US Patent 8001204 Unified communication escalation

A method and system for providing message threads with messages of multiple modes of communication in a uniform manner is provided. A messaging system provides a unified communications user interface for message threads that include messages sent using different modes of communications. When a user wants to reply to a message of one mode with a message of another mode, the messaging system displays the communication client application context of the other mode so that the user can prepare and send the message using the appropriate functions. When the instant message is sent, the messaging system adds the instant message to the message thread so that it can be displayed as part of the message thread.