System, method and apparatus for communicating via instant messaging

• US 20060075056A1
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alan Walendowski, Dipti Ranganathan, Ellen Isaacs
• Original Assignee: Alan Walendowski, Dipti Ranganathan, Ellen Isaacs
• Inventors: Ranganathan, Dipti, Walendowski, Alan, Isaacs, Ellen
• Granted Patent: US 7,584,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages

Abstract

A system, method and apparatus for facilitating communication among a number of distributed clients in a distributed network is disclosed. A user, such as through a personal digital assistant device, may select one or more instant messages for transmission to one or more other users in the network. The instant messages may be sound instant message and/or text instant messages. During messaging, message status indicators provide users with the status of their respective messages. In one embodiment, the messages may be deemed to be either pending or received as distinguished by a pending status indicator and a received status indicator.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for executing the steps comprising:

creating a message listing of one or more pending messages, each of said pending messages comprising an indication of a sound identifier associated with an originator of said pending messages;

providing a message indicator in a first appearance for the one more pending messages;

updating the message listing based on the receipt of message acknowledgments; and

providing the message indicator in a second appearance for the one or more pending messages as the pending messages are deemed to be received.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first appearance and the second appearance correspond respectively to a first coloration and a second coloration of the message.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining the location of one or more intended recipients of the pending messages.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

removing a message from the message listing when the message is deemed received by the message acknowledgment.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

compiling a message listing of all pending messages wherein the mes-sage listing is updated when a message is acknowledged as received.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein said indication comprises a request to play the sound identifier.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein said indication comprises the sound identifier.