Method, Data Processing Program, and Computer Program Product for Handling Instant Messaging Sessions and Corresponding Instant Messaging Environment

• US 20110161445A1
• Filed: 11/02/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Seifert, Jens, Oberhofer, Martin, Nelke, Sebastian, Saillet, Yannick
• Granted Patent: US 9,209,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

An improved method for handling instant messaging sessions in an instant messaging server is disclosed. The method comprises providing global annotators for annotating instant messaging communications, wherein instant messaging users are being able to select for a private enhancement stack at least one of the following: annotators and look-up services; providing instant messaging users with a capability to obtain contextual information by activating enhancement functions provided by said private enhancement stack; establishing an instant messaging session between a set of instant messaging users; and supporting sharing said contextual information among said set of instant messaging users as part of the instant messaging session.

Claims

1. A method for handling instant messaging sessions in an instant messaging server, comprising:

providing global annotators for annotating instant messaging communications, wherein instant messaging users are being able to select for a private enhancement stack at least one of the following;

annotators and look-up services;

providing instant messaging users with a capability to obtain contextual information by activating enhancement functions provided by said private enhancement stack;

establishing an instant messaging session between a set of instant messaging users; and

supporting sharing said contextual information among said set of instant messaging users as part of the instant messaging session.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein during startup of said instant messaging session a stack of common annotators and/or look-up services is determined comprising all annotators and/or look-up services, which said corresponding private enhancement stacks of said instant messaging users have in common.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein potential useful private and/or common annotators and/or look-up services for said instant messaging session of said set of said instant messaging users is determined by using a static determination process.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein during said static determination process at least one data mining algorithm is used on profile information of said instant messaging users and/or on usage statistics of previous instant messaging sessions between at least two instant messaging users of said set of instant messaging users of said actual instant messaging session.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein during said instant messaging session each sent message is analyzed, wherein new potential useful common and/or private annotators and/or look-up services for said instant messaging session are determined by using a dynamic determination process.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein during said dynamic determination process a regular expression filter and/or a dictionary based analyzer and/or a semantic analyzer are used on text of said sent message.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein look-up services are used to enrich an entity detected by an annotator with additional information and/or to start actions on selected entities.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein common annotators and/or look-up services and/or private annotators of said corresponding instant messaging users of said actual instant messaging session are displayed in different colors and/or other visually distinguishable different features.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein an authentication and/or security check based on said profile information of said instant messaging users is performed before said contextual information among said set of instant messaging users as part of the instant messaging session is shared.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein based on the increasing text in said instant messaging communication and decisions made by said instant messaging user of said instant messaging session analytic services working on said text are dynamically adapted as needed, not running any unnecessary analytic services increasing performances.

14. A data processing system executing a data processing program comprising software code portions for performing a method for handling instant messaging sessions in an instant messaging server according to claim 1 when said program is run on said data processing system.

15. A computer program product stored on a computer-usable medium, comprising computer-readable program means for causing a computer to perform a method for handling instant messaging sessions in an instant messaging server according to claim 1 when said program is run on said computer.

11. An instant messaging environment comprising:

storage means for a global repository of public annotators and look-up services;

an instant messaging client system for each instant messaging user of an instant messaging session;

an instant messaging server; and

a communication infrastructure connecting said instant messaging server and said instant messaging clients,

wherein each instant messaging client system comprises a shared analytics plug being able to select annotators and/or look-up services of said global repository of public annotators and look-up services for a private annotator stack;

wherein said instant messaging client system provides a corresponding instant messaging user with a capability to obtain contextual information by activating annotations provided by said annotators and/or look-up services of said private annotator stack;

wherein said instant messaging server is establishing an instant messaging session between a set of instant messaging client systems of corresponding instant messaging users, and supporting a sharing of said contextual information among said set of instant messaging client systems of corresponding instant messaging users as part of the instant messaging session.

12. The instant messaging environment according to claim 11, wherein said communication infrastructure is usable by registered instant messaging users only, wherein said instant messaging server performs an authentication and/or security check based on profile information of said instant messaging users before supporting said sharing of contextual information among said set of instant messaging users as part of said instant messaging session.

13. The instant messaging environment according to claim 11, wherein said instant messaging server comprises a configuration database for each registered instant messaging user and generates an instant messaging session configuration based on said configuration databases of said instant messaging users of said instant messaging session and on said instant messaging session, wherein each configuration database comprises said private annotator stack of a corresponding instant messaging user, wherein said instant messaging server determines a stack of common annotators and/or look-up services that correspond to all private annotator stacks of said instant messaging users during startup of said instant messaging session, and/or determines potential useful private and/or common annotators and/or look-up services for said instant messaging session by using a static determination process, and/or a dynamic determination process during said instant messaging session.

16. A data processing system for instant messaging, comprising

storage means for a global repository of public annotators and look-up services;

means for enabling instant message client systems to select annotators and/or look-up services of said global repository of public annotators and look-up services for private annotator stacks;

means for providing contextual information to instant messaging client systems in response to said instant messaging client systems activating said public annotators and/or look-up services; and

means for supporting sharing of said contextual information among a set of instant messaging client systems of corresponding instant messaging users as part of an instant messaging session.

17. A data processing system of claim 16, comprising an instant messaging server for establishing instant messaging sessions between instant messaging client systems of corresponding instant messaging users.

19. An instant messaging system, comprising:

a set of instant messaging client systems according to claim 18;

an instant messaging server for establishing an instant messaging session between instant messaging client systems of corresponding instant messaging users;

a data processing system according to claim 16 interoperably connected to said instant messaging server; and

a communication infrastructure connecting said instant messaging server and said instant messaging clients.

18. An instant messaging client system, comprising

a shared analytics plug being able to select annotators and/or look-up services of a global repository of public annotators and look-up services for a private annotator stack;

and

means for activating annotations provided by said annotators and/or look-up services of said private annotator stack for obtaining contextual information.