Instant Message Management Method and Apparatus

• US 20120209921A1
• Filed: 02/10/2011
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Adafin, Toni, Bakken, Perry A., Gotelaere, Joel A., Jones, Michael A., Luong, Charles H., Mohlke, John H., Thompson, Jeffrey E., Voss, Carl C.
• Application Number:
  US13/024,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20120209921A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting

Abstract

The technology here described contemplates storing an incoming instant message and determining the subsequent deletion of the stored message by distinguishing whether the message has been noticed by the user, even though there may have been a system or program failure between the time of the message'"'"'s arrival and the time that the user attends to the message.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a received instant message data file in the memory of a user'"'"'s computer system which has an instant message reader program;

distinguishing user accesses to the instant message reader program which continue for less than a timed interval and responding to the accesses having been less than the times interval by continuing to store the received instant message data file;

determining whether the instant message reader program has ceased operation; and

if operation has ceased, responding to subsequent initiation of the instant message reader program by initiating a display offering the user a choice between displaying any stored instant message data file and ignoring any stored instant message data file.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the received instant message data file is stored in non-volatile memory of the user'"'"'s computer system

3. A method according to claim 1 further comprising distinguishing user accesses to an instant message reader program which continue for more than a timed interval and responding to the accesses having been more then the times interval by removing any stored instant message data file from the computer system memory.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the distinguishing of user accesses determines whether a received instant message data file has been read.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the responding to subsequent initiation of the instant message reader program comprises determining whether any instant message data file is stored.

6. A method according to claim 1 further comprising

distinguishing user accesses to an instant message reader program which continue for more than a timed interval;

responding to the accesses having been more then the timed interval by determining whether a received instant message data file has been read and removing any stored instant message data file which has been read from the computer system memory; and

further wherein

responding to subsequent initiation of the instant message reader program comprises determining whether any instant message data file is stored.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the initiating of a display offering the user a choice between displaying any stored instant message data file and ignoring any stored instant message data file is responsive to a determination that an unread instant message data file is in storage.

8. A product comprising:

a tangible computer program storage device bearing program code accessible to a computer system and readable by the computer system from the device; and

program code stored in said device and effective when executing on computer system which has read the code from the device to;

store a received instant message data file in the memory of a user'"'"'s computer system which has an instant message reader program;

distinguish user accesses to the instant message reader program which continue for less than a timed interval and respond to the accesses having been less than the times interval by continuing to store the received instant message data file;

determine whether the instant message reader program has ceased operation; and

if operation has ceased, respond to subsequent initiation of the instant message reader program by initiating a display offering the user a choice between displaying any stored instant message data file and ignoring any stored instant message data file.

9. A product according to claim 8 wherein the program code is effective to store a received instant message data file in non-volatile memory of the user'"'"'s computer system

10. A product according to claim 8 wherein said program code is effective to distinguish user accesses to an instant message reader program which continues for more than a timed interval and respond to the accesses having been more then the times interval by removing any stored instant message data file from the computer system memory.

11. A product according to claim 10 wherein said program code is effective to distinguish user accesses as determining whether a received instant message data file has been read.

12. A product according to claim 8 wherein said program code in responding to subsequent initiation of the instant message reader program determines whether any instant message data file is stored.

13. A product according to claim 8 wherein said program code is effective to

distinguish user accesses to an instant message reader program which continue for more than a timed interval;

respond to the accesses having been more then the timed interval by determining that a received instant message data file has been read and removing any stored instant message data file which has been read from the computer system memory; and

further to

respond to subsequent initiation of the instant message reader program by determining whether any instant message data file is stored.

14. A product according to claim 13 wherein said program code is effective to initiate a display offering the user a choice between displaying any stored instant message data file and ignoring any stored instant message data file in response to a determination that an unread instant message data file is in storage.

15. A product comprising:

a computer system having memory and program code stored in said memory, said program code effective when executing on said computer system to;

store a received instant message data file in the memory of a user'"'"'s computer system which has an instant message reader program;

distinguish user accesses to the instant message reader program which continue for less than a timed interval and respond to the accesses having been less than the times interval by continuing to store the received instant message data file;

determine whether the instant message reader program has ceased operation; and

if operation has ceased, respond to subsequent initiation of the instant message reader program by initiating a display offering the user a choice between displaying any stored instant message data file and ignoring any stored instant message data file.

16. A product according to claim 15 wherein the program code is effective to store a received instant message data file in non-volatile memory of the user'"'"'s computer system

17. A product according to claim 15 wherein said program code is effective to distinguish user accesses to an instant message reader program which continues for more than a timed interval and respond to the accesses having been more then the times interval by removing any stored instant message data file from the computer system memory.

18. A product according to claim 17 wherein said program code is effective to distinguish user accesses as determining whether a received instant message data file has been read.

19. A product according to claim 15 wherein said program code in responding to subsequent initiation of the instant message reader program determines whether any instant message data file is stored.

20. A product according to claim 15 wherein said program code is effective to

distinguish user accesses to an instant message reader program which continue for more than a timed interval;

respond to the accesses having been more then the timed interval by determining that a received instant message data file has been read and removing any stored instant message data file which has been read from the computer system memory; and

further to

respond to subsequent initiation of the instant message reader program by determining whether any instant message data file is stored.