User interface for a communication suite

• US 20050080851A1
• Filed: 10/14/2003
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale W., Daniell, W. Todd, Kent, Larry G. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,108,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Embodiments, among others, of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for integrating communication services. Briefly described, in architecture, one embodiment of the system, among others, can be implemented as follows. An association of communications services is created. Accordingly, options are specified for a first communication services this is included in the association. Therefore, when one of the communication services in the association is actively utilized by a user, then the specified options are implemented for the first communications service in a first graphical display area for the first communications service. Other systems and methods are provided.

Claims

1. A system for integrating communication services, comprising:

a plurality of communication suites of communication services, each respective communication suite comprising;

at least one of a plurality of communications accounts, each communications account associated with one of a plurality of communications services, the plurality of communications services comprising a first communications service; and

a respective option configuration, the respective option configuration comprising at least one configurable option for the first communications service; and

a first graphical display area to display information associated with the first communications service, wherein the first graphical display area displays the information in accordance with the respective option configuration of the respective communication suite of a user that is actively utilizing said one of a plurality of communications accounts associated with the respective communication suite.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the information being displayed is received from a respective communication account of the respective communication suite, wherein the respective communications account is associated with the first communications service.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first user interface to the first communications service, wherein the first user interface is configured to determine which said at least one of the plurality of communication accounts is actively being utilized by the user.

4. The system of claim 1, said each respective communication suite further comprising:

a username for accessing the respective communication suite;

a password for accessing the respective communication suite;

a label identifying the respective communication suite;

customized rules for implementing the first communications service; and

a class type, wherein a particular operation may be not be performed for a particular class type.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communications service is an email service.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of second graphical display areas, each respective second graphical display area displaying information associated with the first communications service for a respective communication suite of communications accounts that are not being actively utilized by the user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each second graphical display area is smaller than the first graphical display area.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the respective option configuration includes a folder list for sorting email messages.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of communications accounts include an account to the email service.

10. A communications user interface, comprising:

a plurality of personas, each persona comprising at least one communication account of a first communications service, wherein each persona is an association of at least one communication account of a respective user;

a message retrieval component operable to retrieve a plurality of messages for a plurality of communications accounts of a plurality of users for the first communications service; and

a user interface logic operable to cause messages for a first persona to be separately displayed from other messages associated with other personas.

11. The interface of claim 10, wherein the user interface logic is operable to display the messages associated with the persona in a plurality of folders designated by the respective user.

12. The interface of claim 10, the interface further comprising:

a first display area, wherein the user interface logic causes the plurality of messages associated with a persona that has a particular communications account that is actively being utilized to be displayed; and

a second display area, wherein the user interface logic causes the plurality of messages associated with a persona that does not have at least one communications account being actively utilized to be displayed, wherein the second display area is smaller than the first display area.

13. The interface of claim 10, wherein the first communications service is an email service.

14. A system for integrating communications services, comprising:

means for associating a first communications account of a first communications service with a first identifier;

means for associating a second communications account of a second communications service with the first identifier;

means for associating a first options configuration with the first identifier, the first options configuration comprising at least one configurable option for the first communications service;

means for associating a third communications account of the first communication service with a second identifier;

means for detecting that one of the communications accounts associated with the first identifier is being actively utilized;

means for displaying, upon detection, in a large display area, information received from the first communications service via the first communications account according to the first options configuration; and

means for restricting, upon detection, the display of information associated with the third communications account to a small display area.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one of the communications accounts is the first communications account.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the one of the communications accounts is the second communications account.

17. A system for integrating communication services, comprising:

means for associating a plurality of communications accounts with a first identifier;

means for associating an options configuration with the first identifier, wherein the options configuration includes at least one configurable setting option related to a first communications service;

means for detecting that one of the plurality of communications accounts associated with the first identifier is being actively utilized; and

means for implementing, upon detection, the options configuration associated with the first identifier.

18. A method for integrating communications services, comprising the steps of:

associating a first communications account of a first communications service with a first identifier;

associating a second communications account of a second communications service with the first identifier;

associating a first options configuration with the first identifier, the first options configuration comprising at least one configurable option for the first communications service;

associating a third communications account of the first communication service with a second identifier;

detecting that one of the communications accounts associated with the first identifier is being actively utilized;

upon detection, displaying in a large display area, information received from the first communications service via the first communications account according to the first options configuration; and

upon detection restricting the display of information associated with the third communications account to a small display area.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one of the communications accounts is the first communications account.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the one of the communications accounts is the second communications account.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

associating a second options configuration, wherein the second options configuration comprises at least one configurable option of the first communications service;

wherein before the detecting step, the large display area displayed information received from the first communications service of the third communications account according to the second options configuration and the second display area displayed information associated with the first communications account.

22. The method of claim 21, the first options configuration including a first folder list of communication messages and the second options configuration including a second folder list of communication messages, wherein after the detecting step, the large display area displayed a complete version of the first folder list and the small display area displayed an incomplete version of the second folder list.

23. The method of claim 18, the displaying step further comprising the steps of:

determining a particular communication account that is actively being utilized;

identifying that the particular communication account is associated with the first identifier; and

determining that the first communications service and the first options configuration are associated with the first identifier.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the particular communication account is an email account and the first options configuration includes a folder list for email messages.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

creating a first identity that is associated with the first identifier, wherein the identity has a first username and a first password;

wherein the detecting step further comprises the steps of;

recognizing that a user has assumed the first identity by providing the first username and the first password for the first identity;

associating the first identity with the first identifier; and

determining that the first communications account and the first options configuration are associated with the first identifier.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the first communications service is an email service.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the first communications service is an Internet call waiting service.

28. The method of claim 18, wherein the first communications service is an instant messaging service.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein the first communications service is a videoconferencing service.

30. A method for integrating communication services, comprising the steps of:

associating a plurality of communications accounts with a first identifier;

associating an options configuration with the first identifier, wherein the options configuration includes at least one configurable setting option related to a first communications service;

detecting that one of the plurality of communications accounts associated with the first identifier is being actively utilized; and

upon detection, implementing the options configuration associated with the first identifier.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the one of the plurality of communications accounts associated with the first identifier that is being actively utilized is not a communications account for the first communications service.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the first communications service is an email service.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the options configurations include customized email settings for the email service.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the one of the plurality of communications accounts associated with the first identifier that is being actively utilized is an account to an instant messaging service.