E-mail integrated instant messaging

• US 9,363,213 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2012
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bernstein, Keith, Chung, Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, John B
• Application Number:
  US13/620,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20130124650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,361 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• 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 65/1013 Network architectures, gateways, control or user entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A system and method supporting instant messaging which removes many of the problems and harriers to the use of instant messaging through the use of universally unique identifiers to web pages for instant messaging sessions, with recipients invited to the instant messaging session via email.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a server communicatively coupled to an associated client computer;

wherein said server comprises at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

maintain data representative of a plurality of messages of a first type associated with a user;

identify, from the plurality of messages of the first type, at least one message of the first type between the user and another user;

present, to the user within a graphical user interface of a messaging web page, at least a portion of the at least one message of the first type between the user and the another user;

provide, within the graphical user interface and in conjunction with the at least one message of the first type, an option for the user to initiate a message of a second type with the another user, wherein the plurality of messages of the first type are from a different communication platform than the message of the second type;

in response to a selection of the option, initiate a messaging session for the message of the second type within the graphical user interface and in conjunction with the at least one message of the first type;

in response to the at least one message of the first type or the messaging session for the message of the second type, provide access to presence information of the user to the another user for initiating future messaging sessions for the message of the second type between the user and the another user;

determine a universally unique identifier associated with the at least one message of the first type;

generate a uniform resource locator including the universally unique identifier; and

assign the uniform resource locator to the messaging web page associated with the at least one message of the first type and the messaging session for the message of the second type.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

enable capture of data representative of the at least one message of the first type via a first portion of the graphical user interface; and

enable capture of data representative of a message of the second type via a second portion of the graphical user interface.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to establish a session for the at least one message of the first type, the session for the at least one message of the first type comprising the at least one message of the first type and a transcript of the messaging session for the message of the second type.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

assign the universally unique identifier to a plurality of messages from the session for the message of the second type.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to maintain data representative of the plurality of messages from the session for the message of the second type according to the universally unique identifier.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

determine identifying information within the data representative of the plurality of messages of the first type.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to maintain the data representative of the plurality of messages of the first type based on the determined identifying information.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the identifying information comprises at least one of:

the universally unique identifier, an indicator of participants, or a time stamp.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of messages of the first type are from an instant messaging platform, and wherein the message of the second type is from an email platform.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the user is a party to each of the plurality of messages of the first type and the message of the second type.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the system to provide, within the messaging session for the message of the second type, an address for the user associated with at least one message of the first type.

12. A method comprising:

maintaining data representative of a plurality of messages of a first type associated with a user;

identifying, from the plurality of messages the first type, at least one message of the first type between the user and another user;

presenting to the user within a graphical user interface of a messaging web page, at least a portion of the at least one message of the first type between the user and the another user;

providing, within the graphical user interface and in conjunction with the at least one message of the first type, an option for the user to initiate a message of a second type with the another user, wherein the plurality of messages of the first type are from a different communication platform than the message of the second type;

in response to a selection of the option, initiating a messaging session for the message of the second type within the graphical user interface and in conjunction with the at least one message of the first type;

in response to the at least one message of the first type or the messaging session for the message of the second type, providing access to presence information of the user to the another user for initiating future messaging sessions for the message of the second type between the user and the another user;

determining a universally unique identifier associated with the at least one message of the first type;

generating a uniform resource locator including the universally unique identifier; and

assigning the uniform resource locator to the messaging web page associated with the at least one message of the first type and the messaging session for the message of the second type.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

enabling capture of data representative of the at least one message of the first type via a first portion of the graphical user interface; and

enabling capture of data representative of a message of the second type via a second portion of the graphical user interface.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising establishing a session for the at least one message of the first type, the session for the at least one message of the first type comprising the at least one message of the first type and a transcript of the messaging session for the message of the second type.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

assigning the universally unique identifier to a plurality of messages from the session for the message of the second type.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising maintaining data representative of the plurality of messages from the session for the message of the second type according to the universally unique identifier.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining identifying information within the data representative of the plurality of messages of the first type.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising maintaining data representative of the plurality of messages of the first type based on the determined identifying information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the identifying information comprises a universally unique identifier, an indicator of participants, or a time stamp.