International Business Machines Corporation

Rakuten, Inc.

Richard M Wilson

Paul Brian Moody

Jonathan D Feinberg

Daniel M Gruen

Frank Lawrence Jania

Carl Kraenzel

Werner Geyer

Darren Mark Shaw

Douglass J Wilson

Sandesh Bhat

Jeffrey T Calow

A system for providing a local computer user with detailed activity information regarding remote users, in order to assist the local user in determining whether to initiate a communication session with a remote user. The system provides activity information that may describe the number of instant messaging sessions one or more remote users are currently involved in, the identities of participants in those sessions, activity levels, time period information, and other information. The system further provides detailed activity information describing recent instant messaging sessions of one or more remote users.

Receiving and presenting detailed activity information regarding current and recent instant messaging sessions of remote users

A system for providing a local computer user with detailed activity information regarding remote users, in order to assist the local user in determining whether to initiate a communication session with a remote user. The system provides activity information describing the number of instant messaging sessions one or more remote users are currently involved in, the identities of participants in those sessions, activity levels, time period information, and other information. The system further provides detailed activity information describing recent instant messaging sessions of one or more remote users.

A computer-implemented method of extending a user interface of an executing application can include placing the user interface in a configure mode that allows functionality of the user interface to be extended and visually distinguishing an element of the user interface that is extendable. Responsive to a user input requesting extension of the functionality of the element, an editing window can be displayed within the user interface. The method can include receiving, within the editing window, computer-usable program code specifying extended functionality for the element and storing the computer-usable program code as part of an extension to the element. The extension can be bound to an extension point exposed for the element of the user interface.

Dynamic point and extend user interface

Method and system for sensing and reporting detailed activity information regarding current and recent instant messaging sessions of remote users

A method and system for providing a local user of an instant messaging system with updated status information regarding one or more remote users that provides indication to a local user of whether an instant messaging status message has been recently updated. The disclosed system provides a 'new status message' visual indication when a status message for a remote user has recently changed. A timer may be employed to determine how long a new status message visual indication is provided after the status message has changed. The status message itself may be obtained by various specific techniques, such as hovering the cursor over a graphical object for a remote user associated with the new status indication, hovering over the new status indication itself, or clicking through the new status indication or associated graphical object, or through some other appropriate technique.

Method and system for sensing and communicating updated status information for remote users accessible through an instant messaging system

A mark-up method and system that enables server-managed thick client capabilities using a thin client server, framework, and administration. Active content such as program code, service, and data components, are driven to a thick client platform. The thick client platform is defined through a combination of thick client components, while the thick client components and user interface experience are centrally managed. The thick client container can operate to embed thin client container components, such as a browser, and the thick client container itself can be initially deployed over a network using a thin client.

Markup method for managing rich client code and experiences using multi-component pages

A system to monitor and report the use of communication software applications in a computing environment including an instant messaging system, that provides local users with information describing detected uses of communication software applications by remote users. The monitored communication applications may include, for example, electronic mail, voice over IP applications, on-line meetings, and other specific types of communication applications, as well as instant messaging activities. The system potentially stores specific information regarding each use of the monitored communication applications, and sends the communication application information to one or more server process that stores the information in association with a user identifier provided with the information. The stored communication application information is then broadcast by the server process to client processes that have registered with the server process to receive communication application information associated with that user identifier.

Growing community of inventors

Dover, NH, United States of America

Richard M Wilson