INTERLACING RESPONSES WITHIN AN INSTANT MESSAGING SYSTEM

• US 20090282347A1
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jania, Frank L., Grigsby, Travis M., Abernethy, Michael N.
• Granted Patent: US 9,514,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of interlacing responses within an instant messaging (IM) system can include, responsive to a request from a user in an IM session, storing an IM message fragment input by the user and associating the IM message fragment with a message selected from an IM session transcript. The method can include recalling the IM message fragment and outputting, at least in part, the IM message fragment in response to the message.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of interlacing responses within an instant messaging (IM) system comprising:

responsive to a request from a user in an IM session, storing an IM message fragment input by the user;

associating the IM message fragment with a message selected from an IM session transcript;

recalling the IM message fragment; and

outputting, at least in part, the IM message fragment in response to the message.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein storing the IM message fragment further comprises storing the IM message fragment in a list of IM message fragments.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein outputting further comprises transmitting, at least in part, the IM message fragment and an identifier of the association between the IM message fragment and the message.

4. A computer-implemented method of conducting an IM session using an instant messaging (IM) client, the computer-implemented method comprising:

responsive to a user input during the IM session,

automatically selecting all data within an input field of the IM client, wherein the selected data is an IM message fragment;

storing the IM message fragment in a selectable list of IM message fragments;

clearing the input field;

responsive to a subsequent user input,

recalling the IM message fragment from the selectable list of IM message fragments;

presenting the IM message fragment within the input field; and

outputting, at least in part, the IM message fragment.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein each message in an IM session transcript is time stamped, the computer-implemented method further comprising:

time stamping the IM message fragment with a time at which the IM message fragment is stored; and

responsive to selecting the IM message fragment, focusing an IM session transcript window of the IM client to a message with the time stamp that is closest in time to the time stamp of the IM message fragment.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

dragging the IM message fragment over a message in an IM session transcript window of the IM client; and

responsive to dropping the IM message fragment over the message, creating an association between the IM message fragment and the message.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising visually distinguishing the message from other messages of within the IM session transcript window when the IM message fragment is dragged over the message.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the selectable list of IM message fragments is a drop down list within the IM client.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein creating an association further comprises visually indicating the association between IM message fragment and the message in the IM session transcript window of the IM client.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein recalling the IM message fragment further comprises:

receiving a user input selecting the IM message fragment from the selectable list of IM message fragments; and

returning the IM message fragment to the input field of the IM client.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising creating an association between the IM message fragment and a message selected from an IM session transcript.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising visually indicating the association between the IM message fragment and the selected message within an IM transcript window of the IM client.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein outputting comprises sending at least in part, the IM message fragment as a completed message and an indicator of the association between the completed message and the selected message.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising, after outputting the IM message fragment as a completed message, displaying the completed message and visually indicating the association between the completed message and the selected message within an IM transcript window of the IM client.

15. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-usable medium comprising computer-usable program code that conducts an instant messaging (IM) session, the computer-usable medium comprising;

computer-usable program code that, responsive to a user input during the IM session,

automatically selects all data within an input field of the IM client, wherein the selected data is an IM message fragment;

stores the IM message fragment in a selectable list of IM message fragments;

clears the input field;

computer-usable program code that, responsive to a subsequent user input,

recalls the IM message fragment from the selectable list of IM message fragments;

presents the IM message fragment within the input field; and

computer-usable program code that outputs, at least in part, the IM message fragment.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein each message in an IM session transcript is time stamped, the computer-usable medium further comprising:

computer-usable program code that time stamps the IM message fragment with a time at which the IM message fragment is stored; and

computer-usable program code that, responsive to selecting the IM message fragment, focuses an IM session transcript window of the IM client to a message with the time stamp that is closest in time to the time stamp of the IM message fragment.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer-usable program code that recalls the IM message fragment further comprises:

computer-usable program code that receives a user input selecting the IM message fragment from the selectable list of IM message fragments; and

computer-usable program code that returns the IM message fragment to the input field of the IM client.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer-usable medium further comprises computer-usable program code that creates an association between the IM message fragment and a message selected from an IM session transcript.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising computer-usable program code that visually indicates the association between the IM message fragment and the selected message within an IM transcript window of the IM client.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer-usable program code that outputs comprises computer-usable program code that sends at least in part, the IM message fragment as a completed message and an indicator of the association between the completed message and the selected message, the computer-usable medium further comprising computer-usable program code that, after outputting the IM message fragment as a completed message, displays the completed message and visually indicates the association between the completed message and the selected message within an IM transcript window of the IM client.