Instant Messaging Interface Having a Tear-Off Element

• US 20070006094A1
• Filed: 09/06/2006
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carbone, Kenneth, Canfield, James, Colburn, David, Willis, Gregory, Van Lenten, Thomas, Myers, Linda
• Granted Patent: US 7,284,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A user interface on a display enables user perception of information regarding a communications session that leverages an instant messaging platform. The user interface includes an instant messaging application user interface and one or more tear-off elements corresponding to ongoing instant messaging communications sessions. Each tear-off element is configured to enable perception and selection by a user of a corresponding instant messaging communications session. Also, each tear-off element is configured to be independently visually separated from other elements of the instant messaging application user interface and maintained as a separate entity on the instant messaging application user interface.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface comprising:

a first window that corresponds to a first instant messaging conversation associated with an instant messaging application and that includes a selectable portion; and

a second window that corresponds to at least two other instant messaging conversations associated with the instant messaging application, each of the other instant messaging conversations having at least one corresponding selectable portion that is configured to enable identification of the instant messaging conversation corresponding to the selectable portion and to enable active display within the second window of the instant messaging conversation corresponding to the selectable portion, and

the selectable portion of the first window being configured to enable movement of the first window relative to the second window such that the first and second windows are viewable concurrently, and at least a portion of the first instant messaging conversation and at least a portion of one of the other instant messaging conversations are viewable concurrently.

2. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein the at least two other selectable portions are displayed within the second window.

3. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein the at least two other selectable portions are displayed within a third window.

4. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein the selectable portion of the first window is configured to enable movement of the first window relative to the second window to integrate the first window and the second window into a single window.

5. The graphical user interface of claim 4 wherein only one of the first instant messaging conversation and the at least two other instant messaging conversations is viewable at a time in the single window.

6. The graphical user interface of claim 4 wherein upon integration of the first window and the second window into the single window, a first selectable portion is associated with the first instant messaging conversation, the first selectable portion being configured to enable identification of the first instant messaging conversation and to enable active display of the first instant messaging conversation within the single window.

7. The graphical user interface of claim 4 wherein the first selectable portion and the at least two other selectable portions are arranged in a list in the single window.

8. The graphical user interface of claim 7 wherein the first selectable portion and the at least two other selectable portions are selectable to toggle among the first instant messaging conversation and the at least two other instant messaging conversations.

9. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein the at least two other selectable portions are arranged in a list.

10. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein the movement of the first window relative to the second window causes the first selectable portion to be removed from the first window.

11. The graphical user interface of claim 9 wherein each of the at least two other selectable portions is selectable to enable removal of the selected portion from the list and enable contemporaneous display of a new window that contains an instant messaging conversation that corresponds to the selected portion.

12. The graphical user interface of claim 11 wherein the new window that includes the instant messaging conversation that corresponds to the selected portion does not include the selected portion.

13. The graphical user interface of claim 11 further comprising:

an element within the new window that is configured to enable movement of the new window relative to one of the first window or the second window and to inspire integration of the new window and the first window or the second window as a single window,

wherein the single window includes at least two instant messaging conversations, where a first element is associated with a first instant messaging conversation and is configured to enable identification of the first instant messaging conversation and to enable active display of the first instant messaging conversation within the single window, a second element is associated with a second instant messaging conversation and is configured to enable identification of the second instant messaging conversation and to enable active display of the second instant messaging conversation within the single window.

14. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein the selectable portions each identify a participant to the instant messaging conversation corresponding thereto.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the first selectable portion is a tab.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the selected portion is a tab.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the selectable portions are tabs.

18. A graphical user interface comprising:

a first window that corresponds to a first instant messaging conversation and a first selectable identifier; and

a second window that corresponds to at least two other instant messaging conversations, each instant messaging conversation having at least one corresponding selectable identifier that is configured to enable identification of the instant messaging conversation corresponding to the selectable identifier, and to enable active display of the instant messaging conversation corresponding to the selectable identifier within the second window,

the first selectable identifier is configured to enable movement of the first window relative to the second window such that at least a portion of the first instant messaging conversation and at least a portion of one of the other instant messaging conversations are viewable concurrently; and

selectable identifiers are included in the second window only when more than one instant messaging conversation corresponds to the second window.

19. A graphical user interface comprising:

a first element selectable to invoke a first sub-interface that displays first content corresponding to an existing first instant messaging communications session;

a second element selectable to invoke a second sub-interface that displays second content corresponding to an existing second instant messaging communications session;

a general instant messaging user interface within which the first element and the second element are concurrently presented;

a first selectable component of the first element that is selectable to change a position of the first content relative to a position of the general instant messaging user interface and relative to a position of the second element; and

a second selectable component of the second element that is selectable to change a position of the second content relative to the position of the general instant messaging user interface and relative to a position of the first element.

20. The user interface of claim 19 in which the first and second elements comprise tabs.

21. The user interface of claim 19 in which the first and second elements comprise buttons.

22. The user interface of claim 19 further comprising a status control associated with one or both of the first and second elements, the status control enabling an indication of whether a message in the corresponding instant messaging communications session has been perceived by a user.

23. The user interface of claim 19 further comprising a general interface element configured to enable collective selection of the first and second elements and collective visual separation of the first and second sub-interfaces from other sub-interfaces of the general interface.

24. The user interface of claim 23 in which the general interface element comprises a tab.

25. The user interface of claim 23 in which the general interface element comprises a button.

26. The user interface of claim 23 in which the general interface is configured to enable reattachment of the first and second sub-interfaces to the other sub-interfaces of the general interface.

27. The user interface of claim 19 in which one or both of first and second elements are rendered visually as an integral part of the general instant messaging user interface.

28. The user interface of claim 19 in which one or both of the first and second elements are configured to be separately manipulable.

29. The user interface of claim 19 in which one or both of the first and second elements are configured to be separately removable from the general instant messaging user interface.

30. The user interface of claim 19 in which one or both of the first and second elements are configured to be separately invokable.

31. The user interface of claim 19 in which one or both of the first and second elements are configured to be separately minimizable.

32. The user interface of claim 19 wherein the first and second elements are configured to display information about the corresponding first and second instant messaging sessions.

33. The user interface of claim 19 in which the first sub-interface is movable, by a user, to visually separate the first sub-interface from the general interface and the second sub-interface, and to maintain the first and second sub-interfaces as independent entities.

34. The user interface of claim 28 in which the first sub-interface is moveable, by the user, to reattach the first sub-interface to the general interface.

35. The user interface of claim 19 wherein the existing first instant messaging communications session comprises an instant messaging communications session previously established between a user and a first party.

36. The user interface of claim 35 wherein the existing second instant messaging communications session comprises an instant messaging communications session previously established between a user and a second party.

37. The user interface of claim 19 wherein, prior to changing the position of the first content and the position of the second content, the first and second elements are alternately selectable by a user to enable display of the corresponding first or second sub-interface.

38. The user interface of claim 19 wherein, after changing the position of the first content and the position of the second content, at least a portion of the first sub-interface and at least a portion of the second sub-interface are concurrently perceivable on the graphical user interface.

39. The user interface of claim 19 wherein the general user interface shows a subset of identifiers within a user'"'"'s buddy list, the subset being defined to include buddies with whom conversations are presently open.

40. The user interface of claim 19 wherein the first and second sub-interfaces are, by a default, integrated into the general instant messaging user interface, and are separable from the general instant messaging user interface upon user manipulation of the first and second selectable components.