System and method for managing contacts in an instant messaging environment
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
- categorizing two or more instant messaging contact names for a single individual into a single meta contact wherein said two or more instant messaging contact names are associated with different instant messaging services;
causing the meta contact to be displayed in a contact list, wherein the contact list includes a first section identifying individuals registered as “
online” and
a second section identifying individuals registered as “
offline,” and
wherein said meta contact is displayed in the first section of a contact list when one of the two or more instant messaging contact names registers as “
online”
even though a different one of the two or more instant messaging contact names registers as “
offline;
”
causing other instant messaging contact names to be displayed alongside the meta contact in the contact list, wherein the other instant messaging contact names are not categorized into meta contacts;
receiving a request from a sending user to transmit an instant message directed to said meta contact; and
selecting one of the two or more instant messaging contact names within said meta contact to which to transmit said instant message based on a specified prioritization scheme configurable by the sending user, wherein said prioritization scheme is based on an order in which said instant messaging contact names appear within a meta contact list and wherein said order is graphically displayed beneath said meta contact within an instant messaging contact list.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A computer-implemented method is described for instant messaging comprising: categorizing two or more instant messaging contact names into a single meta contact; receiving a request to transmit an instant message directed to the meta contact; selecting one of the two or more instant messaging contact names within the meta contact to which to transmit the instant message based on a specified prioritization scheme.
-
Citations
18 Claims
-
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
-
categorizing two or more instant messaging contact names for a single individual into a single meta contact wherein said two or more instant messaging contact names are associated with different instant messaging services; causing the meta contact to be displayed in a contact list, wherein the contact list includes a first section identifying individuals registered as “
online” and
a second section identifying individuals registered as “
offline,” and
wherein said meta contact is displayed in the first section of a contact list when one of the two or more instant messaging contact names registers as “
online”
even though a different one of the two or more instant messaging contact names registers as “
offline;
”causing other instant messaging contact names to be displayed alongside the meta contact in the contact list, wherein the other instant messaging contact names are not categorized into meta contacts; receiving a request from a sending user to transmit an instant message directed to said meta contact; and selecting one of the two or more instant messaging contact names within said meta contact to which to transmit said instant message based on a specified prioritization scheme configurable by the sending user, wherein said prioritization scheme is based on an order in which said instant messaging contact names appear within a meta contact list and wherein said order is graphically displayed beneath said meta contact within an instant messaging contact list. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. An instant messaging graphical user interface (GUI) comprising:
-
a contact list including at least one meta contact entry, said meta contact entry representing two or more different instant messaging contact names for the same individual, said meta contact entry selectable via a mouse pointer or other cursor control device, wherein said two or more different instant messaging contact names are associated with different instant messaging services, and wherein the contact list has a first section identifying individuals registered as “
online” and
a second section identifying individuals registered as “
offline,” and
the meta contact entry is in the first section when one of the two or more different instant messaging contact names registers as “
online”
even though a different one of the two or more different contact names registers as “
offline,”wherein, upon receiving a selection of said meta contact entry by a user, an instant messaging session is initiated with one of said two or more different contact names based on a specified prioritization scheme configurable by the user, wherein said prioritization scheme comprises an order in which said contact names appear beneath said meta contact entry. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A machine readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a machine causes the machine to perform operations comprising:
-
grouping instant messaging (IM) contact names of a single individual into a meta contact, each IM contact name representing a different IM account of the individual; providing an order for the IM contact names to be graphically displayed beneath the meta contact; providing a contact list having a first section identifying individuals registered as “
online” and
a second section identifying individuals registered as “
offline,”
wherein the meta contact is graphically displayed in the first section when one of said IM contact names registers as “
online”
even though a different one of said IM contact names registers as “
offline;
”receiving a selection of the meta contact, the selection indicating a request to initiate an IM session with the individual; in response to the selection of the meta contact, automatically selecting one of the IM contact names within the meta contact with which to initiate the IM session, wherein automatically selecting includes selecting a first IM contact name lower in the order than a second IM contact name when the first IM contact name registers as idle and the second IM contact name registers as offline; and wherein a first IM account of the individual is associated with a first IM service, a second IM account of the individual is associated with a second IM service, and the first IM service uses a different protocol to transmit an instant message than the second IM service. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
Specification