Networked chat and media sharing systems and methods

• US 20050021624A1
• Filed: 05/17/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bailey, Robert, McBarron, Brian, Herf, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,761,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for sharing images and chat text over a network. A determination is made as to whether a first user of a first terminal has changed focus from a first image to a second image during a chat session conducted with a second user of a second terminal. At least partly in response to determining that the first user of the first terminal has changed focus from the first image to the second image, a second image identifier is automatically sent to the second terminal. Chat text is transmitted from the first terminal to the second terminal. The second terminal accesses the second image using the second image identifier, and displays the chat text in association with the second image.

Claims

1. A method of performing an electronic chat session including images over a network, the method comprising:

providing, using a first terminal, a first image from a first user and an associated first image identifier via a peer-to-peer transfer to a second terminal associated with a second user, wherein the terminal associated with the second user automatically stores the first image in non-volatile memory in association with the first image identifier;

during a chat session over a computer network conducted via the first terminal and the second terminal, wherein the first user and the second user are textually conversing, detecting that the first user is focusing on the first image;

retransmitting the first image identifier from the first terminal to the second terminal; and

at least partly in response to receiving the retransmitted first image identifier, the second terminal;

comparing the retransmitted first image identifier to a second identifier associated with a second image already being displayed in a chat history on a first interface to determine if the first identifier and the second identifier are associated with different images;

displaying in a first area of the chat history the first image in association with corresponding chat text from the first user at least partly in response to determining that the first identifier and the second identifier are associated with different images.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising;

determining that the first user is focusing on a third image;

at least partly in response to determining that the first user is focusing on the third image, automatically transmitting a third image identifier to the second terminal, the third image identifier associated with the third image;

displaying on the second terminal in a second area of the chat history the third image adjacent to chat text corresponding to the third image; and

displaying a visual separator between the first area and second area to separate at least the chat text corresponding to the first image and the chat text corresponding to the third image.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the separator is a line.

4. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the separator is a change in color.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first image is displayed at a second location, displaced from the chat history, in a group of other images.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first image is displayed at two additional locations on the interface, the two additional locations including:

a group of shared images, wherein the first image is displayed as a thumbnail sized image; and

a current media area that displays configured to display a selected shared image from the filmstrip at a larger image size.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein an indicator indicates which shared image in the group of shared images is being display in the current media area

8. The method as defined in claim 6, further comprising providing a delete control that when user activated causes at least a first shared image to be removed from the group of shared images.

9. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the group of shared images is displayed as a filmstrip.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a third image to the second terminal;

detecting when the first user is focusing on the third image on the first terminal;

automatically transmitting an identifier associated with the third image at least partly in response to detecting that the first user is focusing on a third image; and

displaying the third image in a viewer on the first interface, the viewer separate from the chat history and configured to automatically synchronize with and track the first user'"'"'s focus.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising providing a viewer on the first interface, the viewer configured to automatically track a remote viewer'"'"'s focus.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

causing a viewer to be displayed on the first interface, the viewer configured to automatically track a remote user'"'"'s focus;

determining if the second user and the remote user are viewing the same image; and

at least partly in response to determining that the second user and the remote user are viewing the same image, ceasing the display of the viewer.

13. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein detecting that the first user is focusing on the first image further comprises detecting when the first user has pointed to the first image, wherein the first image is displayed in a group of previously shared images.

14. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising automatically storing in non-volatile memory a history of the chat text and the first image.

15. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first image identifier includes at least:

a user identifier; and

a machine identifier.

16. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein a group of images sent by the first user to the second terminal prior to sending chat text is displayed on the first interface displaced from chat text exchanged between the first and second users.

17. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising displaying on the second terminal status on other users in the second user'"'"'s chat network.

18. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein the status includes one of an online, offline, and idle status.

19. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising enabling the first user to invite other users to become chat participants.

20. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising enabling the first user to invite other users to become chat participants by selecting entries in an electronic address book.

21. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first interface includes:

a filmstrip area displaying a group of images shared by the first and second users; and

a current image area.

22. A method of performing a chat session over a network, the method comprising:

determining if a first user of the first terminal has changed focus from a first image to a second image during a chat session conducted with a second user of a second terminal;

automatically sending a second image identifier associated with the second image to the second terminal during the chat session; and

transmitting chat text from the first terminal with a second terminal,

wherein the second terminal accesses the second image using the second image identifier, and displays the chat text in association with the second image.

23. The method as defined in claim 22, further comprising displaying on the first user terminal a shared history listing of prior chat sessions with the second user, the shared history listing including a least one image from each of a plurality of the prior chat sessions.

24. The method as defined in claim 22, further comprising displaying on the first user terminal a shared history listing of prior chat sessions with the second user, the shared history listing including information on how many images are in each listed prior chat session.

25. The method as defined in claim 22, wherein the second terminal accesses the second image during the chat session using the second image identifier to retrieve the second image from second terminal non-volatile memory.

26. The method as defined in claim 22, wherein the first user changed focus to the second image by pointing at a thumbnail of the second image.

27. The method as defined in claim 22, further comprising:

the second terminal receiving a third image identifier associated with a third image;

the second terminal receiving new chat text;

the second terminal comparing the third image identifier with the second image identifier; and

at least partly in response to determining that the second image identifier and third image identifier do not match,

the second terminal accessing the third image, and

displaying the third image in association with the third image.

28. The method as defined in claim 27, further comprising displaying a visible separator between the new chat text and previous chat text at least partly in response to determining that the second image identifier and third image identifier do not match.

29. The method as defined in claim 22, further comprising:

tracking images viewed by the second user on the second terminal; and

synchronously displaying in a first area on the first terminal images being viewed by the second user on the second terminal while the first user and second user are conducting an electronic chat session via the first terminal and the second terminal.

30. The method as defined in claim 22, further comprising automatically storing in non-volatile memory for later retrieval a log of chat communication and images shared during a chat session.

31. The method as defined in claim 22, wherein the second image identifier comprises:

a local image identifier;

a user identifier; and

and a machine identifier.

32. The method as defined in claim 22, further comprising:

identifying and displaying as a group recently shared images; and

enabling the selection of images in the group of recently shared images for sharing with at least one remote user.

33. The method as defined in claim 22, further comprising:

transmitting the second image from the first terminal to the second terminal; and

storing the second image in second terminal non-volatile memory.

34. The method as defined in claim 22, further comprising providing a plurality of accessible chat windows on the first terminal corresponding to a plurality of chat sessions with different users.

35. The method as defined in claim 22, further comprising receiving from the first user a selection of a maximum transmission rate to be used for chatting.

36. A method of processing images in an electronic chat session, the method comprising:

receiving first chat text at a first terminal associated with a first user from a second user associated with a second terminal;

displaying the chat text in a chat area via the first terminal in association with a first image;

receiving at the first terminal an image identifier associated with a second image from the second user; and

based at least in part on the image identifier and information related to the second image, determining whether the first image and the second image are different images, wherein if the first image and the second image are different image, the second image is retrieved and displayed in the chat history in association with second chat text.

37. The method as defined in claim 36, wherein the second chat text is received after the image identifier.

38. The method as defined in claim 36, wherein the second image is adjacent to the second chat text if the image identifier does not correspond to an identifier associated with the first image.

39. The method as defined in claim 36, the second image is stored in non-volatile memory on both the first terminal and the second terminal.

40. An electronic chat system configured to display media and chat text, the electronic chat system comprising instructions stored in computer readable memory configured to:

determine if a first user of a first terminal has changed focus from a first image to a second image during a chat session conducted with a second user of a second terminal;

at least partly in response to determining that the first user of the first terminal has changed focus from the first image to the second image, automatically transmit a second image identifier to the second terminal; and

transmit chat text from the first terminal with a second terminal,

wherein the second image identifier is intended to be used by the second terminal to access and display second image in association with the chat text.

41. The electronic chat system as defined in claim 40, wherein the second image identifier includes:

a user identifier; and

and a machine identifier.

42. The electronic chat system as defined in claim 40, wherein the first image is a digital photograph.

43. The electronic chat system as defined in claim 40, wherein the first image is a graphic image.

44. The electronic chat system as defined in claim 40, further comprising instructions stored in computer readable memory configured to:

display a first area configured to contain thumbnails of shared images, including a thumbnail of the second image;

a second area configured to display a substantially larger than thumbnail version of the second image at least partly in response to the first user pointing at the thumbnail version of the second image; and

a third area configured to display the second image in association with the chat text, wherein the first area, second area, and third area are displayed at the same time.

45. The electronic chat system as defined in claim 40, further comprising instructions stored in computer readable memory configured to synchronously display in a viewer on the first terminal images viewed by a second user associated with the second terminal during a chat session with the first user.

46. The electronic chat system as defined in claim 40, further comprising instructions stored in computer readable memory configured to automatically store in non-volatile memory for later access the chat text and the second image in a chat log.

47. An electronic chat system configured to display media and chat text, the electronic chat system comprising instructions stored in computer readable memory configured to:

receive an image identifier indicating that a first user of a first terminal has changed focus from a first image to a second image during a chat session conducted with a second user of a second terminal;

access the second image based at least in part on the image identifier;

receive chat text from the first terminal, and

display second image in association with the chat text.

48. The electronic chat system as defined in claim 47, further comprising instructions stored in computer readable memory configured to display a visual separator to visually separate chat text associated with the first image from chat text associated with the second image based at least in part on the indication that the first user has changed focus from the first image to the second image.

49. The electronic chat system as defined in claim 47, wherein the image identifier includes:

a user identifier; and

and a machine identifier.

50. The electronic chat system as defined in claim 47, wherein the first image is a digital photograph.

51. The electronic chat system as defined in claim 47, wherein the second image is a graphic image.

52. The electronic chat system as defined in claim 47, further comprising instructions stored in computer readable memory configured to:

display a first area configured to contain thumbnails of shared images, including a thumbnail of the second image; and

a second area configured to display a substantially larger than thumbnail version of the second image at least partly in response to the second user pointing at the thumbnail version of the second image, wherein the first area, second area, and the chat text are displayed at the same time.

53. The electronic chat system as defined in claim 47, further comprising instructions stored in computer readable memory configured to synchronously display in a viewing area on the second terminal images being viewed by the first user during the chat session.

54. The electronic chat system as defined in claim 47, further comprising instructions stored in computer readable memory configured to automatically store in non-volatile memory the chat text and the second image in association with the chat text in a chat log.

55. A method for providing instant messaging between at least a first user and a second user over a data communication network, the method comprising:

providing to the first user an instant messaging interface;

providing within the interface a first area for outputting a document shared between the first user and the second user during a communication session; and

providing within the interface a second area for display of a history of the communication session between the first user and the second user.

56. The method of claim 55, further comprising providing within the second area a representation of the document with an indication of a relative time within the history at which the document was shared.

57. The method of claim 55, wherein the document is one of an image, a text file, a presentation, a web page, a search result, and a blog.

58. The method of claim 55, further comprising allowing the first user to experience in real-time the second user'"'"'s actions with respect to at least one document shared between the first and the second users

59. The method of claim 58, further comprising disallowing the first user from experiencing the second user'"'"'s actions with respect to the document based on a preference set by the second user.

60. The method of claim 55, further comprising providing to the first user a window within the interface configured to track a remote user'"'"'s action with respect to at least one shared document.

61. The method of claim 55, wherein the instant messaging interface is configured to substantially instantly exchange text and images.