The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 05, 2011
Filed:
Jan. 22, 2004
Paul B. Moody, Hyde Park, VT (US);
Richard M. Wilson, Dover, NH (US);
Jonathan Feinberg, Somerville, MA (US);
Werner Geyer, Boston, MA (US);
Paul B. Moody, Hyde Park, VT (US);
Richard M. Wilson, Dover, NH (US);
Jonathan Feinberg, Somerville, MA (US);
Werner Geyer, Boston, MA (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
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.