DETAILED DESCRIPTION In one general aspect, an electronic assistant handles instant messages sent to a user when the user is away or offline.
The electronic assistant may respond intelligently and helpfully to inquiries regarding the user's away or offline status, may take messages for delivery to the away or offline user, and may intelligently forward messages to the user, as appropriate.
FIG.
1 illustrates an exemplary networked computing environment 100 in which an electronic assistant for instant messages may be used.
Computer users are distributed geographically and communicate using client systems 102 interconnected by a network 104.
Client systems 102 are connected to network 104 through various communication mediums, such as a modem connected to a telephone line (using, for example, serial line internet protocol (SLIP) or point-to-point protocol (PPP)) or a direct internetwork connection (using, for example, transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP)).
A host server 106 also may be connected to network 104 and may be used to facilitate some direct or indirect communications between client systems 102.
Each client system 102 and host server 106 may be implemented using, for example, a general-purpose computer capable of responding to and executing instructions in a defined manner, a personal computer, a special-purpose computer, a workstation, a server, a device, a component, or other equipment or some combination thereof capable of responding to and executing instructions.
Client systems 102 and host server 106 may receive instructions from, for example, a software application, a program, a piece of code, a device, a computer, a computer system, or a combination thereof, which independently or collectively direct operations.
These instructions may take the form of one or more communications programs that facilitate communications between the users of client systems 102.
Such communications programs may include, for example, electronic mail (e-mail) programs, IM programs, file transfer protocol (FTP) programs, or voice-over-IP (VoIP) programs
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