US 8,751,572 B1Granted

Multi-user chat search and access to chat archive

AssigneeGoogle Inc.

InventorsReza Behforooz, Qi Ke, Deepak Menon, Justin Uberti

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Abstract

In one embodiment, a computer network-based live chat having three or more participants is hosted. A record of the live chat is archived in a central location accessible by each participant. The archived record is provided to a requesting participant after completion of and/or during the live chat. The requesting participant may be, for example, any one of the three or more participants. The requesting participant may make the request from any remote location in communication with the central location. In another embodiment, a system for enabling access to a multi-user chat archive includes a multi-user instant messaging (IM) server, a state manager, an archive database, and an archive manager. The archive database is configured to store an archived record of the live chat in a central location. In this embodiment, the central location is accessible by each of the chat participants from any remote location in communication with the central location.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method of enabling access to a multi-user chat archive, comprising:

hosting an ad hoc computer network-based live chat having three or more participants, wherein said hosting comprises:
receiving a request from a first participant to initiate a live chat with a second participant;
determining state information corresponding to the live chat;
establishing an instant messaging (IM) connection register having connection information associated with the first participant and the second participant;
receiving a request from either the first participant or the second participant to invite a third participant to the existing live chat;
updating the state information corresponding to the live chat;
and
adding connection information associated with the third participant to the established IM connection register;
after the live chat between the three or more participants has started receiving from one of the participants a selection of one of the other participants from a participant indicator field;
in response to the selection of one of the other participants from the participant indicator field, providing a sidebar window that allows the participant that provided the selection of one of the other participants and the other participant that was selected to engage in a two-user chat in addition to the live chat that includes three or more participants;
archiving a record containing text from the live chat in a central location accessible by each of the participants;
providing an archive calendar to a requesting participant during the live chat, wherein the archive calendar is displayed within a user interface of the live chat, and wherein the archive calendar enables selection of one or more dates in the archive calendar from the user interface of the live chat during the live chat, the selection enabling identification of a plurality of archived live chat records associated with one or more selected dates;
receiving a selection of one or more dates in the archive calendar from the requesting participant;
in response to the selection of the one or more dates in the archive calendar from the requesting participant, retrieving the plurality of archived live chat records associated with the selected one or more dates;
retrieving at least the text of the plurality of the retrieved archived live chat records, the archived live chat records having the requesting participant as one of the three or more participants, wherein the requesting participant is any one of the three or more participants;
and
filtering the retrieved plurality of archived live chat records by at least a multimedia component included in the live chat.

14 more elements

A system for enabling access to a multi-user chat archive, comprising:

a multi-user instant messaging (IM) server that receives a chat message from a first participant during an ad hoc live chat and distributes the chat message to at least a second participant and a third participant during the live chat,
wherein the IM server receives a request to invite a new participant to an existing chat session and connects the new participant to a computer network-based chat connection between existing participants using information from a connection manager;
a state manager that identifies the first, second, and third participants;
wherein after the live chat between the three or more participants has started, a selection is received from one of the participants of one of the other participants from a participant indicator field, and, in response to the selection of one of the other participants from the participant indicator field a sidebar window is provided by the multi-user IM server that allows the participant that provided the selection of one of the other participants and the other participant that was selected to engage in a two-user chat in addition to the live chat that includes three or more participants;
an archive database that stores an archived record containing text from the live chat in a central location, wherein the central location is accessible by each of the chat participants;
an archive calendar that enables selection of one or more dates by a requesting participant during the live chat, wherein the archive calendar is displayed within a user interface of the live chat during the live chat, the selection enabling identification of a plurality of archived live chat records associated with one or more selected dates, wherein the requesting participant is any one of the three or more participants;
and
an archive manager that retrieves the plurality of the archived live chat records in response to a selection of the one or more dates in the archive calendar from the requesting participant, retrieves at least the text of the plurality of the retrieved archived live chat records, the archived live chat records having the requesting participant as one of the three or more participants, and filters the retrieved plurality of archived live chat records by at least a type of multimedia component included in the live chat.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/765,908Filed 20 Jun 2007
Granted: 10 Jun 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

H04L 65/403
Support for services or applications: arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences
H04L 12/1822
For computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms: conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants,…
H04L 65/1093
In-session procedures: by adding participants; by removing participants
H04L
Digital communication

Family

No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.

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