METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR INSTANT MESSAGING CONVERSATION SECURITY

• US 20120304080A1
• Filed: 08/10/2012
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: WORMALD, Chris, KLASSEN, Gerhard Dietrich, ESTABLE, Luis Pablo
• Granted Patent: US 10,979,400 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

A method for securing an instant messaging (“IM”) conversation between at least a first and a second user, the first and second users having a first and a second client, respectively, in communication over a network, the method comprising: receiving a command from the first user through an input device and a graphical user interface (“GUI”) presented on a display of the first client to disable copying of the IM conversation; and, transmitting a message to the second client to inform the second client and the second user that copying of the IM conversation has been disabled.

Claims

1. A method for securing an instant messaging (“

IM”

) conversation between at least a first and a second user, the first and second users having a first and a second client, respectively, in communication over a network, the method comprising;

receiving a command from the first user through an input device and a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) presented on a display of the first client to disable copying of the IM conversation; and

,

transmitting a message to the second client to inform the second client and the second user that copying of the IM conversation has been disabled.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the copying includes at least one of cutting, pasting, editing, viewing, reading, forwarding, and programmatically accessing.

3. The method of claim 2 and further comprising receiving a command from the first user to delete at least a portion of the IM conversation after a period of time.

4. The method of claim 2 and further comprising:

disabling copying of the IM conversation;

receiving a command from the first user to transmit a message to the second client to request the second user for permission to enable copying of the IM conversation;

receiving a message at the first client from the second client granting permission to enable copying of the IM conversation; and

,

enabling copying of the IM conversation.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the second client and the second user are an IM server and an IM server user, respectively.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein a first portion of the IM conversation is attributable to the first user and further comprising receiving a command from the first user to disable copying of the first portion of the IM conversation while the first client is off-line.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second clients is a wireless device having a keyboard for selecting items in the GUI to generate commands, wherein the keyboard is one of a QWERTY keyboard, a modified QWERTY keyboard, a Dvorak keyboard, and an predictive text keyboard.

8. A system for securing an instant messaging (“

IM”

) conversation between at least a first user and a second user, the first user being a user of the system and the second user having a client, the system and client being in communication over a network, the system comprising;

a processor coupled to memory and to an interface to the network and adapted for;

receiving a command from the first user through an input device and a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) presented on a display of the system to disable copying of the IM conversation; and

,

transmitting a message to the client to inform the client and the second user that copying of the IM conversation has been disabled.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the copying includes at least one of cutting, pasting, editing, viewing, reading, forwarding, and programmatically accessing.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor is further adapted for receiving a command from the first user to delete at least a portion of the IM conversation after a period of time.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor is further adapted for:

disabling copying of the IM conversation;

receiving a command from the first user to transmit a message to the client to request the second user for permission to enable copying of the IM conversation;

receiving a message at the system from the client granting permission to enable copying of the IM conversation; and

,

enabling copying of the IM conversation.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the client and the second user are an IM server and an IM server user, respectively.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein a first portion of the IM conversation is attributable to the first user and the processor is further adapted for receiving a command from the first user to disable copying of the first portion of the IM conversation while the system is off-line.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein at least one of the system and the client is a wireless device having a keyboard for selecting items in the GUI to generate commands, wherein the keyboard is one of a QWERTY keyboard, a modified QWERTY keyboard, a Dvorak keyboard, and an predictive text keyboard.

15. A computer program product having a computer readable medium tangibly embodying computer executable code for directing a data processing system to secure an instant messaging (“

IM”

) conversation between at least a first and a second user, the first user being a user of the data processing system and the second user having a client, the data processing system and client being in communication over a network, the computer program product comprising;

code for receiving a command from the first user through an input device and a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) presented on a display of the data processing system to disable copying of the IM conversation; and

,

code for transmitting a message to the client to inform the client and the second user that copying of the IM conversation has been disabled.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the copying includes at least one of cutting, pasting, editing, viewing, reading, forwarding, and programmatically accessing.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 and further comprising code for receiving a command from the first user to delete at least a portion of the IM conversation after a period of time.

18. The computer program product of claim 16 and further comprising:

code for disabling copying of the IM conversation;

code for receiving a command from the first user to transmit a message to the client to request the second user for permission to enable copying of the IM conversation;

code for receiving a message at the data processing system from the client granting permission to enable copying of the IM conversation; and

,

code for enabling copying of the IM conversation.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the client and the second user are an IM server and an IM server user, respectively.

20. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein a first portion of the IM conversation is attributable to the first user and further comprising code for receiving a command from the first user to disable copying of the first portion of the IM conversation while the data processing system is off-line.

21. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein at least one of the data processing and the client is a wireless device having a keyboard for selecting items in the GUI to generate commands, wherein the keyboard is one of a QWERTY keyboard, a modified QWERTY keyboard, a Dvorak keyboard, and an predictive text keyboard.