Context-specific instant messaging
View Patent ↗Context-specific instant messaging is presented. A user views a page of data that is segmented into regions. The user performs a user action (e.g., a mouse click) and, in turn, a message generator displays context-specific phrases for the user to select based upon the region that the user action was performed and a corresponding object type. When a region corresponds to a meeting time, a context-specific phrase may also be time-sensitive. When a region corresponds to meeting participants, a context-specific phrase may include recipient identifiers. The user selects one of the context-specific phrases, and the message generator invokes a message session between the user and a recipient based upon the selected context-specific phrase. The message generator includes a link to the corresponding object such that the message recipient may easily identify the context of the message.
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving a user action corresponding to a page of data, the page of data displayed on a video display device and including a plurality of regions;
identifying the region from the plurality of regions where the user action was performed;
retrieving, from computer readable storage, one or more context-specific phrases that correspond to the identified region;
receiving a phrase selection from a user that corresponds to one of the context-specific phrases;
including the context-specific phrase corresponding to the phrase selection in a context-specific message; and
sending the context-specific message to a recipient over a computer network.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
displaying, on the video display device, the one or more context-specific phrases.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
including a page link in the context-specific message, the page link corresponding to the page of data.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining that the identified region is time sensitive;
retrieving a current time; and
selecting the one or more context-specific phrases based upon the retrieved current time.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving user text; and
including the user text in the context-specific message session.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified region corresponds to one or more recipient identifiers, the method further comprising:
displaying, on the video display device, the one or more recipient identifiers; and
wherein the phrase selection corresponds to one of the recipient identifiers.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of regions corresponds to a different location within a user interface window.
8. A program product comprising Non-transitory:
computer storage medium having computer readable code, the computer readable code being effective to:
receive a user action corresponding to a page of data, the page of data displayed on a video display device and including a plurality of regions;
identify the region from the plurality of regions where the user action was performed;
retrieve, from computer readable storage, one or more context-specific phrases that correspond to the identified region;
receive a phrase selection from a user that corresponds to one of the context-specific phrases;
include the context-specific phrase corresponding to the phrase selection in a context-specific message; and
send the context-specific message to a recipient over a computer network.
9. The program product of claim 8 wherein the computer readable code is further effective to:
display, on the video display device, the one or more context-specific phrases.
10. The program product of claim 8 wherein the computer readable code is further effective to:
include a page link in the context-specific message, the page link corresponding to the page of data.
11. The program product of claim 8 wherein the computer readable code is further effective to:
determine that the identified region is time sensitive;
retrieve a current time; and
select the one or more context-specific phrases based upon the retrieved current time.
12. The program product of claim 8 wherein the computer readable code is further effective to:
receive user text; and
include the user text in the context-specific message session.
13. The program product of claim 8 wherein the identified region corresponds to one or more recipient identifiers, the computer readable code further effective to:
display, on the video display device, the one or more recipient identifiers; and
wherein the phrase selection corresponds to one of the recipient identifiers.
14. The program product of claim 8 wherein each of the plurality of regions corresponds to a different location within a user interface window.
15. An information handling system comprising:
one or more processors;
a video display device;
a memory accessible by the processors;
one or more nonvolatile storage devices accessible by the processors; and
a message generation tool for generating context-sensitive message sessions, the message generation tool being effective to:
receive a user action corresponding to a page of data, the page of data displayed on the video display device and including a plurality of regions;
identify the region from the plurality of regions where the user action was performed;
retrieve one or more context-specific phrases that correspond to the identified region from one of the non-volatile storage devices;
receive a phrase selection from a user that corresponds to one of the context-specific phrases;
include the context-specific phrase corresponding to the phrase selection in a context-specific message; and
send the context-specific message to a recipient over a computer network.
16. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the message generation tool is further effective to:
display, on the video display device, the one or more context-specific phrases.
17. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the message generation tool is further effective to:
include a page link in the context-specific message, the page link corresponding to the page of data.
18. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the message generation tool is further effective to:
determine that the identified region is time sensitive;
retrieve a current time from a computer system clock; and
select the one or more context-specific phrases based upon the retrieved current time.
19. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the message generation tool is further effective to:
receive user text; and
include the user text in the context-specific message session.
20. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the identified region corresponds to one or more recipient identifiers, the message generation tool further effective to:
display, on the video display device, the one or more recipient identifiers; and
wherein the phrase selection corresponds to one of the recipient identifiers.
21. A computer-implemented method comprising:
displaying, on a video display device, a page of data that includes a plurality of regions;
receiving a user action corresponding to the page of data;
identifying the region from the plurality of regions where the user action was performed;
retrieving, from computer readable storage, one or more context-specific phrases that correspond to the identified region;
displaying, on the video display device, the context-specific phrases;
receiving a phrase selection that corresponds to one of the context-specific phrases;
initiating a context-specific message session based upon the phrase selection;
including the context-specific phrase that corresponds to the phrase selection in a context-specific message; and
sending the context-specific message to a recipient over a computer network.