Collaborative chat system

• US 7,353,254 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2002
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kusuda, Rika
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kianersi; Mitra
• Application Number:
  US10/282,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20030088623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,981 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207, 709/230, 709/248
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

To provide a collaboration system and its chat system wherein a chat can be conducted by designating clearly and simply a position of an object to be noticed in a working image.

[Constitution] A plurality of terminal devices 100 and a chat server 300 supporting a chat are provided. By managing a display position, on a display screen, of a chat window for performing a chat in the terminal devices 100 and the chat server 300, display positions of chat windows are synchronized between the terminal devices 100 that conduct a chat. The chat window is displayed correspondingly to a given element displayed on the display screen.

Claims

1. An information exchange control method for a chat server supporting a chat conducted by a plurality of terminal devices connected to each other via a network, comprising the steps of:

receiving from a certain terminal device a session establishment request including a display position information of a particular element adjacent to a chat area for performing a chat;

determining in the Access Control List managing section whether an establishment of a chat session is possible by checking an Access Control List with respect to the particular element based on a user ID, a Universal Resource Locator, and the display position information;

sending to the certain terminal device a list of users that are available for establishing the chat session in response to determining that the chat session can be established, wherein the list of users is based on the particular element and the particular Universal Resource Locator;

establishing the chat session among the plurality of terminal devices in response to a selection of a target terminal device;

receiving a message from the certain terminal device; and

sending said message and the display position of said chat area to the target terminal device.

2. An information exchange control method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of preserving said message when said chat session can not be established, and sending said message to the target terminal device after said chat session is established.

3. An information exchange control method according to claim 1, wherein the display position of said chat area is position information corresponding to the particular element on a Web page, and said message is received with said position information at the step of receiving said message.