Patent ID: 7991636
Filing Date: 2011-08-02
Classification: G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for extending electronic invitations to a calendar event, comprising: enabling access to a buddy list user interface that displays user-identified online identities and real time presence information for at least some of those online identities; receiving, from a user through interaction with the buddy list user interface, a selection of multiple of the user-identified online entities from among the displayed user-identified online identities, the selected multiple user identified online identities being selected by the user as participants to whom invitations will be extended for the calendar event; in response to the selection of the multiple user-identified online identities by the user, enabling the user to perceive a display that indicates the selection of the multiple user identified online identities and with which the user can interact to concurrently initiate communication of invitations to the selected participants whether or not the multiple user identified online identities are offline; generating invitations to be communicated to the selected participants in response to interaction by the user with the display; extending at least one of the invitations by sending an instant messaging communication; detecting that a selected participant is presently offline; storing an invitation to the event in an instant message delivery queue for the selected participant, the invitation to the event indicating a time at which the event will take place; determining a time at which the selected participant comes online; if the time at which the selected participant comes online is prior to the time at which the event will take place, delivering the invitation to the event as an instant message to the selected participant; and if the time at which the selected participant comes online is subsequent to the time at which the event will take place, removing the invitation to the event from the instant message delivery queue such that the invitation to the event is not delivered to the selected participant.