Modifying conversation windows

Abstract

A system described herein includes a receiver component that receives an indication that a conversation window for a first messaging contact is desirably collapsed, wherein the conversation window for the first messaging contact corresponds to an instant messaging application that is executable on a computing device. The system can further include a window minimizer component that collapses the conversation window into a contacts window of the instant messaging application, wherein the contacts window depicts a graphical indication of at least the first contact, wherein the graphical indication is highlighted to indicate that a conversation exists with the first messaging contact.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method executed at a computing device, the method comprising:
 displaying a conversation window of an instant messaging application on a display of the computing device, the conversation window comprising a message transmitted between the computing device and a second computing device;   receiving a request to remove the conversation window from the display;   responsive to receiving the request, removing the conversation window from the display; and   responsive to removing the conversation window from the display, displaying a graphical indicator on the display, the graphical indicator displayed in a contacts window of the instant messaging application, the graphical indicator indicating that the conversation window comprised the message prior to the conversation window being removed from the display.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , the computing device being a smart phone. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , the message transmitted from the computing device to the second computing device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , the message transmitted from the second computing device to the computing device. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the request to remove the conversation window from the display comprises receiving a selection of a depressible button that, when selected, causes the conversation window to be closed. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the request to remove the conversation window from the display comprises receiving an indication that a user of the computing device has altered a messaging status from a first messaging status to a second messaging status. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , the contacts window comprises an identifier that identifies the contact, wherein the graphical indicator is a highlighting of the identifier. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , the contacts window comprises a first identifier that identifies the contact and a second identifier that identifies the second contact, the second identifier presented in the contacts window to indicate that a message has not been transmitted to or received from a third computing device of the second contact during a current instant messaging session. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , the contacts window comprises an identifier that identifies the contact, wherein the graphical indicator is a blinking of the identifier. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  1 , further comprising:
 subsequent to removing the conversation window from the display, receiving a request to redisplay the conversation window on the display;   responsive to receiving the request to redisplay the conversation window on the display, redisplaying the conversation window on the conversation window on the display, wherein the conversation window, when redisplayed, comprises the message transmitted between the computing device and a second computing device.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , the display being a touch-sensitive display, wherein the request to remove the conversation window from the display is received via the touch-sensitive display. 
     
     
         12 . A computing device, comprising:
 a display;   a processor; and   a memory that comprises an instant messaging application that is executed by the processor, the instant messaging application comprising:
 a receiver component that receives a request to remove a conversation window of the instant messaging application from the display, the conversation window comprises a message transmitted from the computing device to a second computing device that executes the instant messaging application; and 
 a window modifier component that:
 removes the conversation window from the display responsive to the receiver component receiving the request; and 
 responsive to removing the conversation window from the display, causes a graphical indicator to be displayed in a contacts window of the instant messaging application, the graphical indicator representative of a user of the second computing device, the graphical indicator indicating that the message was transmitted to the second computing device during a current instant messaging session and prior to the conversation window being removed from the display. 
 
   
     
     
         13 . The computing device of  claim 12  being a smart phone. 
     
     
         14 . The computing device of  claim 12 , wherein the display is a touch-sensitive display, and the request to remove the conversation window of the instant messaging application from the display is received by way of the touch-sensitive display. 
     
     
         15 . The computing device of  claim 12 , wherein the window modifier component highlights the graphical indicator relative to graphical indicators that are respectively representative of other users of other computing devices that are executing the instant messaging application to indicate that the message was transmitted to the second computing device during the current instant messaging session. 
     
     
         16 . The computing device of  claim 12 , wherein the window modifier component causes the graphical indicator to blink to indicate that the message was transmitted to the second computing device during the current instant messaging session. 
     
     
         17 . The computing device of  claim 12 , wherein the request to remove the conversation window of the instant messaging application from the display is a request to close the conversation window. 
     
     
         18 . The computing device of  claim 12 , wherein the request to remove the conversation window of the instant messaging application from the display is a request to minimize the conversation window. 
     
     
         19 . The computing device of  claim 12 , wherein the receiver component receives a request to re-display the conversation window, the request received subsequent to the window modifier component removing the conversation window from the display, and wherein the window modifier component causes the conversation window to be re-displayed responsive to the receiver component receiving the request to re-display the conversation window, the conversation window, when re-displayed, comprises the message. 
     
     
         20 . A computer-readable data storage device comprising instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform acts comprising:
 displaying a conversation window of an instant messaging application on a display, the conversation window comprises an instant message transmitted from the computing device to a second computing device;   receiving a request to close the conversation window;   responsive to receiving the request, closing the conversation window; and   responsive to closing the conversation window, displaying a graphical indicator in a contacts window, the graphical indicator displayed to indicate that the conversation window comprised the instant message prior to the conversation window being closed, the graphical indicator representative of a recipient of the instant message.