Patent ID: 7631266

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: categorizing two or more instant messaging contact names for a single user into a single meta contact wherein said two or more instant messaging contact names are associated with different instant messaging accounts on different instant messaging services; prioritizing the two or more instant messaging contact names within said meta contact to which to transmit instant messages based on a specified prioritization scheme; receiving a request from a sending user to transmit an instant message directed to said meta contact; if the user is registered as “online” with both a first instant messaging account and a second instant messaging account within the meta contact, then selecting the first instant messaging account to send the instant message if the first instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the second messaging account and selecting the second instant messaging account to send the instant message if the second instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the first instant messaging account; and if the user is listed as “offline” with one of the first and second instant messaging accounts and “online” with the other of the first and second instant messaging accounts, then selecting the instant messaging account with which the user is listed as “online” to send the instant message notwithstanding the relative priorities of the first and second instant messaging accounts; wherein the first instant messaging account of the user is associated with a first instant messaging service and the second instant messaging account of the user is associated with a second instant messaging service and the first service uses a different protocol to transmit instant messages than the second instant messaging service.