Electronic message forwarding

Abstract

The invention provides a method of transmitting electronic messages in a computer environment. The preferred embodiment receives an electronic message addressed to a telephone number and determines an instant message identifier associated with the telephone number. In response to the determination that an instant message identifier associates with the telephone number, it is further determined whether an instant message receiver is available to receive messages addressed to the instant message identifier. In response to a determination that an instant message receiver is available to receive instant messages addressed to the instant message identifier, the electronic message is forwarded as an instant message addressed to the instant message identifier. In response to a determination that an instant message receiver is available to receive instant message addressed to the instant message identifier, electronic message is sent to a mobile device at the telephone number in response to a determination that no instant message receiver is available to receive instant messages addressed to the instant message identifier.

1 . A method for forwarding an electronic message addressed to a telephone number to an alternative destination, the method comprising:
 storing, in computer memory that is accessible by an electronic messaging system, an association between a particular telephone number and an alternative address for message delivery;   storing, in the computer memory that is accessible by the electronic message system, a condition for forwarding an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number to another destination;   receiving, from a message sender, an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number;   in response to receiving the electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number:
 accessing, from the computer memory, the stored condition for forwarding a received electronic message to another destination and determining that the condition presently is satisfied, and 
 accessing, from the computer memory, the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery to reveal that the alternative address for message delivery is associated with the particular telephone number; and 
   in response to determining that the condition for forwarding a received electronic message to another destination presently is satisfied and based on accessing the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery, forwarding the electronic message to the alternative address for message delivery in a format that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the alternative address for message delivery is an instant message identity associated with a user of an instant messaging system and the condition for forwarding an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number to another destination is that the instant message identity presently is signed in to the instant messaging system, such that:
 determining that the condition for forwarding a received electronic message to another destination presently is satisfied comprises determining that the instant message identity presently is signed in to the instant messaging system;   accessing, from the computer memory, the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery to reveal that the alternative address for message delivery is associated with the particular telephone number comprises accessing, from the computer memory, a stored association between the particular telephone number and the instant message identity to reveal that the instant message identity is associated with the particular telephone number; and   forwarding the electronic message to the alternative address for message delivery in a format that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery comprises forwarding the electronic message to the instant message identity as an instant message.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein forwarding the electronic message to the instant message identity as an instant message comprises forwarding the electronic message to the instant message identity as an instant message only if the instant message identity presently is signed in to the instant messaging system. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein:
 receiving an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number comprises receiving an SMS text message that is addressed to the particular telephone number and that originated from a telephone having a telephone number that is different from the particular telephone number; and   forwarding the electronic message to the alternative address for message delivery in a format that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery comprises forwarding the SMS text message to the instant message identity as an instant message.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising:
 receiving an instant message intended for the message sender and from the instant message identity in reply to the instant message that was forwarded to the instant message identity;   converting the instant message received from the instant message identity into a new SMS text message; and   sending the new SMS text message to the telephone number for the telephone with an indication that the new SMS text message was sent from the particular telephone number.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the alternative address for message delivery is an instant message identity associated with a user of an instant messaging system and the condition for forwarding an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number to another destination is that the instant message identity presently is available to receive an instant message such that:
 determining that the condition for forwarding a received electronic message to another destination presently is satisfied comprises determining that the instant message identity presently is available to receive an instant message;   accessing, from the computer memory, the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery to reveal that the alternative address from message delivery is associated with the particular telephone number comprises accessing, from the computer memory, a stored association between the particular telephone number and the instant message identity to reveal that the instant message identity is associated with the particular telephone number; and   forwarding the electronic message to the alternative address for message delivery in a format that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery comprises forwarding the electronic message to the instant message identity as an instant message.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein forwarding the electronic message to the instant message identity as an instant message comprises forwarding the electronic message to the instant message identity as an instant message only if the instant message identity presently is available to receive an instant message. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising storing, in the computer memory that is accessible by the electronic messaging system, a list of one or more blocked telephone numbers, wherein:
 the alternative address for message delivery is an instant message identity associated with a user of an instant message system;   the condition for forwarding an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number to another destination is that the electronic message riot have originated from a telephone having a telephone number included within the stored list of one or more blocked telephone numbers;   receiving an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number comprises receiving an electronic message that is addressed to the particular telephone number and that originated from a source telephone having a telephone number that is different from the particular telephone number;   determining that the condition for forwarding a received electronic message to another destination presently is satisfied comprises determining that the telephone number for the source telephone is not included within the stored list of one or more blocked telephone numbers;   accessing, from the computer memory, the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery to reveal that the alternative address for message delivery is associated with the particular telephone number comprises accessing, from the computer memory, a stored association between the particular telephone number and the instant message identity to reveal that the instant message identity is associated with the particular telephone number; and   forwarding the electronic message to the alternative address for message delivery in a format that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery comprises forwarding the electronic message to the instant message identity as an instant message only if the telephone number for the source telephone is not included within the stored list of one or more blocked telephone numbers.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising storing, in the computer memory that is accessible by the electronic messaging system, a list of one or more allowed telephone numbers, wherein:
 the alternative address for message delivery is an instant message identity associated with a user of an instant message system;   the condition for forwarding an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number to another destination is that the electronic message have originated from a telephone having a telephone number included within the stored list of one or more blocked telephone numbers;   receiving an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number comprises receiving an electronic message that is addressed to the particular telephone number and that originated from a source telephone having a telephone number that is different from the particular telephone number;   determining that the condition for forwarding a received electronic message to another destination presently is satisfied comprises determining that the telephone number for the source telephone is included within the stored list of one or more allowed telephone numbers;   accessing, from the computer memory, the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery to reveal that the alternative address for message delivery is associated with the particular telephone number comprises accessing, from the computer memory, a stored association between the particular telephone number and the instant message identity to reveal that the instant message identity is associated with the particular telephone number; and   forwarding the electronic message to the alternative address for message delivery in a format that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery comprises forwarding the electronic message to the instant message identity as an instant message only if the telephone number for the source telephone is included within the stored list of one or more blocked telephone numbers.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the alternative address for message delivery is an instant message identity associated with a user of an instant messaging system and the condition for forwarding an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number to another destination is that the electronic message not have been received during a specified time period, such that:
 determining that the condition for forwarding a received electronic message to another destination presently is satisfied comprises determining that the electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number was not received during the specified time period;   accessing, from the computer memory, the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery to reveal that the alternative address for message delivery is associated with the particular telephone number comprises accessing, from the computer memory, a stored association between the particular telephone number and the instant message identity to reveal that the instant message identity is associated with the particular telephone number; and   forwarding the electronic message to the alternative address for message delivery in a format that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery comprises forwarding the electronic message to the instant message identity as an instant message only if the electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number was not received during the specified time period.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the alternative address for message delivery is an instant message identity associated with a user of an instant messaging system and the condition for forwarding an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number to another destination is that the electronic message have been received during an allowed time period, such that:
 determining that the condition for forwarding a received electronic message to another destination presently is satisfied comprises determining that the electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number was received during the allowed time period;   accessing, from the computer memory, the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery to reveal that the alternative address for message delivery is associated with the particular telephone number comprises accessing, from the computer memory, a stored association between the particular telephone number and the instant message identity to reveal that the instant message identity is associated with the particular telephone number; and   forwarding the electronic message to the alternative address for message delivery in a format that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery comprises forwarding the electronic message to the instant message identity as an instant message only if the electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number was not received during the specified tilde period.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein forwarding the electronic message to the alternative address for message delivery in a format that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery comprises forwarding the electronic message to the alternative address for message delivery in accordance with a protocol that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein accessing the stored condition for forwarding a received electronic message to another destination and determining that the condition) presently is satisfied comprises accessing the stored condition for forwarding a received electronic message to another destination and determining that the condition presently is satisfied after and based on having accessed the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery to reveal that the alternative address for message delivery is associated with the particular telephone number. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising sending the electronic message to the particular telephone number in addition to forwarding the electronic message to the alternative address for message delivery in a format that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery. 
     
     
         15 . A system for forwarding an electronic message addressed to a telephone number to an alternative destination, the system comprising:
 computer memory that stores:
 an association between a particular telephone number and an alternative address for message delivery; 
 a condition for forwarding an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number to another destination; and 
   a computing device that is configured to:
 receive, from a message sender, an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number; 
 access, from the computer memory, the stored condition for forwarding a received electronic message to another destination and determining that the condition presently is satisfied; 
 access, from the computer memory, the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery to reveal that the alternative address for message delivery is associated with the particular telephone number; and 
 forward the electronic message to the alternative address for message delivery in a format that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery in response to determining that the condition for forwarding a received electronic message to another destination presently is satisfied and based on accessing the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery. 
   
     
     
         16 . A computer-readable storage medium that stores a computer program for forwarding an electronic message addressed to a telephone number to an alternative destination, the computer program including instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to:
 store, in computer memory that is accessible by an electronic messaging system, an association between a particular telephone number and an alternative address for message delivery;   store, in the computer memory that is accessible by the electronic message system, a condition for forwarding an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number to another destination;   receive, from a message sender, an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number;   access, from the computer memory, the stored condition for forwarding a received electronic message to another destination and determine that the condition presently is satisfied;   access, from the computer memory, the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery to reveal that the alternative address for message delivery is associated with the particular telephone number; and   forward the electronic message to the alternative address for message delivery in a format that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery in response to determining that the condition for forwarding a received electronic message to another destination presently is satisfied and based on accessing the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message deli very.   
     
     
         17 . A method for forwarding an electronic message addressed to a telephone number to an instant message identity, the method comprising:
 receiving, from a message sender, an electronic message addressed to a particular telephone number;   in response to receiving the electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number:
 determining that the particular telephone number is associated with an instant message identity corresponding to a user of an instant messaging system, and 
 determining that the instant message identity presently is available to receive an instant message; and 
   in response to determining that the particular telephone number is associated with the instant message identity and that the instant message identity presently is available to receive an instant message, forwarding the electronic message to the instant message identity as an instant message.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  17  wherein determining that the instant messaging identity presently is available to receive an instant message comprises determining that the instant message identity presently is signed in to the instant messaging system. 
     
     
         19 . A method for forwarding an electronic message addressed to a telephone number to an alternative destination, the method comprising:
 storing, in computer memory that is accessible by an electronic messaging system, an association between a particular telephone number and an alternative address for message delivery;   maintaining a filter that identifies objectionable content;   receiving, from a message sender, an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number;   applying the filter to the received electronic message;   based on applying the filter to the electronic message, determining that the electronic message does not include content identified by the filter as objectionable;   accessing, from the computer memory, the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery to reveal that the alternative address for message delivery is associated with the particular telephone number; and   in response to determining that the electronic message does not include content identified by the filter as objectionable and based on accessing the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery, forwarding the electronic message to the alternative address for message delivery in a format that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery.   
     
     
         20 . A method for forwarding an electronic message addressed to a telephone number to an alternative destination, the method comprising:
 storing, in computer memory that is accessible by an electronic messaging system, an association between a particular telephone number and an alternative address for message delivery;   maintaining a filter that identifies objectionable content;   receiving, from a message sender, an electronic message addressed to the particular telephone number;   applying the filter to the received electronic message,   based on applying the filter to the electronic message, determining that the electronic message includes content identified by the filter as objectionable;   in response to determining that the electronic message includes content identified by the filter as objectionable, deleting the content identified as objectionable from the electronic message;   accessing, from the computer memory, the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery to reveal that the alternative address for message delivery is associated with the particular telephone number; and   based on accessing the stored association between the particular telephone number and the alternative address for message delivery, forwarding the electronic message from which the content identified as objectionable has been deleted to the alternative address for message delivery in a format that is appropriate for receipt at the alternative address for message delivery.