Scrolling Chat for Participation in Multiple Instant Messaging Conversations

Abstract

A computer implemented method, data processing system, and computer program product for enabling users to view a plurality of instant messaging chat conversations and respond quickly and easily a selected conversation, while minimizing the impact on the users' other activities. Users are also provided with the option of choosing which instant messaging conversations to monitor and which responses from particular people or topics to display. Multiple instant messaging chat conversations are provided to a user via a scrolling chat window, wherein the scrolling chat window allows the user to scroll through and monitor the multiple instant messaging chat conversations. When user input is received for a selected instant messaging chat conversation, the selected instant messaging chat conversation is loaded and displayed into an instant messaging chat window to allow the user to respond to the selected instant messaging chat conversation.

1 . A computer implemented method for providing instant messaging chat conversations to a user, the computer implemented method comprising:
 providing instant messaging chat conversations to a user via a scrolling chat window, wherein the scrolling chat window allows the user to scroll through and monitor a plurality of instant messaging chat conversations;   receiving a user input selecting an instant messaging chat conversation in the plurality of instant messaging chat conversations; and   displaying the selected instant messaging chat conversation into a main instant messaging chat window to allow the user to respond to the selected instant messaging chat conversation.   
   
   
       2 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein displaying the selected instant messaging chat conversation includes placing keyboard focus into the main instant messaging chat window to allow the user to respond to the selected instant messaging chat conversation. 
   
   
       3 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising;
 responsive to receiving a user specification that particular content should be displayed in the scrolling chat window, updating the content of the scrolling chat window according to the user specification.   
   
   
       4 . The computer implemented method of  claim 3 , wherein the user specification includes configuring the scrolling chat window to display one of all instant messaging chat conversations or selected instant messaging chat conversations. 
   
   
       5 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the main instant messaging chat window is attached to the scrolling chat window. 
   
   
       6 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein content of each instant messaging chat conversation is stored as a chat transcript file. 
   
   
       7 . The computer implemented method of  claim 6 , wherein the chat transcript file is an extensible markup language document, and wherein the extensible markup language document comprises identifiers linking an entry with a particular instant messaging chat conversation or chat speaker. 
   
   
       8 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the user scrolls through the plurality of instant messaging chat conversations by at least one of clicking and dragging a slider in a scroll bar, selecting up/down buttons on a keyboard, or selecting page up/page down buttons on the keyboard. 
   
   
       9 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the user selects an instant messaging chat conversation by clicking on one of a turn in the chat session or a hotspot linked to the instant messaging chat conversation. 
   
   
       10 . A data processing system for providing instant messaging chat conversations to a user, the data processing system comprising:
 a bus;   a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device contains computer usable code;   at least one managed device connected to the bus;   a communications unit connected to the bus; and   a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code to provide instant messaging chat conversations to a user via a scrolling chat window, wherein the scrolling chat window allows the user to scroll through and monitor a plurality of instant messaging chat conversations, receive a user input selecting an instant messaging chat conversation in the plurality of instant messaging chat conversations, and display the selected instant messaging chat conversation into a main instant messaging chat window to allow the user to respond to the selected instant messaging chat conversation.   
   
   
       11 . The data processing system of  claim 10 , wherein the computer usable code to display the selected instant messaging chat conversation includes placing keyboard focus into the main instant messaging chat window to allow the user to respond to the selected instant messaging chat conversation. 
   
   
       12 . The data processing system of  claim 10 , wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable code to update the content of the scrolling chat window according to the user specification in response to receiving a user specification that particular content should be displayed in the scrolling chat window. 
   
   
       13 . A computer program product for providing instant messaging chat conversations to a user, the computer program product comprising:
 a computer usable medium having computer usable program code tangibly embodied thereon, the computer usable program code comprising:   computer usable program code for providing instant messaging chat conversations to a user via a scrolling chat window, wherein the scrolling chat window allows the user to scroll through and monitor a plurality of instant messaging chat conversations;   computer usable program code for receiving a user input selecting an instant messaging chat conversation in the plurality of instant messaging chat conversations; and   computer usable program code for displaying the selected instant messaging chat conversation into a main instant messaging chat window to allow the user to respond to the selected instant messaging chat conversation.   
   
   
       14 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein computer usable program code for displaying the selected instant messaging chat conversation includes placing keyboard focus into the main instant messaging chat window to allow the user to respond to the selected instant messaging chat conversation. 
   
   
       15 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , further comprising;
 computer usable program code for updating the content of the scrolling chat window according to the user specification in response to receiving a user specification that particular content should be displayed in the scrolling chat window.   
   
   
       16 . The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the user specification includes configuring the scrolling chat window to display one of all instant messaging chat conversations or selected instant messaging chat conversations. 
   
   
       17 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein the main instant messaging chat window is attached to the scrolling chat window. 
   
   
       18 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein content of each instant messaging chat conversation is stored as a chat transcript file. 
   
   
       19 . The computer program product of  claim 18 , wherein the chat transcript file is an extensible markup language document, and wherein the extensible markup language document comprises identifiers linking an entry with a particular instant messaging chat conversation or chat speaker. 
   
   
       20 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein the user scrolls through the plurality of instant messaging chat conversations by at least one of clicking and dragging a slider in a scroll bar, selecting up/down buttons on a keyboard, or selecting page up/page down buttons on the keyboard.