Caching message fragments during real-time messaging conversations

• US 9,324,058 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Eren, Selcuk S., Jaeger, Brian J., Law, Douglas A., Roberts, Paul A., Sremaniak, Shawn K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moise, Emmanuel L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Henry, Marie Georges
• Application Number:
  US13/532,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20120272161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Creating and managing an editable cache of unsent message fragments during conversations using real-time messaging systems (such as instant messaging, text messaging, chat sessions, and so forth). Using this cache, a user participating in a real-time messaging conversation can cache at least one message fragment, and can then recall selected fragments for review and/or editing (as desired by the particular user) before sending to other conversation participants. Preferably, any unsent message fragment from the cache can be sent, upon request of the user, through a mouse click or keystroke.

Claims

1. A programmatic method of caching message fragments during real-time messaging conversations, comprising:

receiving, while a user is creating a first outbound chat message during a real-time messaging conversation, an inbound chat message;

caching the created first outbound chat message as a message fragment in a message cache, subsequent to the receiving and without sending the first outbound chat message;

sending a second outbound chat message created by the user during the real-time messaging conversation, the second outbound chat message responding to the received inbound chat message, wherein;

a representation of the message fragment is copied, responsive to the caching, to a sub-window rendered on a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) of the real-time messaging conversation, the sub-window separate from an active window used by the user for creating the first outbound chat message and the second outbound chat message;

subsequent to the sending of the second outbound chat message and responsive to a request of the user, recalling the cached message fragment from the message cache and restoring content of the first outbound chat message from the recalled message fragment; and

sending the first outbound chat message during the real-time messaging conversation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user requests operation of the caching by selecting a clickable graphic rendered on the graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) of the real-time messaging conversation.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user requests operation of the caching by selecting a hot key indicated on the graphical user interface (“

GUI)”

of the real-time messaging conversation.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the recalling further comprises:

enabling the user to select the rendered sub-window;

copying the cached message fragment displayed in the selected sub-window to the active window; and

closing the selected sub-window.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising enabling the user to edit the first outbound chat message, subsequent to the recalling and the restoring, prior to the sending of the first outbound chat message.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second inbound chat message during the real-time messaging conversation, subsequent to receiving the inbound chat message, while the user is creating the second outbound chat message but prior to the sending of the second outbound chat message;

caching the created second outbound chat message as a second message fragment in the message cache, subsequent to the receiving of the second inbound chat message and without sending the second outbound chat message;

sending a third outbound chat message created by the user during the real-time messaging conversation, the third outbound chat message responding to the received second inbound chat message;

subsequent to the sending of the third outbound chat message and responsive to a request of the user for recalling the cached second message fragment, recalling the cached second message fragment from the message cache and restoring content of the second outbound chat message from the recalled second message fragment, the cached message fragment cached from the created first outbound chat message remaining in the message cache; and

sending the second outbound chat message during the real-time messaging conversation.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein multiple sub-windows are rendered on the GUI when multiple message fragments are cached, each rendered sub-window displaying a different one of the cached message fragments.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein each of the sub-windows is rendered in a push-down stack order.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

enabling the user to select any one of the rendered sub-windows; and

copying the cached message fragment displayed in the selected sub-window to the active window; and

closing the selected sub-window.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising enabling the user to edit the second outbound chat message, subsequent to the recalling and the restoring, prior to the sending of the second outbound chat message.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of real-time messaging conversations are simultaneously active; and

message fragments cached for each of the real-time messaging conversations are cached in a logically-separate message cache.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the real-time messaging conversation is an instant messaging conversation.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the real-time messaging conversation is a text messaging conversation.

14. A system for caching message fragments during real-time messaging conversations, comprising:

a computer comprising a processor; and

instructions which are executable, using the processor, to perform functions comprising;

receiving, while a user is creating a first outbound chat message during a real-time messaging conversation, an inbound chat message;

caching the created first outbound chat message as a message fragment in a message cache, subsequent to the receiving and without sending the first outbound chat message;

sending a second outbound chat message created by the user during the real-time messaging conversation, the second outbound chat message responding to the received inbound chat message, wherein;

a representation of the message fragment is copied, responsive to the caching, to a sub-window rendered on a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) of the real-time messaging conversation, the sub-window separate from an active window used by the user for creating the first outbound chat message and the second outbound chat message;

subsequent to the sending of the second outbound chat message and responsive to a request of the user, recalling the cached message fragment from the message cache and restoring content of the first outbound chat message from the recalled message fragment; and

sending the first outbound chat message during the real-time messaging conversation.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the functions further comprise enabling the user to edit the first outbound chat message, subsequent to the recalling and the restoring, prior to the sending of the first outbound chat message.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the real-time messaging conversation is an instant messaging conversation.

17. A computer program product for caching message fragments during real-time messaging conversations, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-usable media storing computer-usable program code, wherein the computer-usable program code, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to:

receive, while a user is creating a first outbound chat message during a real-time messaging conversation, an inbound chat message;

cache the created first outbound chat message as a message fragment in a message cache, subsequent to the receiving and without sending the first outbound chat message;

send a second outbound chat message created by the user during the real-time messaging conversation, the second outbound chat message responding to the received inbound chat message, wherein;

a representation of the message fragment is copied, responsive to the caching, to a sub-window rendered on a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) of the real-time messaging conversation, the sub-window separate from an active window used by the user for creating the first outbound chat message and the second outbound chat message;

subsequent to the sending of the second outbound chat message and responsive to a request of the user, recall the cached message fragment from the message cache and restore content of the first outbound chat message from the recalled message fragment; and

send the first outbound chat message during the real-time messaging conversation.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the computer-usable program code, when executed on the computer, further causes the computer to enable the user to edit the first outbound chat message, subsequent to the recalling and the restoring, prior to the sending of the first outbound chat message.

19. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the real-time messaging conversation is a text messaging conversation.