AUTOMATICALLY POPULATING RECIPIENTS IN AN INSTANT MESSAGING OR OTHER COMPUTER COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20100017753A1
• Filed: 07/17/2008
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HCL Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Devadason, Anita, Li, FuYi
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,905 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2748 by matching character strings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

A system and a method for automatically populating chat recipients in an instant messaging system in which chat recipients are automatically populated from external data sources, e.g. clipboard, spreadsheet, document, database, directory, etc., and a chat session started with the click of a single user interface button or the like. A pop-up window is generated that allows the user to select a data source from which the chat recipients are to be obtained. The data source may be scanned to identify candidate names matching a predetermined name format, or the user is prompted to provide at least a portion of a search string. The user can then select which of the returned names are to be used in initiating the chat session. The disclosed system then generates a user interface object allowing the initiating user to perform an action with the selected recipients, including initiating a chat session.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a user interface including a communication initiation display object;

in response to said selection of said communication initiation display object by said local user, generating a data source selection display object, said data source selection display object displaying a plurality of data sources;

in response to selection of a selected one of said plurality of data sources by said local user, searching said selected one of said plurality of data sources for names matching a name selection criteria;

displaying names from said selected one of said plurality of data sources that match said name selection criteria to said local user; and

in response to selection of a selected subset of said names that match said name selection criteria by said local user, initiating a communication using said selected subset of said names that match same name selection criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein said name selection criteria includes a name format; and

wherein said names matching said name selection format comprise names conforming to said name format.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said name format comprises an electronic mail address format.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said name format comprises an instant messaging screen name format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said searching said selected one of said plurality of data sources for names matching a name selection criteria further comprises:

generating a name selection criteria user interface object; and

inputting at least a portion of said name selection criteria from said local user through said name selection criteria user interface object.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said portion of said name selection criteria input from said local user comprises a search string, and wherein said names matching said name selection format comprise names matching said search string.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

providing type-ahead in said name selection criteria user interface object as characters are entered by said local user into said name selection criteria user interface object, wherein said type-ahead displays names in said selected data source matching said characters entered by said local user into said name selection criteria user interface object.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

wherein said selected data source comprises a hierarchical organization of names, and

wherein said portion of said name selection criteria input from said local user comprises an indication of a subset of said hierarchical organization of names.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said indication of said subset of said hierarchical organization of names comprises an indication of all names corresponding to users that report to said local user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said indication of said subset of said hierarchical organization of names comprises an indication of peers of said local user.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said indication of said subset of said hierarchical organization of names comprises an indication of a manager of said local user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication initiation display object comprises a graphical button.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of data sources comprises:

a software clipboard;

a file;

a directory;

a database; and

a software address book.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said directory comprises a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said file comprises a text file.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said file comprises a word processing file.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said file comprises a spreadsheet file.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein said plurality of data sources further comprises an instant messaging application buddy list.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said names comprise instant messaging screen names.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said names comprise electronic mail addresses.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication comprises an instant message sent to each of said names in said selected subset of said names that match same name selection criteria.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication comprises an electronic mail message sent to each of said names in said selected subset of said names that match same name selection criteria.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication comprises adding said names in said selected subset of said names that match same name selection criteria to a buddy list of said local user.

25. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

a computer readable storage medium having program code stored thereon, said program code for execution on said at least one processor to

generate a user interface including a communication initiation display object,

in response to said selection of said communication initiation display object by said local user, generate a data source selection display object, said data source selection display object displaying a plurality of data sources,

in response to selection of a selected one of said plurality of data sources by said local user, search said selected one of said plurality of data sources for names matching a name selection criteria,

display names from said selected one of said plurality of data sources that match said name selection criteria to said local user, and

in response to selection of a selected subset of said names that match said name selection criteria by said local user, initiate a communication using said selected subset of said names that match same name selection criteria.

26. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having program code stored thereon, said program code including

program code for generating a user interface including a communication initiation display object,

program code for, in response to said selection of said communication initiation display object by said local user, generating a data source selection display object, said data source selection display object displaying a plurality of data sources,

program code for, in response to selection of a selected one of said plurality of data sources by said local user, searching said selected one of said plurality of data sources for names matching a name selection criteria,

program code for displaying names from said selected one of said plurality of data sources that match said name selection criteria to said local user, and

program code for, in response to selection of a selected subset of said names that match said name selection criteria by said local user, initiating a communication using said selected subset of said names that match same name selection criteria.

27. A system comprising:

means for generating a user interface including a communication initiation display object;

means for, in response to said selection of said communication initiation display object by said local user, generating a data source selection display object, said data source selection display object displaying a plurality of data sources;

means for, in response to selection of a selected one of said plurality of data sources by said local user, searching said selected one of said plurality of data sources for names matching a name selection criteria;

means for displaying names from said selected one of said plurality of data sources that match said name selection criteria to said local user; and

means for, in response to selection of a selected subset of said names that match said name selection criteria by said local user, initiating a communication using said selected subset of said names that match same name selection criteria.