Methods for establishing an instant message conference

• US 7,464,139 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2002
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason D
• Assistant Examiner(s): BHATIA, AJAY M
• Application Number:
  US10/165,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20030229673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,377 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/206, 709/207, 705/598
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

A method for displaying content of a time-sensitive e-mail message to a recipient, wherein the content displayed is based on when the recipient opens the time-sensitive e-mail message. A sender of the time-sensitive e-mail message establishes content and a rule set for delivering the e-mail message. The rule set contains a predefined time limit for allowing the recipient of the time-sensitive e-mail message to open it. If the recipient opens the time-sensitive e-mail message within the predefined time limit, the content within the e-mail is delivered to the recipient. If, however, the recipient fails to open the time-sensitive e-mail message within the predefined time limit, then the time-sensitive e-mail message is either deleted from the recipient'"'"'s mailbox or an alternative message is displayed.

Claims

1. A method for establishing an instant message (IM) conference between a sender and at least one attendee, comprising:

receiving a time-sensitive e-mail message, the time-sensitive e-mail message comprising;

an IM conference request;

an e-mail address associated with each attendee; and

a rule set specifying a predefined time limit governing the delivery of the e-mail message;

receiving and extracting the rule set and the e-mail address for each attendee;

determining the predefined time limit;

forwarding the time-sensitive e-mail message to a mailbox for each attendee in accordance with the rule set;

determining whether the at least one attendee opened the time sensitive e-mail message within the predefined time limit;

if the attendee opened the time-sensitive e-mail message within the predefined time limit, providing the IM conference request to the attendee; and

if the attendee did not open the time-sensitive e-mail message within the predefined time limit, not providing the IM conference request to the attendee.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the attendee opened the time-sensitive e-mail message within the predefined time limit automatically launching an IM conference.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a reply message from each attendee.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving and extracting the rule set and the e-mail address for each attendee is performed at a message server for each attendee.

5. The method of claim 1, receiving and extracting the rule set and the e-mail address for each attendee is performed on an Internet appliance for each attendee.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising if the attendee did not open the time-sensitive e-mail message within the predefined time limit, delivering an alternate message to the attendee.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the alternate message provides instructions on retrieving minutes from the conference.