System and method for data organization and display in an instant-messaging interface

• US 20060026245A1
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pache, Stacia Lynn, Cunningham, Ivy, Brudnicki, David
• Application Number:
  US10/933,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026245A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product for simultaneous integrated access to multiple instant messaging (IM) servers from multiple IM vendors. A particular feature of many specific embodiments is a user interface that maintains separate, distinct branding for each vendor, so that a user of the system can see other user names, functions, and other vendor-specific features as clearly associated with a particular IM vendor.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user interface to an instant-messaging client, comprising:

displaying, in an instant-messaging interface, a plurality of vendor icons representing instant-messaging service vendors; and

displaying, in an instant-messaging interface, a plurality of user icons representing users of the instant-messaging service vendors,

wherein each of the user icons and vendor icons correspond to an icon set defined by the respective instant-messaging service vendor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user icons corresponding to each instant-messaging service vendor are displayed in a separate icon list.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user icons corresponding to each instant-messaging service vendor are displayed in a separate selectable display area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user icons corresponding to each instant-messaging service vendor can be selected using a graphical user interface tab selection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user icons indicate the status of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the instant-messaging service vendors can be identified from the user icons and the vendor icons.

7. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable medium, comprising:

instructions for displaying, in an instant-messaging interface, a plurality of vendor icons representing instant-messaging service vendors; and

instructions for displaying, in an instant-messaging interface, a plurality of user icons representing users of the instant-messaging service vendors,

wherein each of the user icons and vendor icons correspond to an icon set defined by the respective instant-messaging service vendor.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the user icons corresponding to each instant-messaging service vendor are displayed in a separate icon list.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the user icons corresponding to each instant-messaging service vendor are displayed in a separate selectable display area.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the user icons corresponding to each instant-messaging service vendor can be selected using a graphical user interface tab selection.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the user icons indicate the status of the user.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the instant-messaging service vendors can be identified from the user icons and the vendor icons.

13. A consumer device including an instant-messaging application, comprising:

means for displaying, in an instant-messaging interface, a plurality of vendor icons representing instant-messaging service vendors; and

means for displaying, in an instant-messaging interface, a plurality of user icons representing users of the instant-messaging service vendors,

wherein each of the user icons and vendor icons correspond to an icon set defined by the respective instant-messaging service vendor.

14. The consumer device of claim 13, wherein the user icons corresponding to each instant-messaging service vendor are displayed in a separate icon list.

15. The consumer device of claim 13, wherein the user icons corresponding to each instant-messaging service vendor are displayed in a separate selectable display area.

16. The consumer device of claim 13, wherein the user icons corresponding to each instant-messaging service vendor can be selected using a graphical user interface tab selection.

17. The consumer device of claim 13, wherein the user icons indicate the status of the user.

18. The consumer device of claim 13, wherein the instant-messaging service vendors can be identified from the user icons and the vendor icons.

19. The consumer device of claim 13, wherein the consumer device is a wireless telephone.

20. The consumer device of claim 13, wherein the consumer device is a data processing system.