Modifying conversation windows

• US 8,739,048 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Moudy, Brian Scott, Natarajan, Aarthi, Singh, Geeven, Ip, Amy Wai-Yee
• Primary Examiner(s): LONG, ANDREA NATAE
• Application Number:
  US12/200,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20100058203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,098 Days
• Field of Search: 715/758, 715/759, 715/795, 715/842, 715/821, 715/859
• US Class Current: 715/759
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

A system described herein includes a receiver component that receives an indication that a conversation window for a first messaging contact is desirably collapsed, wherein the conversation window for the first messaging contact corresponds to an instant messaging application that is executable on a computing device. The system can further include a window minimizer component that collapses the conversation window into a contacts window of the instant messaging application, wherein the contacts window depicts a graphical indication of at least the first contact, wherein the graphical indication is highlighted to indicate that a conversation exists with the first messaging contact.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that comprises a plurality of components that are executed by the processor, the plurality of components comprising;

a receiver component that receives an indication that a conversation window of an instant messaging application is desirably collapsed into a contacts window of the instant messaging application, the conversation window and the contacts window displayed on a display screen of a computing device that is executing the instant messaging application, the conversation window facilitating transmittal of messages between a user of the computing device and a first messaging contact of the user, the contacts window comprising a graphical representation of the first contact, wherein the conversation window comprises a conversation that includes at least one message from the user to the first messaging contact; and

a window minimizer component that collapses the conversation window into the contacts window of the instant messaging application responsive to the receiver component receiving the indication, such that;

the conversation window is removed from the display screen; and

the graphical representation of the first contact is highlighted in the contacts window to indicate that the conversation exists with the first messaging contact.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first messaging contact is an individual.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first messaging contact is a persistent messaging group.

4. The system of claim 1, the plurality of components further comprising an interactor component that receives input from an input device indicating selection of the graphical representation in the contacts window subsequent to the window minimizer component collapsing the conversation window into the contacts window, wherein the interactor component causes the conversation window to be re-presented on the display screen of the computing device, and wherein the conversation window comprises the at least one message when re-presented on the display screen of the computing device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the interactor component causes the conversation window to display messages transmitted from the first messaging contact to the user subsequent to the window minimizer component collapsing the conversation window into the contacts window and prior to the conversation window being re-presented on the display screen of the computing device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the window minimizer component causes the graphical representation in the contact window to be modified to indicate that a new message has been received from the first messaging contact, wherein the new message is received subsequent to the window minimizer component collapsing the conversation window into the contacts window.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is one of a personal computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, or a smart phone.

8. The system of claim 1, the plurality of components further comprising a background suppressor component that, upon at least one of receipt of a user command or after a predetermined amount of time, causes a text entry field of the conversation window to be visually removed from the conversation window.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the background suppressor component additionally causes at least a portion of the conversation window to become at least semi-transparent.

10. The system of claim 9, the plurality of components further comprising an interactor component that determines that the user has at least one of moused over or selected the conversation window subsequent to the conversation window becoming at least semi-transparent, and upon determining that the user has at least one of moused over or selected the conversation window, returns the text entry field to the conversation window and returns the conversation window to a non-transparent state.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver component receives an indication that a text entry field of the conversation window is desirably detached from a remainder of the conversation window, and the plurality of components further comprising a detacher component that detaches the text entry field from the remainder of the conversation window.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the detacher component causes the text entry field to be usable in conversations with multiple contacts.

13. The system of claim 12, the plurality of components further comprising an interactor component that receives a second indication that the conversation window is desirably combined with a second conversation window, wherein the detached text entry field is usable in connection with the conversation window and the second conversation window.

14. A method comprising the following computer-executable acts:

displaying a conversation window of an instant messaging application on a display screen of a computing device, wherein the conversation window illustrates an instant messaging conversation between a first user of the computing device and a first contact of the first user, the instant messaging conversation comprising at least one message transmitted from the first user to the first contact;

displaying a contacts window of the instant messaging application on the display screen, wherein the contacts window includes a graphical indicator that is representative of the first contact;

receiving a request from the first user to collapse the conversation window into the contacts window;

responsive to receiving the request from the first user, collapsing the conversation window into the contacts window by removing the conversation window from the display screen and highlighting the graphical indicator that is representative of the first contact to indicate to the first user that the instant messaging conversation exists between the first user and the first contact;

subsequent to collapsing the conversation window into the contacts window, receiving a first instant message directed to the first user from the first contact of the user in the instant messaging application; and

modifying the graphical indicator that is representative of the first contact in the contacts window of the instant messaging application to indicate that the first contact has transmitted the first instant message to the first user.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

subsequent to collapsing the conversation window into the contacts window, receiving a selection of the graphical indicator in the contacts window from the first user; and

graphically re-presenting the conversation window to the first user, wherein the conversation window includes the first instant message.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first instant message is from a persistent messaging group.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of instant messages from a plurality of contacts; and

modifying a plurality of graphical indicators that are representative of the plurality of contacts in the contacts window to indicate that the plurality of instant messages have been received.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

subsequent to collapsing the conversation window into the contacts window, receiving a selection of the graphical indicator in the contacts window from the first user; and

graphically re-presenting the conversation window to the first user, wherein the conversation window includes the instant messaging conversation between the first user and the first contact of the first user.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

prior to receiving the indication from the first user that the conversation window is desirably collapsed into the contacts window, causing at least a portion of the conversation window to appear as being semi-transparent on the display screen.

20. A computer-readable memory comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform acts comprising:

displaying a conversation window of an instant messaging application on a display screen, wherein the conversation window illustrates an instant messaging conversation between a first user and a first contact of the first user, the instant messaging conversation comprising a message from the first user to the first contact;

displaying a contacts window of the instant messaging application on the display screen, wherein the contacts window includes a graphical indicator that is representative of the first contact;

receiving an indication from the first user that the conversation window is desirably collapsed into the contacts window;

collapsing the conversation window into the contacts window while retaining contents of the conversation, wherein collapsing the conversation window into the contacts window comprises;

removing the conversation window from the display screen; and

highlighting the graphical indicator that is representative of the first contact to graphically indicate to the first user that the instant messaging conversation exists between the first user and the first contact of the first user;

receiving an instant message from the first contact subsequent to collapsing the conversation window into the conversation window;

modifying the graphical indicator to indicate that the first contact has transmitted the instant message to the first user;

receiving a selection of the graphical indicator from the first user; and

displaying the conversation window on the display screen responsive to receiving the selection of the graphical indicator from the first user, wherein the conversation window includes the received instant message and content existent in the conversation window prior to the collapsing of the conversation window into the contacts window.