Conversation Persistence in Real-time Collaboration System

• US 20110289429A1
• Filed: 08/04/2011
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Courtney Temple, Anthony Christopher, Walker, Keith Raymond, Selvage, Mei Y., Handy-Bosma, John Hans, Chen, Yen-Fu, Hsu, Peter Y., Tannenbaum, Alan R., Berry, Richard Edmond
• Granted Patent: US 8,484,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Previously conducted conversations in real-time collaboration messages are persistently stored, either by client or a server, and then are associated with conversational items presented to a user (e.g. contact names, topics, etc.). An icon is provided near each listed item, which when selected, displays to the user summaries or titles of all transcripts to which the selected item pertains or relates. The user may select one or more summaries or titles for which the conversation is to be resumed, causing the system to retrieve the stored transcript and resume appending new conversational entries to it, so that the user recovers conversational context effortlessly and accurately. Enhanced versions of the invention include sharing of transcripts so that all participants receive the context of the conversation, and server-side or client-side implementations.

Claims

1. A method for conversation persistence in a real-time collaboration system in which a stored first thread has a plurality of messages, the messages including a beginning message, an ending message, and a plurality of intervening messages between the beginning message and the ending message, the method comprising the steps of:

inserting by a processor a continuation point between two of the intervening messages within the first thread;

providing by a processor on a user interface in a list of conversation items an indicator associated with the stored first thread;

responsive to operation of the indicator, copying by a processor a portion of the plurality of messages from the first thread into a second thread, wherein the portion is less than all of the messages of the first thread and wherein the portion is bounded by the continuation point; and

appending by a processor to the second thread messages which are not stored in the first thread;

thereby allowing a user to be refreshed of a conversational context of the first thread while extending the conversational context in the second thread.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more processors is a component of a messaging server.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more processors is a component of a messaging client.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising transmitting by a processor the first thread of messages to at least one destination selected from the group consisting of a messaging client and a messaging server.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising searching by a processor a plurality of persistently stored threads for at least one user-indicated criteria, and retrieving the first thread from the plurality of stored and searched threads matching the at least one user-indicated criteria.

6. A computer program product for conversation persistence in a real-time collaboration system in which a stored first thread has a plurality of messages, the messages including a beginning message, an ending message, and a plurality of intervening messages between the beginning message and the ending message, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to insert a continuation point between two of the intervening messages within the first thread;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to provide on a user interface in a list of conversation items an indicator associated with the stored first thread;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to, responsive to operation of the indicator, copy a portion of the plurality of messages from the first thread into a second thread, wherein the portion is less than all of the messages of the first thread and wherein the portion is bounded by the continuation point; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to append to the second thread messages which are not stored in the first thread.

7. The computer program product as set forth in claim 6 further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to transmit the first thread of messages to at least one destination selected from the group consisting of a messaging client and a messaging server.

8. The computer program product as set forth in claim 6 further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to search a plurality of persistently stored threads for at least one user-indicated criteria; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to retrieve the first thread from the plurality of stored and searched threads matching the at least one user-indicated criteria.

9. A computer system for conversation persistence in a real-time collaboration system in which a stored first thread has a plurality of messages, the messages including a beginning message, an ending message, and a plurality of intervening messages between the beginning message and the ending message, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to insert a continuation point between two of the intervening messages within the first thread;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to provide on a user interface in a list of conversation items an indicator associated with the stored first thread;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to, responsive to operation of the indicator, copy a portion of the plurality of messages from the first thread into a second thread, wherein the portion is less than all of the messages of the first thread and wherein the portion is bounded by the continuation point; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to append to the second thread messages which are not stored in the first thread.

10. The computer system as set forth in claim 9 wherein at least one of the one or more processors is a component of a messaging server.

11. The computer system as set forth in claim 9 wherein at least one of the one or more processors is a component of a messaging client.

12. The computer system as set forth in claim 9 further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to transmit the first thread of messages to at least one destination selected from the group consisting of a messaging client and a messaging server.

13. The computer system as set forth in claim 9 further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to search by a processor a plurality of persistently stored threads for at least one user-indicated criteria; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to retrieve the first thread from the plurality of stored and searched threads matching the user-indicated criteria.