Abstract: A method includes receiving a signal associated with an electronic meeting invitation for users to attend the electronic meeting. The users include members of an organization and at least one nonmember of the organization. Responsive to receiving the signal, an online collaborative team is automatically created within an online chat environment. The team members of the online collaborative team include the members and the at least one nonmember. In some embodiments, an online collaborative team account is automatically created for the at least one nonmember responsive to determining that the at least one nonmember has no online collaborative team account.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining availability statuses for users of a communication service provider system. One of the methods includes obtaining data identifying a plurality of availability status features for a user of a communication service provider system and a respective weight for each of the availability status features; determining a respective current value of each of the availability status features; and determining an aggregate user availability status based at least in part on the current values of the availability status features and on the weights for the availability status features.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining availability statuses for users of a communication service provider system. One of the methods includes obtaining data identifying a plurality of availability status features for a user of a communication service provider system and a respective weight for each of the availability status features; determining a respective current value of each of the availability status features; and determining an aggregate user availability status based at least in part on the current values of the availability status features and on the weights for the availability status features.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing access to a visual phone menu is disclosed. One of the methods includes receiving a call request transmitted from a calling device to initiate a call to a recipient; saving state information associated with the caller's navigation through a voice response system; providing an option for the caller to select between receiving a visual phone menu (VPM) or continuing to listen to the voice response system menu; receiving a selection of the option to receive the VPM; providing the VPM to a client device including providing state information associated with the caller's navigation through the voice response system prior to the selection; and using the state information when the caller navigates back in the response tree using the VPM.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining availability statuses for users of a communication service provider system. One of the methods includes obtaining data identifying a plurality of availability status features for a user of a communication service provider system and a respective weight for each of the availability status features; determining a respective current value of each of the availability status features; and determining an aggregate user availability status based at least in part on the current values of the availability status features and on the weights for the availability status features.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining availability statuses for users of a communication service provider system. One of the methods includes obtaining data identifying a plurality of availability status features for a user of a communication service provider system and a respective weight for each of the availability status features; determining a respective current value of each of the availability status features; and determining an aggregate user availability status based at least in part on the current values of the availability status features and on the weights for the availability status features.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing access to a visual phone menu is disclosed. One of the methods includes receiving a call request transmitted from a calling device to initiate a call to a recipient; saving state information associated with the caller's navigation through a voice response system; providing an option for the caller to select between receiving a visual phone menu (VPM) or continuing to listen to the voice response system menu; receiving a selection of the option to receive the VPM; providing the VPM to a client device including providing state information associated with the caller's navigation through the voice response system prior to the selection; and using the state information when the caller navigates back in the response tree using the VPM.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining availability statuses for users of a communication service provider system. One of the methods includes obtaining data identifying a plurality of availability status features for a user of a communication service provider system and a respective weight for each of the availability status features; determining a respective current value of each of the availability status features; and determining an aggregate user availability status based at least in part on the current values of the availability status features and on the weights for the availability status features.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing access to a visual phone menu is disclosed. One of the methods includes receiving a call request transmitted from a calling device to initiate a call to a recipient; saving state information associated with the caller's navigation through a voice response system; providing an option for the caller to select between receiving a visual phone menu (VPM) or continuing to listen to the voice response system menu; receiving a selection of the option to receive the VPM; providing the VPM to a client device including providing state information associated with the caller's navigation through the voice response system prior to the selection; and using the state information when the caller navigates back in the response tree using the VPM.

Abstract: A system, comprising a plurality of geographically distributed colocation facilities (colos), each colo comprising a plurality of computing devices configured to establish local connections between the colo and user devices associated with a corresponding set of users; maintain local connection state information relating to the local connections; maintain remote connection state information relating to remote connections between other ones of the colos and user devices associated with the corresponding sets of users; and facilitate sessions between any of the user devices connected to any of the colos with reference to the local and remote connection state information.

Abstract: Methods and systems are directed toward enabling a user of a target device, such as a mobile device, to register for automatic initiation of a messaging service on the target device. A target device user interface, such as a login user interface, provides a selectable activation element for the user to indicate that future messaging sessions with the target device should be established automatically. An activation indicator and target identifier are associated with a user identifier and stored in a messaging system data store. When the user ceases use of a messaging session on another device, such as a general purpose computing device, the messaging system uses the user identifier and target identifier to automatically establish a corresponding messaging session on the target device. The user of the target device may then hold a messaging session with an existing third party device or with a different third party device.

Abstract: Two-way communication between a general purpose computing device, such as a PC, and a mobile terminal, such as a cell phone. The general device executes a conversation user interface through which a user enters a message. The message is sent to an intermediary communication service, such as a portal server, along with a mobile terminal identifier, such as a phone number. The intermediary service creates a mapping between the mobile identifier, a general device user identifier, and an extension to an intermediary device identifier, such as an extension to an SMS short code. The intermediary service sends the message to the mobile terminal along with the intermediary service identifier and the extension. The mobile device returns a response with the mobile identifier, the intermediary service identifier, and the extension. The intermediary service uses the mobile identifier and the extension to determine the general device user identifier and send the response.

Abstract: A first device running a messaging application, such as an instant messaging (IM) application, engages in messaging communication with a remote device running a browsing application. The remote device user is not associated with the messaging network of the first device. The first device sends an instant message directed to the remote device. The remote device is addressed using a means other than the addressing means used in the IM community associated with the first device, such as the MSISDN number of the remote device. The message is processed so that it may be displayed on the remote device by way of the browsing application. The user of the remote device may reply to the message using the browsing application, in which case the reply message is processed and forwarded to the first device, where it is converted into the IM format for display within the IM application.

Abstract: Enabling a user of a device, such as a wired or wireless device, that is associated with a telephone number to communicate text messages with another user of another device that is not associated with a telephone number (or the telephone number is unknown to the sender). Although the other user's telephone number is not known or does not exist, the other user is associated with a user identifier for a user community that is assigned a Common Short Code (CSC). The text message includes a source telephone number (sender/user's device telephone number) and a destination number (the CSC for the other user/recipient's user community). The content of the text message includes a user identifier, where the identifier indicates the particular other user within the user community. A server employs the CSC to determine the user community and the identifier to determine the particular user in the determined community that is the intended recipient of the text message.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method are directed to managing a message communications to a mobile device. The mobile device may include a first application that is unresponsive to a wakeup alert from a server. For example, the first application may be an instant messaging (IM) client that is developed as a mobile java application (MIDlet) that employs a MIDP1.0 specification, and the like. If the first application is determined to be unresponsive to a wakeup alert, the server may reformat a message to another message communication format, such as Short Messaging Service (SMS), for use by a second application that is responsive to the wakeup alert. The server may provide the reformatted message to the second application, which may be employed respond to the message. Alternatively, an end-user of the mobile device may wakeup the first application, for use in responding to the message.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method is directed towards managing a quick registration of a mobile device over a network. The quick registration is directed at enabling an end-user to conveniently register a mobile device to be useable for such communications sessions, as an instant messaging (IM) session, and the like. The invention employs a pre-determined extension to a short code that instructs a server to register the mobile device sending the message. The message includes an account identifier along with a password to the account. The message may be a single message line, thereby providing a quick and convenient mechanism for registering the mobile device. The server receives the message along with a mobile device identifier, and stores a mapping relationship between the account identifier and the mobile device identifier after validating the password. In one embodiment, the message includes a command that the mobile device also be logged into an IM session.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method are directed to managing automatic sign in to an Instant Messaging (IM) session on mobile device from another computing device, such as a personal computer (PC), over a network. The end-user of the PC may provide an account identifier, password, and the like, and in response, receive a cookie, that may further include the account identifier, encoded string, and the like. The end-user may then request initiation of the IM session using a toolbar selection, a script, applet, form, web page selection, and the like. As part of the request, the cookie may be provided to the server. If the request is authenticated based, in part, on the cookie information, the server uses the account identifier to locate an associated a mobile device identifier. The mobile device identifier is employed to log the end-user automatically into the mobile device.

Abstract: A system and method are directed towards providing a user interface for controlling a communication mode of a client device. The interface enables a user to set a presence and/or a communications mode, which the client device communicates to other devices directly or via an intermediary server. The presence generally reflects the user's availability, communication capability, desire to communicate, and the like. The presence can be directly or indirectly associated with the communication mode, which can comprise SMS, IM, email voice, and the like. The interface includes a contact list an enables the user to select a mode to communicate with a contact. The communication modes associated with each contact can also be incorporated into and displayed in an email address book. The interface also indicates the communication mode of each incoming and outgoing message in conversations with one or more other client devices.