Managing instant messaging sessions on multiple devices

• US 20060149818A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Odell, James A., Appelman, Barry, Renner, W. Karl
• Granted Patent: US 7,356,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions

Abstract

Transferring instant messaging sessions includes receiving a selection, from a user within a user interface, of at least one instant messaging session from among multiple instant messaging sessions to transfer from a first instant messaging controller on a first device to at least a second instant messaging controller on a second device, where the user is signed on concurrently to the first instant messaging controller on the first device and the second instant messaging controller on the second device. At least a portion of the selected instant messaging session is transferred from the first instant messaging controller on the first device to the second instant messaging controller on the second device and the transferred portion of the instant messaging session is made perceivable on the second instant messaging controller on the second device.

Claims

1. A method for transferring instant messaging sessions, the method comprising:

receiving a selection, from a user within a user interface, of at least one instant messaging session from among multiple instant messaging sessions to transfer from a first instant messaging controller on a first device to at least a second instant messaging controller on a second device, wherein the user is signed on concurrently to the first instant messaging controller on the first device and the second instant messaging controller on the second device;

transferring at least a portion of the selected instant messaging session from the first instant messaging controller on the first device to the second instant messaging controller on the second device; and

making the transferred portion of the instant messaging session perceivable on the second instant messaging controller on the second device.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein receiving the selection includes receiving, from the first instant messaging controller on the first device, the selection of the instant messaging session from among multiple instant messaging sessions.

3. The method as in claim 1 wherein receiving the selection includes receiving, from the second instant messaging controller on the second device, the selection of the instant messaging session from among multiple instant messaging sessions.

4. The method as in claim 1 wherein receiving the selection includes receiving the selection from within an instant messaging conversation interface.

5. The method as in claim 1 further comprising enabling presentation of a listing of the multiple instant messaging sessions to the user at the user interface to enable selection.

6. The method as in claim 1 further comprising enabling presentation of a listing of other instant messaging controllers on other devices to transfer the selected instant messaging session to the user at the user interface to enable selection when the user is signed on to multiple other instant messaging controllers on multiple other devices.

7. The method as in claim 1 wherein making the transferred instant messaging session perceivable includes making the transferred instant messaging session perceivable on both the first instant messaging controller on the first device and the second instant messaging controller on the second device.

8. The method as in claim 1 wherein making the transferred instant messaging session perceivable includes making the transferred instant messaging session perceivable on the second instant messaging controller on the second device to the exclusion of being perceivable on the first instant messaging controller on the first device.

9. The method as in claim 1 wherein:

the user is signed on to multiple instant messaging controllers on multiple different devices; and

making the transferred instant messaging session perceivable includes making the transferred instant messaging session perceivable on less than all of the instant messaging controllers on the corresponding devices.

10. The method as in claim 7 further comprising:

detecting an idle state or an away state on the first instant messaging controller; and

disabling perception of the instant messaging session on the first instant messaging controller on the first device in response to the detect idle state or away state.

11. The method as in claim 10 further comprising:

detecting an active state on the first instant messaging controller;

refreshing the instant messaging session on the first instant messaging controller on the first device; and

making the instant messaging session perceivable on the first instant messaging controller on the first device.

12. The method as in claim 11 wherein:

refreshing the instant messaging session includes refreshing the instant messaging session on the first instant messaging controller on the first device automatically in response to detecting the active state and authentication; and

making the instant messaging session perceivable on the first instant messaging controller on the first device includes automatically making the instant messaging session perceivable on the first instant messaging controller on the first device in response to the automatic refreshing.

13. The method as in claim 11 wherein:

refreshing the instant messaging session includes refreshing the instant messaging session on the first instant messaging controller on the first device in response to input from the user requesting a manual refresh of the instant messaging session; and

making the instant messaging session perceivable on the first instant messaging controller on the first device includes making the instant messaging session perceivable on the first instant messaging controller on the first device in response to refreshing.

14. The method as in claim 1 further comprising enabling the user to perceive and select a subset of ongoing instant messaging sessions.

15. The method as in claim 1 further comprising conditioning whether to present a listing of the multiple instant messaging sessions based on detection of three or more signed on concurrent instant messaging controllers.

16. The method as in claim 1 further comprising conditioning whether to present, at a new instant messaging controller on a new device, menu options that enable selection of which other instant messaging controllers on other devices to transfer one or more instant messaging sessions based on a sign on to the new instant messaging controller at the new device.

17. The method as in claim 1 further comprising conditioning whether to present, at a new instant messaging controller on a new device, menu options that enable selection of whether to transition instant messaging sessions or to mirror instant messaging sessions on the new instant messaging controller and the new device.

18. The method as in claim 1 further comprising enabling the user to select a portion of the selected instant messaging session for transfer.

19. The method as in claim 1 further comprising enabling the user to select on a per device basis instant messaging session transfer preferences.

20. The method as in claim 1 further comprising making user-inspired instant messages perceivable on both the first instant messaging controller on the first device and the second instant messaging controller on the second device.