Chat room communication network implementation enabling senders to restrict the display of messages to the chat room chronological displays of only designated recipients

• US 20070185993A1
• Filed: 02/07/2006
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McArdle, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,711 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A participant in an instant messaging chat room may send restricted messages to only a set of selected participants in the chat room. Enabling a user at a display station to select a set of only users to receive a restricted message, and send the restricted message to this selected group of users, and displaying the restricted message only in the chronological displays in the stations of the set of recipient users, i.e. not displaying the restricted message in the displays of the other users in the chat room.

Claims

1. In a chat room communication message network including a plurality of display stations operated by a plurality of users to selectively send messages to a central server and to receive, at each station, a chronological display of all sent messages, a system enabling a user at a display station to restrict the display of a message sent by said enabled user comprising:

means enabling a user at a display station to select a set of only users to receive a restricted message;

means enabling said enabled user to send said restricted message; and

means for displaying said restricted message only in the chronological displays in the stations of said set of recipient users.

2. The chat room network system of claim 1 wherein said set of only users to receive includes only a single user.

3. The chat room network system of claim 1 wherein each restricted message in said chronological display includes an indicator showing that the message is restricted.

4. The chat room network system of claim 3 further including:

a plurality of means enabling a plurality of users at a corresponding plurality of display stations to send said restricted messages; and

said indicators showing that the message is restricted further indicate the sender of said restricted message.

5. The chat room network system of claim 3 further including means for also displaying said restricted message in the chronological display of the sender of the restricted message.

6. The chat room network system of claim 5 wherein:

the recipients users of said restricted message are also enabled to select a set of only users to receive a restricted message, and to send such restricted messages to said set of users;

whereby a supplemental chat room message network is provided between the senders and user recipients of restricted messages with the restricted messages chronologically interleaved with the unrestrictive messages in the chronological displays of said senders and user recipients.

7. The chat room network system of claim 6 further including:

a network security firewall; and

means for requiring a plurality of said restricted messages to be transmitted through said security firewall.

14. The chat room network system of claim 6 further including the steps of:

providing a network security firewall; and

requiring a plurality of said restricted messages to be transmitted through said security firewall.

8. In a chat room communication message network including a plurality of display stations operated by a plurality of users to selectively send messages to a central server and to receive, at each station, a chronological display of all sent messages, a method enabling a user at a display station to restrict the display of a message sent by said enabled user comprising:

enabling a user at a display station to select a set of only users to receive a restricted message;

enabling said enabled user to send said restricted message; and

displaying said restricted message only in the chronological displays in the stations of said set of recipient users.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said set of only users to receive includes only a single user.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein each restricted message in said chronological display includes an indicator showing that the message is restricted.

11. The method of claim 10 further including the steps of:

enabling a plurality of users at a corresponding plurality of display stations to send said restricted messages; and

said indicators showing that the message is restricted further indicate the sender of said restricted message.

12. The method of claim 10 further including means for also displaying said restricted message in the chronological display of the sender of the restricted message.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein:

the recipient users of said restricted message are also enabled to select a set of only users to receive a restricted message, and to send such restricted messages to said set of users;

whereby a supplemental chat room message network is provided between the senders and user recipients of restricted messages with the restricted messages chronologically interleaved with the unrestrictive messages in the chronological displays of said senders and user recipients.

15. A computer program having code recorded on a computer readable medium for enabling a user at a display station to restrict the display of a message sent by said enabled user in a chat room communication message network including a plurality of display stations operated by a plurality of users to selectively send messages to a central server and to receive, at each station, a chronological display of all sent messages, said program comprising:

means enabling a user at a display station to select a set of only users to receive a restricted message;

means enabling said enabled user to send said restricted message; and

means for displaying said restricted message only in the chronological displays in the stations of said set of recipient users.

16. The computer program of claim 15 wherein said set of only users to receive includes only a single user.

17. The computer program of claim 16 wherein each restricted message in said chronological display includes an indicator showing that the message is restricted.

18. The computer program of claim 17 further including:

a plurality of means enabling a plurality of users at a corresponding plurality of display stations to send said restricted messages; and

said indicators showing that the message is restricted further indicate the sender of said restricted message.

19. The computer program of claim 17 further including means for also displaying said restricted message in the chronological display of the sender of the restricted message.

20. The computer program of claim 19 wherein:

the recipient users of said restricted message are also enabled to select a set of only users to receive a restricted message, and to send such restricted messages to said set of users;

whereby a supplemental chat room message network is provided between the senders and user recipients of restricted messages with the restricted messages chronologically interleaved with the unrestrictive messages in the chronological displays of said senders and user recipients.