System and method for managing contacts in an instant messaging environment
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
- categorizing two or more instant messaging contact names for a single user into a single meta contact wherein said two or more instant messaging contact names are associated with different instant messaging accounts on different instant messaging services;
prioritizing the two or more instant messaging contact names within said meta contact to which to transmit instant messages based on a specified prioritization scheme;
receiving a request from a sending user to transmit an instant message directed to said meta contact;
if the user is registered as “
online”
with both a first instant messaging account and a second instant messaging account within the meta contact, then selecting the first instant messaging account to send the instant message if the first instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the second messaging account and selecting the second instant messaging account to send the instant message if the second instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the first instant messaging account; and
if the user is listed as “
offline”
with one of the first and second instant messaging accounts and “
online”
with the other of the first and second instant messaging accounts, then selecting the instant messaging account with which the user is listed as “
online”
to send the instant message notwithstanding the relative priorities of the first and second instant messaging accounts;
wherein the first instant messaging account of the user is associated with a first instant messaging service and the second instant messaging account of the user is associated with a second instant messaging service and the first service uses a different protocol to transmit instant messages than the second instant messaging service.
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Abstract
A computer-implemented method is described for instant messaging comprising: categorizing two or more instant messaging contact names into a single meta contact; receiving a request to transmit an instant message directed to the meta contact; selecting one of the two or more instant messaging contact names within the meta contact to which to transmit the instant message based on a specified prioritization scheme.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
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categorizing two or more instant messaging contact names for a single user into a single meta contact wherein said two or more instant messaging contact names are associated with different instant messaging accounts on different instant messaging services;
prioritizing the two or more instant messaging contact names within said meta contact to which to transmit instant messages based on a specified prioritization scheme;
receiving a request from a sending user to transmit an instant message directed to said meta contact;
if the user is registered as “
online”
with both a first instant messaging account and a second instant messaging account within the meta contact, then selecting the first instant messaging account to send the instant message if the first instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the second messaging account and selecting the second instant messaging account to send the instant message if the second instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the first instant messaging account; and
if the user is listed as “
offline”
with one of the first and second instant messaging accounts and “
online”
with the other of the first and second instant messaging accounts, then selecting the instant messaging account with which the user is listed as “
online”
to send the instant message notwithstanding the relative priorities of the first and second instant messaging accounts;
wherein the first instant messaging account of the user is associated with a first instant messaging service and the second instant messaging account of the user is associated with a second instant messaging service and the first service uses a different protocol to transmit instant messages than the second instant messaging service. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An instant messaging graphical user interface (GUI) comprising:
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an instant messaging contact list including a plurality of contact names, each of the contact names associated with different instant messaging accounts on different instant messaging services;
at least one meta contact entry within the instant messaging contact list, the meta contact entry representing two or more different instant messaging contact names associated with a corresponding two or more different instant messaging services for the same user, the meta contact entry selectable via a mouse pointer or other cursor control device, and the individual contact names individually selectable via a mouse pointer or other cursor control device;
wherein, upon receiving a selection of said meta contact entry by a user, an instant messaging session is initiated with one of said two or more different contact names based on a specified prioritization scheme configurable by the user, wherein, in response to receiving a request from a sending user to transmit an instant message directed to said meta contact, if the user is registered as “
online”
with both a first instant messaging account and a second instant messaging account within the meta contact, then the GUI causes the selection of the first instant messaging account to send the instant message if the first instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the second messaging account and selecting the second instant messaging account to send the instant message if the second instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the first instant messaging account; and
wherein if the user is listed as “
offline”
with one of the first and second instant messaging accounts and “
online”
with the other of the first and second instant messaging accounts, then the GUI cases the selection of the instant messaging account with which the user is listed as “
online”
to send the instant message notwithstanding the relative priorities of the first and second instant messaging accounts;
wherein the first instant messaging account of the user is associated with a first instant messaging service and the second instant messaging account of the user is associated with a second instant messaging service and the first service uses a different protocol to transmit instant messages than the second instant messaging service. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A machine-readable medium having program code stored thereon which, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform the operations of:
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categorizing two or more instant messaging contact names for a single user into a single meta contact wherein said two or more instant messaging contact names are associated with different instant messaging accounts on different instant messaging services;
prioritizing the two or more instant messaging contact names within said meta contact to which to transmit instant messages based on a specified prioritization scheme;
receiving a request from a sending user to transmit an instant message directed to said meta contact;
if the user is registered as “
online”
with both a first instant messaging account and a second instant messaging account within the meta contact, then selecting the first instant messaging account to send the instant message if the first instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the second messaging account and selecting the second instant messaging account to send the instant message if the second instant messaging account is prioritized higher than the first instant messaging account; and
if the user is listed as “
offline”
with one of the first and second instant messaging,accounts and “
online”
with the other of the first and second instant messaging accounts, then selecting the instant messaging account with which the user is listed as “
online”
to send the instant message notwithstanding the relative priorities of the first and second instant messaging accounts;
wherein the first instant messaging account of the user is associated with a first instant messaging service and the second instant messaging account of the user is associated with a second instant messaging service and the first service uses a different protocol to transmit instant messages than the second instant messaging service. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification