Conversation Persistence In Real-time Collaboration System

• US 20090094288A1
• Filed: 12/16/2008
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Alan R. Tannenbaum, Anthony Christopher Courtney Temple, John Hans Handy-Bosma, Keith Raymond Walker, Mei Y. Selvage, Peter Y. Hsu, Richard Edmond Berry, Yen-Fu Chen
• Inventors: Walker, Keith Raymond, Selvage, Mei Y., Handy-Bosma, John Hans, Chen, Yen-Fu, Hsu, Peter Y., Tannenbaum, Alan R., Berry, Richard Edmond, Courtney Temple, Anthony Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 8,001,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Previously conducted conversations in real-time collaboration messages are persistently stored, either by client or a server, and then are associated with conversational items presented to a user (e.g. contact names, topics, etc.). An icon is provided near each listed item, which when selected, displays to the user summaries or titles of all transcripts to which the selected item pertains or relates. The user may select one or more summaries or titles for which the conversation is to be resumed, causing the system to retrieve the stored transcript and resume appending new conversational entries to it, so that the user recovers conversational context effortlessly and accurately. Enhanced versions of the invention include sharing of transcripts so that all participants receive the context of the conversation, and server-side or client-side implementations.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computing platform having a hardware means for performing a logical process;

a transcript store portion of said computing platform configured to persistently store a transcript of real-time collaboration system messages for a first conversation thread in a first real-time collaboration system user interface, said first thread having a beginning point and an ending point and a series of messages therebetween;

a user interface portion of said computing platform configured to allow a user to specify conditions for a messaging client to automatically insert a continuation point between two messages within said first thread;

a portion of a user display of said computing platform configured to display an indicator proximate to an entry for said first conversation thread in said first real-time collaboration system user interface, said entry being shown in a hierarchical list of organized subjects of conversations, said indicator indicating storage of said transcript from said first conversation thread;

a transcript retriever and copier portion of said computing platform configured to, upon operation of said indicator, automatically retrieve said stored transcript, and copy a portion of said first thread into a second real-time collaboration system user interface, said copied portion being defined by two points selected from a group comprising said beginning point, said continuation point, and said ending point; and

a transcript resumer portion of said computing platform configured to append newly authored and received messages in said second user interface to said copied portion of said first thread, wherein a second thread of conversation is provided in said second user interface having said copied portion of said first conversation thread, wherein said copied portion allows a user to be refreshed of a context of said first conversation thread.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a portion of a messaging server configured to associate said persistently stored transcript of messages with one or more items in a list of conversational items.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a portion of a messaging client configured to associate said persistently stored transcript of messages with one or more items in a list of conversational items.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a portion of a messaging server configured to prompt said user to indicate availability of said persistently stored transcript.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a portion of a messaging client configured to prompt said user to indicate availability of said persistently stored transcript.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said transcript retriever and copier portion of said computing platform comprises a portion of a messaging server.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1 transcript retriever and copier portion of said computing platform comprises a portion of a messaging client.

8. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a transmitter portion of said computing platform configured to transmit said retrieved transcript to at least one messaging client or messaging server.

9. The system as set forth in claim 8 wherein said transmitter comprises a portion of a messaging server.

10. The system as set forth in claim 8 wherein said transmitter comprises a portion of a messaging client.

11. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a searcher portion of said computing platform configured to search a plurality of persistently stored transcriptions for at least one user-indicated criteria, and to retrieve a persistently stored transcript matching said user-indicated criteria.

12. A computer memory comprising:

a computer-readable memory suitable for encoding software programs; and

one or more software programs encoded by said computer-readable memory configured to;

persistently store a transcript of real-time collaboration system messages for a first conversation thread in a first real-time collaboration system user interface, said first thread having a beginning point and an ending point and a series of messages therebetween;

allow a user to specify conditions for a messaging client to automatically insert a continuation point between two messages within said first thread;

display an indicator proximate to an entry for said first conversation thread in said first real-time collaboration system user interface, said entry being shown in a hierarchical list of organized subjects of conversations, said indicator indicating storage of said transcript from said first conversation thread;

upon operation of said indicator, automatically retrieve said stored transcript, and copy a portion of said first thread into a second real-time collaboration system user interface, said copied portion being defined by two points selected from a group comprising said beginning point, said continuation point, and said ending point; and

append newly authored and received messages in said second user interface to said copied portion of said first thread, wherein a second thread of conversation is provided in said second user interface having said copied portion of said first conversation thread, wherein said copied portion allows a user to be refreshed of a context of said first conversation thread.

13. The computer readable memory as set forth in claim 12 wherein said memory is selected from a group of devices comprising a random-access memory, a read-only memory, a compact disk memory, and a digital versatile disk memory.

14. The computer readable memory as set forth in claim 12 further comprising one or more programs configured to associate by a messaging server said persistently stored transcript of messages with one or more items in a list of conversational items.

15. The computer readable memory as set forth in claim 12 further comprising one or more programs configured to prompt by a messaging server said user to indicate availability of said persistently stored transcript.

16. The computer readable memory as set forth in claim 12 further comprising one or more programs configured to prompt by a messaging client said user to indicate availability of said persistently stored transcript.

17. The computer readable memory as set forth in claim 12 further comprising one or more programs configured to retrieve a persistently stored transcript by a messaging server.

18. The computer readable memory as set forth in claim 12 further comprising one or more programs configured to retrieve a persistently stored transcript by a messaging client.

19. The computer readable memory as set forth in claim 12 further comprising one or more programs configured to search a plurality of persistently stored transcriptions for at least one user-indicated criteria, and to retrieve a persistently stored transcript matching said user-indicated criteria.