Providing advanced instant messaging (IM) notification

• US 7,818,375 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2003
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Watts, Douglas B., Malik, Dale W., Daniell, W. Todd, Daigle, Brian K.
• Primary Examiner(s): England; David E
• Application Number:
  US10/364,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,808 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207, 709/224, 715751-758
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing advanced instant messaging (IM) notification are provided. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, an event message, which is received prior sending of an initial message by a user, is used to generate a notification to a contact. The notification indicates to the contact that the user is preparing to initiate a chat session prior to opening a chat window.

Claims

1. In an instant messaging (IM) system in which a user at a user instant messaging (IM) client initiates an IM chat session with a contact at a contact IM client, a method comprising:

receiving an event message at the contact IM client, the event message being received prior to opening an IM chat window at the contact IM client, the event message being indicative of typing of a message of the user being currently typed at the user IM client;

determining whether a status of the user is blocked;

generating a typing notification message, the typing notification message being indicative of typing by the user at the user IM client; and

providing the typing notification message in a display at the contact IM client, the typing notification message configured to provide the message of the user being currently typed, the typing notification message including a user-selectable option to ignore the user'"'"'s message being currently typed, wherein, when the contact selects the user-selectable option to ignore the user'"'"'s message being currently typed, changing an availability status of the contact to unavailable, sending an unavailability status indication from the contact to the user currently typing said message and terminating the IM chat session,

the typing notification message including a close option to close the typing notification message, the close option being different than the user-selectable option to ignore the message of the user being currently typed, the typing notification message being configured to indicate when the contact is selected as a recipient of the instant message, the typing notification message being displayed prior to display of the IM chat window.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a reply message in response to determining that the status of the user is blocked, the reply message indicating that the contact IM client is not receiving IM chat messages from the user at the user IM client.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing an IM chat session with the user IM client in response to determining that the status of the user is not blocked.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the typing notification message is configured to provide a user-selectable option to establish an IM chat session with the user IM client.

5. A method comprising:

receiving an event message at a first instant messaging (IM) client, the event message being responsive to a designation of a potential chat session with the first IM client from a second IM client; and

providing for display a notification message at the first IM client in response to receiving the event message prior to display of an IM chat window, the notification message including a user-selectable option to ignore the event message, wherein, when the first IM client selects the user-selectable option to ignore the event message, changing an availability status of a user associated with the first IM client to unavailable, sending an unavailability status indication from the first IM client to the second IM client and terminating the IM chat session,

the notification message including a close option to close the notification message, the close option being different than the user-selectable option to ignore the event message, the notification message being configured to indicate when a contact is selected as a recipient of the instant message,

wherein the event message is indicative of an action at the second IM client.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising generating a reply message in response to a determination that the user associated with the first IM client is currently in a blocked status, the reply message indicating that the contact IM client is not receiving IM chat messages from the user at the user IM client.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising establishing an IM chat session with the user IM client in response to a determination that the user associated with the first IM client is currently not in a blocked status.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the event message is configured to provide an option, the option including

an option to establish an IM chat session with the user IM client;

and

providing for display the generated typing notification message at the contact IM client.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the event message includes a text message.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the event message includes contact information of a contact, the contact initiating a chat session at a second IM client.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the contact information includes a name.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the contact information includes an IM address.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the providing the vent message for display includes providing an option to ignore messages from the second IM client.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving no selection of the option for a predefined time interval; and

establishing an IM chat session with the second IM client in response to receiving no selection of the option for the predefined time interval.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving no selection of the option for a predefined time interval; and

generating a reply message in response to receiving no selection of the option, the reply message indicating that the first IM client is not receiving IM chat messages from the second IM client.

16. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving a selection of the option to ignore messages from the second IM client.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating a reply message in response to the selection of the option to ignore messages from the second IM client, the reply message indicating that the first IM client is not receiving IM chat messages from the second IM client.

18. The method of claim 5, wherein the providing the event message for display comprises providing an option to establish an IM chat session with the second IM client.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving a selection of the option to establish an IM chat with the second IM client.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising establishing an IM chat session with the second IM client in response to the selection of the option to establish an IM chat with the second IM client.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving no selection of the option for a predefined time interval; and

establishing an IM chat session with the second IM client in response to receiving no selection of the option for the predefined time interval.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving no selection of the option for a predefined time interval; and

generating a reply message in response to receiving no selection of the option, the reply message indicating that the first IM client is not receiving IM chat messages from the second IM client.

23. A method comprising:

receiving an event message at a first instant messaging (IM) client, the event message being received prior to opening a IM chat window at the first IM client, the event message being indicative of typing by a user at a second IM client;

determining whether a status of the user at the second IM client is blocked; and

providing for display a notification message at the first IM client, the notification message being displayed prior to opening the IM chat window, the notification message including a user-selectable option to ignore the event message, wherein, when the first IM client selects the user-selectable option to ignore the event message, changing an availability status of a user associated with the first IM client to unavailable, sending an unavailability status indication from the first IM client to the second IM client and terminating the IM chat session,

the notification message including a close option to close the notification message, the close option being different than the user-selectable option to ignore the event message, the notification message being configured to indicate when a contact is selected as a recipient of the instant message.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

generating a reply message in response to determining that the status of the user at the second IM client is a blocked status, the reply message indicating that the first IM client is not receiving IM chat messages from the user at the second IM client.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising establishing an IM chat session with the second IM client in response to determining that the status of the user at the second IM client is a not-blocked status.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the displaying the notification message comprises an option to establish an IM chat session with the second IM client.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising receiving a selection of the option in response to providing the option, the selection of the option being selected from a group including at least one of the following:

a selection of the option to ignore messages from the second IM client;

a selection of the option to establish an IM chat with the second IM client.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising generating a reply message in response to the selection of the option to ignore messages from the second IM client, the reply message indicating that the first IM client is not receiving IM chat messages from the second IM client.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising establishing an IM chat session with the second IM client in response to the selection of the option to establish an IM chat with the second IM client.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving no selection of the option for a predefined time interval; and

establishing an IM chat session with the second IM client in response to receiving no selection of the option for the predefined time interval.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving no selection of the option for a predefined time interval; and

generating a reply message in response to receiving no selection of the option,

the reply message indicating that the first IM client is not receiving IM chat messages from the second IM client.

32. A first IM client comprising:

a processor; and

a memory configured to store;

logic adapted to receive an event message, the event message being received prior to opening an IM chat window at the first IM client, the event message being indicative of typing by a user at a second IM client;

logic adapted to determine whether a status of the user at the second IM client is blocked; and

logic adapted to provide for display a notification message at the first IM client prior to opening an IM chat window, the notification message including a user-selectable option to ignore the event message, wherein, when the first IM client selects the user-selectable option to ignore the event message, changing an availability status of a user associated with the first IM client to unavailable, sending an unavailability status indication from the first IM client to the second IM client and terminating the IM chat session, the notification message including a close option to close the notification message, the close option being different than the user-selectable option to ignore the event message, the notification message being configured to indicate when a contact is selected as a recipient of the instant message.

33. The first IM client of claim 32, wherein the logic adapted to provide for display the typing notification message comprises logic adapted to provide for display the typing notification message prior to opening the IM chat window.

34. The first IM client of claim 32, wherein the memory is further configured to store logic adapted to establish an IM chat session with the second IM client in response to determining that the status of the user is a not-blocked status.

35. The first IM client of claim 32, wherein the memory is further configured to store logic adapted to generate a reply message in response to determining that the status of the user is a blocked status, the reply message indicating that the first IM client is not receiving IM chat messages from the user at the second IM client.

36. The first IM client of claim 32, wherein the logic adapted to provide for display the typing notification message comprises logic adapted to provide an option to establish an IM chat session with the second IM client.

37. The first IM client of claim 36, wherein the memory is further configured to store logic adapted to receive a selection of the option in response to providing the option, the selection of the option being one selected from a group consisting of:

a selection of the option to ignore messages from the second IM client;

selection of the option to establish an IM chat with the second IM client.

38. The first IM client of claim 37, wherein the memory is further configured to store logic adapted to generate a reply message in response to the selection of the option to ignore messages from the second IM client, the reply message indicating that the first IM client is not receiving IM chat messages from the second IM client.

39. The first IM client of claim 37, wherein the memory is further configured to store logic adapted to establish an IM chat session with the second IM client in response to the selection of the option to establish an IM chat with the second IM client.

40. The first IM client of claim 36, wherein the memory is further configured to store logic adapted to establish an IM chat session with the second IM client in response to receiving no selection of the option for the predefined time interval.

41. The first IM client of claim 36, wherein the memory is further configured to store logic adapted to generate a reply message in response to receiving no selection of the option, the reply message indicating that the first IM client is not receiving IM chat messages from the second IM client.