Apparatus and method for correcting previously sent messages in a real-time messaging system

• US 20050278413A1
• Filed: 04/01/2003
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tannenbaum, Alan Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,305,627 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

An apparatus and method for correcting previously sent messages in a real-time messaging system are provided. With the apparatus and method of the present invention, when a user of an instant messaging client transmits an instant message to another instant messaging client, the user may notice that the message just sent includes an error requiring correction. As a result, the user may activate a correction mechanism of the present invention to correct the instant message previously sent. The activation of the correction mechanism initiates the sending of a control message to the instant messaging client that received the previous instant message or a selected message from an instant message log. This control message is used to generate a notification at the receiving instant messaging client that the sending instant messaging client is in the process of correcting a message. Once the user has completed the corrections to the previously sent instant message, the user may select to send the corrected instant message to the previous recipient of the instant message. At the receiving instant messaging client, the instant message is displayed in the instant messaging log with identifiers indicating that the message is a corrected message and conspicuously displaying the corrected text.

Claims

1. A method, in a first data processing system, of correcting a previously sent instant message, comprising:

activating a correction operation;

sending a notification command to a second data processing system that was the recipient of the previously sent instant message indicating that correction is in progress;

receiving corrections to the previously sent instant message; and

transmitting the corrections to the second data processing system, wherein the notification command causes an alert to be displayed on the second data processing system alerting a user of the second data processing system that a user of the first data processing system is correcting a previously received instant message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein activating a correction operation includes:

selecting the previously sent message from a message log; and

operating one of a physical and a virtual control for initiating correction of the selected previously sent message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a notification command indicating that a user of the second data processing system is correcting an instant message previously received by the first data processing system;

generating a notification that alerts the user of the first data processing system that the user of the second data processing system is correcting the previously received instant message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the notification includes at least one of textual output, graphical output, and audio output.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the corrections to the second data processing system includes transmitting a corrected version of the previously sent instant message that includes the corrections depicted in a different manner from non-corrected portions of the previously sent instant message.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

storing a copy of the corrected version of the previously sent instant message in a message log; and

displaying the corrected version of the previously sent instant message in a message log portion of a graphical user interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein activating a correction mechanism includes:

receiving a selection of a correction virtual button of a graphical user interface provided by the first data processing system; and

providing a correction window in the graphical user interface, wherein the correction window includes a copy of the previously sent instant message for editing.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving corrections to the previously sent instant message includes receiving edits to the copy of the previously sent instant message from a user of the first data processing system, wherein the edits are depicted in a different manner than non-edited portion so of the copy of the previously sent instant message in the correction window.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein transmitting the corrections to the second data processing system includes:

receiving a selection of a send virtual button in the correction window; and

transmitting at least one of the corrections only and a corrected version of the previously sent instant message with the corrections depicted in a different manner from non-corrected portions of the previously sent instant message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the corrections to the second data processing system includes sending only the corrections along with a predefined text string.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the correction operation includes at least one of receiving an input from an operated correction key on a keyboard and receiving an input from a correction button on a pointing device.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein when the second data processing system receives the corrected version of the previously sent instant message, the corrected version is displayed in a message log portion of a graphical user interface on the second data processing system.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the corrected version of the previously sent instant message is displayed with an indicator indicating that the corrected version of the previously sent instant message is a corrected instant message.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the corrected version of the previously sent instant message is displayed in place of the previously sent instant message in the message log portion of the graphical user interface.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a transcript of an instant messaging session between the first data processing system and the second data processing system, wherein the transcript includes instant messages which were not corrected during the session and corrected versions of instant messages that were corrected during the session.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein when the second data processing system receives the corrected version of the previously sent instant message, the notification is discontinued.

17. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for correcting a previously sent instant message, comprising:

first instructions for activating a correction operation in a first data processing system;

second instructions for sending a notification command to a second data processing system that was the recipient of the previously sent instant message indicating that correction is in progress;

third instructions for receiving corrections to the previously sent instant message; and

fourth instructions for transmitting the corrections to the second data processing system, wherein the notification command causes an alert to be displayed on the second data processing system alerting a user of the second data processing system that a user of the first data processing system is correcting a previously received instant message.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first instructions for activating a correction operation include:

instructions for selecting the previously sent instant message from a message log; and

instructions for operating one of a physical and a virtual control for initiating correction of the selected previously sent instant message.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

fifth instructions for receiving a notification command indicating that a user of the second data processing system is correcting an instant message previously received by the first data processing system; and

sixth instructions for generating a notification that alerts a user of the first data processing system that the user of the second data processing system is correcting the previously received instant message.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the notification includes at least one of textual output, graphical output, and audio output.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the fourth instructions for transmitting the corrections to the second data processing system include instructions for transmitting a corrected version of the previously sent instant message that includes the corrections depicted in a different manner from non-corrected portions of the previously sent instant message.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first instructions for activating a correction mechanism includes:

instructions for receiving a selection of a correction virtual button of a graphical user interface provided by the first data processing system; and

instructions for providing a correction window in the graphical user interface, wherein the correction window includes a copy of the previously sent instant message for editing.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the fourth instructions for transmitting the corrections to the second data processing system include instructions for sending only the corrections along with a predefined text string.

24. An apparatus for correcting a previously sent message, comprising:

means for activating a correction operation in a first data processing system;

means for sending a notification command to a second data processing system that was the recipient of the previously sent message indicating that correction is in progress;

means for receiving corrections to the previously sent message; and

means for transmitting the corrections to the second data processing system, wherein the notification command causes an alert to be displayed on the second data processing system alerting a user of the second data processing system that a user of the first data processing system is correcting a previously received instant message.

25. A method for sending and receiving instant messages, comprising:

receiving an instant message from a first data processing system in a second data processing system;

receiving a notification command indicating that a user of the first data processing system is correcting the received instant message; and

generating a notification that alerts a user of the second data processing system that the user of the first data processing system is correcting the instant message.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein when the second data processing system receives a corrected version of the instant message, the corrected version is displayed in a message log portion of a graphical user interface on the second data processing system.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the corrected version of the instant message is displayed with an indicator indicating that the corrected version of the instant message is a corrected message.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the corrected version of the instant message is displayed in place of the received message in the message log portion of the graphical user interface.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the notification includes at least one of textual output, graphical output, and audio output.

30. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for sending and receiving instant messages, comprising:

first instructions for receiving an instant message from a first data processing system in a second data processing system;

second instructions for receiving a notification command indicating that a user of the first data processing system is correcting the received instant message; and

third instructions for generating a notification that alerts a user of the second data processing system that the user of the first data processing system is correcting the instant message.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein when the second data processing system receives a corrected version of the instant message, the corrected version is displayed in a message log portion of a graphical user interface on the second data processing system.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the corrected version of the instant message is displayed with an indicator indicating that the corrected version of the instant message is a corrected message.

33. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the corrected version of the instant message is displayed in place of the received message in the message log portion of the graphical user interface.

34. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the notification includes at least one of textual output, graphical output, and audio output.

35. An apparatus for sending and receiving instant messages, comprising:

means for receiving an instant message from a first data processing system in a second data processing system;

means for receiving a notification command indicating that a user of the first data processing system is correcting the received instant message; and

means for generating a notification that alerts a user of the second data processing system that the user of the first data processing system is correcting the instant message.