Method for providing in-context responses to instant messaging conversations

• US 20070198645A1
• Filed: 02/21/2006
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Yen-Fu, Handy-Bosma, John, Selvage, Mei, Walker, Keith
• Application Number:
  US11/358,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198645A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

A computer implemented method, data processing system, and computer program product for providing an in-context response to an instant message. One or more instant messaging chat conversations are displayed to a user. When a determination is made that the user has selected a turn in the chat conversation, a response input area is provided to the user, wherein the response input area is used to receive a response from the user to the selected turn. A link is created between the response and the selected turn. The response is sent to one or more participants in the chat conversation. At any point, the response input area may be minimized to a visual response indicator, wherein the visual response indicator is placed in proximity to the selected turn to indicate that the selected turn has an associated response. When a chat participant selects the visual response indicator, the linked response is displayed to the participant.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing an in-context response to an instant message, the computer implemented method comprising:

displaying a set of instant messaging chat conversations to a user;

determining that the user has selected a turn in the set of instant messaging chat conversations to form a selected turn;

providing a response input area to the user, wherein the response input area is used to receive a response from the user to the selected turn;

linking the response with the selected turn to form a linked response; and

sending the linked response to a set of participants in the instant messaging chat conversation.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

minimizing the response input area to a visual response indicator, wherein the visual response indicator is placed in proximity to the selected turn to indicate that the selected turn has a linked response.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

responsive to the user selecting the visual response indicator, displaying the linked response to the user.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the visual response indicator is one of a callout box or sticky note.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein content of each instant messaging chat conversation is stored in an extensible markup language document.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the extensible markup language document includes identifiers linking the selected turn with the linked response.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user selects a turn to respond to by clicking on the turn or a hotspot or similar device linked to the turn.

8. A data processing system for providing an in-context response to an instant message, the data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains computer usable code;

at least one managed device connected to the bus;

a communications unit connected to the bus; and

a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code to display a set of instant messaging chat conversations to a user, determine that the user has selected a turn in the set of instant messaging chat conversations to form a selected turn, provide a response input area to the user, wherein the response input area is used to receive a response from the user to the selected turn, link the response with the selected turn to form a linked response, and send the linked response to a set of participants in the instant messaging chat conversation.

9. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable code to minimize the response input area to a visual response indicator, wherein the visual response indicator is placed in proximity to the selected turn to indicate that the selected turn has a linked response.

10. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable code to display the linked response to the user in response to the user selecting the visual response indicator.

11. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the visual response indicator is one of a callout box or sticky note.

12. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein content of each instant messaging chat conversation is stored in an extensible markup language document.

13. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the extensible markup language document includes identifiers linking the selected turn with the linked response.

14. A computer program product for providing an in-context response to an instant message, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code tangibly embodied thereon, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code for displaying a set of instant messaging chat conversations to a user;

computer usable program code for determining that the user has selected a turn in the set of instant messaging chat conversations to form a selected turn;

computer usable program code for providing a response input area to the user, wherein the response input area is used to receive a response from the user to the selected turn;

computer usable program code for linking the response with the selected turn to form a linked response; and

computer usable program code for sending the linked response to a set of participants in the instant messaging chat conversation.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

computer usable program code for minimizing the response input area to a visual response indicator, wherein the visual response indicator is placed in proximity to the selected turn to indicate that the selected turn has a linked response.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer usable program code for displaying the linked response to the user in response to the user selecting the visual response indicator.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the visual response indicator is one of a callout box or sticky note.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein content of each instant messaging chat conversation is stored in an extensible markup language document.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the extensible markup language document includes identifiers linking the selected turn with the linked response.

20. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the user selects a turn to respond to by clicking on the turn or a hotspot or similar device linked to the turn.