IM CONTINUATION ACROSS SIP SESSIONS AND ACROSS CLIENTS FOR POINT-TO-POINT AND MULTI-USER CHAT

• US 20120259925A1
• Filed: 04/05/2011
• Published: 10/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Braudes, Robert E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,914,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads

Abstract

A communication system can create a conversation identifier (ID) for a logical IM conversation. The conversation ID can identify messages that are associated with the same IM conversation. The associated IM messages can be stored in an archive for later use. When a SIP session ends but an IM conversation continues, a SIP server can rebuild the IM conversation with messages retrieved with the conversation ID. Further, an IM conversation can be restarted on a different IM client by retrieving messages from the archive associated with the previously established conversation ID. Thus, the conversation ID ensures that an IM conversation does not end due to system changes or reconfigurations in IM clients.

Claims

1. A computer program product including computer executable instructions stored onto a non-transitory computer readable medium which, when executed by a processor of a computer, causes the computer to perform a method for conducting a instant messaging (IM) session, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive a first IM message from a first IM client;

instructions to establish a SIP session between the first IM client and a second IM client;

instructions to obtain a conversation ID to associate with the IM session; and

instructions to send the first IM message to the second IM client.

2. The computer program product as defined in claim 1, wherein the instructions to obtain a conversation ID further comprise:

instructions to determine if a conversation ID was provided with the first IM message; and

if a conversation ID was provided, instructions to determine if the provided conversation ID is stored in an archive.

3. The computer program product as defined in claim 2, wherein the first IM client automatically generated the conversation ID, the conversation ID is new, and the conversation ID is not found in the archive.

4. The computer program product as defined in claim 3, if no conversation ID was provided, the instructions further comprising:

instructions to create a new data structure in the archive for the first IM message;

instructions to generate automatically a new conversation ID; and

instructions to store the new conversation ID with the first IM message in the new data structure.

5. The computer program product as defined in claim 3, if the conversation ID is stored in the archive, the instructions further comprising:

instructions to retrieve at least a second IM message from the archive, wherein the second IM message is associated with the conversation ID; and

instructions to provide at least the second IM message to the second IM client.

6. The computer program product as defined in claim 5, further comprising instructions to provide at least the second message to the first IM client.

7. The computer program product as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

instructions to receive a third IM message from a third IM client, wherein the third IM client is associated with a first user, wherein the first user is associated with the first IM client, and wherein the third IM message includes the conversation ID;

instructions to retrieve at least a second IM message from the archive, wherein the second IM message is associated with the conversation ID;

instructions to provide at least the second IM message to the second IM client; and

instructions to provide at least the second message to the third IM client.

8. The computer program product as defined in claim 1, wherein the first IM message is also sent to a fourth IM client in a multiuser chat session.

9. The computer program product as defined in claim 1, wherein the conversation ID indicates that the first IM message and a least one other IM message, with the conversation ID, are related to a same logical conversation.

10. A method for conducting an instant messaging (IM) session across two or more SIP sessions, comprising:

receiving, by a SIP instant messaging server, a first IM message from a first IM client;

the SIP instant messaging server establishing a first SIP session between the first IM client and a second IM client;

the SIP instant messaging server automatically generating a conversation ID;

the SIP instant messaging server associating the conversation ID with the IM session;

the SIP instant messaging server sending the first IM message to the second IM client;

the SIP instant messaging server storing the first IM message with the conversation ID in an archive;

the SIP instant messaging server ending the first SIP session;

after the first SIP session is ended, the SIP instant messaging server receiving a second IM message from either the first IM client or the second IM client, wherein the second IM message includes the conversation ID;

the SIP instant messaging server retrieving the conversation ID from the second IM message;

based on information stored in the archive associated with the conversation ID, the SIP instant messaging server establishing a second SIP session between the first IM client and the second IM client; and

the SIP instant messaging server sending the second IM message.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, further comprising:

after receiving the second IM message, the SIP instant messaging server retrieving at least the first IM message from the archive based on the conversation ID; and

the SIP instant messaging server providing at least the first IM message to at least one of the first IM client or the second IM client as a previous messages thread.

12. The method as defined in claim 11, further comprising the SIP instant messaging server wherein the previous message thread is displayed with the second IM message to appear as an uninterrupted IM conversation.

13. The method as defined in claim 12, further comprising the SIP instant messaging server sending the first IM message to a third IM client in a multiuser chat.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, further comprising:

the SIP instant messaging server receiving a third IM message addressed to a fourth IM client and having the conversation ID, wherein the fourth IM client was not addressed in the first or second IM message;

after receiving the third IM message, the SIP instant messaging server retrieving at least the first IM message and the second IM message from the archive based on the conversation ID; and

the SIP instant messaging server providing at least the first IM message and the second IM message to the fourth IM client as a previous messages thread.

15. A SIP instant messaging server comprising:

an archive operable to store one or more instant messages;

a memory operable to store computer-executable instructions;

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor operable to execute the computer-executable instructions to execute;

a message relay operable to;

receive a first IM message from a first IM client;

establish a SIP session between the first IM client and a second IM client;

send the first IM message with a conversation ID;

an archiving engine operable to;

obtain the conversation ID;

associate the conversation ID with the IM session.; and

storing the first IM message with the conversation ID in the archive.

16. The SIP instant messaging server as defined in claim 15, wherein the archiving engine is further operable to:

create a new data structure in the archive for the first IM message;

generate automatically a new conversation ID; and

store the new conversation ID with the first IM message in the new data structure.

17. The SIP instant messaging server as defined in claim 16, wherein the data structure includes at least one of a conversation ID, a sender ID, a receiver ID, time stamp, privacy and security settings, and a message text, wherein the privacy and security settings limit how the instant message is shared with a user.

18. The SIP instant messaging server as defined in claim 17, wherein the archive includes two or more data structures, and wherein at least two of the data structures share a same conversation ID.

19. The SIP instant messaging server as defined in claim 15, wherein the message relay is further operable to receive a receive a second IM message from a third IM client, wherein the third IM client is associated with a first user, wherein the first user is also associated with the first IM client, and wherein the third IM message includes the conversation ID, further comprising:

an archive interface operable to;

retrieve at least the first IM message from the archive, wherein the first IM message is associated with the conversation ID;

provide at least the first IM message to the second IM client.

20. The SIP instant messaging server as defined in claim 15, further comprising a web service operable to receive a privacy or security setting for the first IM message.