Patent ID: 7707254
Filing Date: 2010-04-27
Classification: G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method processed by a computing device at a user location, the method comprising: receiving user input, the user input comprising multiple instant messaging (IM) addresses of a contact of a user, the multiple IM addresses comprising IM addresses from different IM accounts, each IM account of the different IM accounts being configured to transmit and receive IM messages using a different IM protocol; upon receiving a single login name and password, automatically logging the user into all of IM accounts of the user and email accounts of the user; receiving, by the computing device at the user location, an instant messaging (IM) address of the IM addresses of the contact of the user, an email address of the contact of the user, and a reference identifier (ID), the reference identifier (ID) being an alphanumeric code and being configured to identify the contact of the user, wherein the reference identifier (ID) is distinct from the received instant messaging (IM) address and the email address, the reference identifier (ID) identifying the contact of the user without requiring parsing of the reference identifier (ID); permitting the user to access all of the user's emails from all of the user's email accounts without manually accessing separate the email accounts; correlating, by the computing device at the user location, the IM address to the reference identifier; correlating, by the computing device at the user location, the email address to the reference identifier (ID); providing, by the computing device at the user location, an email receive window that configured to display a received email, the email receive window configured to provide IM presence information associated with the IM address of the contact of the user, the email receive window configured to utilize the reference identifier (ID) for automatically and directly launching a IM session with the contact from the email receive window, the email receive window including a launch IM option for launching the IM session; sequentially attempting to establish an IM session directly from an email read message window with a first IM address in a prioritized order of the plurality of IM addresses, and if the first IM address is not responsive, attempting a second IM address in the prioritized order of the plurality of IM addresses; and permitting a user to initiate an IM session with contacts at various IM addresses without manually logging into multiple IM accounts, allowing the user types an IM message at a user input window, wherein the typed IM message is translated or reformatted into a native protocol associated with each other participant of other participants' IM services and the typed IM message is displayed to said each other participant of the other participants of the IM services in a IM chat session.