E-mail Integrated Instant Messaging

Abstract

A system and method supporting instant messaging which removes many of the problems and barriers 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.

1 . A system supporting instant messaging between at least two users comprising:
 a server communicatively coupled to an associated client computer used by said user supporting email communications and supporting web browser compliant communications, for each of said users;   wherein said server is comprised of at least one server computer accessibly coupled with a memory;   wherein said server is operated by a server program system comprised of program steps residing in said memory and executed by said server computer;   wherein said server program system is further comprised of the program steps of:   creating an instant messaging session with a universally unique identifier initiated by a first of said users for recipients designated as at least one of the remaining of said users; and   providing said instant messaging session identified by said universally unique identifier as a formatted web page to each of said designated recipients and to said first user;   wherein the program step creating said instant messaging session further comprising the program steps of:   receiving an instant messaging session request from said first user for recipients each designated by an associated email address for said at least one of said remaining users;   assigning said universally unique identifier based upon said instant messaging session request; and   sending an instant messaging invitation email message to said associated email address designated for each of said recipients;   wherein the program step providing said instant messaging session is further comprised of the program steps of:   creating said web page referenced based upon said universally unique identifier;   providing said web page with an area associated with said first user for participation;   providing said web page with another area associated with said recipient for participation upon response to said instant messaging invitation email message, for each of said recipients; wherein an audience collection is comprised of said first user and each of said recipients responding to said instant messaging invitation email message; and   transferring at least one received communication from said associated client computer operated by a first of said members of said audience collection to all of said members of said audience collection to create a transferred communication as content in said area associated with said first member;   wherein the program step transferring said at least one received communication from said first member is further comprised of the program steps of:   receiving at least one communication from said first member of said audience collection to create said at least one received communication;   processing said at least one received communication from said first member to create at least one processed communication from said first member; and   sending said at least one processed communication from said first member to create said transferred communication as content in said area associated with said first member to all members of said audience collection;   wherein said server program system is further comprised of the program step of:   maintaining a database referencing a history of said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier further comprising the program step of   maintaining said history of said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier for said audience collection;   wherein the program step sending said at least one processed communication from said first member is further comprised of the program step of:   sending said processed communication from said first member as content in said area associated with said first member to said history of said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier;   wherein the program step maintaining said history is further comprised of the program steps of:   receiving said transferred communication from said first member at said history to create a history-received communication from said first member; and   maintaining a communication history comprising a collection of at least one communication record;   wherein each of said communication records is based upon at least one member of the collection comprising said received communication, said processed communication, and said transferred communication;   wherein the program step maintaining said communication history is further comprised of the program steps of:   creating a new communication record containing said first member history-received communication as said communication from said first member; and   adding said new communication record to said communication history.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the program step creating said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier is further comprised of the program step of:   sending said database an initiating request for said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier by said first user for said recipients;   wherein the program step maintaining said database is further comprised of the program step of: receiving said initiating request for said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier by said first user for said recipients at said database; and   creating said history of said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier from said initiating request for said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier by said first user for said recipients.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 ,
 wherein the program step creating said history is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of:   creating an audience list containing references to each member of said audience collection; and   creating a first of said communication records in said communication history based upon said initiating request.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the program step sending said instant messaging invitation email message to said associated email address designated for each of said recipients is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of:   sending said instant messaging invitation email message containing a body further including said web page referenced by said universally unique identifier actively embedded in said body to said associated email address designated for at least one of said recipients;   sending said instant messaging invitation email message containing a body further including a link to said web page referenced by a URL based upon said universally unique identifier to said associated email address designated for at least one of said recipients; and   sending said instant messaging invitation email message containing a body further including an icon referenced by said universally unique identifier to said associated email address designated for at least one of said recipients.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 ,
 wherein said associated client computer used by said user, for at least one of said users, comprised of:   a client memory accessibly coupled with said associated client computer; and   a client program system comprised of program steps residing in said accessibly coupled client memory;   wherein said associated client computer is controlled by said client program system based upon use by said user and based upon said communicatively coupled said server;   wherein the program step providing support for email communication and for web browser compliant communication is further comprised of the program steps of:   providing support for email communication and for web browser compliant communication used by said user with said communicatively coupled server based upon at least one member of the collection comprising tactile input from said user and acoustic input from said user further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of:   sending said instant messaging session request initiated by said first user for said designated recipients to said communicatively coupled server; and   receiving said instant messaging invitation email message for said user as said recipient from said communicatively coupled server to create a received instant messaging invitation email message;   wherein said client program system is further comprised of the program step of:   receiving said transferred communication from said first member to create a received-transferred communication from said first member;   wherein the program step receiving said instant messaging invitation email message further comprising at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of:   alerting said recipient of said received instant messaging invitation email message employing at least one member of a user output collection including visual output, acoustic output and tactile output; and   using said received instant messaging invitation email message by said recipient to create an instant messaging response sent to said communicatively coupled server;   wherein the program step receiving said transferred communication is further comprised of the program step of:   presenting said received-transferred communication from said first member as content in said area associated with said first member.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 ,
 wherein the program step using said received instant messaging invitation email message by said recipient is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of:   activating said embedded web page referenced by said universally unique identifier contained in said received instant messaging invitation email message by said recipient to create an instant messaging response sent to said communicatively coupled server;   activating said link to said web page referenced by said URL based upon said universally unique identifier contained in said received instant messaging invitation email message by said recipient to create an instant messaging response sent to said communicatively coupled server; and   activating said icon referenced by said universally unique identifier contained in said received instant messaging invitation email message by said recipient to create an instant messaging response sent to said communicatively coupled server.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 3 ,
 wherein said history contains said audience list.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said history contains said communication history.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said database contains said history.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said at least one received communication is in a first language; and wherein said at least one processed communication is in at least a second language.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 ,
 wherein said at least one processed communication is in at least said second language and a third language.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 ,
 wherein a language collection includes at least a version of English, a version of French, a version of German, a version of Spanish, a version of Swahili, a version of Arabic, a version of Japanese, a version of a Chinese language, a version of Korean, and a version of Hindi;   wherein a user language collection includes said first language and said second language and said third language;   wherein at least one member of said user language collection is a member of said language collection.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said associated client computer used by said user, for at least one of said users, comprised of:   a client memory accessibly coupled with said associated client computer; and   a client program system comprised of program steps residing in said accessibly coupled client memory;   wherein said associated client computer is controlled by said client program system based upon use by said user and based upon said communicatively coupled said server;   wherein said client program system is further comprised of the program step of:   providing support for email communication and for web browser compliant communication used by said user with said communicatively coupled server based upon at least one member of the collection comprising tactile input from said user and acoustic input from said user further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of:   sending said instant messaging session request initiated by said first user for said recipients designated as at least one of said remaining users to said communicatively coupled server; and   receiving said instant messaging invitation email message for said user as said recipient from said communicatively coupled server to create a received instant messaging invitation email message;   wherein the program step providing support for email communication and for web browser compliant communication is further comprised of the program step of:   receiving said transferred communication from said first member to create a received-transferred communication from said first member;   wherein the program step receiving said instant messaging invitation email message further comprising at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of:   alerting said recipient of said received instant messaging invitation email message employing at least one member of a user output collection including visual output, acoustic output and tactile output; and   using said received instant messaging invitation email message by said recipient to create an instant messaging response sent to said communicatively coupled server;   wherein the program step receiving said transferred communication is further comprised of the program step of:   presenting said received-transferred communication from said first member as content in said area associated with said first member.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said server communicatively coupled to said associated client computer used by said user further supports a version of TCP-IP compliant protocols in communication with said user, for at least one of said users.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 ,
 wherein said server communicatively coupled to said associated client computer used by said user further supports at least one member of the collection comprising:   a version of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) compliant protocols in communication with said user;   a version of Bluetooth compliant protocols in communication with said user;   a version of HTTP compliant protocols in communication with said user; and   a version of XML compliant protocols in communication with said user.   
     
     
         16 . A method supporting instant messaging between at least two users and a server communicatively coupled to said user supporting email communications and supporting web browser compliant communications, for each of said users comprising the steps of:
 creating an instant messaging session with a universally unique identifier initiated by a first of said users for recipients designated as at least one of the remaining of said users; and   providing said instant messaging session identified by said universally unique identifier as a formatted web page to each of said designated recipients and to said first user;   wherein the step creating said instant messaging session further comprising the steps of:   receiving an instant messaging session request from said first user for recipients each designated by an associated email address for said at least one of said remaining users;   assigning said universally unique identifier based upon said instant messaging session request; and   sending an instant messaging invitation email message to said associated email address designated for each of said recipients;   wherein the step providing said instant messaging session is further comprised of the steps of:   creating said web page referenced based upon said universally unique identifier;   providing said web page with an area associated with said first user for participation;   providing said web page with another area associated with said recipient for participation upon response to said instant messaging invitation email message, for each of said recipients; wherein an audience collection is comprised of said first user and each of said recipients responding to said instant messaging invitation email message; and   transferring at least one received communication from said associated client computer operated by a first of said members of said audience collection to all of said members of said audience collection to create a transferred communication as content in said area associated with said first member;   wherein the step transferring said at least one received communication from said first member is further comprised of the steps of:   receiving at least one communication from said first member of said audience collection to create said at least one received communication;   processing said at least one received communication from said first member to create at least one processed communication from said first member; and   sending said at least one processed communication from said first member to create said transferred communication as content in said area associated with said first member to all members of said audience collection;   maintaining a database referencing a history of said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier further comprising the step of   maintaining said history of said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier for said audience collection;   wherein the step sending said at least one processed communication from said first member is further comprised of the step of:   sending said processed communication from said first member as content in said area associated with said first member to said history of said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier;   wherein the step maintaining said history is further comprised of the steps of:   receiving said transferred communication from said first member at said history to create a history-received communication from said first member; and   maintaining a communication history comprising a collection of at least one communication record;   wherein each of said communication records is based upon at least one member of the collection comprising said received communication, said processed communication, and said transferred communication;   wherein the step maintaining said communication history is further comprised of the steps of:   creating a new communication record containing said first member history-received communication as said communication from said first member; and   adding said new communication record to said communication history.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 ,
 wherein the step creating said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier is further comprised of the step of:   sending said database an initiating request for said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier by said first user for said recipients;   wherein the step maintaining said database is further comprised of the step of:   receiving said initiating request for said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier by said first user for said recipients at said database; and   creating said history of said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier from said initiating request for said instant messaging session with said universally unique identifier by said first user for said recipients.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 ,
 wherein the step creating said history is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of:   creating an audience list containing references to each member of said audience collection; and   creating a first of said communication records in said communication history based upon said initiating request.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 ,
 wherein the step sending said instant messaging invitation email message to said associated email address designated for each of said recipients is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of:   sending said instant messaging invitation email message containing a body further including said web page referenced by said universally unique identifier actively embedded in said body to said associated email address designated for at least one of said recipients;   sending said instant messaging invitation email message containing a body further including a link to said web page referenced by a URL based upon said universally unique identifier to said associated email address designated for at least one of said recipients; and   sending said instant messaging invitation email message containing a body further including an icon referenced by said universally unique identifier to said associated email address designated for at least one of said recipients.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , for at least one of said users, further comprising the step of:
 providing support for email communication and for web browser compliant communication used by said user with said communicatively coupled server based upon at least one member of the collection comprising tactile input from said user and acoustic input from said user further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of:   sending said instant messaging session request initiated by said first user for said designated recipients to said communicatively coupled server; and   receiving said instant messaging invitation email message for said user as said recipient from said communicatively coupled server to create a received instant messaging invitation email message;   wherein the step providing support for email communication and for web browser compliant communication is further comprised of the step of:   receiving said transferred communication from said first member to create a received-transferred communication from said first member;   wherein the step receiving said instant messaging invitation email message further comprising at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of:   alerting said recipient of said received instant messaging invitation email message employing at least one member of a user output collection including visual output, acoustic output and tactile output; and   using said received instant messaging invitation email message by said recipient to create an instant messaging response sent to said communicatively coupled server;   wherein the step receiving said transferred communication is further comprised of the step of:   presenting said received-transferred communication from said first member as content in said area associated with said first member.   
     
     
         21 - 70 . (canceled)