Determining a manner in which user interface commands are processed in an instant messaging environment

• US 8,402,097 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2008
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Szeto, Christopher Tzann-en
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, TAE K
• Application Number:
  US12/247,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20090031000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/206, 709/227, 715/751, 715/753, 715/757, 715/758
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Sharing an instant messaging environment is described. The instant messaging environment is selected from a set of stored instant messaging environments. An instant messaging environment identifier corresponding to the selected instant messaging environment is transmitted from a transmitting instant messaging application to a receiving instant messenger application. The instant messaging environment identifier is received and the stored instant messaging environment corresponding to the instant messaging environment identifier is retrieved. The instant messaging environment is activated in the receiving instant messaging application.

Claims

1. A method of processing user interface commands in instant messaging, comprising:

receiving, for a first instant messaging client, from a second instant messaging client that is different than the first instant messaging client, a user interface command;

wherein a first instant messaging environment (a) indicates that the user interface command is to be processed in a first particular manner and (b) affects how a plurality of user interface commands are processed;

wherein a second instant messaging environment that is different than the first instant messaging environment (c) indicates that the user interface command is to be processed in a second particular manner that is different than the first particular manner and (d) affects how the plurality of user interface commands are processed;

wherein a third instant messaging environment that is different than the first and second instant messaging environments (e) indicates that the user interface command is to be processed in a third particular manner that is different than the first and second particular manners and (f) affects how the plurality of user interface commands are processed;

receiving, for the first instant messaging client, data that indicates that the user interface command is to be processed as indicated by the second instant messaging environment or the third instant messaging environment;

wherein, at the time the user interface command is received, the first instant messaging environment is currently active for the first instant messaging client;

in response to receiving said data, automatically identifying and loading, for the first instant messaging client, a set of code that corresponds to the second instant messaging environment or the third instant messaging environment;

over-riding, for the first instant messaging client, the first particular manner of processing the user interface command with the second particular manner of processing the user interface command by executing said set of code to process the user interface command in the second particular manner;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein over-riding the first particular manner of processing the user interface command comprises re-defining a function performed by the user interface command.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein over-riding the first particular manner of processing the user interface command comprises re-defining an action taken in response to executing the user interface command.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein over-riding the first particular manner of processing the user interface command comprises re-defining a behavior associated with the user interface command.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein over-riding the first particular manner of processing the user interface command comprises extending a capability of the user interface command.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the user interface command in the second particular manner comprises executing an instruction specified by the first instant messaging environment and then executing the user interface command.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user interface command comprises appending text to a history window; and

wherein executing said set of code to process the user interface command in the second particular manner comprises appending text to the history window differently than if the user interface command were processed in the first particular manner.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the user interface command in the second particular manner comprises processing the user interface command in a hidden frame of a browser window.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface command is received in a conversation user window of the first instant messaging client.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 1.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 2.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 3.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 4.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 5.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 6.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 7.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 8.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 9.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein loading said set of code corresponding to the second instant messaging environment comprises downloading said set of code from a website.

43. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 41.

10. A method of processing user interface commands in instant messaging, said method comprising:

receiving, for a first instant messaging client, from a second instant messaging client that is different than the first instant messaging client, a first user interface command;

in response to receiving the first user interface command, determining which of a plurality of instant messaging environments is currently active in the first instant messaging client, wherein the plurality of instant messaging environments includes at least three instant messaging environments, wherein each instant messaging environment of the plurality of instant messaging environments indicates that the first user interface command is to be processed in a manner that is different relative to a manner in which each other instant messaging environment of the plurality of instant messaging environments would process the first user interface command;

wherein the plurality of instant messaging environments includes a first instant messaging environment, a second instant messaging environment, and a third instant messaging environment;

wherein the third instant messaging environment is currently active in the second instant messaging client at the time the first user interface command is sent from the second instant messaging client to the first instant messaging client;

in response to determining that the first instant messaging environment, is currently active in the first instant messaging client, processing the first user interface command in a first manner;

wherein the first instant messaging environment affects how a plurality of user interface commands are processed;

receiving, for the first instant messaging client, from a third instant messaging client that is different than the first instant messaging client, a second user interface command, wherein the second user interface command is the same as the first user interface command;

in response to receiving the second user interface command, determining which instant messaging environment is currently active in the first instant messaging client; and

in response to determining that the second instant messaging environment, is currently active in the first instant messaging client, processing the second user interface command in a second manner that is different than the first manner;

wherein the second instant messaging environment affects how the plurality of user interface commands are processed;

wherein the first instant messaging environment is different from the second instant messaging environment;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first instant messaging environment is a generic instant messaging environment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second instant messaging environment is an instant messaging environment other than the generic instant messaging environment.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein:

processing the first user interface command in the first manner comprises performing a first function in a user interface of the first instant messaging client; and

processing the second user interface command in the second manner comprises performing a second function in the user interface of the first instant messaging client;

wherein the first function is different from the second function.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein:

processing the first user interface command in the first manner comprises performing a first action in a user interface of the first instant messaging client; and

processing the second user interface command in the second manner comprises performing a second action in the user interface of the first instant messaging client;

wherein the first action is different from the second action.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein:

processing the first user interface command in the first manner comprises causing a first behavior to occur in a user interface of the first instant messaging client; and

processing the second user interface command in the second manner comprises causing a second behavior to occur in the user interface of the first instant messaging client;

wherein the first behavior is different from the second behavior.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein:

processing the first user interface command in the first manner comprises processing the first user interface command in a manner pertaining to a first capability of a user interface of the first instant messaging client; and

processing the second user interface command in the second manner comprises processing the second user interface command in a manner pertaining to a second capability of the user interface of the first instant messaging client;

wherein the first capability is different from the second capability.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein processing the second user interface command in the second manner comprises executing an instruction specified by the first instant messaging environment and then executing the second user interface command.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein:

processing the first user interface command in the first manner comprises appending text to a history window; and

processing the second user interface command in the second manner comprises appending text to the history window differently than if the second user interface command were processed in the first manner.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein processing the second user interface command in the second manner comprises processing the second user interface command in a hidden frame of a browser window.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the first user interface command is received in a conversation user window of the first instant messaging client.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 10.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 11.

32. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 12.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 13.

34. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 14.

35. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 15.

36. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 16.

37. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 17.

38. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 18.

39. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 19.

40. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 20.

42. The method of claim 10, wherein the first instant messaging environment is associated with a first set of executable code and the second instant messaging environment is associated with a second set of executable code that is different than the first set of executable code.

44. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance the method of claim 42.