Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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IM CONVERSATION MANAGEMENT
0001] The present application relates to a user
interface for a messaging application and more particularly
for method and apparatus for Instant Messaging (IM)
conversation management.
(0002] Communication devices such as personal computers,
wireless mobile telephones, personal data assistants, etc.
often provide data communication abilities to users. One
currently popular form of such communication is Instant
Messaging (IM) facilitated by an application having a
graphical user interface (GUI) whereby two or more users of
different communication devices can engage in a
conversational data communication exchange.
[0003] In fact, many applications permit a user of a
particular communication device to simultaneously conduct
more than one conversation with different uses or groups of
users of other communication devices. A set of active
conversations may grow quite large as new conversations are
started without closing out existing conversations.
[0004] Conversations are often displayed to the user in a
list for navigating and selecting a particular conversation
to engage in communication. A large list of conversations,
particularly on a communication device having a relatively
small display, limits the effectiveness of the GUI because
it can take longer for the user to locate a desired
conversation. Further, a long list limits the ability of the
GUI to apply the list to various interface features such as
a menu for quick access etc. Many conversations may be
become old and no longer relevant. Document US2004/0017396
discloses an instant messaging system, in which one or more
event windows which allow the user to configure the system
to modify the "user's status" based on whether the user is
actively using the mouse or keyboard. This allows the
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user's status to change to "idle" and "off line" after
certain predetermined periods of inactivity. Other types of
user events such as the interaction with a "Scheduler" are
also discussed which could affect the user's status.
[0005] A solution to one or more of these needs is
therefore desired.
[0006] There is preferably provided an IM application
with conversation management whereby a conversation is
removed from a user's set of current conversations if the
conversation is idle for a defined amount of time and,
preferably, but not necessarily, has no unread messages.
Conversations removed may be moved to an archive of old
conversations which archive may be reviewed.
[0007] Conversations may be removed from the archive
automatically, for example, once the size of the archive
exceeds a defined limit (or the device is in low memory).
Preferably but not necessarily, the oldest conversation is
deleted first.
[0008] Archived conversations may be accessible in one or
more ways. A conversation may be available for review from a
full list, or viewed by selecting the participant in the
contact list and opening a conversation history.
[0009] In accordance with a further preference, if the
user wants to save text from a conversation the archive
could be adapted to provide the ability for the user to save
a conversation indefinitely. Method, system and computer
program product aspects, among others will be apparent to
those of ordinary skill in the art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] In order that the subject matter may be readily
understood, embodiments are illustrated by way of examples
in the accompanying drawings, in which:
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[0011] Fig. 1 is a block diagram which illustrates
pertinent components of an example wireless communication
network and a mobile station which communicates within this
network;
[0012] Fig. 2 is a more detailed diagram of the mobile
station which may communicate within the wireless
communication network;
[0013] Figs. 3-7 are representative GUI display views of
a first embodiment of an IM application with IM conversation
management;
[0014] Fig. 8 is a representative GUI display view in
accordance with a second embodiment;
[0015] Figs. 9A and 9B are flow diagram showing
operations for IM conversation management in a IM
application in accordance with an embodiment; and
[0016] Fig. 10 is a block diagram of a portion of memory
showing components of an IM application with IM conversation
management in accordance with an embodiment.
DESCRIPTIONOFPREFERREDEMBODIMENTS
[0017] Persons of ordinary skill in the art will
appreciate that teachings herein are applicable to messages
received via wired or wireless communication and though a
wireless communication device and network including wireless
communication capabilities are discussed in the examples, no
limitations should be imposed.
[0018] There is provided an IM application with
conversation management whereby a conversation is removed
from a user's set of current conversations if the
conversation is idle for a defined amount of time and,
preferably but not necessarily, has no unread messages.
Conversations removed may be moved to an archive of old
conversations which archive may be reviewed.
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(0019] Conversations may be removed from the archive
automatically, for example, once the size of the archive
exceeds a defined limit (or the device is in low memory).
Preferably but not necessarily, the oldest conversation is
deleted first.
[0020] Archived conversations may be accessible in one or
more ways. A conversation may be available for review from a
full list, or viewed by selecting the participant in the
contact list and opening a conversation history.
[0021] In accordance with a further preference, if the
user wants to save text from a conversation the archive
could be adapted to provide the ability for the user to save
a conversation indefinitely.
[0022] Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a communication
system 100 which includes a mobile station 102 which
communicates through a wireless communication network 104.
Mobile station 102 preferably includes a visual display 112,
a keyboard 114, and perhaps one or more auxiliary user
interfaces (UI) 116, each of which is coupled to a
controller 106. Controller 106 is also coupled to radio
frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 108 and an antenna 110.
[0023] Typically, controller 106 is embodied as a central
processing unit (CPU) which runs operating system software
in a memory component (not shown). Controller 106 will
normally control overall operation of mobile station 102,
whereas signal processing operations associated with
communication functions are typically performed in RF
transceiver circuitry 108. Controller 106 interfaces with
device display 112 to display received information, stored
information, user inputs, and the like. Keyboard 114, which
may be a telephone type keypad or full alphanumeric
keyboard, is normally provided for entering data for storage
in mobile station 102, information for transmission to
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network 104, a telephone number to place a telephone call,
commands to be executed on mobile station 102, and possibly
other or different user inputs.
[0024] Mobile station 102 sends communication signals to
5 and receives communication signals from network 104 over a
wireless link via antenna 110. RF transceiver circuitry 108
performs functions similar to those of a radio network (RN)
128, including for example modulation/demodulation and
possibly encoding/decoding and encryption/decryption. It is
also contemplated that RF transceiver circuitry 108 may
perform certain functions in addition to those performed by
RN 128. It will be apparent to those skilled in art that RF
transceiver circuitry 108 will be adapted to particular
wireless network or networks in which mobile station 102 is
intended to operate.
[0025] Mobile station 102 includes a battery interface
122 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 124.
Battery 124 provides electrical power to electrical
circuitry in mobile station 102, and battery interface 122
provides for a mechanical and electrical connection for
battery 124. Battery interface 122 is coupled to a
regulator 126 which regulates power to the device. When
mobile station 102 is fully operational, an RF transmitter
of RF transceiver circuitry 108 is typically turned on only
when it is sending to network, and is otherwise turned off
to conserve resources. Similarly, an RF receiver of RF
transceiver circuitry 108 is typically periodically turned
off to conserve power until it is needed to receive signals
or information (if at all) during designated time periods.
[0026] Mobile station 102 operates using a memory module
120, such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIN) or a
Removable User Identity Module (R-UIM), which is connected
to or inserted in mobile station 102 at an interface 118.
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As an alternative to a SIN or an R-UIM, mobile station 102
may operate based on configuration data programmed by a
service provider into an internal memory which is a non-
volatile memory. Mobile station 102 may consist of a single
unit, such as a data communication device, a cellular
telephone, a multiple-function communication device with
data and voice communication capabilities, a personal
digital assistant (PDA) enabled for wireless communication,
or a computer incorporating an internal modem.
Alternatively, mobile station 102 may be a multiple-module
unit comprising a plurality of separate components,
including but in no way limited to a computer or other
device connected to a wireless modem. In particular, for
example, in the mobile station block diagram of Fig. 1, RF
transceiver circuitry 108 and antenna 110 may be implemented
as a radio modem unit that may be inserted into a port on a
laptop computer. In this case, the laptop computer would
include display 112, keyboard 114, and one or more auxiliary
UIs 116, and controller 106 may remain within the radio
modem unit that communicates with the computer's CPU or be
embodied as the computer's CPU. It is also contemplated
that a computer or other equipment not normally capable of
wireless communication may be adapted to connect to and
effectively assume control of RF transceiver circuitry 108
and antenna 110 of a single-unit device such as one of those
described above. Such a mobile station 102 may have a more
particular implementation as described later in relation to
mobile station 202 of Fig. 2.
(0027] Mobile station 102 communicates in and through
wireless communication network 104. In the embodiment of
Fig. 1, wireless network 104 is a Third Generation (3G)
supported network based on Code Division Multiple Access
(CDMA) technologies. In particular, wireless network 104 is
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a CDMA2000 network which includes fixed network components
coupled as shown in Fig. 1. Wireless network 104 of the
CDMA2000-type includes a Radio Network (RN) 128, a Mobile
Switching Center (MSC) 130, a Signaling System 7 (SS7)
network 140, a Home Location Register/Authentication Center
(HLR/AC) 138, a Packet Data Serving Node (PDSN) 132, an IP
network 134, and a Remote Authentication Dial-In User
Service (RADIUS) server 136. SS7 network 140 is
communicatively coupled to a network 142 (such as a Public
Switched Telephone Network or PSTN), whereas IP network is
communicatively coupled to a network 144 (such as the
Internet). Persons of ordinary skill in the art will
appreciate that other networks and associated topologies
including GPRS, E-GPRS and UMTS radio networks, among many
others, may be employed with the teachings herein.
[00283 During operation, mobile station 102 communicates
with RN 128 which performs functions such as call-setup,
call processing, and mobility management. RN 128 includes a
plurality of base station transceiver systems that provide
wireless network coverage for a particular coverage area
commonly referred to as a "cell". A given base station
transceiver system of RN 128, such as the one shown in Fig.
1, transmits communication signals to and receives
communication signals from mobile stations within its cell.
The base station transceiver system normally performs such
functions as modulation and possibly encoding and/or
encryption of signals to be transmitted to the mobile
station in accordance with particular, usually
predetermined, communication protocols and parameters, under
control of its controller. The base station transceiver
system similarly demodulates and possibly decodes and
decrypts, if necessary, any communication signals received
from mobile station 102 within its cell. Communication
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protocols and parameters may vary between different
networks. For example, one network may employ a different
modulation scheme and operate at different frequencies than
other networks. The underlying services may also differ
based on its particular protocol revision.
[0029] The wireless link shown in communication system
100 of Fig. 1 represents one or more different channels,
typically different radio frequency (RF) channels, and
associated protocols used between wireless network 104 and
mobile station 102. An RF channel is a limited resource
that must be conserved, typically due to limits in overall
bandwidth and a limited battery power of mobile station 102.
Those skilled in art will appreciate that a wireless network
in actual practice may include hundreds of cells depending
upon desired overall expanse of network coverage. All
pertinent components may be connected by multiple switches
and routers (not shown), controlled by multiple network
controllers.
[0030] For all mobile stations 102 registered with a
network operator, permanent data (such as mobile station 102
user's profile) as well as temporary data (such as mobile
station's 102 current location) are stored in a HLR/AC 138.
In case of a voice call to mobile station 102, HLR/AC 138 is
queried to determine the current location of mobile station
102. A Visitor Location Register (VLR) of MSC 130 is
responsible for a group of location areas and stores the
data of those mobile stations that are currently in its area
of responsibility. This includes parts of the permanent
mobile station data that have been transmitted from HLR/AC
138 to the VLR for faster access. However, the VLR of MSC
130 may also assign and store local data, such as temporary
identifications. Mobile station 102 is also authenticated
on system access by HLR/AC 138. In order to provide packet
õ
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data services to mobile station 102 in a CDMA2000-based
network, RN 128 communicates with PDSN 132. PDSN 132
provides access to the Internet 144 (or intranets, Wireless
Application Protocol (WAP) servers, etc.) through IP network
134. PDSN 132 also provides foreign agent (FA)
functionality in mobile IP networks as well as packet
transport for virtual private networking. PDSN 132 has a
range of IP addresses and performs IP address management,
session maintenance, and optional caching. RADIUS server
136 is responsible for performing functions related to
authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) of
packet data services, and may be referred to as an AAA
server.
[0031] Wireless communication network 104 also includes a
Push-to-talk over Cellular (PoC) server 137 which may be
coupled to IP network 134. PoC server 137 operates to
facilitate PoC individual and group communication sessions
between mobile stations within network 104. A conventional
PoC communication session involves a session connection
between end users of mobile stations, referred to as session
"participants", who communicate one at a time in a half-
duplex manner much like conventional walkie-talkies or two-
way radios.
(0032] Those skilled in art will appreciate that wireless
network 104 may be connected to other systems, possibly
including other networks, not explicitly shown in Fig. 1. A
network will normally be transmitting at very least some
sort of paging and system information on an ongoing basis,
even if there is no actual packet data exchanged. Although
the network consists of many parts, these parts all work
together to result in certain behaviours at the wireless
link.
[0033] Fig. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a preferred
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mobile station 202. Mobile station 202 is preferably a two-
way communication device having at least voice and advanced
data communication capabilities, including the capability to
communicate with other computer systems. Depending on the
5 functionality provided by mobile station 202, it may be
referred to as a data messaging device, a two-way pager, a
cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, a
wireless Internet appliance, or a data communication device
(with or without telephony capabilities). Mobile station
10 202 may communicate with any one of a plurality of base
station transceiver systems 200 within its geographic
coverage area.
[0034] Mobile station 202 will normally incorporate a
communication subsystem 211, which includes a receiver 212,
a transmitter 214, and associated components, such as one or
more (preferably embedded or internal) antenna elements 216
and 218, local oscillators (L0s) 213, and a processing
module such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 220.
Communication subsystem 211 is analogous to RF transceiver
circuitry 108 and antenna 110 shown in Fig. 1. As will be
apparent to those skilled in field of communications,
particular design of communication subsystem 211 depends on
the communication network in which mobile station 202 is
intended to operate.
[0035] Mobile station 202 may send and receive
communication signals over the network after required
network registration or activation procedures have been
completed. Signals received by antenna 216 through the
network are input to receiver 212, which may perform such
common receiver functions as signal amplification, frequency
down conversion, filtering, channel selection, and like, and
in example shown in Fig. 2, analog-to-digital (AID)
conversion. A/D conversion of a received signal allows more
õ
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complex communication functions such as demodulation and
decoding to be performed in DSP 220. In a similar manner,
signals to be transmitted are processed, including
modulation and encoding, for example, by DSP 220. These
DSP-processed signals are input to transmitter 214 for
digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion, frequency up conversion,
filtering, amplification and transmission over communication
network via antenna 218. DSP 220 not only processes
communication signals, but also provides for receiver and
transmitter control. For example, the gains applied to
communication signals in receiver 212 and transmitter 214
may be adaptively controlled through automatic gain control
algorithms implemented in DSP 220.
[0036] Network access is associated with a subscriber or
user of mobile station 202, and therefore mobile station 202
requires a memory module 262, such as a Subscriber Identity
Module or "SIM" card or a Removable User Identity Module (R-
UIM), to be inserted in or connected to an interface 264 of
mobile station 202 in order to operate in the network.
Alternatively, memory module 262 may be a non-volatile
memory which is programmed with configuration data by a
service provider so that mobile station 202 may operate in
the network. Since mobile station 202 is a mobile battery-
powered device, it also includes a battery interface 254 for
receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 256. Such a
battery 256 provides electrical power to most if not all
electrical circuitry in mobile station 202, and battery
interface 254 provides for a mechanical and electrical
connection for it. The battery interface 254 is coupled to
a regulator (not shown in Fig. 2) which provides power V+ to
all of the circuitry.
[0037] Mobile station 202 includes a microprocessor 238
(which is one implementation of controller 106 of Fig. 1)
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which controls overall operation of mobile station 202.
This control includes network selection techniques of the
present application. Communication functions, including at
least data and voice communications, are performed through
communication subsystem 211. Microprocessor 238 also
interacts with additional device subsystems such as a
display 222, a flash memory 224, a random access memory
(RAM) 226, auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystems 228, a
serial port 230, a keyboard 232, a speaker 234, a microphone
236, a short-range communications subsystem 240, and any
other device subsystems generally designated at 242. Some
of the subsystems shown in Fig. 2 perform communication-
related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide
"resident" or on-device functions. Notably, some
subsystems, such as keyboard 232 and display 222, for
example, may be used for both communication-related
functions, such as entering a text message for transmission
over a communication network, and device-resident functions
such as a calculator or task list. Operating system
software used by microprocessor 238 is preferably stored in
a persistent store such as flash memory 224, which may
alternatively be a read-only memory (ROM) or similar storage
element (not shown). Those skilled in the art will
appreciate that the operating system, specific device
applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded
into a volatile store such as RAM 226.
[0038] Microprocessor 238, in addition to its operating
system functions, preferably enables execution of software
applications on mobile station 202. A predetermined set of
applications which control basic device operations,
including at least data and voice communication
applications, will normally be installed on mobile station
202 during its manufacture. A preferred application that
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may be loaded onto mobile station 202 may be a personal
information manager (PIM) application having the ability to
organize and manage data items relating to user such as, but
not limited to, e-mail, calendar events, voice mails,
appointments, and task items. Naturally, one or more memory
stores are available on mobile station 202 and SIM 262 to
facilitate storage of PIM data items and other information.
[0039] The PIM application preferably has the ability to
send and receive data items via the wireless network. In a
preferred embodiment, PIM data items are seamlessly
integrated, synchronized, and updated via the wireless
network, with the mobile station user's corresponding data
items stored and/or associated with a host computer system
thereby creating a mirrored host computer on mobile station
202 with respect to such items. This is especially
advantageous where the host computer system is the mobile
station user's office computer system. Additional
applications may also be loaded onto mobile station 202
through network, an auxiliary I/O subsystem 228, serial port
230, short-range communications subsystem 240, or any other
suitable subsystem 242, and installed by a user in RAM 226
or preferably a non-volatile store (not shown) for execution
by microprocessor 238. Such flexibility in application
installation increases the functionality of mobile station
202 and may provide enhanced on-device functions,
communication-related functions, or both. For example,
secure communication applications may enable electronic
commerce functions and other such financial transactions to
be performed using mobile station 202.
[0040] In a data communication mode, a received signal
such as a text message, an e-mail message, or web page
download will be processed by communication subsystem 211
and input to microprocessor 238. Microprocessor 238 will
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preferably further process the signal for output to display
222 or alternatively to auxiliary I/O device 228. A user of
mobile station 202 may also compose data items, such as e-
mail messages, for example, using keyboard 232 in
conjunction with display 222 and possibly auxiliary I/O
device 228. Keyboard 232 is preferably a complete
alphanumeric keyboard and/or telephone-type keypad. These
composed items may be transmitted over a communication
network through communication subsystem 211.
[0041] For voice communications, the overall operation of
mobile station 202 is substantially similar, except that the
received signals would be output to speaker 234 and signals
for transmission would be generated by microphone 236.
Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems, such as a voice
message recording subsystem, may also be implemented on
mobile station 202. Although voice or audio signal output
is preferably accomplished primarily through speaker 234,
display 222 may also be used to provide an indication of the
identity of a calling party, duration of a voice call, or
other voice call related information, as some examples.
[0044 Serial port 230 in Fig. 2 is normally implemented
in a personal digital assistant (PDA)-type communication
device for which synchronization with a user's desktop
computer is a desirable, albeit optional, component. Serial
port 230 enables a user to set preferences through an
external device or software application and extends the
capabilities of mobile station 202 by providing for
information or software downloads to mobile station 202
other than through a wireless communication network. The
alternate download path may, for example, be used to load an
encryption key onto mobile station 202 through a direct and
thus reliable and trusted connection to thereby provide
secure device communication.
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[0043] Short-range communications subsystem 240 of Fig. 2
is an additional optional component which provides for
communication between mobile station 202 and different
systems or devices, which need not necessarily be similar
5 devices. For example, subsystem 240 may include an infrared
device and associated circuits and components, or a
BluetoothTM communication module to provide for communication
with similarly-enabled systems and devices. BluetoothTN is a
registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
10 [0044] Mobile station 202 may be adapted to provide
instant messaging (IM) communications via programming
instructions and data stored or otherwise available to the
device 202. Instant messaging provides a conversational
dialog typically involving the exchange of text messages
15 between a user of device 202 and at least one other user of
another device (not shown) adapted for IM communication. As
persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, an IM
system or "presence and instant messaging system" allows
users to subscribe to each other and be notified of changes
in state (e.g. availability for instant message
communication), and for users to send each other short
instant messages. IM is discussed in further detail in "RFC
2778 - A Model for Presence and Instant Messaging",
maintained by the Internet Society and available at
http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2778.html. As such adapted
mobile station 202 provides a user agent for IM
communication in an IM system.
[0045] Figure 10 illustrates components 1000, typically
comprising instructions and data that may be stored to flash
memory 224 and/or RAM 226, for adapting station 202.
Components 1000 comprise, broadly, IM management 1002,
graphical user interface (GUI) 1004, contacts 1010, current
conversations 1006 and archive of conversations 1008. IM
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management component 1002 provides presence and IM
communication functions for the user (e.g. a user having the
name "Mike") of the mobile station 202. GUI 1004 provides
support for the interface for controlling aspects of the
presence and IM functions using contacts 1010 to carry on
current conversations 1006 and archive "old" conversations
to archive 1008. As will be understood to those of ordinary
skill in the art, it is sometimes difficult to make bright-
line distinctions between components such as, IM management
and GUI components 1002 and 1004. As well, it is understood
that the components 1000 interface with other components
(not shown) on or for mobile station 202 such as operating
system, communication sub-system, PIN components etc.
[0046] Fig. 3 illustrates a representative view 300 of an
IM screen provided by GUI 1002 for the IM application. The
view 300 includes a title portion 302 showing "Mike's
Contact List" and presents this user's list of contacts 306,
308, 310 and 312 and his current conversations 304. It will
be understood that view 300 provides a hierarchical list in
a form which permits expansion and contraction of list items
via elements 314 ("+") and 316 ("-"). Contacts may comprise
individual user contacts 306 or group contacts 308 (e.g.
FridayLunchGroup) for assisting with the organization of
contacts within the IM application. Contacts may also be
grouped by presence information. Contact group 310
comprises a list of those contacts which are presently
unavailable for IM communications while group 312 shows a
list of those contacts that are pending the resolution of an
invitation to join Mike's list of contacts in accordance
with the subscription aspects of IM. View 300 of Mike's
Contacts may be traversed by a user by moving a focus about
the view to interact with various elements of the GUI such
as the expansion elements or individual items of the list.
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The focus may be indicated in various ways such as by
reverse video mode, etc. Traversal or other navigation may
be facilitated by input devices such as arrow keys, wheel,
pointing device, etc. Once a particular element is selected
by a user of the mobile station 202, particular command
options may be invoked. Options may be presented via one or
more menus or invoked through predefined keystrokes etc.
common in the art.
[0047] Fig. 4 illustrates a representative IM view 400
in which the current conversations 304 list element of Fig.
3 has been expanded to show individual list elements 304A-
304G comprising specific conversations. Navigational element
314 of Fig. 4 indicates that the list of conversations may
be contracted while navigational element 402 indicates that
additional list items (e.g. conversations and contacts)
appear off screen below. It is apparent that when a long
list of current conversations is maintained by IM management
and GUI components 1002 and 1004, the list may be too long
to be wholly displayed on a relatively small display screen
of the mobile station 202. Persons of ordinary skill in the
art will further appreciate that IM application GUI's for
other devices such as a desktop computer typically run in a
small window on such devices to minimize intrusion. As
such, navigating longer lists of conversations is necessary
to see each entry.
[0048] However, it is often true that when a long list of
current conversations exists on a user device, at least some
of the conversations are not current. The users have
stopped communicating but not actively instructed the IM
application to close the conversation. In accordance with a
feature of the present embodiment, the IM management
component is adapted to archive a particular current
conversation if such remains idle (e.g. no message traffic)
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for a minimum period of time and preferably, but not
necessarily, there are no unread messages.
[0049] Fig. 5 shows an embodiment of the IM application
in which the GUI presents an additional list element 502 for
archive conversations. Current conversations 304 are
reduced to two instances 304C and 304F from Fig. 4.
Representative view 500 provides one manner of showing the
archive of conversations 1008 and accessing same through the
list navigation features of the GUI component 1004. A user
may traverse the list, expand element 502 and select a
conversation from the archive for viewing. Fig. 6 presents
a representative view 600 of an archive conversation 304A
between Mike and a contact "John". The view 600 presents a
view description 602 and shows a plurality of IM messages
604 in the conversation. The messages in the archive may be
navigated such as by moving the focus up and down the screen
(not shown).
[0050] Preferably, all or one or more portions of the
archived conversation may be selected for saving by a user
(not shown). It is anticipated that such information will
often comprise reference-type information like directions to
a particular address, a phone number, etc. The saving
feature may interface with PIM or other application
components of mobile station 202 to facilitate saving to an
address book of contacts or as an address attachment, a
memopad or other feature of a PIM. Alternatively, the
conversation may be saved into a message list typically
comprising an integration of incoming and outgoing
communications and notifications (e.g. email, voicemail,
missed calls etc.) maintained by the PIM.
[0051] Alternatively or additionally to the manner of
presenting the archive of conversations shown by Fig. 5,
Fig. 7 shows a view 700 for presenting specific archived
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conversations through an association with the contact with
which the conversation was conducted. The list element for
individual contacts 306 is shown expanded to present a
plurality of individual contacts 306A-306D. An individual
contact having an archived conversation (e.g. 306A or 306D)
may be expanded to list the archived conversation for the
contact. Contact 306D is shown expanded and having two
conversations 702A and 702B. The list may be navigated as
discussed and a particular archive opened for viewing such
as is shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 shows another embodiment of a
view 800 for presenting the archive of conversations by
contact to show a history of conversations. A focus may be
moved to a contact such as 306D and a menu 802 invoked to
select a menu option 804 for the archive for the contact. A
further menu may be displayed (not shown) to facilitate
selection among various archived conversations for the
contact or to invoke different archive options. Such options
may include saving the conversation, deleting an archived
conversation etc.
[0052] IM management component 1002 may be adapted to
automatically maintain the archive of conversations 1008 to
keep resource consumption to a defined limit or to free
resources for other use. IM management may remove (i.e.
delete) conversations from the archive when the archive
reaches a predefined size (e.g. relative to total space used
or number of conversations archived etc.). In accordance
with a preference, older archives may be removed first but
different strategies may be involved (largest first, least
reviewed archives first, least frequented contacts first)
including prompting for user choice. Optionally, the size
limits for the archive and/or the idle time may be user
configurable.
[0053] Figs 9A and 93 illustrate operations 900 and 950
CA 02584117 2007-04-03
for IM management for managing current conversations 1006
and archive 1008. Operations 900 determine whether to move
to the archive of conversations 1008 particular
conversations of current conversations 1006. These
5 operations may be executed periodically.
[0054] To archive a current conversation, the list of
current conversations is examined (typically sequentially)
at step 902. At step 904, if a current conversation has an
unread message it is preferably not archived so operations
10 return to step 902 for another current conversation.
Otherwise a step 906, if the current conversation is not
idle for a predetermined time (e.g. the last message time of
receipt is not greater than a threshold), operations again
return to step 902. If the conversations is idle and does
15 not have an unread message, the conversation is removed from
the list of current conversations and preferably moved to
the archive 1008. Optionally, (not shown) the conversation
may be deleted with or without user confirmation. The
current conversation is preferably closed in accordance with
20 IM protocols as may be applicable.
(0055] Various storage schemes (e.g. linked lists) and
memory allocation schemes for conversations may be employed
and moving from a current list to an archive may be done in
a variety of ways. The current and archived conversations
may share the same physically memory space. A flag or other
structure may indicate current vs. archive status for a
conversation. Another flag could indicate that conversation
is to be kept indefinitely as determined by a user save for
example. Moving a conversation to the archive may include
determining size limits for the archive and maintaining the
archive as discussed, removing one or more other archived
conversations to permit the move (not shown). Particular
conversations may be linked to specific contacts 1010 via
'
. 101
CA 02584117 2007-04-03
21
pointers or other known techniques for associating one
structure with another.
[0056] Fig 9B shows representative operations for
removing archived conversations to free shared resources
when available memory (e.g. flash memory or other persistent
store) is low. A low memory determination is made at step
952 and in response, one or more archived conversations may
be removed from the archive (step 954). Low memory may be
determined by other components than the IM components (such
as the operating system) and IM management component 1002
may provide an interface to request that archive
conversations be removed.
[0057] The above-described embodiments are intended to be
examples only. Those of skill in the art may effect
alterations, modifications and variations to the particular
embodiments without departing from the scope of the
application. The subject matter described herein in the
recited claims intends to cover and embrace all suitable
changes in technology.
