MANAGEMENT OF MULTIPLE SYNCHRONOUS RESPONSES TO SINGLE QUESTION IN COMMUNITY-BASED INSTANT MESSAGING

• US 20100211646A1
• Filed: 02/19/2009
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McDevitt, Michelle, Schirmer, Andrew L., Scherpa, Josef
• Granted Patent: US 8,473,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• 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]

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes sending an instant message communication from a first device of a first person to a plurality of other persons in a topic-based community, and receiving a number of instant message communications at the first device. The method further includes placing each of the response instant message communications in a separate display that is viewable by the first person, and sending a second instant message communication from the first device of the first person to the plurality of other persons after a certain number of response instant message communications have been received by the first device from the plurality of other persons, wherein the second instant message communication is an indication that the first person is satisfied with at least one of the response instant message communications.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

sending an instant message communication from a first device of a first person to a plurality of other persons in a topic-based community;

receiving a number of instant message communications at the first device, each response instant message communication being from one of the plurality of other persons to the first person;

placing each of the response instant message communications in a separate display that is viewable by the first person; and

sending a second instant message communication from the first device of the first person to the plurality of other persons after a certain number of response instant message communications have been received by the first device from the plurality of other persons, wherein the second instant message communication comprises an indication that the first person is satisfied with at least one of the response instant message communications.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the instant message communication sent from the first device of the first person is in the form of a question, and wherein the instant message communication received at the first device from each of the plurality of other persons is in the form of an answer to the question.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein after receiving a number of instant message communications at the first device, the first device of the person sending further instant message communications to at least one of the plurality of other persons and the first device receiving further instant message communications from the at least one of the plurality of other persons, and wherein each of the further instant message communications is placed in the separate display that is viewable by the first person and by at least one of the plurality of other persons.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein after receiving a number of instant message communications at the first device, the first device of the person sending further instant message communications to at least one of the plurality of other persons and the first device receiving further instant message communications from the at least one of the plurality of other persons, and wherein each of the further instant message communications is placed in the separate display that is viewable by the first person and by at least one of the plurality of other persons.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing every instant message communication sent from the first device of the first person and received by the first device in a separate threaded view that is viewable by the first person, wherein each thread in the threaded view lists every instant message sent by the first device of the first person to one of the plurality of other persons and received by the first device from the one of the plurality of other persons, wherein the first person can reorder, rank and/or categorize each thread in the threaded view, and wherein the first device of the first person can send an instant message communication with an identification of how many of the plurality of other persons have sent a response instant message communication as received by the first device and/or the identity of each of the plurality of other persons that have sent a response instant message communication as received by the first device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising merging every instant message communication sent from the first device of the first person and received by the first device in a merged threaded view that is viewable by the first person and each of the plurality of other persons.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein any one of the plurality of other persons can prevent every instant message communication sent from the first device of the first person and received by the first device from being merged into the merged threaded view.

8. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer program instructions stored thereon that define a method, wherein such instructions, upon execution by a computer cause the computer to implement the method, the method including

sending an instant message communication from a first device of a first person to a plurality of other persons in a topic-based community;

receiving a number of instant message communications at the first device, each response instant message communication being from one of the plurality of other persons to the first person;

placing each of the response instant message communications in a separate display that is viewable by the first person; and

sending a second instant message communication from the first device of the first person to the plurality of other persons after a certain number of response instant message communications have been received by the first device from the plurality of other persons, wherein the second instant message communication comprises an indication that the first person is satisfied with at least one of the response instant message communications.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the instant message communication sent from the first device of the first person is in the form of a question, and wherein the instant message communication received at the first device from each of the plurality of other persons is in the form of an answer to the question.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein after receiving a number of instant message communications at the first device, the first device of the first person sending further instant message communications to at least one of the plurality of other persons and the first device receiving further instant message communications from the at least one of the plurality of other persons, and wherein each of the further instant message communications is placed in the separate display that is viewable by the first person and by at least one of the plurality of other persons.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein after receiving a number of instant message communications at the first device, the first device of the first person sending further instant message communications to at least one of the plurality of other persons and the first device receiving further instant message communications from the at least one of the plurality of other persons, and wherein each of the further instant message communications is placed in the separate display that is viewable by the first person and by at least one of the plurality of other persons.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising placing every instant message communication sent from the first device of the first person and received by the first device in a separate threaded view that is viewable by the first person, wherein each thread in the threaded view lists every instant message sent by the first device of the first person to one of the plurality of other persons and received by the first device from the one of the plurality of other persons, wherein the first person can reorder, rank and/or categorize each thread in the threaded view, and wherein the first device of the first person can send an instant message communication with an identification of how many of the plurality of other persons have sent a response instant message communication as received by the first device and/or the identity of each of the plurality of other persons that have sent a response instant message communication as received by the first device.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising merging every instant message communication sent from the first device of the first person and received by the first device in a merged threaded view that is viewable by the first person and each of the plurality of other persons.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein any one of the plurality of other persons can prevent every instant message communication sent from the first device of the first person and received by the first device from being merged into the merged threaded view.

15. A system, comprising:

a sending module that sends an instant message communication from a first person to a plurality of other persons in a topic-based community;

a receiving module that receives a number of instant message communications at the first person, each response instant message communication being from one of the plurality of other persons to the first person;

a display module that displays each of the response instant message communications in a separate display view that is viewable by the first person; and

wherein the sending module is operative to send a second instant message communication from the first person to the plurality of other persons after a certain number of response instant message communications have been received by the first person from the plurality of other persons, wherein the second instant message communication comprises an indication that the first person is satisfied with at least one of the response instant message communications.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the instant message communication sent by the sending module from the first person is in the form of a question, and wherein the instant message communication received by the receiving module by the first person from one of the plurality of other persons is in the form of an answer to the question.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the sending module sends further instant message communications from the first person to at least one of the plurality of other persons, and the receiving module receives further instant message communications from the at least one of the plurality of other persons, wherein each of the further instant message communications is placed in the display module in the separate display view that is viewable by the first person and by the at least one of the plurality of other persons.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein after the sending module sends the second instant message communication indicating that the first person is satisfied with at least one of the response instant message communications, the sending module is operative to send an additional instant message communication from the first person to the plurality of other persons in the topic-based community asking for additional response instant message communications from the plurality of other persons in the topic-based community.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the display module places every instant message communication sent by the sending module and received by the receiving module in a separate threaded view that is viewable by the first person, wherein each thread in the threaded view lists every instant message communication sent by the sending module from the first person and received by the receiving module from the one of the plurality of other persons, wherein the first person can reorder, rank and/or categorize each thread in the threaded view, and wherein the sending module is operative to send an instant message communication with an identification of how many of the plurality of other persons have sent a response instant message communication as received by the receiving module and/or the identity of each of the plurality of other persons that have sent a response instant message communication as received by the receiving module.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the display module is operative to merge every instant message communication send by the sending module from the first person and received by the receiving module from each one of the plurality of other persons in a merged threaded view that is viewable by the first person and each of the plurality of other persons.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the display module is operative to allow any one of the plurality of other persons to prevent every instant message communication sent by the sending module to the any one of the plurality of other persons and received by the receiving module from the any one of the plurality of other persons from being merged into the merged threaded view.

22. An electronic instant messaging method, comprising:

sending an instant message communication in the form of a question from a first device of a first person to a plurality of other persons;

receiving a number of instant message communications at the first device, each response instant message communication being in the form of an answer from one of the plurality of other persons to the first person;

placing each of the response instant message communications in a separate display that viewable by the first person; and

sending a second instant message communication from the first device of the first person to the plurality of other persons after a certain number of response instant message communications have been received by the first device from the plurality of other persons, wherein the second instant message communication comprises an indication that the first person is satisfied with at least one of the response instant message communications.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein after the plurality of other persons each sending a response instant message communication to the first person, the first person and at least one of the plurality of other persons engaging in sending further instant message communications between one another, and wherein each of the further instant message communications is placed in the separate display that is viewable by the first person and by at least one of the plurality of other persons.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising placing every instant message communication sent from the first device of the first person and received by the first device in a separate threaded view that is viewable by the first person, wherein each thread in the threaded view lists every instant message sent by the first device of the first person to one of the plurality of other persons and received by the first device from the one of the plurality of other persons, wherein the first person can reorder, rank and/or categorize each thread in the threaded view, and wherein the first device of the first person can send an instant message communication with an identification of how many of the plurality of other persons have sent a response instant message communication as received by the first device and/or the identity of each of the plurality of other persons that have sent a response instant message communication as received by the first device.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising merging every instant message communication between the first person and each one of the plurality of other persons in a merged threaded view that is viewable by the first person and each of the plurality of other persons.