# US 8,751,572 B1 · Multi-user chat search and access to chat archive > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,751,572 B1 - Document ID: US8751572B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 11/765,908 - Filed: 2007-06-20 - Granted: 2014-06-10 - Earliest claimed: 2007-06-20 - Assignees: Google Inc. - Applicants: Reza Behforooz; Qi Ke; Deepak Menon; Justin Uberti - Inventors: Reza Behforooz; Qi Ke; Deepak Menon; Justin Uberti - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8751572B1 ## CPC - H04L 65/403: Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15) - H04L 12/1822: {Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission} - H04L 65/1093: by adding participants; by removing participants - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## 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. ## Claims ### Claim 1 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. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a search term input by the requesting participant; identifying one or more archived records of the live chat as corresponding to the search term; and returning the one or more identified archived records to the requesting participant. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the search term is at least one of a participant of the live chat or a keyword. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein archiving comprises indexing the record of the live chat by at least one of a participant of the live chat, a date of the live chat, or a keyword. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: filtering the archived record of the live chat by at least one of a participant of the live chat, a date of the live chat, or a keyword included in the live chat. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said hosting further comprises: receiving a chat message from a first participant of the live chat; and distributing the chat message to at least a second participant of the live chat and a third participant of the live chat. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein: receiving a chat message from a first participant comprises receiving the chat message from a first instant messaging (IM) client associated with the first participant; and distributing the chat message comprises distributing the chat message to at least a second IM client associated with the second participant and a third IM client associated with the third participant. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said hosting and said archiving occur substantially simultaneously. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein archiving a record of the live chat includes archiving a multimedia element associated with the live chat. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the multimedia element is at least one of a video component of the live chat, an audio component of the live chat, a file transferred during the live chat, or a URL associated with the chat. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying, to the requesting participant, a link to an archive database within a live chat window. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying, to the requesting participant, a link to an archive database of the live chat within a computer network-based electronic mail user interface. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: opening a new computer network-based chat connection between two participants of the live chat when one participant requests a sidebar chat with another participant through a multi-user chat interface. ### Claim 14 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. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the archive manager comprises: a filter that receives a search term input by a participant and returns one or more archived records of the live chat corresponding to the search term. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the search term is at least one of a name of a participant of the live chat, or a keyword, included in the live chat. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, further comprising: a connection manager that manages information regarding connection information between each of the live chat participants and the IM server. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the connection manager further manages information regarding connection information between respective remote client devices associated with each of the live chat participants and the IM server. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the archive database further stores a multimedia record associated with the live chat. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the multimedia records is at least one of a video component of the live chat, an audio component of the live chat, a file transferred during the live chat, or a URL associated with the live chat. ### Claim 21 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the request from the participant of the live chat for the archived record is received via a link within a live chat window. ### Claim 22 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the request from the participant of the live chat for the archived record is received via a link within a computer network-based electronic mail user interface.