Method and system for managing interrupts in an instant messaging application
First Claim
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1. A computer implemented method for managing interrupts in an instant messaging application, comprising:
- receiving an interrupt request from an interrupting contact during an ongoing instant messaging conversation between at least two contacts each using a communications device, wherein the interrupt request is received by the communications device of at least one of the at least two contacts;
determining at least one of whether the interrupting contact has an interrupt priority ranking associated with the interrupting contact in a contacts list of the communications device receiving the interrupt request that is higher than, or at least as high as, an interrupt priority ranking of each of the at least two contacts participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation and whether an interrupting conversation has a higher priority compared to a priority of the ongoing instant messaging conversation set by at least one of the at least two contacts participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation in their communications device;
interrupting the ongoing instant messaging conversation in response to a predetermined one of the interrupt priority ranking of the interrupting contact being higher than, or at least as high as, the interrupt priority ranking of each of the at least two contacts participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation and the interrupting conversation having a higher interrupt priority ranking compared to the interrupt priority ranking of the ongoing instant messaging conversation; and
sending a contact busy message to the interrupting contact in response to one of the interrupting contact having an interrupt priority ranking no higher than each of the at least two contacts or the interrupting conversation having an interrupt priority ranking no higher than the interrupt priority ranking of the instant messaging conversation.
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Abstract
A method for managing interrupts in an instant messaging application may include receiving an interrupt request from an interrupting contact during an instant messaging conversation between at least two contacts. The method may also include interrupting the instant messaging conversation in response to a predetermined one of the interrupting contact having a selected interrupt priority ranking relative to an interrupt priority ranking of each of the at least two contacts or an interrupting conversation having a higher interrupt priority ranking compared to an interrupt priority ranking of the instant messaging conversation.
23 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A computer implemented method for managing interrupts in an instant messaging application, comprising:
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receiving an interrupt request from an interrupting contact during an ongoing instant messaging conversation between at least two contacts each using a communications device, wherein the interrupt request is received by the communications device of at least one of the at least two contacts; determining at least one of whether the interrupting contact has an interrupt priority ranking associated with the interrupting contact in a contacts list of the communications device receiving the interrupt request that is higher than, or at least as high as, an interrupt priority ranking of each of the at least two contacts participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation and whether an interrupting conversation has a higher priority compared to a priority of the ongoing instant messaging conversation set by at least one of the at least two contacts participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation in their communications device; interrupting the ongoing instant messaging conversation in response to a predetermined one of the interrupt priority ranking of the interrupting contact being higher than, or at least as high as, the interrupt priority ranking of each of the at least two contacts participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation and the interrupting conversation having a higher interrupt priority ranking compared to the interrupt priority ranking of the ongoing instant messaging conversation; and sending a contact busy message to the interrupting contact in response to one of the interrupting contact having an interrupt priority ranking no higher than each of the at least two contacts or the interrupting conversation having an interrupt priority ranking no higher than the interrupt priority ranking of the instant messaging conversation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A computer implemented method for managing interrupts in an instant messaging application, comprising:
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receiving an interrupt request from an interrupting contact during an ongoing instant messaging conversation between at least two contacts each using a communications device, wherein the interrupt request is received by the communications device of at least one of the at least two contacts; interrupting the instant messaging conversation based on a set of interrupt rules and independent of a location of the communications device being used by each of the at least two contacts, wherein interrupting the instant messaging conversation based on the set of interrupt rules comprises; permitting the ongoing instant messaging conversation to be interrupted in response to interrupts being selectively permitted; and determining that the interrupting conversation has an interrupt priority ranking higher than an interrupt priority ranking of the ongoing conversation set by at least one of the at least two contacts participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation in their communications device; sending an interrupt notification to any of the at least two contacts of the instant messaging conversation not contacted by the interrupting contact in response to interrupting the instant messaging conversation; and sending an interrupt blocked message to the interrupting contact in response to interrupts being selectively blocked. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. A computer implemented method for managing interrupts in an instant messaging application, comprising:
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receiving an interrupt request from an interrupting contact or user during an ongoing instant messaging conversation between at least two contacts or users each using a communications device, wherein the interrupt request is received by the communications device of at least one of the at least two contacts; determining whether the interrupting contact or user has an interrupt priority ranking in a contacts list of the communications device receiving the interrupt request that is higher than, or at least as high as, a priority ranking of each of the at least two contacts or users in the contacts list participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation set by at least one of the at least two contacts participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation in their communications device, the contacts list being divided into a primary contacts list and a normal contacts list, wherein the primary contacts list permits a user to specify the interrupt priority ranking for selected contacts by listing contacts in an order according to their respective interrupt priority order and wherein the normal contacts lists contacts alphabetically; and interrupting the ongoing instant messaging conversation in response to the interrupt priority ranking of the interrupting contact or user being higher than, or at least as high as, each of the at least two contacts or users. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system for managing interrupts in an instant messaging application, comprising:
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a communications device for receiving an interrupt from an interrupting contact during an instant messaging conversation between a contact using the communications device and at least one other contact using another communications device; a module stored in a memory of the communications device and operable on the communications device to determine at least one of whether the interrupting contact has an interrupt priority ranking associated with the interrupting contact in a contacts list of the communications device receiving the interrupt request that is higher than, or at least as high as, an interrupt priority ranking of each of the at least two contacts participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation and whether an interrupting conversation has a higher priority compared to a priority ranking of the ongoing instant messaging conversation set by at least one of the at least two contacts participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation, each contact in the contacts list having been assigned a numerical value that specifies the interrupt priority ranking of the contact; and another module stored in the memory of the communications device and operable on the communications device to interrupt the ongoing instant messaging conversation in response to a predetermined one of the interrupt priority ranking of the interrupting contact being higher than, or at least as high as, the interrupt priority ranking of each of the at least two contacts participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation and the interrupting conversation having a higher interrupt priority ranking compared to the interrupt priority ranking of the ongoing instant messaging conversation. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith for managing interrupts in an instant messaging application, the computer readable storage medium comprising:
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computer usable program code configured to receive an interrupt request from an interrupting contact or user during an ongoing instant messaging conversation between at least two contacts or users; computer usable program code configured to determine at least one of whether the interrupting contact has an interrupt priority ranking associated with the interrupting contact in a contacts list of the communications device receiving the interrupt request that is higher than, or at least as high as, an interrupt priority ranking of each of the at least two contacts participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation and whether an interrupting conversation has a higher priority compared to a priority of the ongoing instant messaging conversation set by at least one of the at least two contacts participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation; and computer usable program code configured to interrupt the ongoing instant messaging conversation in response to a predetermined one of the interrupt priority ranking of the interrupting contact being higher than, or at least as high as, the interrupt priority ranking of each of the at least two contacts participating in the ongoing instant messaging conversation and the interrupting conversation having a higher interrupt priority ranking compared to the interrupt priority ranking of the ongoing instant messaging conversation; and computer usable program code configured to send a contact busy message to the interrupting contact in response to one of the interrupting contact having an interrupt priority ranking no higher than each of the at least two contacts or the interrupting conversation having an interrupt priority ranking no higher than the interrupt priority ranking of the instant messaging conversation. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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Specification