System and method for context-specific instant messaging

• US 20060224722A1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McGowan, Patick Gabriel, Perry, Jeremy Gray, Paul, Christopher Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,467,181 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A system and method for context-specific instant messaging are presented. A user views a page of data that is segmented into regions. The user performs a user action (e.g., a mouse click) and, in turn, a message generator displays context-specific phrases for the user to select based upon the region that the user action was performed and a corresponding object type. When a region corresponds to a meeting time, a context-specific phrase may also be time-sensitive. When a region corresponds to meeting participants, a context-specific phrase may include recipient identifiers. The user selects one of the context-specific phrases, and the message generator invokes a message session between the user and a recipient based upon the selected context-specific phrase. The message generator includes a link to the corresponding object such that the message recipient may easily identify the context of the message.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

displaying, on a video display device, a page of data that includes a plurality of regions;

receiving a user action corresponding to the page of data;

identifying the region from the plurality of regions where the user action was performed;

retrieving, from computer readable storage, one or more context-specific phrases that correspond to the identified region; and

initiating a context-specific message session based upon one or more of the context-specific phrases.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying, on the video display device, the context-specific phrases;

receiving a phrase selection that corresponds to one of the context-specific phrases;

including the context-specific phrase that corresponds to the phrase selection in a context-specific message; and

sending the context-specific message to a recipient over a computer network.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

including a page link in the context-specific message, the page link corresponding to the page of data.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that the identified region is time sensitive;

retrieving a current time; and

selecting the one or more context-specific phrases based upon the retrieved current time.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving user text; and

including the user text in the context-specific message session.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified region corresponds to one or more recipient identifiers, the method further comprising:

displaying, on the video display device, the one or more recipient identifiers;

receiving a phrase selection that corresponds to one of the recipient identifiers; and

sending a context-specific message to a recipient that corresponds to the phrase selection over a computer network.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of regions corresponds to a different location within a user interface window.

8. A program product comprising:

computer operable medium having computer readable code, the computer readable code being effective to;

display, on a video display device, a page of data that includes a plurality of regions;

receive a user action corresponding to the page of data;

identify the region from the plurality of regions where the user action was performed;

retrieve, from computer readable storage, one or more context-specific phrases that correspond to the identified region; and

initiate a context-specific message session based upon one or more of the context-specific phrases.

9. The program product of claim 8 wherein the computer readable code is further effective to:

display, on the video display device, the context-specific phrases;

receive a phrase selection that corresponds to one of the context-specific phrases;

include the context-specific phrase that corresponds to the phrase selection in a context-specific message; and

send the context-specific message to a recipient over a computer network.

10. The program product of claim 9 wherein the computer readable code is further effective to:

include a page link in the context-specific message, the page link corresponding to the page of data.

11. The program product of claim 8 wherein the computer readable code is further effective to:

determine that the identified region is time sensitive;

retrieve a current time; and

select the one or more context-specific phrases based upon the retrieved current time.

12. The program product of claim 8 wherein the computer readable code is further effective to:

receive user text; and

include the user text in the context-specific message session.

13. The program product of claim 8 wherein the identified region corresponds to one or more recipient identifiers, the computer readable code further effective to:

display, on the video display device, the one or more recipient identifiers;

receive a phrase selection that corresponds to one of the recipient identifiers; and

send a context-specific message to a recipient that corresponds to the phrase selection over a computer network.

14. The program product of claim 8 wherein each of the plurality of regions corresponds to a different location within a user interface window.

15. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a video display device;

a memory accessible by the processors;

one or more nonvolatile storage devices accessible by the processors; and

a message generation tool for generating context-sensitive message sessions, the message generation tool being effective to;

display, on the video display device, a page of data that includes a plurality of regions;

receive a user action corresponding to the page of data;

identify the region from the plurality of regions where the user action was performed;

retrieve one or more context-specific phrases that correspond to the identified region from one of the non-volatile storage devices; and

initiate a context-specific message session based upon one or more of the context-specific phrases.

16. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the message generation tool is further effective to:

display, on the video display device, the context-specific phrases;

receive a phrase selection that corresponds to one of the context-specific phrases;

include the context-specific phrase that corresponds to the phrase selection in a context-specific message; and

send the context-specific message to a recipient over a computer network.

17. The information handling system of claim 16 wherein the message generation tool is further effective to:

include a page link in the context-specific message, the page link corresponding to the page of data.

18. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the message generation tool is further effective to:

determine that the identified region is time sensitive;

retrieve a current time from a computer system clock; and

select the one or more context-specific phrases based upon the retrieved current time.

19. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the message generation tool is further effective to:

receive user text; and

include the user text in the context-specific message session.

20. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the identified region corresponds to one or more recipient identifiers, the message generation tool further effective to:

display, on the video display device, the one or more recipient identifiers;

receive a phrase selection that corresponds to one of the recipient identifiers; and

send a context-specific message to a recipient that corresponds to the phrase selection over a computer network.

21. A computer-implemented method comprising:

displaying, on a video display device, a page of data that includes a plurality of regions;

receiving a user action corresponding to the page of data;

identifying the region from the plurality of regions where the user action was performed;

retrieving, from computer readable storage, one or more context-specific phrases that correspond to the identified region;

displaying, on the video display device, the context-specific phrases;

receiving a phrase selection that corresponds to one of the context-specific phrases;

initiating a context-specific message session based upon the phrase selection;

including the context-specific phrase that corresponds to the phrase selection in a context-specific message; and

sending the context-specific message to a recipient over a computer network.