Automatically populating recipients in an instant messaging or other computer communication system
View Patent ↗A system and a method for automatically populating chat recipients in an instant messaging system in which chat recipients are automatically populated from external data sources, e.g. clipboard, spreadsheet, document, database, directory, etc., and a chat session started with the click of a single user interface button or the like. A pop-up window is generated that allows the user to select a data source from which the chat recipients are to be obtained. The data source may be scanned to identify candidate names matching a predetermined name format, or the user is prompted to provide at least a portion of a search string. The user can then select which of the returned names are to be used in initiating the chat session. The disclosed system then generates a user interface object allowing the initiating user to perform an action with the selected recipients, including initiating a chat session.
1. A method comprising:
generating, by a communication application, a user interface including a communication initiation display object;
in response to selection of said communication initiation display object by a local user, generating, by said communication application, a data source selection display object, said data source selection display object displaying a plurality of data sources, wherein said plurality of data sources includes a hierarchical organization of names external to said communication application;
in response to selection of said hierarchical organization of names by said local user, searching said hierarchical organization of names for names matching a name selection criteria;
displaying, by said communication application, names from said hierarchical organization of names that match said name selection criteria to said local user;
in response to selection of a selected one of said names that match said name selection criteria by said local user, displaying a commands display object including a plurality of user selectable commands, said commands including a command to initiate a chat communication with all persons reporting to a user corresponding to said selected one of said names that match said name selection criteria; and
in response to selection of said command to initiate a chat communication with all persons reporting to said user corresponding to said selected one of said names that match said name selection criteria, automatically initiating a chat communication through said communication application with said persons reporting to said user corresponding to said selected one of said names.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein said name selection criteria includes a name format compatible with said communication application; and
wherein said names matching said name selection format comprise names conforming to said name format.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said communication application comprises an instant messaging application and wherein said name format comprises an instant messaging screen name format.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said searching said selected one of said plurality of data sources for names matching a name selection criteria further comprises:
generating a name selection criteria user interface object; and
inputting at least a portion of said name selection criteria from said local user through said name selection criteria user interface object.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said portion of said name selection criteria input from said local user comprises a search string, and wherein said names matching said name selection format comprise names matching said search string.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
providing type-ahead in said name selection criteria user interface object as characters are entered by said local user into said name selection criteria user interface object, wherein said type-ahead displays names in said selected data source matching said characters entered by said local user into said name selection criteria user interface object.
7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
wherein said portion of said name selection criteria input from said local user comprises an indication of a subset of said hierarchical organization of names.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said commands further include a command to initiate a chat communication with all persons that are peers of said user corresponding to said selected one of said names that match said name selection criteria.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said commands further include a command to initiate a chat communication with a manager of said user corresponding to said selected one of said names that match said name selection criteria.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of user selectable commands comprises a portion of a graphical command list.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of data sources comprises:
a software clipboard,
a file, and
a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory; and
wherein said hierarchical organization of names comprises said Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said file comprises a text file.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein said file comprises a word processing file.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein said file comprises a spreadsheet file.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein said plurality of data sources further comprises an instant messaging application buddy list.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein said names comprise instant messaging screen names.
17. A system comprising:
at least one processor;
program storage having communication application program code stored thereon, said communication application program code for execution on said at least one processor to
generate a user interface including a communication initiation display object,
in response to selection of said communication initiation display object by a local user, generate a data source selection display object, said data source selection display object displaying a plurality of data sources, wherein said plurality of data sources includes a hierarchical organization of names external to said communication application,
in response to selection of said hierarchical organization of name by said local user, search said hierarchical organization of names for names matching a name selection criteria,
display names from said hierarchical organization of names that match said name selection criteria to said local user,
in response to selection of a selected one of said names that match said name selection criteria by said local user, display a commands display object including a plurality of user selectable commands, said commands including a command to initiate a chat communication with all persons reporting to a user corresponding to said selected one of said names that match said name selection criteria; and
in response to selection of said command to initiate a chat communication with all persons reporting to said user corresponding to said selected one of said names that match said name selection criteria, automatically initiate a chat communication through said communication application with said persons reporting to said user corresponding to said selected one of said names.
18. A computer program product comprising:
non-transitory storage media having communication application program code stored thereon, said communication application program code including
program code for generating a user interface including a communication initiation display object,
program code for, in response to selection of said communication initiation display object by a local user, generating a data source selection display object, said data source selection display object displaying a plurality of data sources, wherein at least one of said plurality of data sources includes a hierarchical organization of names external to said communication application,
program code for, in response to selection of said hierarchical organization of names by said local user, searching said hierarchical organization of names for names matching a name selection criteria,
program code for displaying names from said hierarchical organization of names that match said name selection criteria to said local user,
program code for, in response to selection of a selected one of said names that match said name selection criteria by said local user, displaying a commands display object including a plurality of user selectable commands, said commands including a command to initiate a chat communication with all persons reporting to a user corresponding to said selected one of said names that match said name selection criteria; and
program code for, in response to selection of said command to initiate a chat communication with all persons reporting to said user corresponding to said selected on of said names that match said name selection criteria, initiating a chat communication through said communication application with said persons reporting to said user corresponding to said selected one of said names.