual contact; and

correlating the address of the individual contact to the reference ID.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving personal information of the individual contact; and

correlating the personal information of individual contact to the reference ID.

24. A system comprising:

means for receiving an instant messaging (IM) address of a contact;

means for receiving an email address of a contact;

means for correlating the IM address to a single reference identifier (ID), the single reference ID being adapted to identify the individual contact; and

means for correlating the email address to the single reference ID.

25. A system comprising:

means for receiving user input, the user input comprising multiple instant messaging (IM) addresses of an individual contact, the multiple IM addresses comprising IM addresses from different IM accounts, each of the different IM accounts being adapted to transmit and receive IM messages using a different IM protocol; and

means for correlating each of the multiple IM addresses to a single reference identifier (ID), the single reference ID being adapted to identify the individual contact.