Method for determining availability of participation in instant messaging

• US 7,552,177 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2004
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Moore, Martin Thomas, Ullmann, Lorin Evan, Lawton, Craig M., Peters, Christopher Andrew, Lewis, Jonathan Andrew, Kessen, Bethany Lyn, Overby, III, Jesse B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue, Larry D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mirza, Adnan M
• Application Number:
  US10/902,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/205, 709/204, 455/466
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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

A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for sending a user'"'"'s availability information to an instant messaging (IM) partner. A user predefines areas of the user'"'"'s display and associates these predefined areas, or “hotspots”, with user defined messages. If the user is not available to immediately respond to an incoming message, the user may move the IM dialog window to a “hotspot” in the display. Depending upon the user-defined message associated with the “hotspot”, the IM application generates an automated response indicating the user'"'"'s availability to respond to the message, and sends the message to the IM partner. The user also may predefine and associate the user'"'"'s IM status with a “hotspot”. Moving an IM dialog window into a “hotspot” automatically changes the user'"'"'s status based on the associated “hotspot”. This change is communicated to only the particular IM dialog window partner while other IM partners are unaffected.

Claims

1. A method in an instant messaging system for allowing a user to provide an automated response of a user'"'"'s availability to respond to an instant message, comprising:

responsive to a user input comprising a movement of an instant messaging dialog window on a user'"'"'s display, determining if the instant messaging dialog window has been moved into a designated hotspot area on the user'"'"'s display;

responsive to a determination that the instant messaging dialog window has been moved into a designated hotspot area on the user'"'"'s display, automatically generating a response message based on a user defined message associated with the hotspot area; and

sending the response message to a particular instant messaging partner.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing a user'"'"'s instant messaging status, wherein the instant messaging status is changed only for the particular instant messaging partner.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple designated hotspot areas are defined in the user'"'"'s display.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a change in the user'"'"'s availability to respond to the instant message, updating the response message sent to the instant messaging partner by moving the instant messaging dialog window to another designated hotspot area in the user'"'"'s display.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein an association between a designated hotspot area and a response message is defined by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message is defined by the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the response message to the instant messaging partner allows a user to communicate that the user is unavailable to respond to the message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message comprises information regarding a user'"'"'s activity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the instant messaging dialog window is created in response to an incoming message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the instant messaging dialog window is created in response to an outgoing message.

11. An instant messaging system for allowing a user to provide an automated response of a user'"'"'s availability to respond to an instant message, comprising:

determining means for determining if an instant messaging dialog window has been moved into a designated hotspot area on a user'"'"'s display in response to a user input comprising a movement of the instant messaging dialog window on the user'"'"'s display;

generating means for automatically generating a response message based on a user defined message associated with the hotspot area in response to a determination that the instant messaging dialog window has been moved into a designated hotspot area on the user'"'"'s display; and

sending means for sending the response message to a particular instant messaging partner.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

changing means for changing a user'"'"'s instant messaging status, wherein the instant messaging status is changed only for the particular instant messaging partner.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein multiple designated hotspot areas are defined in the user'"'"'s display.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

updating means for updating the response message sent to the instant messaging partner by moving the instant messaging dialog window to another designated hotspot area in the user'"'"'s display in response to a change in the user'"'"'s availability to respond to the instant message.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein an association between a designated hotspot area and a response message is defined by the user.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the response message is defined by the user.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein sending the response message to the instant messaging partner allows a user to communicate that the user is unavailable to respond to the message.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the response message comprises information regarding a user'"'"'s activity.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the instant messaging dialog window is created in response to an incoming message.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the instant messaging dialog window is created in response to an outgoing message.

21. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for allowing a user to provide an automated response of a user'"'"'s availability to respond to an instant message, comprising:

first instructions for determining if an instant messaging dialog window has been moved into a designated hotspot area on a user'"'"'s display in response to a user input comprising a movement of the instant messaging dialog window on the user'"'"'s display;

second instructions for automatically generating a response message based on a user defined message associated with the hotspot area in response to a determination that the instant messaging dialog window has been moved into a designated hotspot area on the user'"'"'s display; and

third instructions for sending the response message to a particular instant messaging partner.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising:

fourth instructions for changing a user'"'"'s instant messaging status, wherein the instant messaging status is changed only for the particular instant messaging partner.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein multiple designated hotspot areas are defined in the user'"'"'s display.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising:

fourth instructions for updating the response message sent to the instant messaging partner by moving the instant messaging dialog window to another designated hotspot area in the user'"'"'s display in response to a change in the user'"'"'s availability to respond to the instant message.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein an association between a designated hotspot area and a response message is defined by the user.

26. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the response message is defined by the user.

27. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein sending the response message to the instant messaging partner allows a user to communicate that the user is unavailable to respond to the message.

28. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the response message comprises information regarding a user'"'"'s activity.

29. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the instant messaging dialog window is created in response to an incoming message.

30. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the instant messaging dialog window is created in response to an outgoing message.

31. A method in an instant messaging system for allowing a user to provide an automated response of a user'"'"'s availability to respond to an instant message, comprising:

responsive to a user selecting an item on a dialog window, wherein the item is associated with a hotspot area in a display, automatically generating a response message based on a user defined message associated with the hotspot area; and

sending the response message to an instant messaging partner.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the item is a menu item.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the item is a button.