System and method for seamlessly bringing external services into instant messaging session

1. A system for providing real-time instant messaging over a global network in a session between two or more users, each of said two or more users using a device communicatively coupled to the global network, said system comprising:

a client messaging application which runs on each of a plurality of user devices, at least two of said user devices including a user device screen, said client messaging application providing a user interface displayed on each of said user device screens, said user interface comprising:

a message entry window for a user to enter data;

a communication window for displaying messages entered in said session; and

a selection window for accessing one or more application agents associated with on-line messaging service applications, wherein each application agent is represented by an icon in said selection window; and

an applet operatively coupled to said client messaging application which establishes a connection to said on-line messaging service application, wherein said messaging service applications include each of:

a translation service application, said translation service application configured to translate content as it is typed into said message entry window without having to locally run an executable application, thus providing an enriched communication session beyond simple, replicated text message content;

a speech synthesis application configured to:

recognize the speech of a visually-impaired user;

synthesize the recognized speech into synthesized text;

send the synthesized text to a destination user;

read the screen of a visually-impaired user upon receipt of return text from said destination user;

translate said return text into a human-understandable audio signal; and

broadcast said audio signal to said visually-impaired user via a speaker;

an automatic blog publishing application configured to publish a blog entry to the blog of any of said two or more users;

a picture sharing application configured to share digital pictures between any of said two or more users; and

a map sharing application configured to share digital maps between any of said two or more users;

wherein when one of said one or more application agents is activated, at least one of said on-line messaging service applications represented by said one or more activated application agents is activated to run in conjunction with said client messaging application such that said two or more users in said session can utilize said on-line messaging service applications without leaving said session; and

wherein when one of said one or more application agents is activated, a visual cue appears next to the icon of the activated agent in said selection window, wherein said visual cue is suggestive of the function of the agent.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said activated application agent addresses said on-line translation service application on an other side of said session via a message protocol.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein data transferred via said message protocol for addressing said on-line translation service application on said other side of said session is a sequence of characters that represents binary data.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein whenever said contact joins said session, said application agents represented by said one or more distinct visual cues associated with said contact are automatically activated.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein any of said application agents can be registered as a contact in said contact list of said user to create registered application agents.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein at least one of said registered application agents is associated to an interactive service.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein one or more of said registered application agents can be run in conjunction with said interactive service associated with said at least one registered application agent.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein said selection window displays any of:

a list of unregistered application agents, each of said unregistered application agents being available to be registered with said client messaging application; and

a list of registered application agents, each of said registered application agents being immediately available to be activated by a user.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein said user can register said unregistered application agent by dragging a symbol representative of said unregistered application agent from said list of unregistered application agents to said list of registered application agents.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein said symbol is an icon or a title.

11. The system of claim 9 , further comprising:

means for associating an alias of said symbol to a contact in said user's contact list, said association based on said user's prior use with said contact, of said application agent represented by said symbol.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein said user can unregister a registered application agent by dragging a symbol representative of said registered application agent from said list of registered application agents to said list of unregistered application agents.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein said user can register an unregistered application agent by applying one or more mouse-clicking commands.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein said user can activate a registered application agent by dragging a symbol representative of said registered application agent from said selection window to said communication window.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein said symbol is an icon or a title.

16. The system of claim 8 , wherein said user can activate a registered application agent by applying one or more mouse-clicking commands.

17. The system of claim 8 , wherein said user can activate a registered application agent from a local application.

18. The system of claim 8 , wherein said list of unregistered application agents is automatically updated by said client messaging application.

19. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

wherein a user invites another user to activate one of said application agents in said session.

20. The system of claim 1 , wherein said user interface further comprises:

a symbol for selection by a user to initiate synchronous sharing of a service represented by an activated application agent.

21. A method for incorporating external resources into an instant messaging session supported by an instant messaging system, said instant messaging system comprising a client messaging application which runs on devices communicatively coupled to the Internet, comprising the steps of:

providing through said client messaging application which runs on each of plurality of user devices, user interfaces displayed on each device's screen from which a user communicates with another user, said user interface comprising:

a message entry window for said user to enter data,

a communication window for displaying messages entered in said instant messaging session, and

a selection window for accessing one or more application agents, each of said application agents being associated with on-line messaging service application, wherein each application agent is represented by an icon in said selection window, the method further comprising the steps of:

activating an application agent from a list of available application agents including each of:

a translation service application, said translation service application configured to translate content as it is typed into said message entry window without having to locally run an executable application, thus providing an enriched communication session beyond simple, replicated text message content;

a speech synthesis application configured to:

recognize the speech of a visually-impaired user;

synthesize the recognized speech into synthesized text:

send the synthesized text to a destination user;

read the screen of a visually-impaired user upon receipt of return text from said destination user;

translate said return text into a human-understandable audio signal; and

broadcast said audio signal to said visually-impaired user via a speaker;

an automatic blog publishing application configured to publish a blog entry to the blog of any of said two or more users;

a picture sharing application configured to share digital pictures between any of said two or more users; and

a map sharing application configured to share digital maps between any of said two or more users;

sharing said on-line translation service application between at least two users in said instant messaging session.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein at least one of said registered application agents is associated to an interactive service.

23. The method of claim 21 , further comprising the steps of:

registering an unregistered application agent by dragging a symbol representative of said unregistered application agent from a list of unregistered application agents to said list of registered application agents, wherein each of said unregistered application agents is available to be registered with said client messaging application; and

unregistering a registered application agent by dragging a symbol representative of said registered application agent from said list of registered application agents to said list of unregistered application agents.

24. The method of claim 21 further comprising the steps of:

registering an unregistered application agent by applying a number of mouse-clicking commands; and

unregistering a registered application agent by applying a number of mouse-clicking commands.

25. The method of claim 21 , further comprising the step of:

associating one or more visual cues to a contact in a contact list of a user, each of said one or more visual cues representing one of said registered application agents, said association based on said user's prior use or use frequency, with said contact, of said registered application agents.

26. The method of claim 25 , further comprising the step of:

automatically activating said registered application agents represented by said associated visual cues whenever said contact joins said instant messaging session.

27. The method of claim 25 , wherein said contact can be any of:

a screen name representing a human contact;

a name or a visual cue representing an interactive service; and

a name or a visual cue representing one of said registered application agents.

28. A system for providing real-time instant messaging over a global network in a session between two or more users, each of said two or more users using a device communicatively coupled to the global network, said system comprising: a client messaging application which runs on each of a plurality of user devices, at least two of said user devices including a user device screen, said client messaging application providing a user interface displayed on each of said user device screens, said user interface comprising:

a message entry window for a user to enter data;

a communication window for displaying messages entered in said session; and

a selection window for accessing one or more application agents associated with on-line messaging service applications, wherein each application agent is represented by an icon in said selection window; and;

an applet operatively coupled to said client messaging application which establishes a connection to said on-line messaging service application, wherein said messaging service applications include each of:

a translation service application, said translation service application configured to translate content as it is typed into said message entry window without having to locally run an executable application, thus providing an enriched communication session beyond simple, replicated text message content;

a picture sharing application configured to share digital pictures between any of said two or more users; and

a speech synthesis application; and

an automatic blog publishing application configured to publish a blog entry to the blog of any of said two or more users;

wherein when one of said one or more application agents is activated, at least one of said on-line messaging service applications represented by said one or more activated application agents is activated to run in conjunction with said client messaging application such that said two or more users in said session can utilize said on-line messaging service applications without leaving said session; and

wherein when one of said one or more application agents is activated, a visual cue appears next to the icon of the activated agent in said selection window, wherein said visual cue is suggestive of the function of the agent.