US007085258B2
`
`(12)
`
`United States Patent
`Creamer et al.
`
`(10) Patent N0.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 7,085,258 B2
`Aug. 1, 2006
`
`(54) INSTANT MESSAGING WITH VOICE
`CONVERSATION FEATURE
`
`(75) Inventors: Thomas E_ Creamer’ Boca Raton’ FL
`(Us), Victor S Moore Boynton Beach
`FL (US); Glen R. Walters, Hollywood,
`FL US
`(
`)
`(73) Assignee: International Business Machines
`Corporation, Annonk, NY (Us)
`
`( * ) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(1)) by 899 days.
`
`(21) APP1- NOJ 09/910s187
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Jul. 19, 2001
`
`(65)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`Us 2003/0016657 A1
`Jan 23 2003
`i
`’
`
`(51) Int CL
`(200601)
`H04L 12/66
`(52) us. Cl. ..................................... .. 370/352- 370/260
`(58) Field of Classi?cation Search
`370/352
`370/356 357 389 392
`395 2?
`’
`’ 379;260 ’202 ’01 2’01 01’ 88
`See a lication ?le for Com fete séaréh hi'sto’
`'
`pp
`p
`ry'
`References Cited
`
`(56)
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`5,483,352 A *
`6,694,007 Bl *
`6,714,793 B1 *
`
`l/l996 Fukuyama et a1. ....... .. 358/402
`2/2004 Lang et a1. ............... .. 379/222
`3/2004 Carey et a1. .............. .. 455/466
`
`6/2004 Bogard .................. .. 379/88.17
`6,757,365 B1 *
`6,807,562 B1 * 10/2004 Pennock et a1. ..
`.... .. 709/204
`2002/0060988 Al* 5/2002 Shtivelman ............... .. 370/259
`2002/0076025 Al* 6/2002 Liversidge et a1.
`379/202.0l
`2003/0097325 Al* 5/2003 Frlesen et a1. .............. .. 705/37
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`U.S. Appl. No. 09/910,270, ?led Jul. 19, 2001, Creamer et
`a1~
`US. Appl. No. 09/9l0,27l, ?led Jul. 19, 2001, Creamer et
`al.
`U.S. Appl. NO. l0/038,7l9, ?led Jan. 3, 2002, Creamer et al.
`* Cited b examiner
`y
`Primary ExamineriBrian Nguyen
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or F irmiAkerman Senter?tt
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`An instant message (IM) communication method. An lM
`communication method can include the steps of: detecting a
`voice communications identi?er in an IM transmitted by a
`sender; responsive to detecting the voice communications
`identi?er, displaying a selectable icon; and, responsive to a
`Selection Of‘he icon’ establishing a Voice Communications
`link With the sender. The establishing step can include the
`step of, responsive to the recipient selecting the voice
`communications identi?er, establishing a Voice over IP
`(VolP) based voice communications link With the recipient.
`Alternatively, the establishing step can include the step of,
`responsive to the recipient selecting the voice communica
`tions identi?er, establishing a telephony-based voice com
`munications link With the recipient over a public switched
`telephone netWork (PSTN).
`
`37 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets
`
`50
`
`50A
`i
`i Header
`{
`
`}
`
`50B
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`I
`
`Body
`
`32
`
`<Message 4x’?
`
`60
`
`70
`
`Instant Messenger Clientl X
`
`Chat Client Logic
`60A
`
`Conventional Instant Message
`Parsing
`
`|:>
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`32‘
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`<Message Text>
`
`Attachments//50C
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`Header
`Body
`Processing Processing
`
`Attachment /$°D
`Processing
`
`56
`
`60B
`
`60C
`
`Voice
`Conversation 1
`Processing
`
`>
`
`36
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`Page 1 of 8
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`GOOGLE EXHIBIT 1008
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
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`Aug. 1, 2006
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`Sheet 1 of2
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`US 7,085,258 B2
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`US 7,085,258 B2
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`

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`US 7,085,258 B2
`
`1
`INSTANT MESSAGING WITH VOICE
`CONVERSATION FEATURE
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`1. Technical Field
`This invention relates generally to Intemet-based com
`munication systems, and more particularly to text-based
`Internet communication systems such as instant messaging
`and on-line chat.
`2. Description of the Related Art
`Text-based intemet communication systems such as
`instant messaging and chat over a data communications link
`have become increasingly popular due to the substantially
`real time nature of the communication, loW cost, and sim
`plicity of use. The instant messaging or chat (IM/Chat) client
`typically has a message text WindoW in Which an incoming
`text-based instant message (IM) can be presented to an end
`user. IMs that are sent by the end user through the IM/Chat
`client also can appear in the message text WindoW.
`IM/Chat systems Work Well for many communications,
`but there are times When clients Would prefer voice com
`munications. For example, on occasion the contents or
`subject matter of an IM/Chat session can give rise to a desire
`for voice communications. In such instances, it is usually
`necessary to terminate the IM/Chat session, drop the data
`communications link and establish a voice communications
`link through knoWn methods such as a conventional tele
`phony over the publically sWitched telephone netWork
`(PSTN). In such instances, the spontaneity of the conversa
`tion is lost, and details of the conversation can be forgotten.
`The voice communications link sometimes cannot be estab
`lished, in Which case all communications, both data and
`voice, are terminated. The extra steps necessary to establish
`a voice communications link Will impede some from estab
`lishing such a link even When such may be necessary or
`desirable.
`Conventional IM/Chat systems also can support the
`exchange of attachments. Attachments are electronic ?les
`such as images, documents or binary objects Which can be
`attached to an IM and transmitted thereWith from a sender to
`a recipient. Attachments can be embedded in a labeled
`section of an IM such that an IM client processing the IM
`can identify the presence of an attachment and can decode
`the contents of the attachment so that the attachment can be
`further processed by the recipient. Hence, attachments can
`enhance the utility of exchanging IMs and can provide a
`supplemental medium for communicating ideas betWeen
`participants in an IM/Chat session.
`Still, IM and IM attachments are not alWays an adequate
`replacement for live voice conversations betWeen IM/Chat
`session participants, particularly Where extensive interaction
`betWeen the participants is necessary or desirable. In some
`instances, such conversations are necessary to explain or
`discuss the message text included in the IM, attached
`documents or audio/visual ?les. Moreover, a telephone
`sometimes is not available to the participants, or the use of
`a telephone requires lengthy dialing procedures Which inter
`rupts the spontaneity of the communication. Sometimes
`telephone access by the participants requires that at least one
`of the participants terminate an on-line connection to the
`Internet, Which can disrupt the process of discussing the
`contents of an IM.
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`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention is an instant message (IM) process
`ing system and method and an IM article of manufacture for
`use thereWith. From the perspective of a person sending an
`IM to one or more recipients, an IM communication method
`in accordance With the inventive arrangements can include
`the steps of: inserting in an IM a voice communications
`identi?er; transmitting the IM to a recipient; and, responsive
`to the recipient selecting the voice communications identi
`?er, establishing a voice communications link With the
`recipient. The establishing step can include the step of
`responsive to the recipient selecting the voice communica
`tions identi?er, establishing a Voice over IP (VoIP) based
`voice communications link With the recipient. Alternatively,
`the establishing step can include the step of, responsive to
`the recipient selecting the voice communications identi?er,
`establishing a telephony-based voice communications link
`With the recipient over a public sWitched telephone netWork
`(PSTN).
`The inserting step can further include the step of inserting
`in the IM a selectable symbol denoting voice communica
`tions availability. Moreover, the inserting step can further
`include the steps of: inserting in the IM a reference to a
`sender of the IM; and, embedding computer program code
`in the IM, Wherein the computer program code is con?gured
`to establish a voice communications link With the sender. In
`that case, the establishing step can include the step of,
`responsive to the recipient selecting the voice communica
`tions identi?er, executing the embedded computer program
`code in order to establish a voice communications link With
`the sender.
`The establishing step can include the steps of, responsive
`to the recipient selecting the voice communications identi
`?er, determining a link address for the sender based on the
`reference, and executing the embedded computer program
`code in order to establish a voice communications link With
`the sender according to the determined link address. Nota
`bly, the link address can be a telephone number. Also, the
`link address can be an IP address.
`By comparison, from the perspective of a recipient node
`receiving an IM transmitted by a sending node, an IM
`communication method can include the steps of: detecting a
`voice communications identi?er in an IM transmitted by a
`sender; responsive to detecting the voice communications
`identi?er, displaying a selectable icon; and, responsive to a
`selection of the icon, establishing a voice communications
`link With the sender. The establishing step can include the
`step of, responsive to the recipient selecting the voice
`communications identi?er, establishing a Voice over IP
`(VoIP) based voice communications link With the recipient.
`Alternatively, the establishing step can include the step of,
`responsive to the recipient selecting the voice communica
`tions identi?er, establishing a telephony-based voice com
`munications link With the recipient over a public sWitched
`telephone netWork (PSTN).
`Notably, the establishing step can include the steps of:
`extracting from the IM embedded computer program code
`con?gured to establish a voice communications link With the
`sender; and, responsive to the selection of the icon, execut
`ing the embedded computer program code in order to
`establish a voice communications link With the sender. Also,
`an embedded reference to the sender can be extracted from
`the IM. In that case, the executing step can further include
`the steps of: determining a link address for the sender based
`on the extracted reference; and, executing the embedded
`computer program code in order to establish a voice com
`
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`US 7,085,258 B2
`
`3
`munications link With the sender according to the deter
`mined link address. Notably, the link address can be a
`telephone number. Also, the link address can be an IP
`address.
`The invention also contemplates the transmission of an
`IM to multiple recipients. In that case, the method can
`further include the steps of extracting from the IM embed
`ded references to the sender and at least one other recipient
`of the IM; and, displaying a corresponding selectable icon
`for each of the at least one other recipients. Additionally,
`responsive to a selection of one of the selectable icons, a
`corresponding recipient can be identi?ed and a link address
`can be determined for the corresponding recipient based on
`the extracted reference; and, the embedded computer pro
`gram code can be executed in order to establish a voice
`communications link With the corresponding recipient
`according to the determined link address. Finally, responsive
`to a selection of tWo or more of the selectable icons, a
`corresponding recipient can be identi?ed for each selected
`icon and a link address determined for the corresponding
`recipients based on the extracted references; and, the embed
`ded computer program code can be executed in order to
`establish a conference call With the corresponding recipients
`according to the determined link addresses.
`In accordance With the inventive arrangements, IMs can
`be created, transmitted and parsed in the computer commu
`nications netWork. An IM article of manufacture for use With
`IM/Chat session clients in the computer communications
`netWork can include a header component encapsulating a
`reference to at least one of a sending node in the netWork and
`a recipient node in the netWork; a text message component
`encapsulating message text Which can be extracted from the
`IM and displayed in an IM/Chat session client; and, an
`executable voice communications link program component
`con?gured to establish a voice communications link
`betWeen the sending and recipient nodes. The voice com
`munications link can be a Voice over IP (VoIP) based
`communications link. Alternatively, the voice communica
`tions link can be a telephony-based link
`Also in accordance With the inventive arrangements, IMs
`can be processed in an IM/Chat session client. An IM client
`con?gured to process an IM can include a conventional IM
`processor, the conventional IM processor extracting and
`displaying message text encapsulated in a received IM; and,
`a voice conversation processor, the voice conversation pro
`cessor identifying a voice communications link identi?er
`encapsulated in the received IM, displaying a selectable icon
`in response to detecting the voice communications link
`identi?er and, responsive to a selection of the selectable
`icon, establishing a voice communications link With a sender
`of the received IM.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`There are shoWn in the draWings embodiments Which are
`presently preferred, it being understood, hoWever, that the
`invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and
`instrumentalities shoWn, Wherein:
`FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a netWork based instant
`message (IM)/chat system for use in the present invention.
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an IlVI/chat client processing
`an IM con?gured With a voice conversation feature in
`accordance With the inventive arrangements.
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
`
`The present invention is an instant message (IM) com
`munications method and system for processing an IM Which
`has been con?gured in accordance With the inventive
`arrangements. The method can include both a sender insert
`ing in the IM a voice communications identi?er and the
`sender transmitting the IM to a recipient. The recipient can
`detect the voice communications identi?er in the IM and, in
`addition to displaying message text contained in the IM, the
`recipient can display a selectable icon. Responsive to the
`selection of the icon, a voice communications link can be
`established betWeen the sender and the recipient. In particu
`lar, the voice communications link can be a Voice over IP
`(VoIP) based voice communications link over the computer
`communications netWork, or a telephony-based voice com
`munications link over a public sWitched telephone netWork
`(PSTN).
`An exemplary netWork based IM/chat system according
`to the invention is shoWn in FIG. 1. A ?rst IlVI/chat client 65
`in a sending node 10 and a second IM/chat client 70 in a
`recipient node 14 are shoWn although the invention can be
`utiliZed With any number and con?guration of IM clients
`acting as both sending and receiving nodes. In one exem
`plary case illustrated in FIG. 1, hoWever, IMs can be
`transmitted and received by the ?rst IM client 65 over a
`computer communications netWork such as the Internet 24
`through a chat 18. Similarly, IMs can be transmitted and
`received by the second IM client 70 over a computer
`communications netWork such as the Internet 24 through the
`chat server 18. Still, the invention is not limited to a
`particular chat server con?guration and more than one chat
`server can be used by the ?rst and second IM clients 65, 70
`to send and receive IMs.
`Once received, an IM can be parsed and the contents 32
`can be displayed in the IM client 70 as is Well-knoWn in the
`art. Additionally, information pertaining to the sender,
`recipient and other pertinent data can be extracted from the
`IM and optionally displayed in the IM client 70. Examples
`of pertinent data can include references to the sender and one
`or more recipients such as netWork IP addresses. Pertinent
`data also can include a message subject and transmission
`date and time information.
`Importantly, a voice communications identi?er can be
`included in the IM to indicate that a voice communications
`link can be established betWeen the sending and recipient
`nodes 10, 14. Upon receipt of an IM, the IM client 70 can
`detect the voice communications identi?er When parsing the
`IM. Responsive to detecting a voice communications iden
`ti?er in the IM, the IM client can display a selectable voice
`communications icon 36 Which can indicate to an IM
`recipient that a voice communications link can be estab
`lished betWeen the sending node 10 and the recipient node
`14. The icon 36 is preferably displayed Within the present
`message text 32, although alternative placement of the icon
`36 is possible. The icon 36 can be any suitable text or
`graphic symbol, but preferably represents voice communi
`cations to a typical vieWer.
`Selection of the icon 36 by a vieWer can cause the
`establishment of a voice communications link betWeen the
`recipient node 14 and the sending node 10. In particular,
`though the voice communications link can be provided
`through any suitable voice communications technology, in
`one aspect of the present invention, a voice communications
`link 40 can be provided over the Internet 24 based upon the
`Voice over IP (VoIP) protocol. In another aspect of the
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`US 7,085,258 B2
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`5
`invention, a voice communications link 44 can be provided
`using a conventional telephony link 44 provided by conven
`tional telephony gateways 54A, 54B over a public sWitched
`telephone network (PSTN) 50.
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram Which illustrates a process
`sequence in an IM client con?gured in accordance With the
`present invention. In particular, as shoWn in FIG. 2 an IM 50
`can be con?gured With a voice conversation identi?er 56. IM
`client logic 60 can process the IM 50 so that the message text
`32 can be displayed in the IM client 70. IM client logic 60
`also can process the IM 50 so as to detect the voice
`conversation identi?er 56 and to responsively provide a
`selectable icon 36 in the IM client 70.
`More particularly, in accordance With the inventive
`arrangements an IM 50 can be con?gured to include a
`message header component 50A Which can encapsulate a
`reference to at least one of a sending node in the netWork and
`a recipient node in the netWork. The IM 50 also can be
`con?gured to include a text message component 50B Which
`can encapsulate message text 32 Which can be extracted
`from the IM 50 and displayed in a message client 70. Finally,
`the IM 50 can be con?gured to include an attachments
`component 50C Which can encapsulate message attachments
`in addition to a voice communications identi?er 56.
`Notably, the voice communications identi?er 56 can
`include basic information denoting the ability to establish a
`voice communications link With the sending node. NotWith
`standing, the invention is not limited in this regard and in an
`alternative aspect of the invention, the voice communica
`tions identi?er 56 can include an executable voice commu
`nications link program component. When executed, the
`voice communications link program can establish a voice
`communications link betWeen the sending and recipient
`nodes.
`As Will be apparent to one skilled in the art, the voice
`communications link program component can be imple
`mented using not only a scripting language such as Javas
`cript or VBScript, but also the voice communications link
`program component can be a compiled object Whose binary
`representation is included in the IM 50. In that case, When
`extracted from the IM 50, the compiled object can be
`independently executed Without requiring intermediate
`script interpretation. Finally, it Will be apparent to one
`skilled in the art that the voice communications link program
`can be a reference to a program residing elseWhere in a
`computer communications netWork. Selection of the refer
`ence can cause the program to be doWnloaded and executed
`in the recipient node.
`Returning noW to FIG. 2, IM client logic 60 associated
`With the IM client 70 can process the IM 50, ?rst by parsing
`the contents of the IM 50 in an IM parsing component 60A.
`In particular, the message text 32 in the IM 50 can be
`extracted from the IM using body processing component
`60B. LikeWise, header information such as the address of the
`sender and recipients, can be extracted from the IM using
`header processing component 60C. Finally, attachments
`included in the IM can be processed in the attachment
`processing component 60D.
`As shoWn in FIG. 2, a voice conversation processor 60E
`can be provided for use in the IM client logic 60. The voice
`conversation processor 60E can detect the presence of the
`voice communications link identi?er 56 encapsulated in the
`IM 50. Responsive to detecting the voice communications
`link identi?er 56, the voice conversation processing com
`ponent 60E can cause the placement of a selectable icon 36
`in the IM client 70. Subsequently, the selection of the
`selectable icon 36 can cause the establishment of a voice
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`communications link betWeen the sending node and the
`recipient node. Notably, the establishment of the voice
`communications link can be achieved through program code
`provided by the IM client 70, by a plug-in to the IM client,
`by the IM 50 itself, or by remote code referenced by either
`the IM client 70 or the voice communications link identi?er
`56.
`The identity information required to establish the voice
`communications link can be provided in the message header
`component 50A. Still, the invention is not limited in this
`regard and the message header component 50A can merely
`contain a reference to the sending node and optionally
`recipient nodes Which, in of itself, can be inadequate to
`establish a voice communications link. In that case, the
`reference can be used to retrieve the required information.
`For example, the reference can act as a key to a directory
`lookup service such as an LDAP database. Using the key,
`suitable identity information can be retrieved, such as an IP
`address, With Which a voice communications link can be
`established.
`Though only a single selectable icon 36 is shoWn in FIG.
`2, the invention is not limited solely to the establishment of
`a voice communications link betWeen the sending and
`recipient nodes. Rather, based upon recipient information
`extracted from the message header component 50A, corre
`sponding selectable icons can be provided. Responsive to
`the selection of a selectable icon, a voice communications
`link can be established betWeen one or more corresponding
`recipient nodes. Furthermore, Where multiple selectable
`icons are provided, a conference call can be established
`betWeen nodes based upon the selection of corresponding
`selectable icons. Finally, conference calls can established for
`all sender/recipients, or for selected groups of sender/recipi
`ents, such as only those recipients in a given department.
`The present invention can be realiZed in hardWare, soft
`Ware, or a combination of hardWare and softWare. Moreover,
`the present invention can be realiZed in a centraliZed fashion
`in one computer system, or in a distributed fashion Where
`different elements are spread across several interconnected
`computer systems. Any kind of computer system4or other
`apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described
`hereiniis suited. A typical combination of hardWare and
`softWare could be a general purpose computer system With
`a computer program that, When being loaded and executed,
`controls the computer system such that it carries out the
`methods described herein. The present invention can also be
`embedded in a computer program product, Which comprises
`all the features enabling the implementation of the methods
`described herein, and Which When loaded in a computer
`system is able to carry out these methods. Computer pro
`gram means or computer program in the present context
`means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of
`a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an
`information processing capability to perform a particular
`function either directly or after either or both of the folloW
`ing a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b)
`reproduction in a different material form.
`Signi?cantly, this invention can be embodied in other
`speci?c forms Without departing from the spirit or essential
`attributes thereof, and accordingly, reference should be had
`to the folloWing claims, rather than to the foregoing speci
`?cation, as indicating the scope of the invention.
`
`We claim:
`1. An instant message (IM) communication method com
`prising the steps of:
`inserting in an IM a voice communications identi?er;
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`US 7,085,258 B2
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`7
`embedding computer program code in said IM, Wherein
`said computer program code is con?gured to establish
`a voice communications link With a sender of said IM;
`transmitting said IM to a recipient;
`displaying a selectable icon associated With said voice
`communication identi?er; and,
`responsive to said recipient selecting said voice commu
`nications identi?er, establishing a voice communica
`tions link betWeen said recipient and said sender of said
`IM by executing said embedded computer program
`code.
`2. The lM communication method of claim 1, Wherein
`said inserting step further comprises the step of inserting in
`said TM a selectable symbol denoting voice communications
`availability.
`3. The lM communication method of claim 1, Wherein
`said inserting step further comprises the step of
`inserting in said TM a reference to said sender of said IM.
`4. The lM communication method of claim 3, Wherein
`said establishing step comprises the steps of responsive to
`said recipient selecting said voice communications identi
`?er, determining a link address for said sender based on said
`reference, and executing said embedded computer program
`code in order to establish a voice communications link With
`said sender according to said determined link address.
`5. The lM communication method of claim 4, Wherein
`said link address is a telephone number.
`6. The lM communication method of claim 4, Wherein
`said link address is an IP address.
`7. The lM communication method of claim 1, Wherein
`said establishing step comprises the step of responsive to
`said recipient selecting said voice communications identi
`?er, establishing a Voice over IP (VoIP) based voice com
`munications link With said recipient.
`8. The lM communication method of claim 1, Wherein
`said establishing step comprises the step of responsive to
`said recipient selecting said voice communications identi
`?er, establishing a telephony-based voice communications
`link With said recipient over a public sWitched telephone
`netWork (PSTN).
`9. An instant message (IM) communication method com
`prising the steps of:
`detecting a voice communications identi?er in an IM
`transmitted by a sender;
`responsive to detecting said voice communications iden
`ti?er, displaying a selectable icon associated With said
`voice communication identi?er;
`responsive to a selection of said icon, extracting from said
`IM embedded computer program code con?gured to
`establish a voice communications link With said sender;
`and
`establishing a voice communications link With said sender
`by executing said embedded computer program code
`extracted from said IM.
`10. The lM communication method of claim 9, further
`comprising the step of extracting an embedded reference to
`said sender from said IM.
`11. The lM communication method of claim 10, Wherein
`said executing step further comprises the steps of:
`determining a link address for said sender based on said
`extracted reference; and,
`executing said embedded computer program code in order
`to establish a voice communications link With said
`sender according to said determined link address.
`12. The lM communication method of claim 11, Wherein
`said link address is a telephone number.
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`8
`13. The lM communication method of claim 11, Wherein
`said link address is an IP address.
`14. The IM communications method of claim 10, further
`comprising the steps of:
`a recipient of the IM extracting from said IM embedded
`references to said sender and at least one other recipient
`of said IM; and,
`displaying a corresponding selectable icon for each of
`said at least one other recipients.
`15. The lM communication method of claim 14, further
`comprising the steps of:
`responsive to a selection of one of said selectable icons,
`identifying a corresponding recipient and determining a
`link address for said corresponding recipient based on
`said extracted reference; and,
`executing said embedded computer program code in order
`to establish a voice communications link With said
`corresponding recipient according to said determined
`link address.
`16. The lM communication method of claim 14, further
`comprising the steps of:
`responsive to a selection of tWo or more of said selectable
`icons, identifying a corresponding recipient for each
`selected icon and determining a link address for said
`corresponding recipients based on said extracted refer
`ences; and,
`executing said embedded computer program code in order
`to establish a conference call With said corresponding
`recipients according to said determined link addresses.
`17. The lM communication method of claim 9, Wherein
`said establishing step comprises the step of responsive to a
`recipient of the IM selecting said voice communications
`identi?er, establishing a Voice over IP (VolP) based voice
`communications link With said recipient.
`18. The lM communication method of claim 9, Wherein
`said establishing step comprises the step of responsive to a
`recipient of the IM selecting said voice communications
`identi?er, establishing a telephony-based voice communica
`tions link With said recipient over a public sWitched tele
`phone netWork (PSTN).
`19. A machine readable storage having stored thereon a
`computer program having a plurality of code sections
`executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform
`the steps of:
`inserting in an instant message (IM) a voice communica
`tions identi?er;
`embedding computer program code in said IM, Wherein
`said computer program code is con?gured to establish
`a voice communications link With a sender of said IM;
`transmitting said IM to a recipient;
`displaying a selectable icon associated With said voice
`communications identi?er; and,
`responsive to said recipient selecting said voice commu
`nications identi?er, establishing a voice communica
`tions link betWeen said recipient and said sender of said
`IM by executing said embedded computer program
`code.
`20. The machine readable storage of claim 19, Wherein
`said inserting step further comprises the step of inserting in
`said TM a selectable symbol denoting voice communications
`availability.
`21. The machine readable storage of claim 19, Wherein
`said inserting step further comprises the step of:
`inserting in said lM a reference to said sender of said IM.
`22. The machine readable storage of claim 21, Wherein
`said establishing step comprises the steps of responsive to
`said recipient selecting said voice communications identi
`
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`US 7,085,258 B2
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`?er, determining a link address for said sender based on said
`reference, and executing said embedded computer program
`code in order to establish a voice communications link With
`said sender according to said determined link address.
`23. The machine readable storage of claim 22, Wherein
`said link address is a telephone number.
`24. The machine readable storage of claim 22, Wherein
`said link address is an IP address.
`25. The machine readable storage of claim 19, Wherein
`said establishing step comprises the step of responsive to
`said recipient selecting said voice communications identi
`?er, establishing a Voice over IP (VoIP) based voice com
`munications link With said recipient.
`26. The machine readable storage of claim 19, Wherein
`said establishing step comprises the step of responsive to
`said recipient selecting said voice communications id