PERSONAL AND TIMED CHAT INTERFACE

• US 20060206566A1
• Filed: 03/08/2005
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kelley, Edward E., Wilbrink, Tijs Y.
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,695 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for controlling the presentation of submissions within a real-time communication session by sequentially organizing and displaying messages immediately followed by their corresponding responses for allowing participants within the session to easily view, follow and participate within such session. Sequential tags are associated with each submission displayed within the session, whereby these tags are used to sequentially sort the messages along with their corresponding responses. Time stamps associated with each message and response may further be used for sequentially sorting such messages along with their corresponding responses. These sequentially sorted messages and corresponding responses are viewed in a modified display window, optionally along with the unmodified display window of the real-time communication session, on a display screen. This modified display window may be continually refreshed.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the presentation of submissions within a real-time communication session comprising:

providing a plurality of messages having sequentially assigned message identifier tags within a real-time communication session;

providing a plurality of responses to said messages having assigned response identifier tags within said real-time communication session;

determining corresponding responses to each of said plurality of messages from said plurality of responses using said assigned response identifier tags;

sorting said plurality of messages and responses whereby each of said plurality of messages is sequentially listed according to said sequentially assigned message identifier tags and is immediately followed by said corresponding responses thereto; and

displaying said sorted plurality of messages and responses in a modified display.

2. The method of claim 1 further including sequentially sorting said corresponding responses according to a time stamp of each said corresponding response.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of messages are selected from the group consisting of questions, statements, issues and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said identifier tags are selected from the group consisting of letters, words, numbers, color codes, pictures, emoticons and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said identifier tags are assigned manually by participants within said real-time communication session.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said identifier tags are assigned automatically by software running on a data network communication device on which said real-time communication session is running.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said real-time communication session is selected from the group consisting of an instant message session and a chat session.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said method steps further comprise:

initiating said real-time communication session by a first participant;

assigning a message identifier tag to a first message submitted by said first participant;

activating said real-time communication session by at least a second participant;

assigning by default a responder identifier tag to said second participant; and

submitting at least a second submission within said real-time communication session by said second participant.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said at least second submission comprises one of said plurality of responses which is responsive to one of said plurality of messages.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said at least second participant selects an existing message within said real-time communication session from said plurality of messages to which said at least second participant would like to respond to.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

changing said responder identifier tag of said at least second participant to one of said sequentially assigned message identifier tags;

submitting said at least second submission which comprises one of said plurality of messages.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said one of said plurality of messages comprises a new message within said real-time communication session.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said one of said plurality of messages adds content to an existing message within said real-time communication session.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein said first participant views a first modified display of said sorted plurality of messages and responses on a first data network communication device, while said at least second participant views a second modified display of said sorted plurality of messages and responses on a second data network communication device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said first modified display differs from said second modified display.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said first and second data network communication devices are selected form the group consisting of computer-based systems, wireless environments, non-wireless environments and combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said modified display of said sorted plurality of messages and responses comprises a modified display window viewed on a display screen along with an unmodified display window of said real-time communication session.

18. The method of claim 1 further including repeating said method steps for refreshing said modified display.

19. A program storage device readable by a processor capable of executing instructions, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform method steps for controlling the presentation of submissions within a real-time communication session, said method steps comprising:

providing a plurality of messages having sequentially assigned message identifier tags within a real-time communication session;

providing a plurality of responses to said messages having assigned response identifier tags within said real-time communication session;

determining corresponding responses to each of said plurality of messages from said plurality of responses using said assigned response identifier tags;

sorting said plurality of messages and responses whereby each of said plurality of messages is sequentially listed according to said sequentially assigned message identifier tags and is immediately followed by said corresponding responses thereto; and

displaying said sorted plurality of messages and responses in a modified display.

20. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for controlling the presentation of submissions within a real-time communication session, said computer program product having;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to provide a plurality of messages having sequentially assigned message identifier tags within a real-time communication session;

computer readable program code means for causing said computer to provide a plurality of responses to said messages having assigned response identifier tags within said real-time communication session;

computer readable program code means for causing said computer to determine corresponding responses to each of said plurality of messages from said plurality of responses using said assigned response identifier tags;

computer readable program code means for causing said computer to sort said plurality of messages and responses whereby each of said plurality of messages is sequentially listed according to said sequentially assigned message identifier tags and is immediately followed by said corresponding responses thereto; and

computer readable program code means for causing said computer to display said sorted plurality of messages and responses in a modified display.