International Business Machines Corporation

Martin T Moore

Michael Muller

Werner Geyer

Elizabeth Anne Brownholtz

Shilad Sen

Michael C Wu

Bethany Lyn Kessen

James K Kebinger

Molly Kestner Barksdale

Scott Howard Prager

Gerald Ray Woods

Brian Daniel Goodman

Lorin Ullmann

Frank Lawrence Jania

Miguel A Estrada

Christopher Andrew Peters

Steven I Ross

Casey Dugan

David R Millen

Charles Robert Hill

Craig M Lawton

Jonathan Andrew Lewis

Christoph Josef Luecking

Jason C Plurad

Jesse B Overby, Iii

A solution for managing a set of collaborative contacts is provided. Each collaborative contact includes one or more collaboration capabilities, each of which corresponds to a unique collaboration tool (e.g., voice over IP, instant messaging, email, and/or the like). Identifying text can be used to search the set of collaborative contacts and obtain a set of candidate contacts. An availability status for each collaboration capability of each candidate contact can be requested and a display can be generated that includes the set of candidate contacts. In one embodiment, the display can include an indication of the collaboration capabilities for one or more of the candidate contacts, and/or the availability status for one or more collaboration capabilities. A user can use the display to request a collaboration session between the user and one or more of the candidate contacts.

Collaborative contact management

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to alert bubbles for alert management and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for contextual alerts for alert management. In an embodiment of the invention, an alert management data processing system can be provided. The system can include an alert bubble configured to display alert text for an associated alert, and contextual information disposed in the alert bubble interface along with the alert text. In particular, the contextual information can provide context for the associated alert.

Contextual alert bubbles for alert management

A method and computer program product for defining a plurality of tags, each of which is associated with a discrete process executable on activity content. At least one of the plurality of tags is associated with a piece of content within an activity, thus defining one or more associated tags.

System and method for initiating the execution of a process

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to alert management in an activity-centric collaborative computing environment and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for activity thread integration of an alert log. In one embodiment of the invention, an alert log activity thread integration method can be provided. The method can include logging a reference to an alert for an activity in an activity thread, and, in response to the selection of the alert from within the activity thread, displaying the content of the alert. For instance, logging a reference to an alert for an activity in an activity thread can include creating a branch of the activity thread for inserting all alerts pertaining to the activity and inserting the reference to the alert in the created branch.

Alert log activity thread integration

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to search engines and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for a variable density query engine. In an embodiment of the invention, a search engine data processing system can be provided. The system can include a content index, and a variable density search engine coupled to the content index. The variable density search engine can include program code enabled to vary a density of entries in a result set according to a varying size of the result set. In this regard, in one aspect of the embodiment, the density can range from a title for each entry in the result set to a full textual description for each entry in the result set to an audiovisual element for each entry in the result set.

Variable density query engine

A method and computer program product for leveraging the creation context of a tag includes creating one or more tags, each of the one or more tags associated with a respective piece of content. A creation context is associated with each of the one or more tags. The one or more tags are searched based upon, at least in part, the creation context.

System and method for leveraging tag context

A content recommendation method can include retrieving contacts for a player of a content recommendation game and listing content associated with the retrieved contacts and prompting the player in response to a selection of a particular one of the listed content to identify a specific one of the retrieved contacts as a source associated with the particular one of the listed content. The particular one of the listed content can be recommended to the identified specific one of the retrieved contacts when the player has incorrectly identified the specific one of the retrieved contacts as a source associated with the particular one of the listed content. Otherwise, the player can be awarded points in the game to a game score for the player for having correctly identified the specific one of the retrieved contacts as a source associated with the particular one of the listed content.

Generating content recommendations from an online game

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to alert bubble management and provide a method, data processing system and computer program product for interactive alert bubbles for alert bubble management. In one embodiment of the invention, an interactive alert bubble can be provided for an alert management data processing system. The interactive alert bubble can include an alert bubble interface to the interactive alert bubble. An alert text field can be disposed in the interface and configured to provide a reference to an alert notification in the alert management data processing system. Additionally, a rating control can be disposed in the interface and configured to establish a rating for the alert notification responsive to a selection of the rating control.

Interactive alert bubbles for alert management

A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for sending a user's availability information to an instant messaging (IM) partner. A user predefines areas of the user's display and associates these predefined areas, or 'hotspots', with user defined messages. If the user is not available to immediately respond to an incoming message, the user may move the IM dialog window to a 'hotspot' in the display. Depending upon the user-defined message associated with the &#x201c;hotspot&#x201d;, the IM application generates an automated response indicating the user's availability to respond to the message, and sends the message to the IM partner. The user also may predefine and associate the user's IM status with a &#x201c;hotspot&#x201d;. Moving an IM dialog window into a &#x201c;hotspot&#x201d; automatically changes the user's status based on the associated &#x201c;hotspot&#x201d;. This change is communicated to only the particular IM dialog window partner while other IM partners are unaffected.

Method for determining availability of participation in instant messaging

A system and method for displaying layered data, such as data with a hierarchical relationship is provided. A flat tree view control is provided that indicates the level corresponding to individual data items without indenting data items. Colors or grayscale shading is applied to each data item to indicate the item's level within the hierarchy. Items within the same level use the same color or shading. When an item is selected by the user it is expanded or collapsed depending on whether the layers below the selected item already appear on the display screen. Additional level indicator values and level indicator bars can be used to further indicate the level of data items. A data item can also be highlighted to indicate a particular attribute corresponding with an individual data item.

System and method for using shading layers and highlighting to navigate a tree view display

A system and method for displaying layered data, such as data with a hierarchical relationship is provided. A flat tree view control is provided that indicates the level corresponding to individual data items without indenting data items. Layer bars, or markers, are used to indicate the level of the individual data items within the data hierarchy. In addition, color or grayscale shading can be applied to each data item to further indicate the item's level within the hierarchy. Items within the same level use the same color or shading. When an item is selected by the user it is expanded or collapsed depending on whether the layers below the selected item already appear on the display screen. Additional level indicator values can be used to further indicate the level of data items. A data item can also be highlighted to indicate a particular attribute corresponding with an individual data item.

System and method for using layer bars to indicate levels within non-indented tree view control

A method for window snap control for a split screen computer program GUI is provided. In the method, an area between a first and second display windows of a computer program is selected. The selected area activates a snap function of the computer program. The snap function displays a selection icon for client interaction with a selection indicator within the selection icon. Selecting the indicator will increase a size of the first display window while simultaneously decreasing a size of the second display window.

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Somerville, MA, United States of America

Martin T Moore