Threaded text discussion system

• US 6,792,448 B1
• Filed: 01/14/2000
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Marc A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjob
• Application Number:
  US09/483,707
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/248
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A threaded text discussion or chat system includes a client graphical user interface that is rendered on display screens of user computers. In one implementation, the user interface includes a threaded discussion message pane and a social accounting pane that are rendered simultaneously adjacent each other on the display screen. Within the threaded discussion message pane, messages or turns are rendered or listed in a threaded or tree structure. The social accounting pane displays identifying information about each past and current member of a discussion.

Claims

1. In a real-time computer chat system having a central computer system with which each of multiple user computers is in communication such that a common sequence and set of messages are transmitted among the user computers as real-time messages of a real-time discussion between users of the user computers, the real-time messages being entered at the user computers into text entry panes that are rendered together with the real-time discussion, ones of the real-time messages being real-time responsive messages that are responsive to prior ones of the real-time messages, the system including a computer-readable medium that stores computer software instructions for operating the system, the improvement comprising:

computer software instructions stored on the computer-readable medium for associating in real-time each of the real-time responsive messages with the respective prior real-time message to which each of the real-time responsive messages is a reply; and

computer software instructions stored on the computer-readable medium for rendering on the user computers in real-time an indication of an association between each of the real-time responsive messages and the prior real-time message to which each of the real-time responsive messages is a reply, the indication of an association including rendering in real-time each of the real-time responsive messages in a tree arrangement with the prior real-time message to which each of the real-time responsive messages is a reply.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

computer software instructions stored on the computer-readable medium for providing plural sessions of communication between any of the user computers and the central computer system, one or more of the user computers not being in communication with the central computer system during a first session when at least one real-time message is originally transmitted among the user computers; and

computer software instructions stored on the computer-readable medium for persistently maintaining and providing to the user computers the messages of the discussion, including providing the at least one real-time message to the one or more of the user computers during one or more second sessions after the first session.

3. The system of claim 2 which the computer software instructions for persistently maintaining and providing to the user computers the messages of the discussion further provides the at least one real-time message to each of the user computers during each session after the first session.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

software instructions stored on the computer-readable medium for allowing users of the user computers to designate messages they transmit as being of at least first and second selected message types; and

software instructions stored on the computer-readable medium for rendering on the user computers each message type indication adjacent to the message.

5. The system of claim 4 in which the at least first and second selected message types include at least two of a thread message type, a question message type, an answer message type, and a comment message type.

6. The system of claim 1 in which ones of the messages are designated as being of at least first and second selected message types, the system further comprising software instructions stored on the computer-readable medium for rendering on the user computers message type indications adjacent to the message to designate the messages that are of the at least first and second selected message types.

7. The system of claim 1 in which each real-time responsive message has associated with it an initiation time at which the message was initiated, the system further comprising computer software instructions stored on the computer-readable medium for automatically designating real-time responsive messages as replies to specific prior real-time messages based upon the initiation time of the real-time responsive message.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising computer software instructions stored on the computer-readable medium for allowing a user to manually correct any erroneous automatic association between a responsive message and a prior message.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

computer software instructions stored on the computer-readable medium for providing plural sessions of communication between any of the user computers and the central computer system, users of the user computers participating in the discussion during the sessions; and

computer software instructions stored on the computer-readable medium for rendering on the user computers a summary of participation in the discussion by the users during the plural sessions.

10. In a real-time computer chat system having a central computer system with which each of multiple user computers is in communication such that a common sequence and set of messages are transmitted among the user computers as real-time messages of a real-time discussion between users of the user computers, the user computers including display screens and the real-time messages being rendered on the display screens, the real-time messages being entered at the user computers into text entry panes that are rendered together with the real-time messages, ones of the real-time messages being real-time responsive messages that are responsive to prior ones of the real-time messages, a graphical user interface rendered on displays screens, comprising:

a message association indication rendered on the display screen in real-time and indicating a threaded association between each of the real-time responsive messages and the prior real-time message to which each of the real-time responsive messages is a reply, the message association indication including each real-time responsive message being rendered in real-time in a tree arrangement with the prior real-time message to which each of the real-time responsive messages is a reply.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising a message type indication rendered on the display screen adjacent each message and indicating for each message that it is of at least first and second selected message types.

12. The system of claim 11 in which the at least first and second selected message types include at least two of a thread message type, a question message type, an answer message type, and a comment message type.

13. The system of claim 10 in which users of the user computers participate in the discussion during plural sessions, the system further comprising user participation indication rendered on the display screen and indicating participation in the discussion by the users during the plural sessions.

14. In a real-time computer chat system having a central computer system with which each of multiple user computers are in communication such that a common sequence and set of messages are transmitted among the user computers as real-time messages of a real-time discussion between users of the user computers, the real-time messages being entered at the user computers into text entry panes that are rendered together with the real-time discussion, ones of the real-time messages being real-time responsive messages that are responsive to prior ones of the real-time messages, a method comprising:

associating in real-time each of the real-time responsive messages with the respective prior real-time message to which each of the real-time responsive messages is a reply; and

rendering on the user computers in real-time an indication of an association between each of the real-time responsive messages and the prior real-time message to which each of the real-time responsive messages is a reply, the indication of an association including rendering in real-time each of the real-time responsive messages in a tree arrangement with the prior real-time message to which each of the real-time responsive messages is a reply.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

providing plural sessions of communication between any of the user computers and the central computer system, one or more of the user computers not being in communication with the central computer system during a first session when at least one real-time message is originally transmitted among the user computers; and

persistently maintaining and providing to the user computers the messages of the discussion, including providing the at least one real-time message to the one or more of the user computers during one or more second sessions after the first session.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising allowing users of the user computers to designate messages they transmit as being of at least first and second selected message types and rendering on the user computers each message type indication adjacent to the message according to the designations.

17. The method of claim 16 in which the at least first and second selected message types include at least two of a thread message type, a question message type, an answer message type, and a comment message type.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising rendering on the user computers message type indications according to designations made by users who transmit messages as being of the at least first and second selected message types.

19. The method of claim 14 in which each real-time responsive message has associated with it an initiation time at which the message was initiated, the method further comprising automatically designating responsive real-time messages as replies to specific prior real-time messages based upon the initiation time of the real-time responsive message.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising allowing a user to manually correct any erroneous automatic association between a responsive message and a prior message.

21. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

providing plural sessions of communication between any of the user computers and the central computer system, users of the user computers participating in the discussion during the sessions; and

rendering on the user computers a summary of participation in the discussion by the users during the plural sessions.