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• US 7,433,920 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2003
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Anthony, Colin R., Araman, Christopher J., Otnes, Kevin M., Schofield, Mark, Van Dok, Cornelius K., Oreizy, Peyman, Deeds, Roman L., Kabir, Ahsan S., Blagsvedt, Sean O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lai; Michael C
• Application Number:
  US10/683,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20050091314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,824 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206, 715733-759
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for tracking real-time communication data within a single contact tracking application for diverse communication providers and applications. A global data store is synchronized with real-time communication data, such as presence, status, unread messages, and unread notifications, from each application/provider. Real-time communication data for contacts dynamically determined to be recent contacts is retrieved from the data store, based on properties such as a most recent communication time, a communication count, and the like. Real-time communication data corresponding to contacts identified as pinned contacts for which display of real-time communication data is preferred, also may be retrieved. A user interface is generated for displaying the one or more recent and/or pinned contacts, which may vary in size based on the number of contacts identified as pinned contacts, from which a contact may be selected for real-time conversation or e-mail.

Claims

1. In a system capable of real-time communication with one or more contacts at one or more other systems, a method of tracking real-time communication data, within a single contact tracking application that tracks real-time communication data for real-time communication using any of a plurality of diverse real-time communication providers and applications, the method comprising acts of:

receiving, at a global real-time communication data store, real-time communication data from each of a plurality of diverse real-time communication applications corresponding to a plurality of diverse real-time communication providers;

receiving, at the global real-time communication data store, e-mail communication data from each of a plurality of diverse e-mail communication providers;

querying the global real-time communication data store for real-time and e-mail communication data corresponding to one or more contacts that are dynamically determined at the global real-time communication data store, based on one or more properties associated with the real-time or e-mail communication data, to be one or more recent contacts; and

displaying the one or more recent contacts on a user interface generated by the contact tracking application such that an indication is displayed with at least one of the one or more recent contacts wherein the indication represents a number of unread e-mail messages and unread real-time communication notifications that have been received from the corresponding contact.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more properties comprise a most recent communication time for the one or more contacts, and wherein display of the one or more recent contacts is ordered on the user interface by most recent communication time.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising acts of:

querying the global real-time communication data store for real-time and e-mail communication data corresponding to one or more contacts identified as pinned contacts for which display of the corresponding real-time and e-mail communication data is preferred; and

displaying at least one of the one or more pinned contacts on the user interface generated by the contact tracking application.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the user interface generated by the contact tracking application comprises separate pinned contact and recent contact portions.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the pinned contact user interface portion varies in size based on the number of one or more contacts identified as a pinned contact.

6. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the real-time communication data corresponding to the one or more pinned contacts comprises presence.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the real-time communication data corresponding to the one or more contacts dynamically determined to be one or more recent contacts comprises status.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising an act of displaying a link on the user interface for adding a new contact.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the user interface displays a plurality of contacts from diverse service providers, the method further comprising acts of:

receiving user input to select a specific contact;

selecting the specific contact;

receiving user input to begin a new real-time conversation with the specific contact; and

sending a request for a new real-time conversation to the specific contact.

10. For a system capable of real-time communication with one or more contacts at one or more other systems, a computer program product comprising one or more computer readable storage media having stored computer executable instructions that implement a method of tracking real-time communication data, within a single contact tracking application that tracks real-time communication data for real-time communication using any of a plurality of diverse real-time communication providers or applications, the method comprising acts of:

receiving, at a global real-time communication data store, real-time communication data from each of a plurality of diverse real-time communication applications corresponding to a plurality of diverse real-time communication providers;

receiving, at the global real-time communication data store, e-mail communication data from each of a plurality of diverse e-mail communication providers;

querying the global real-time communication data store for real-time and e-mail communication data corresponding to one or more contacts that are dynamically determined at the global real-time communication data store, based on one or more properties associated with the real-time or e-mail communication data, to be one or more recent contacts; and

displaying the one or more recent contacts on a user interface generated by the contact tracking application such that an indication is displayed with at least one of the one or more recent contacts that represents a number of unread e-mail messages and unread real-time communication notifications that have been received from the corresponding contact.

11. A computer program product as recited in claim 10, wherein the one or more properties comprise a communication count for the one or more contacts, and wherein display of the one or more recent contacts is ordered on the user interface by communication count.

12. A computer program product as recited in claim 10, the method further comprising acts of:

querying the global real-time communication data store for real-time and e-mail communication data corresponding to one or more contacts identified as pinned contacts for which display of the corresponding real-time or e-mail communication data is preferred; and

displaying at least one of the one or more pinned contacts on the user interface generated by the contact tracking application.

13. A computer program product as recited in claim 12, wherein the user interface generated by the contact tracking application comprises separate pinned contact and recent contact portions.

14. A computer program product as recited in claim 13, wherein the recent contact user interface portion varies in size based the number of one or more contacts identified as a pinned contact.

15. A computer program product as recited in claim 12, wherein the real-time communication data corresponding to the one or more pinned contacts comprises status.

16. A computer program product as recited in claim 10, wherein the real-time and e-mail communication data corresponding to the one or more contacts dynamically determined to be one or more recent contacts comprises unread messages.

17. A computer program product as recited in claim 10, the method further comprising an act of displaying a text entry box on the user interface for searching for a contact.

18. A computer program product as recited in claim 10, the method further comprising an act of periodically requesting real-time communication data from at least one of the plurality of diverse real-time communication applications.

19. A computer program product as recited in claim 10, wherein the global real-time communication data store automatically receives real-time communication data from at least one of the plurality of diverse real-time communication applications, without having to make a request.

20. A computer program product as recited in claim 10, wherein the user interface displays a plurality of contacts from diverse service providers, the method further comprising acts of:

receiving user input to select a specific contact;

selecting the specific contact;

receiving user input to begin a new e-mail message for the specific contact; and

opening a new e-mail message for the specific contact.

21. A computer program product as recited in claim 10, wherein a particular contact is displayed as a pinned contact, the method further comprising acts of:

receiving an indication at the global real-time communication data store that the particular contact is no longer a pinned contact; and

updating the user interface to remove the particular contact as a pinned contact.

22. A computer program product as recited in claim 10, the method further comprising acts of:

receiving user input to display all contacts; and

displaying a separate flyout user interface for displaying all contacts.