US 2006/0242232 A1Published application

Automatically limiting requests for additional chat sessions received by a particula user

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsJessica Murillo, Johnny Shieh

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Abstract

A method, system, and program for automatically limiting requests for additional chat sessions received by a particular user are provided. The number of multiple chat sessions concurrently open between a particular user and a separate user from among a first selection of multiple users are detected, wherein the first selection of the multiple users and a remaining selection of the multiple users monitor a presence of the particular user through a presence indicator that indicates whether the particular user is available to participate in an additional chat session. Responsive to the number of concurrently open chat sessions exceeding a threshold for the particular user, updating the presence indicator of the particular user transmitted to the remaining selection of the multiple users to indicate a lack of availability for the additional chat session, but enabling the first selection of the multiple users to continue participating in the already open chat sessions with the particular user.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for limiting chat session requests received by a particular user from among a plurality of users already participating in a plurality of chat sessions, in at least one computer system in communication with a network, wherein said at least one computer system comprises at least one from among a chat server that facilitates said plurality of chat sessions between a plurality of client systems logged onto by said plurality of users and a particular client system from among a plurality of client systems communicatively connected to said chat server logged onto by said particular user from among said plurality of users, comprising:

detecting, at said computer system, a number of said plurality of chat sessions each concurrently open between said particular user and at least one user from among a first selection of said plurality of users, wherein said first selection of said plurality of users and a remaining selection of said plurality of users monitor a presence of said particular user by receiving a presence indicator of said particular user that indicates whether said particular user is available to participate in an additional chat session;
and
responsive to said number of said plurality of chat sessions exceeding a communication threshold for said particular user, updating said presence indicator of said particular user transmitted by said computer system to said remaining selection of said plurality of users to indicate a lack of availability for said additional chat session, wherein said first selection of said plurality of users are enabled to continue in said plurality of chat sessions with said particular user.

A system for limiting chat session requests received by a particular user already participating in a plurality of chat sessions, comprising:

at least one computer system in communication with a network, wherein said at least one computer system comprises at least one from among a chat server that facilitates a plurality of chat sessions between a plurality of client systems logged onto by a plurality of users and a particular client system from among a plurality of client systems communicatively connected to said chat server logged onto by a particular user from among said plurality of users;
said at least one computer system further comprising:
means for detecting a number of said plurality of chat sessions each concurrently open between said particular user and at least one user from among a first selection of said plurality of users, wherein said first selection of said plurality of users and a remaining selection of said plurality of users monitor a presence of said particular user by receiving a presence indicator of said particular user that indicates whether said particular user is available to participate in an additional chat session;
and
means, responsive to said number of said plurality of chat sessions exceeding a communication threshold for said particular user, for updating said presence indicator of said particular user transmitted by said computer system to said remaining selection of said plurality of users to indicate a lack of availability for said additional chat session, wherein said first selection of said plurality of users are enabled to continue in said plurality of chat sessions with said particular user.

2 more elements

A program for limiting chat session requests received by a particular user already participating in a plurality of chat sessions, said program embodied in a computer-readable medium, said program comprising computer-executable instructions which cause a computer to perform the steps of:

detecting a number of a plurality of chat sessions each concurrently open between a particular user and at least one user from among a first selection of a plurality of users via a network, wherein said first selection of said plurality of users and a remaining selection of said plurality of users monitor a presence of said particular user by receiving a presence indicator of said particular user that indicates whether said particular user is available to participate in an additional chat session;
and
responsive to said number of said plurality of chat sessions exceeding a communication threshold for said particular user, updating said presence indicator of said particular user transmitted to said remaining selection of said plurality of users to indicate a lack of availability for said additional chat session, wherein said first selection of said plurality of users are enabled to continue in said plurality of chat sessions with said particular user.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.