Caching message fragments during real-time messaging conversations

• US 20070233801A1
• Filed: 04/04/2006
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Roberts, Paul, Law, Douglas, Sremaniak, Shawn, Eren, Selcuk, Jaeger, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,255,473 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Creating and managing an editable cache of unsent message fragments during conversations using real-time messaging systems (such as instant messaging, text messaging, chat sessions, and so forth). Using this cache, a user participating in a real-time messaging conversation can cache at least one message fragment, and can then recall selected fragments for review and/or editing (as desired by the particular user) before sending to other conversation participants. Preferably, any unsent message fragment from the cache can be sent, upon request of the user, through a mouse click or keystroke.

Claims

1. A programmatic method of caching message fragments during real-time messaging conversations, comprising a step of:

caching, in a message cache, at least one message fragment during a real-time messaging conversation, such that any of the cached message fragments can be subsequently retrieved from the message cache.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the caching step operates upon request of a user who participates in the real-time messaging conversation and who creates the message fragment.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the user requests operation of the caching step by selecting a clickable graphic rendered on a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) of the real-time messaging conversation.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the user requests operation of the caching step by selecting a hot key indicated on a graphical user interface (“

GUI)”

of the real-time messaging conversation.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

a representation of the at least one cached message fragment is rendered in a sub-window; and

the subwindow is rendered on a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) of the real-time messaging conversation.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein multiple sub-windows are rendered on the GUI when multiple message fragments are cached, each rendered sub-window representing a different one of the cached message fragments.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein each of the sub-windows is rendered in a push-down stack order.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

enabling a user who participates in the real-time messaging conversation, and who creates the at least one cached message fragment, to select the rendered sub-window;

rendering the at least one cached message fragment from the selected sub-window in an active window that is rendered on the GUI; and

closing the selected subwindow.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of enabling the user to edit the cached message fragment rendered in the active window.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of enabling the user to send the cached message fragment in the active window to another user who participates in the real-time messaging conversation, wherein the user may optionally edit the cached message fragment in the active window prior to the sending.

11. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

enabling a user who participates in the real-time messaging conversation, and who creates the multiple cached message fragments, to select any one of the rendered sub-windows; and

rendering the cached message fragment from the selected sub-window in an active window that is rendered on the GUI.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of enabling the user to edit the cached message fragment rendered in the active window.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of enabling the user to send the cached message fragment in the active window to another user who participates in the real-time messaging conversation.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of deleting the cached message fragment after sending it to the other user.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of real-time messaging conversations are simultaneously active, and wherein the caching step caches message fragments for each of the real-time messaging conversations in a logically-separate message cache.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of real-time messaging conversations are simultaneously active;

the caching step caches message fragments for each of the real-time messaging conversations in a logically-separate message cache; and

a representation of each of one cached message fragments is rendered in a separate sub-window, each of the sub-windows rendered on a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) of the real-time messaging conversation in which the represented message fragment was cached; and

further comprising the steps of;

enabling a user who participates in each of the real-time messaging conversations, and who creates the cached message fragments, to select one of the rendered sub-windows;

enabling the user to drag the message fragment represented in the selected sub-window to an active window rendered on the GUI of at least one of the other real-time messaging conversations; and

enabling the user to send the dragged message fragment to each of at least one other user who is participating in the real-time messaging conversations for which the message fragment was dragged to the active window.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the real-time messaging conversation is an instant messaging conversation.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the real-time messaging conversation is a text messaging conversation.

19. A system for caching message fragments during real-time messaging conversations, comprising:

a message cache;

a real-time messaging conversation between a first real-time messaging user and a second real-time messaging user;

means for caching, in the message cache, at least one message fragment created by the first real-time messaging user during the real-time messaging conversation;

means for enabling the first real-time messaging user to subsequently retrieve any of the cached message fragments from the message cache;

means for enabling the first real-time messaging user to edit each of the retrieved message fragments; and

means for enabling the first real-time messaging user to request sending of at least one edited message fragment to the second real-time messaging user.

20. A computer program product for caching message fragments during real-time messaging conversations, the computer program product comprising at least one computer-usable media storing computer-usable program code, wherein the computer-usable program code, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to:

cache, in a message cache, a plurality of message fragments created by a first real-time messaging user during a real-time messaging conversation between the first real-time messaging user and at least one other real-time messaging user;

enable the first real-time messaging user to select ones of the cached message fragments for subsequent retrieval from the message cache;

enable the first real-time messaging user to edit each of the retrieved message fragments; and

enable the first real-time messaging user to send, to the at least one other real-time messaging user, at least one of (i) an edited message fragment and (ii) a retrieved message fragment.