Initiating instant messaging (IM) chat sessions from email messages

• US 7,921,160 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2003
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• 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: Malik, Dale W., Daniell, W. Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang; Jungwon
• Application Number:
  US10/686,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,730 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 370/352, 370/338, 434/350
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• 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 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• 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 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• 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, among others, an email message is received and an IM chat session is automatically initiated from the email message. In some embodiments, the initiation of the IM chat session may be subject to certain programmable criteria.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, with an instant messaging client and utilizing a processor that is executing the instant messaging client, an Internet presence of a contact identified in an email message in response to displaying the email message to a user, wherein the determining comprises comparing an email address of the contact identified to an address book database and retrieving an instant messaging address of the contact identified from the address book database, and then using the retrieved instant messaging address to determine that the contact is present at the time that the email message is displayed to the user; and

initiating, by utilizing the processor that is executing the instant messaging client, an instant messaging chat session with the contact in response to determining that the contact is present,

wherein multiple instant messaging addresses of the contact are stored in order of priority in the address book database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the instant messaging chat session comprises:

generating an instant messaging chat window;

obtaining information from the email message; and

displaying the obtained information in the generated instant messaging chat window.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining information from the email message comprises:

obtaining a subject of the email message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein displaying the information obtained comprises:

displaying the subject of the email message in the instant messaging chat window generated.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein displaying the subject of the email message comprises:

providing the subject of the email message as a first instant messaging chat message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein obtaining information from the email message comprises:

obtaining a body of the email message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein displaying the information obtained comprises:

displaying the body of the email message in the instant messaging chat window generated.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein displaying the body of the email message comprises:

providing the body of the email message as a second instant messaging chat message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the Internet presence includes presence of a user on an instant messaging account.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the order of priority is based on the user arranging each instant messaging address in order of the user'"'"'s preference.

11. A system comprising:

means for determining, with an instant messaging client and utilizing a processor that is executing the instant messaging client, an Internet presence of a contact identified in an email message in response to displaying the email message to a user, wherein the means for determining compares an email address of the contact identified to an address book database and retrieves an instant messaging address of the contact identified from the address book database, and then uses the retrieved instant messaging address to determine that the contact is present at the time that the email message is displayed to the user; and

means for initiating, with the instant messaging client and utilizing the processor that is executing the instant messaging client, an instant messaging chat session with the contact in response to determining that the contact is present,

wherein multiple instant messaging addresses of the contact are stored in order of priority in the address book database.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the order of priority is based on the user arranging each instant messaging address in order of the user'"'"'s preference.

13. A system comprising:

presence logic of an instant messaging client and utilizing the processor that is executing the instant messaging client, configured to determine an Internet presence of a contact identified in an email message in response to displaying the email message to a user, wherein the presence logic compares an email address of the contact identified to an address book database and retrieves an instant messaging address of the contact identified from the address book database, and then uses the retrieved instant messaging address to determine that the contact is present at the time that the email message is displayed to the user; and

chat-initiation logic of the instant messaging client and utilizing the processor that is executing the instant messaging client, configured to initiate an instant messaging chat session with the contact in response to determining that the contact is present,

wherein multiple instant messaging addresses of the contact are stored in order of priority in the address book database.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

chat-window-generation logic configured to generate an instant messaging chat window;

information-retrieval logic configured to obtain information from the email message; and

display logic configured to display the obtained information in the instant messaging chat window generated.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

subject-retrieval logic configured to obtain a subject of the email message.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

subject-display logic configured to display the subject of the email message in the instant messaging chat window generated.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the order of priority is based on the user arranging each instant messaging address in order of the user'"'"'s preference.

18. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium being embedded with computer instructions for causing a computing device to:

instruct a programmable device to determine, at an instant messaging client, an Internet presence of a contact from an email message in response to displaying the email message to a user, wherein the determining comprises comparing an email address of the contact to an address book database and retrieving an instant messaging address of the contact from the address book database, and then using the retrieved instant messaging address to determine that the contact is present at the time that the email message is displayed to the user; and

instruct a programmable device to initiate, at an instant messaging client, an instant messaging chat session with the contact in response to determining that the contact is present,

wherein multiple instant messaging addresses of the contact are stored in order of priority in the address book database.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to generate an instant messaging chat window;

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to obtain information from the email message; and

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to display the obtained information in the instant messaging chat window generated.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to obtain a subject of the email message.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, further comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to display the subject of the email message in the instant messaging chat window generated.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to provide the subject of the email message as an instant messaging chat message.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the order of priority is based on the user arranging each instant messaging address in order of the user'"'"'s preference.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to obtain a body of the email message.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, further comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to display the body of the email message in the instant messaging chat window generated; and

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to provide the body of the email message as an instant messaging chat message.