Messaging application user interface

Details Messaging application user interface Messaging application user interface

1999-09-24

2003-03-25

Maung, Zarni (Department: 2154)

Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput

Computer conferencing

Demand based messaging

C345S215000, C707S793000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06539421

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
This application relates to a messaging application (e.g., e-mail, instant messaging, chat rooms, etc.) user interface.
BACKGROUND
The computer system
100
illustrated in
FIG. 1
represents a typical hardware setup for executing software that allows a user to perform tasks such as communicating with other computer users, accessing various computer resources, and viewing, creating, or otherwise manipulating electronic content—that is, any combination of text, images, movies, music or other sounds, animations, 3D virtual worlds, and links to other objects. The system includes various input/output (I/O) devices (mouse
103
, keyboard
105
, display
107
) and a general purpose computer
100
having a central processor unit (CPU)
121
, an I/O unit
117
and a memory
109
that stores data and various programs such as an operating system
111
, and one or more application programs
113
. The computer system
100
also typically includes some sort of communications card or device
123
(e.g., a modem or network adapter) for exchanging data with a network
127
via a communications link
125
(e.g., a telephone line).
As shown in
FIG. 2
, a user of a computer system can access electronic content or other resources either stored locally at the user's own client system
202
(for example, a personal or laptop computer) or remotely at one or more server systems
200
. An example of a server system is a host computer that provides subscribers with online computer services such as e-mail, e-commerce, instant messaging, chat rooms, Internet access, online games, electronic newspapers and magazines, etc. Users of a host computer's online services typically communicate with one or more central server systems
200
through client software executing on their respective client systems
202
.
In practice, a server system
200
typically will not be a single monolithic entity but rather will be a network of interconnected server computers, possibly physically dispersed from each other, each dedicated to its own set of duties and/or to a particular geographical region. In such a case, the individual servers are interconnected by a network of communication links, in a known fashion. One such server system is “America Online 4.0” from America Online, Incorporated of Virginia.
One increasingly popular computer network-based activity is referred to as “instant messaging.” An instant message is a form of electronic communication between users of a computer network in which a window pops-up on the recipient's computer screen “instantly” and without the recipient having to access an e-mail program or otherwise check for messages. An instant message appears essentially as soon as the message sender clicks the send button subject to any time or propagation delays the message may have encountered on the network. In comparison to most e-mail applications, instant messaging enables users to communicate with each other in a more dynamic, urgent and interactive manner.
FIG. 3
is a screen shot of an Instant Message (IM) window
130
as used in AOL's Instant Messenger (“AIM”) system. As shown therein, the window
130
includes a text display area
131
and text entry area
132
. Both users involved in the IM under consideration (i.e., sender and recipient) would have a similar window displayed on his or her computer monitor. When one user (PhillipsJC) types a comment
134
in text entry area
132
and clicks the Send button
133
(or, depending on the configuration, presses the “ENTER” key on the keyboard), the entered text (e.g., “Hey, did you see the game last night?”) is displayed in the text display area
131
of the window
130
such that it is visible to both users. After FRsnafu enters a comment
135
in response and clicks the Send button
133
, that comment
135
appears in the text display area
131
underneath the previous comment
134
. This exchange of comments continues indefinitely until the users decide to terminate the exchange.
Typically, instant messages can be sent to another user only when that user is presently signed on to the computer service. Users who are signed off are unavailable to receive instant messages. Accordingly, another popular innovation introduced by America Online is the “Buddy List,” which allows users to monitor when other specified users (“buddies”) are signed onto and/or off of the computer service under consideration (e.g., AOL Instant Messenger).
As shown in
FIG. 4
, the Buddy List is implemented as a window
140
that lists specified users, or buddies, who are signed on to the AIM system. In the example shown, the Buddy List for user “PhillipsJC” indicates that four of PhillipsJC's buddies
141
-
144
currently are signed on to the system and thus available to receive instant messages. The Buddy List is updated based on information received from a server to add or delete names of buddies as they sign on and off, respectively. Such Buddy List updates can be accompanied by various audible and visual indications to help notify the user that a buddy has signed on or off.
Users may send instant messages to, and exchange comments with, more than one other user at a time. Conventional instant message client software typically creates a separate instant message window for each user that is sent an instant message. For example, as shown in
FIG. 5
, if a user sends three instant messages to three other users, one to each of the users, three separate instant message windows
130
a
,
130
b
, and
130
c
are created. To change from one instant message window to another, the user typically must move and/or press a button on the mouse, or press a sequence of keys on the keyboard, to activate the desired instant message window.
The present inventors recognized that some users may find it undesirable to have to switch between instant message windows in order to send instant messages to and exchange comments with more than one other user at a time. Therefore, the present inventors recognized that it would be desirable to provide users with a user interface through which a user can send messages to and exchange comments with one or more users without having to switch among several different windows.
SUMMARY
Implementations may include one or more of the following features. In one aspect, a computer-implemented method of addressing a message to a member of a plurality of potential message recipients may include maintaining a subset of a plurality of potential message recipients. Each potential message recipient may have an associated address, and the subset may be determined using a predetermined criterion. The method also may include auto-completing a partially entered address based on the subset of potential message recipients.
In another aspect, a method of addressing electronic messages to users of a computer network may include providing a set of user-selectable signals that modify auto-completion behavior and auto-completing a partially entered address for a message based on entry of one or more of the set of signals.
In another aspect, a method of exchanging instant messages among users of a computer network may include providing an instance of a user interface having an element for receiving addresses of instant message recipients. The method also may include allowing a user to send independent instant messages to different recipients by specifying an intended recipient's address in the instance of the user interface element.
In another aspect, an instant messaging user interface may include a user interface element having an input element for receiving instant messages for more than one separate instant message exchange and an output element for displaying instant messages for more than one separate instant message exchange.
In another aspect, an instant messaging system may include an instant message server and a plurality of clients connected to the instant message server via a network. Each client may have software embodied in a computer-readable medium including instructions for causing the client to provide a use

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