MODIFYING CONVERSATION WINDOWS

• US 20100058203A1
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ip, Amy Wai-Yee, Moudy, Brian Scott, Singh, Geeven, Natarajan, Aarthi
• Granted Patent: US 8,739,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/759
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

A system described herein includes a receiver component that receives an indication that a conversation window for a first messaging contact is desirably collapsed, wherein the conversation window for the first messaging contact corresponds to an instant messaging application that is executable on a computing device. The system can further include a window minimizer component that collapses the conversation window into a contacts window of the instant messaging application, wherein the contacts window depicts a graphical indication of at least the first contact, wherein the graphical indication is highlighted to indicate that a conversation exists with the first messaging contact.

Claims

1. A system comprising the following computer-executable components:

a receiver component that receives an indication that a conversation window for a first messaging contact is desirably collapsed, wherein the conversation window for the first messaging contact corresponds to an instant messaging application that is executable on a computing device; and

a window minimizer component that collapses the conversation window into a contacts window of the instant messaging application, wherein the contacts window depicts a graphical indication of at least the first contact, wherein the graphical indication is highlighted to indicate that a conversation exists with the first messaging contact.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first messaging contact is an individual.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first messaging contact is a persistent messaging group.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an interactor component that receives user input from an input device indicating selection of the first messaging contact in the contacts window, wherein the interactor component causes the conversation window to be re-presented on a display screen of the computing device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the interactor component causes the conversation window to display messages transmitted from the first messaging contact subsequent to the window minimize component collapsing the conversation window and prior to the conversation window being re-presented.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the window minimizer component causes the graphical indication in the contact window to indicate that a new message has been received from the first messaging contact.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is one of a personal computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, and a smart phone.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a background suppressor component that, upon at least one of receipt of a user command or after a predetermined amount of time, causes a text entry field of the conversation window to be visually removed from the conversation window.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the background suppressor component additionally causes at least a portion of the conversation window to become at least semi-transparent.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising an interactor component that determines that a user has at least one of moused over or selected the conversation window subsequent to the conversation window becoming at least semi-transparent, and upon determining that the user has at least one of moused over or selected the conversation window, returns the text entry field to the conversation window and returns the conversation window to a non-transparent state.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver component receives an indication that a text entry field of the conversation window is desirably detached from a remainder of the conversation window, and further comprising a detacher component that detaches the text entry field from the remainder of the conversation window.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the detacher component causes the text entry field to be usable in conversations with multiple contacts.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising an interactor component that receives a second indication that the conversation window is desirably combined with a second conversation window, wherein the detached text entry field is usable in connection with the conversation window and the second conversation window.

14. A method comprising the following computer-executable acts:

in an instant messaging application, receiving an indication from a user of the instant messaging application that the user does not wish to be presented with conversation windows pertaining to newly received instant messages;

receiving a first instant message directed to the user from a first contact of the user in the instant messaging application; and

modifying a graphical indicator that is representative of the first contact in a contacts window of the instant messaging application to indicate that the first contact has transmitted the instant message to the user.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of the graphical indicator in the contact window; and

graphically presenting a conversation window to the user, wherein the conversation window includes the instant message.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving input from the user indicating that the conversation window is desirably collapsed into the contacts window; and

collapsing the conversation window into the graphical indicator in the contacts window such that a taskbar is free from a visual indication of the conversation window.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a second instant message directed to the user from the first contact subsequent to collapsing the conversation window in the graphical indicator; and

modifying the graphical indicator to indicate that the second message has been received.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the first instant message is from a persistent messaging group.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of instant messages from a plurality of contacts; and

modifying a plurality of graphical indicators that are representative of the plurality of contacts to indicate that the plurality of instant messages have been received.

20. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, perform the following acts:

display a conversation window of an instant messaging application on a display screen, wherein the conversation window illustrates an instant messaging conversation between a first user and a first contact of the first user;

display a contacts window of the instant messaging application on the display screen, wherein the contacts window includes a graphical indicator that is representative of the first contact;

receive an indication from the first user that the conversation window is desirably collapsed into the contacts window;

collapse the conversation window into the contacts window while retaining contents of the conversation;

receive an instant message from the first contact subsequent to collapsing the conversation window into the conversation window;

modify the graphical indicator to indicate that the first contact has transmitted the instant message to the first user;

receive a selection of the graphical indicator from the first user; and

display the conversation window on the display screen, wherein the conversation window includes the received instant message and content existent in the conversation window prior to collapsing the conversation window into the contacts window.